Do you pay attention when book characters drink your beverage of choice? Our guest author today, Christina Rost, is talking about her characters and their drink of choice. See if you can relate.

​Tea or coffee? Which do you prefer?
I waffle between both, depending on my mood. During the afternoon, my go-to drink is a creamy latte with my favorite seasonal flavor combo: peanut butter and honey. But during autumn nights, you’ll frequently find me cozied up in my comfy chair, cradling a cup of Lady Grey.
As I draft my novels, these kinds of preferences are fun to add to characters because it can add an element of realism to them. The human quirks also enable me to engage with my readers through my characters.
Think about your family and friends. What are their preferences? What are their dislikes? We often keep these facts in mind when we make plans with them.
Just like friends, characters become more layered and relatable when you uncover their unique quirks, favorites and dislikes and allow them to come alive on the page.

My guest author today has become a dear friend over the last few years even though we haven't met in person (YET!). I'm blessed to be her content editor, but also in a novella collection with her in a few months too. If you haven't tried one of Lori DeJong's stories, I highly recommend them. So, sit back and check out her thoughts on how her fiction is a mission.

In my newest release, Love’s True Home, Ally, my female protagonist, was raised as the daughter of foreign missionaries in several Central American countries. Now residing in Arlington, Texas, she longs to grow her roots deep into American soil, although her widowed father still works among the indigenous people at a medical mission in Guatemala.
While Ally loves the people of Guatemala and the work the missionaries like her father do there, she believes strongly that it’s not her calling and prefers to work in student ministry back in the US. That’s where she meets Zane, an adventurous young man who loves working with young people as much as she does.
​So, it comes as a shock to her when a visit to the Guatemalan village where her father serves becomes the very thing that threatens to tear them apart, when Zane’s long-held dream of serving on foreign soil is suddenly on the verge of coming true, but Ally knows she can’t share it.

Do you have a home away from home? What makes a place feel like home for you? Guest Author Kimberly Banet is talking about a place that felt so much like home to her she set her new book there. And hey! It's not too far from where I live. ;) Read on.

​My book, Just Another Home, was released two months ago. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who goes to live with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie, whose biological kids have grown up and moved out of the house.
Something most people don’t know about the book is that the setting of the story, Franklin, Tennessee, was not just some random town I chose for the backdrop of Sam’s story. Franklin is a place that I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart.

Do you ever pay attention to reviews others have left for books you read? Authors tend to watch them more carefully than we sometimes should, but they can be such a help to letting other readers know what to expect from our story. Author Shannon Dunlap is here today to talk about one review that caught her off-guard. See what you think.

​“Hilarious Story!”
“LOL a minute”
“a complete HOOT!”
“HYSTERICALLY FANTASTIC”


Love Overboard began with a television feature I saw about a woman in her eighties who skipped the retirement home to live on a cruise ship. The idea captivated me. What if there wasn’t just one? What if a group of them spent their later years sailing the Caribbean? And what if they spent their days matchmaking the young people? The story experienced the growing pains of cuts, edits, pitches, and acceptance before it finally released in May.

Is your hometown known for anything special? Any spies?
Ever read a book set in someone else's hometown that makes you want to go visit?
Today, fellow author Ellen Withers is sharing about her hometown setting in her mystery series. And it sounds fascinating. No wonder she set her books there! See what you think.

Learning and reading about spies active during the Civil War is fascinating to me. Historians have discovered several of these spies were women. Some conducted their spying activities as a normal woman from the times, while others enlisted in military service and passed as a male soldier. In writing a book that includes the history of the Union Army’s occupation of my hometown during the War Between the States, I wanted to create a fictional spy within their midst and have an ordinary woman help gather evidence of the spy. 

Tonya Ashley became my friend several years ago when we both attended KenTen Writers' Retreat. Sadly, the retreat is no more, but Tonya and I have kept up with each other on Facebook. And last year, she became one of my authors I do content edits for. This newest book of hers, which is absolutely lovely, y'all, I got a sneak peek at long before I discovered I'd get to do the content edits. And she had me hooked back then. I think she'll do the same for you. Be sure to read all the way through as she tells you more.

​Discovering Unexpected Treasure While Balancing Fact and Fiction
The wind rolls in from the river, mussing my hair as I stand on the short dock at the Lee Creek Park boat launch. A tugboat pushes several barges slowly down the Arkansas River. Closing my eyes, I try to imagine a steamboat in place of the tugboat and green grass over the paved parking lot. The task is easier than erasing streetlights and motor vehicles from Main Street.
There’s something about historic Main Street towns that spark my imagination and Van Buren, Arkansas has long been one of my favorites. Its restored Victorian buildings, Old Frisco Depot, King Opera House, and trolley transport me back in time. The past and present are seamlessly woven together in Van Buren’s historical attractions, antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, and more. My favorite hangout, Chapters on Main, offers new and used books alongside deliciously creative espresso drinks. All this, along with the warmth and friendliness of its residents, make it so easy to fall in love with this delightful Main Street town.

Would you read a book about birding? Well, if the answer is yes, I have a guest author today who has just the thing. If the answer is no, read on anyway. You might be more interested than you think. ;)
Welcome, guest author, Jen Dodrill, as she chats about her new book, Birds Alive.

Erma Bombeck once said, “It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” And that’s what writing is all about—being courageous."
I still remember the first contest I entered – over fifteen years ago! I was crushed when I received my scores. No one knew I entered, and I didn’t want to tell them how badly I did. I am proud of myself for being courageous back then.
Writing a book and then sending it to an agent or publisher is sort of like having a baby and leaving it with someone you don’t know. It's intimidating and nerve-wracking, and you question every decision you’ve ever made.

I love shining a spotlight on other authors and other books too. Today, we're showcasing Jenny Carlisle's newest release (one of my editing babies). Love Never Fails is the third in her series (fourth if you count the novella in A Gift For All Time, which I do). Y'all, this series is so sweet, and I just love the fictional town and all its people. But this story also deals with some heavy stuff. See what Jenny has to say about it.

​“It’s over. He’ll never be able to do anything.” My husband’s boss expressed hopelessness as we stepped outside the hospital waiting room. His brother and business partner was being treated for a severe spinal injury. The doctors were preparing the family for the possibility of paralysis.
“We don’t know that yet.” I said. “The doctors will tell him about the next steps. There are so many possibilities for a normal life.” Even as I spoke these words, I knew the road ahead would be rough. In a way, the concerned brother was right. Nothing would be the same ever again.

Today starts a fun new series on my blog that I think we're all going to enjoy--a monthly book spotlight! Each month, I'm going to let another author take over my blog for a day to share a fun story about one of her books. Today, Suzie Waltner, a fellow Tennessean and fellow Anaiah author, is sharing about a fun roadtrip story. This sounds like a great read. And make sure you go all the way to the bottom because she's doing a giveaway too!

​As a romance reader, the friends-to-more trope has always been my favorite. Since my Love in Color series features a group of friends who not only grew up together and hang out often, but also work together, I knew from the first book that two of them needed to become more than just friends.
But what would be the catalyst for them to realize their feelings for each other went beyond friendship? My solution? Send them on a road trip across the country in search of answers to questions each of them has about their families.
​

A lot of you know I started content editing in the fall of 2022. What is a content editor? I basically get to read stories before you and help the author polish up the overall story itself, little inconsistencies, sentences that don't sound quite right, or other little nitpicky things that keep the story from reaching its full potential. I don't have to worry about the grammar part, though I do tend to fix those mistakes if I notice them. 
When I first started, I really wasn't sure how it was going to go. After all, I still need someone else to do content edits for me. How was I going to be good enough to do this for someone else?
The thing is, I notice things while I'm reading, even if I'm not in editor mode. I've just been trained now to where all the little mistakes stick out to me. Especially if it's a story I didn't write.
Also, it's amazing to be able to reach into someone else's story and help them polish it up where it shines even brighter. Because these stories were already good. We're just helping them be better. And I've loved being able to work with other authors to do that. And now their books feel a little like my "other" book babies. :)
So, what have I helped edit?