Can authors have a favorite among the books they write? Well, my friend and fellow author, Mary Pat Johns has an interesting take on that. See what you think and get a sneak peek at her book soon-to-release (which sounds amazing!). 

Book 4 of the Valiant series will release in July. Waitin’ On Paige is the last book of the series. With the release of Books 2 and 3 in 2024, I struggled to find the balance between marketing and writing. However, the Lord is in the refreshing business, and he gave me the time and strength I needed to make it happen. How good is that?
People often ask if I have a favorite in the series. That’s a hard one to answer. Book 1, Countin’ On Jesse will always hold a special place in my heart, as it’s my first published novel. Kind of like my firstborn. Everything was new and harrowing, but we made it. In Book 2, Lovin’ On Red, I wanted to show and share God’s extravagant love, because when the Lord makes things new, he does a bang-up job that lasts forever.

Do you love all things royal? I fully admit I love wearing a tiara every now and then. There's just something about it. But why? Well, good news. Guest Author, Megan Schaulis is chatting about just this today. Read on to see her theory, as well as learn more about her amazing-sounding books!

​Last year on my daughter's seventh birthday, she spent the entire day dressed as a queen. Like a real queen—Mary, Queen of Scots. My parents found the elaborate regal costume on a trip to England.
In fact, her birthdays have had a royal trend for years, starting at age two when I gave her a gold tutu and a little white dress with "Princess" emblazoned on the front.
If you're a girl-mom and you're reading this, you're likely either sighing because your own daughter is in the throes of her princess phase or sighing because you miss the sparkly crowns and tutus that once covered the house.

While I haven't lived in Texas for almost eight years now, I did live there for eleven, and I am always excited to find another author from there. It's like a friend, even if we've never met. Though, after getting to know Allison Nance through her interview questions, I feel like we could be friends. Maybe we need to plan a family vacation to Galveston. See what you think and check out her gorgeous cover for her soon-to-be-released debut novel!

Congratulations on your first full-length novel. What first inspired you to write this story?

Thank you, Amy! Whew, we are diving in deep with this first question. The answer starts about nine years ago, when my husband and I were first given a heart for cross-cultural ministry, specifically for the people of Japan. Beginning in 2016, God impressed Japan on our hearts, and from that first prompting, we prayed and began learning about how we could best serve overseas. We joined a sending organization and were set to be in Japan in the summer of 2020... and we all know what happened that year. Japan's borders remained closed to non-citizens for almost two years, and finally in 2022, we made it to Sapporo, where we joined some friends who had an English cafe ministry. Approximately five months into our time in Japan, I started developing severe anxiety and insomnia, as well as several other physical effects related to these things. As a typically laid-back person, this was highly unusual for me, and I began seeking medical counsel. None of the doctors had any answers for me. Eventually, my anxiety became so intense, my husband and I decided it was best for our family to move back to the US so I could heal. 

Have you ever noticed when a character makes a certain facial expression … well … a LOT?
I think I notice things like that more because I catch myself doing it when I write. My characters have this tendency to lift one eyebrow higher than the other. Why?

​Yeah. I have a tendency to do that look more often than I should. To the point that I actually have an extra wrinkle above my right eyebrow that doesn’t exist over the other. Yep. I come from an expressive family. No poker faces here, for sure.

I've got to admit, I'm sort of tired of the recreation of movies that were already made. You know what I mean. The way certain movie companies are taking all their animated films and making them into "live-action" ones. It wouldn't be so bad if the movies weren't almost exactly the same as the one they're redoing. Only a few have any changes.
But this latest one, when I saw the trailer, I was excited. It looked beautiful, for one. For another, I was neck-deep in doing my own version of a Snow White retelling too. So, how could I not be thrilled to see another version?

When I started writing Rendersella, I had no idea it wasn't going to be a stand-alone book. The idea came to me fast and furious and all I knew was I was going to write it. Of course, my muse likes to trick me and suddenly have me realize there were two more books to go with it. Because why not?
The further into Rendersella I wrote, the more I realized her friend Teresa was Snow White. And her stepsister was supposed to be the heroine in a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Right. So, two more books, it is.

It was a case of mistaken mail ...
​I'm thrilled to have Sarah Anne Crouch on my blog today, chatting about her newest story, which is dear to both of our hearts. It's so exciting to see this book finally coming into the world and I know you're going to love it as much as I do. After all, how can you not love a story that starts with mistaken mail? Read on to see what I'm talking about.

​On Tuesday, my new novel A Homecoming in Shady Springs will be released into the world! I’m so grateful to Amy for editing (multiple times over the course of multiple years) this novel and the whole series.
I thought I’d share with you the very first spark of an idea that inspired Henry and Catherine’s story.

Do you have a bucket list place to visit? After reading two of Terri Wangard's novels, I'm leaning toward Brazil and Iceland! Maybe not, but she does make them sound amazing. She's my guest today to talk about some of the amazing landscapes in Iceland and how she used it to shape her newest book. I think you'll be as intrigued as I was.

​Where in the world would you like to go? Paris? Tahiti? Monaco? How about Iceland?
I like to set my World War II stories in unlikely places. Book One of my series, Seashells in My Pocket, is set in Brazil. Did you know Brazil played a role in the war? Brazil wasn’t completely foreign to me. I’d spent a day in Rio de Janeiro at the end of a South American cruise. Of course, the book was set farther north in Natal, but that’s beside the point.
 For Book Two, No Leaves in Autumn, Iceland won the honor. While researching my first series about B-17s based in England, I frequently found references to refueling stops in Iceland. Much more occurred there than the busy gas stations.

Do you like birds? How about books with empty-nesters as the main characters? well, Jen Dodrill has some stories for you! Read on to find out why she chose to use a quetzel in her latest cozy mystery.

I often get told – “You must love birds!” since my cozy mystery series is about a woman who starts a birding group. But really, I don’t know much about them. My dad and stepmom were avid birders, and I got the idea for the series when I stayed with them a few years ago.
What I do know about is being an empty nester. That’s why the series is the Empty Nesters Cozy Mystery series. I wanted to write about women in my age group—women of a “certain age”—who were going through the same stages of life I was.
Now I may be a bit older than the main character, Peg, but her mother-in-law Hazel and I are definitely the same age group. I just had more kids than Peg and was older when my last was born. None of that matters though, because being an empty nester is challenging, regardless of age. You raise those kids for years, then they leave, fly, take off.
​Just like birds.

Contemporary Romance doesn't require much research. Not really. But every now and then, I want to know more about something I'm writing about. Especially if it's food. Ha. Maybe I'm a book foodie.
In my Snow White retelling I'm working on, I have it set in Brunswick, Georgia. I set it there because I've visited several times and love the area. It's where we honeymooned. But I love to dive into travel blogs and pinterest sites to find out about things I might have missed, even if I have been to an area.