Blog
Book Review: Wings of Promise
Description: Kate Evans may be a woman in a man's profession, but as Alaskan bush pilots go she's one of the best. She often works closely with doctor Paul Anderson, bringing much needed medical services to far-flung people in the forbidding wilderness. But when a new...
Happy 95th Birthday, National Park Service
I couldn't resist wishing a Happy Birthday to the National Park Service, which was started on this day in 1916. Preserving more than 400 parks, historical sites and more, the NPS sees more than 275 million visitors a year. (http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm) I was...
Review: Love Finds You in Amana, Iowa
Description: As the rest of the nation is embroiled in the Civil War, the Amana Colonies have remained at peace—until now. Amalie Wiese arrives in the newly built village of Amana in 1863 only to find that her fiancé, Friedrich, has left to fight with the Union army....
Becoming a better blogger…a better writer
What sort of time commitment have you put into your dream? Master blogger Seth Godin was asked how he got to be so good at blogging. He replied, "I wrote a thousand blogs." Malcolm Gladwell in "Outliers" states it takes ten years, or 10,000 hours, to truly master a...
Story Behind the Story: Anne Mateer
My grandmother was a born storyteller, the kind that could spin a tale and keep you enthralled from beginning to end. But her tales didn’t come from a tangle of imagination. They came from her life. I didn’t appreciate this as much as I should have as a child...
My adventures from the wild, blue yonder (conference)
The classes, the keynotes, the breaks, the meals - everything was filled with an energy and creativity that spread like wildfire. I had a great time attending Susan May Warren's Coaching Class about the internal journey of a character. More...
Going paperless, getting organized, starting anew. Sort of.
I've made the leap (attemping, more like it) to go as paperless as possible. This is coming from a chronic to-do-listaholic. Really, this is epic. For notes/digital to do lists: Michael Hyatt has posted over and over again about the program Evernote. So I thought I'd...
Setting out into the wild blue yonder…of a writer’s conference
My favorite time of the year has arrived. (Not Christmas, which is probably tied for my second favorite along with rodeo season.) It is the Oregon Christian Writer's Summer Conference! What can be better than hundreds of writers together, encouraging each other and a...
Upon finding out my writer idols are, in fact, human!
Do you remember the first book you stumbled upon in the genre you now love and adore? Did you ever write a hand-written note to that author when you were young and dreaming of being a bona-fied, published author? (Back in the day, publishers listed mailing addresses...
Review: The Preacher’s Bride
Description: In 1650s England, a young Puritan maiden is on a mission to save the baby of her newly widowed preacher--whether her assistance is wanted or not. Always ready to help those in need, Elizabeth ignores John's protests of her aid. She's even willing to risk...