Blog
Review: The Piano Teacher
This was one of those cases (we’ve all read at least one) where the premise was perfectly set up and the potential for knocking the wind out of the reader was there…but the author simply failed to deliver. Janice Y.K. Lee’s The Piano Teacher, a historical romance set...
Latest Manuscript News
I've said it before and I'll say it again: contests are invaluable to writers! First, it gives you deadlines to work by, and then it forces you to get your manuscript out there. I entered "A Long Way From Home," my NaNoWriMo manuscript, into the Novel Journey's "Out...
What I’m Reading: The Life of Pi
My book club tackled “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel for December, and it was quite the experience. We’ve read a novel where children were killed (“The Hunger Games”) and yet, “The Life of Pi” was disturbing in a whole new way. The brutality of the animal kingdom...
The Challenge
In Michael Hyatt’s blog post on Wednesday (Thomas Nelson), he wrote something that really resonated with me: “Embrace the challenge. Getting published is not easy. Instant success is not the norm. And even if you got it, it wouldn’t be good for your character...
Review: Thicker than Blood
Synopsis: Christy Williams finally has her life on track. She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. But things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a...
Goal-Setting: Bring on 2010!
As I look back at 2009 and all it held for me as a writer, I’m reasonably pleased. I joined American Christian Fiction Writers and Oregon Christian Writers, joined a critique group, attended my first writers conference, endured a handful of manuscript rejections,...
Book Review: Paper Roses
In Paper Roses, by Amanda Cabot (Revell, 2009), Sarah Dobbs replies to a man in Texas, agreeing to be his bride after a tragedy pushes her to leave Philadelphia. When she arrives in Texas, her husband-to-be, Austin, is dead and his brother, Clay, is determined to find...
Christmas Truce
Amazing Story: World War One truce on Christmas Day between the British and German troops. Merry Christmas everyone. Remember the true reason for the season. Blessings!
An eye-opening experience
On Saturday, December 18th, the Clark County Fence Riders hosted a Christmas Round Up for local families to come and learn about rodeo and horses. Children got to learn to rope and ride and got their pictures taken with a horse. More than 300 toys were donated and...
Writing Tips: Idea Book
As a writer, I can say the single greatest tool we have is pen and paper. The next best thing? A whole notebook full of random ideas, plot sketches, character notes and general observations of the world. Your "idea book" is a resource beyond a how-to book you can find...