This is the week...

...where we find love in the town of Bethlehem! Wow, and what better place too, as all of us know of the love that was born in a manger long ago....

And that's exactly what an unsuspecting pair will discover when they cross paths in the actual town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire!

This is actual Main Street in the town of Bethlehem

You can read much more about my new release - Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, published by Summerside Press, on my official blog that showcases reviews, historical tidbits, links to the town, and the movie trailer produced by Trailers to the Stars!

A Journey of Amazing Things...

And so I journeyed to Denver and the annual American Christian Fiction Writers conference not knowing what would happen. On a rainy and dark Thursday morning I head to the car and the airport to catch my flight, only to miss a step and fall flat on my back. I tore up my right ankle (I had JUST finished rehabing my left ankle from a sprain on a hike in August) and received a bruise that is about ten inches in length on my forearm. Crying, I barely have time to go and find some ankle braces to throw in my carry on. There isn't even any time to ice it.

Reality sinks in quickly. I am going to the conference bruised, in pain, and unable to walk. What does that bode for this journey? It ain't lookin' too good...

But I will find out in a whole new way...that when I am weak, He is most definitely strong.

- on the airplane, an old gentleman helped me put my carry-on up above and then took it down. And the ice the flight attendant gave me on the airplane and the nice bag of ice a guy made up for me at a McDonalds in Dallas.

- at the hotel in Denver, limping down halls that first 24 hours to see friendly and sympathetic faces offering encouragement and support

- my wonderful roommate, Cindy, who stood by me at my low point on Friday, when I was wondering why I even write or why I'm even here. She saw the highs and lows of a published author. It is not all fame and fortune. It is tough all the way.

- the gathering of Barbour authors Friday night. What a turning point for me. I met some great friends, laughed a lot, but it was the contact with my editors JoAnne and Becky, that were highlights for me. Especially when Becky made the suggestion that I write fiction about the Appalachian Trail, and they would look at it. That could not have been a greater uplift to a downtrodden spirit and a confirmation that God has me exactly where He wants me.

- mealtimes. Each table I sat at gave me unique and interesting experiences. An overwhelmed writer looking for encouragement. Laughing with a good friend, Deb. Another writer who prayed with me about family matters. My former editor, Tracie Peterson, who sympathizes with family matters, and we plan to pray for each other. It was all good.

- Editor appointments. The first one on Friday was a disaster for me, which led to my low time. But I had one left - on Saturday with the editor of Bethany House whom I had been in e-mail contact with four years ago. And she remembered me! It has been a long road trying to find a book they will take. But there is still hope as I have resurrected an idea they rejected five years ago but are willing to look at again. So we'll see.

- Graduation. I attended this fiction clinic for advanced authors and at the end, you receive a diploma and a gift. Wow, I had not graduated in over 25 years, so this was extra special! And the diplomas were beautiful, hand done by one of the editors. It was these encounters with editors at private functions and at the graduation that made me realize how much these busy people truly value their authors and make us feel special.

There are more fascinating things that happened, which I will likely address as I blog. But God met me in Denver. I knew He would, but I didn't know how. But He did it in the most perfect way possible.

MEGA Booksigning Event in Denver, Colorado!

If you live in Colorado or in the vicinity, get ready! This Saturday, September 19th, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., American Christian Fiction Writers will host a huge booksigning event with over a hundred Christian Fiction authors, including myself! Books will be available for purchase in the ACFW Conference bookstore, but you can also bring your books to be signed. The event will take place at the Marriott Tech Center in Denver.

Here’s that list of authors scheduled to sign books at this Saturday’s big event. Hope to see you there!

Carolyne Aarsen
Diane Ashley
Ruth Axtell Morren
Rick Barry
Christina Berry
Lauralee Bliss
Diana Brandmeyer
Sandra Bricker
Margaret Brownley
Candace Calvert
Robin Caroll
Jeanie Smith Cash
Colleen Coble
Brandilyn Collins
Mary Connealy
Shirley Connolly
Margaret Daley
Susan Page Davis
Mary Davis
Janet Dean
Megan DiMaria
Lena Nelson Dooley
Wanda Dyson
Leanna Ellis
Pamela Ewen
Miralee Ferrell
Linda Ford
Tina Ann Forkner
Judy Gann
Jeff Gerke
Rhonda Gibson
Debby Giusti
Sandra Glahn
Elizabeth Goddard
Winnie Griggs
Cathy Marie Hake
Lisa Harris
Mary Hawkins
Roxanne Henke
Cynthia Hickey
Patti Hill
Denise Hunter
Annette Irby
Myra Johnson
Liz Johnson
Jenny Jones
Eileen Key
Laurie Kingery
Kathleen Kovach
Harry Kraus
Jeanne Marie Leach
Tosca Lee
Julie Lessman
Loree Lough
Elizabeth Ludwig
Richard Mabry
Debbie Macomber
Joyce Magnin
Gail Gaymer Martin
Judy/Jude Martin-Urban/Urbanski
Debby Mayne
Aaron McCarver
Vickie McDonough
Dana Mentink
Robin Miller writing as Robin Caroll
DiAnn Mills
Stephanie Morrill
Janelle Mowery
Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Kevin Parsons
Golden Keyes Parsons
Donita K. Paul
Tracie Peterson
Allie Pleiter
Cara Putman
Tara Randel
Deborah Raney
Sandra Robbins
Kim Sawyer
Marc Schooley
Michael Sheehan
Shelley Shepard
GrayAnn Shorey
Beth Shriver
Sandra Lee Smith
Virginia Smith
Betsy St. Amant
Therese Stenzel
Stuart Stockton
Alison Strobel
Michelle Sutton
Camy Tang
Donn Taylor
Janice (Hanna) Thompson
Missy Tippens
Pamela Tracy
Carrie Turansky
Deborah Vogts
Jenness Walker
Dan Walsh
Susan May Warren
Michael Webb
Kit Wilkinson
Lisa Wingate
Beth Wiseman
Kimberley Woodhouse
Lenora Worth
Cheryl Wyatt
Kathleen Y'Barbo

Remember....

America...never forget.

Prayers for those who lost loved ones that day and for our men and women defending our nation and freedom.

Labor Day and the Fruit

When I think of the word labor, I do think of myself bent over the computer keyboard, "penning" a novel or trying desperately to work through my atrocious typing skills. Or I consider the other labors I perform during the course of the day - cleaning, laundry, picking tomatoes, thinking up a nice dinner. At times our labors can seem tedious and without purpose, especially when we see little or no fruit. And with that I am reminded of several scriptures from the Amplified version of the Bible.

1 Corinthians 15: 58 - ...be firm, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile (it is never wasted or to no purpose).

Jeremiah 31: 16 - ....for your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord...

Luke 10: 7 - ...for the laborer is worthy of his wages...

As a writer, it can be a long road to seeing fruit from tireless labor. We can work days, weeks, months, even a year on a particular project but see no fruit. But even if we don't see it with our eyes, God sees it all. And He has His timing for bringing the labor we do to fruition. It may be a bumpy road without a destination in sight, obtaining the wages of one's hard work. But take heart. God is never early nor is He late with His payment for a job well done. He is always right on schedule with our paycheck and the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

TODAY! New Civil War release!

I am pleased to announce the release today of "A Blue and Gray Christmas" with three other terrific authors. This collection of four novellas is a bit bittersweet for me as I was not originally part of this four-person team that conceived the idea. The fourth dear author, Kristy Dykes, developed terminal brain cancer and was unable to write her novella. Thus I was asked if I might step in and take her place, which I did. From that moment I desired to write a story that exemplified the importance of covenant in an engagement and marriage, no matter how tough things become in a relationship. And so my novella, Till Death Do Us Part I dedicated to Kristy Dykes who lived and breathed a covenant relationship with her husband and her Lord and Savior. I hope you enjoy this set of stories that takes place during a difficult time in a our nation's history.

Summary of my novella

As the sound of distant cannon nears her hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Leah Woods is determined to focus on her upcoming nuptials with Seth Madison. But when Seth disappears, she begins to have misgivings. As troops begin bearing down on their town, Leah clings to whatever faith she can muster in these uncertain times--when no man or woman is safe from the terrors of war.

Some photos of Fredericksburg

Chatham Manor (known as the Lacy House during the war) where Seth disappears

The town of Fredericksburg from the manor grounds

You can purchase the book here.