Showing posts with label Virginia Smith Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia Smith Books. Show all posts

Saturday

Not A Typical Amish Book - and On Sale

 The Amish Widower was my 21st or 22nd novel, and my 4th Amish book with Harvest House Publishers. The first three were a humorous romantic series, co-authored with Lori Copeland, about Amish in the Old West, which was different from the typical bonnet fiction that had become so popular. Even though my brother-in-law was raised Amish, I’d always told my Harvest House editor that I would never write a serious Amish novel. Leave that to those who love to write and read bonnet fiction.  


My editor called me one day and said the editorial team at Harvest House had directed her to ask me if I would write a book they had already entitled The Amish Widower. This book was the 4th in the Men of Lancaster County series, the first three being written by two of my friends, Susan Meissner and Mindy Starns Clark. My editor said, “I told them you wouldn’t do it, but they insisted that I contact you.” I thanked her, and told her she was right, that I wasn’t interested. We hung up. Not fifteen minutes later my agent called and said, “Did you really just turn down a book contract with Harvest House?” After a lengthy conversation about many things (how a midlist author like me does not turn down an invitation from a publisher, and about my reasons for being hesitant), I called my editor back and said, “Okay. I’d like to do it. But I don’t want to write a smarmy romance novel about a guy who lost his wife and is looking for a mother for his kids. I want to write a real book, one that deals with real issues. If that’s okay with you, then I look forward to writing it.” She gave me permission to write a story I could fall in love with. And that’s what I did.

 

One of the best reviews I’ve ever received was by an Amazon reviewer who said, “This story had a depth, unlike other Amish stories I have read.” YES! That’s what I was aiming for. The Amish Widower is a story of forgiveness in all its gut-wrenching forms. Of forgiving those who have devastated your life, and of being forgiven when you can’t forgive yourself. It’s one of the books I’m most proud of.

 

The eBook version of The Amish Widower is on sale during the month of may, marked down from $7.99 to $1.99. I hope you’ll give it a try, and let me know what you think. Purchase from Amazon.comBarnes and Noble or anywhere you read eBooks.



Wednesday

Free Kindle and Audiobooks

 My Latest Newsletter announcing two free kindle books and free audiobooks!




March 2021

Ginny Smith Headshot 1 reduced
Dear Friends,

Two newsletters in one month? This has got to be some kind of record for me!

I had a couple of last-minute things pop up that I wanted to make sure you're aware of because who doesn't love free stuff? Two of my books are free, but only for the next few days. Read on to find out about them.

Can I ask a favor? Even if you've already read these books, please download the free copy and then leave a review on Amazon. Readers don't know how important those reviews are to authors. They're looked at to determine all kinds of things, and not only on Amazon. 

I hope you have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day next Wednesday! Since my maiden name is Patrick I've always felt like March 17th was a personal holiday. I'll wear green, and eat green stuff. (One year I dyed a dish of mac-and-cheese green, which grossed out my kids.) This year I'm celebrating St. Patrick's Day by getting my second COVID vaccine - while wearing my "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" shirt. 

Stay safe and healthy, my friends.

Ginny


P.S. Thanks to Erin Harper, the photographer who took my new photo. What do you think?
      



Let's Go to the Zoo - for Free!

TZD Kindle 8


Kelli, the main character in The Zookeeper's Daughterhates zoos - for a very good reason. But she agrees to abide by the conditions of her late mother's will and takes a temporary job as a zookeeper. Once there, she is given charge of a pair of giant porcupines, a mob of meerkats, and a nervous skunk whose ability to escape his enclosure would impress Houdini. Kelli rolls up her sleeves and gets to work, but there's one animal she will not go near. Why was her mother so enamored with that lion?

The Kindle version of The Zookeeper's Daughter is free for a limited time. I hope you'll take the opportunity to download your free copy. Don't have a kindle? No problem! The Kindle reader is free for your computer, phone, or tablet. 

A couple of weeks ago I announced that 
The Zookeeper's Daughter--Audiobook cover--11.12.20 2
 the audio version of this book was released, beautifully narrated by Kassandra Cherry. I do still have a few download codes that will enable you to get a free version of the audiobook from Audible. So you can read the eBook and listen to the audiobook without spending a single penny.

To get the free audio code, reply to this email and I'll send it to you with instructions. To get the free Kindle eBook, just click here to get it from Amazon. But hurry! The eBook is only free until March 17th!





How About Scuba Diving for Free?

Into the Deep Kindle


Into the Deep will take you on a breathtaking trip from Key West, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico, and then 110 feet below the surface of the Caribbean Sea. Join Ben and Nikki in a gripping adventure that reaches from the drug cartels of Mexico all the way to Washington D.C. 

This book is one of my favorites for many reasons. I'm an enthusiastic scuba diver, and I always wanted to write a story in which diving played an integral part. To research Into the Deep I traveled to all the places my characters go in the book, including that 110-foot plunge to the ocean floor.  


This eBook is only free until March 17th, so get your copy today! 


Now Available

Last Easter Egg low res

The Last Easter Egg is now available in print and as a Kindle eBook. It's free to Kindle Unlimited customers.

Even if you're not a KU customer, it's still a bargain at $9.99 (print) and $2.99 (eBook). If you want to receive a print copy before Easter, you'll need to hurry. Click here to get your copy!


~~~

On Easter morning the annual egg hunt comes up one short. The Easter Bunny has done a great job of hiding the eggs this year – maybe too good. Even Mom and Dad join in the search, but that bunny is a really good hider. Where is that last Easter egg?

Told in Seuss-style rhyme, fiction veteran Virginia Smith’s charming Easter story, beautifully illustrated by Patrick Carlson, is sure to delight children and adults alike. If you enjoyed The Last Christmas Cookie, you don’t want to miss The Last Easter Egg.


A Final Thought...


"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow
and may trouble avoid you wherever you go."

~ Irish Blessing  


Friday

New Children's Illustrated Book

 It's always a good day when I can celebrate the release of a new book, and this one is especially fun. I love speaking to kids at school, but since I write books for adults, grade school students aren't too interested. During the month of December I'm often invited to speak to students about being an author and I can read The Last Christmas Cookie, so I wanted something that I could read at other times of the year as well. That's why I wrote The Last Easter Egg a few years after the Christmas book was published.

By then the original illustrator was no longer available. The book went on the back burner for a number of years, but last year during the COVID quarantine, I dug it back out. I met Patrick Carlson through our literary agents, and I've admired his work for some time. His style matches my idea for The Last Easter Egg perfectly! His illustrations are bright and fun and add so much to the story! (Check out the dog in the book. He's awesome!) 

So I'm happy to announce that The Last Easter Egg is now available in print and Kindle format. I think kids and adults alike will enjoy the book and get a good laugh out of it. If you're a Kindle Unlimited or Kindle Owners Lending Library participant, you can even read the kindle version for free! I hope you'll do that. I also hope you'll leave a review on Amazon. And be sure to let me know what you think!





Saturday

Typing The End

There are fewer things more satisfying to a writer than typing The End on a manuscript. Well, okay, getting a box of her latest books is even better, but finishing the first draft of a book is pretty awesome. 


So far 2021 has been stellar for me in terms of that kind of awesomeness. In January I finished a book called Raised for a Purpose: Talia's Story. That one is Biblical fiction about the daughter of Jairus, the 12-yr-old girl who Jesus raised from the dead. (See Mark 5:21-24 and 5:35-43). That book will be published by Guideposts as part of their Ordinary Women of the Bible series. This is my second Biblical fiction novel (third if you count The Days of Noah, which is sci-fi/fantasy!) and I've discovered that I really enjoy researching ancient history to make the story come alive for modern readers. 


Then in February I wrote a book that I'm calling Cold Blooded Murder. The title will probably change (yeah, publishers do that). This book will be #10 in the Annie's Sweet Intrigue series. I've written #2 and #5 in the series already. (Check out Burning Danger! I *love* the cover!) While writing for this series I've gotten to write some exciting plotlines I've never done before. Forest rangers and arson (SI #2). Corporate espionage (SI #5). And now (Si #10) a cold case! The crime takes place 25 years before the story opens. What a challenge to keep the tension building!


And finally, The Last Easter Egg went up on sale. This is an illustrated children's book, an Easter story, and will be released on March 8, just in time for Easter. The book is available to pre-order now. This story is one I've hoped to release for about 10 years, since The Last Christmas Cookie came out. Patrick Carlson's illustrations are amazing, and I think the story is fun!

I hope your 2021 is turning out to be as awesome as mine!

Thursday

A New Oldie-But-Goodie!

I'm pleased to announce a new book release! Well, it's not exactly new. It's a book that came out waaaaay back in 2011, but she's had a makeover and now she's ready for her second public appearance. Introducing...

(Cheers! Balloons going up! Confetti fills the air!)

This book was previously published as A Daughter's Legacy, but in my mind the title has always been The Zookeeper's Daughter. It is about a young woman who is ... well, the daughter of a, uh, zookeeper. :-) It remains my best-selling book ever, of all 37 published novels (so far). I've updated it a bit - Kelli has a cell phone, and a flat-screened television. But the story is still full of the warmth and depth and charm that made more than a hundred thousand readers fall in love with it before.

Here's a description from the back cover:

Attending a stranger’s memorial service wasn’t at the top of Kelli Jackson’s to-do list.

Especially when that stranger was her own mother.

To receive her inheritance Kelli must abide by the conditions of her late mother’s will. She is forced work as a zookeeper for six months with animals that terrify her. But the zoo director is the same handsome man who stole her estranged mother’s affections and might just steal everything else too. Because if Kelli fails, Jason Andover inherits everything. How can she possibly get past her animosity when he watches her every move, waiting for her to throw in the towel?

Or is there another reason Jason focuses such close attention on her? Does he really have designs on her mother’s money, or might he have designs on Kelli herself? The only thing she’s sure of is that Jason is hiding a secret past, one that could destroy any chance of a happy future together.



Virginia Smith keeps this story fresh and interesting with the zoo background and the way she brings her characters to life.”Ann H. Gabhart, bestselling author of the Heart of Hollyhill series.




To order your copy in either print or Kindle version, click on the book cover above or visit this page.

Tuesday

Pray Your Way Through Advent

For my friends who celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday, I've put together a devotional booklet.

Each year, thousands of Christians celebrate the season of advent. The weeks leading up to Christmas are a time of expectation and preparation for the day we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

Join me on a personal prayer journey using the candles of the Advent wreath as a guide. Daily scripture verses and prayers will focus your thoughts on the Hope, Joy, Love, and Peace of the season as you Pray Your Way Through Advent.

This daily devotional includes a scripture verse, a 1-sentence thought, and a brief prayer. It will take no more than 2 minutes of your day, but I believe those 2 minutes will have an impact. My prayer is that this Christmas season will have a deeper, richer, more spiritual meaning for all of us.

By the way - Advent starts December 1. Kindle downloads are immediate, but the print book takes a few days to arrive, so hurry!


Purchase the Kindle version here, or the print version here.

Sunday

Another Kentucky Book Festival in the Books!

The Kentucky Book Festival was Saturday, November 16. The event is held each year in November, and it's one of my favorites. Almost 200 authors gathered at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park to meet readers, sign books, and enjoy a day full of literary fun! I first attended KBF in 2006, the year Just As I Am was released, and I've only missed one year since then.

This year I shared a table with Ellery Adams, author of 37 books including her latest, the mystery series The Secret, Book, & Scone Society. We had a great time, and her books are now on my To Read Soon list!

Also in attendance was Rosemary Wells, author of the wildly popular Max and Ruby series. She another series called Kit & Kaboodle and I got one of those for my grandson. (Shhh! It's a Christmas present!)

I thought you might like to see a few pictures from this year's event.


This is my good friend and fellow Danville High School graduate, Carmen Hampton. 

Here's Ms. Rosemary Wells!


Every year, my friend Ann H. Gabhart and I get a picture of the two of us together. 



If you live in the central Kentucky area, you'll want to put next year's KBF on your calendar. Saturday, November 14, 2020. 

Tuesday

eBook Sale!

I love a bargain, and I love books. It's an exciting day when I can get a bargain on books!

One of my publishers recently informed me they're running a Virginia Smith eBook Sale. Woo hoo! If you've missed some of my books, now's your chance to catch up without breaking the bank. Click on a title below to hop over to the book's Amazon page. (But all eBook versions are on sale, so if you read on Nook or Google Play or wherever, you can get the same bargain!)



TITLE
Regular Digital List Price
Promo Digital List Price
9.99
0.99
9.99
0.99
2.99
Free
7.99
1.99
9.99
0.99
9.99
0.99
2.99
0.99
14.99
0.99




Monday

Writer Stats and Pats on the Back

I admit it. I'm addicted to numbers. That's a pretty drastic admission for a novelist, a person who makes her living with words, but it's true. I love analyzing the statistics behind the writing.

My latest book is a perfect example. I just typed The End on my thirty-sixth novel, a cozy mystery with the working title As the Bee Stings. I worked hard on this book, and as always, I kept a detailed journal of my daily progress. I'm sure many writers don't focus on the numbers, but with my background in computer program development and analysis, I can't help it. I analyze my daily progress. 

In fact, I have a detailed spreadsheet on which I keep track of daily progress-to-goal, and project time-to-completion. (Yeah, really. It's a geeky work of art.) And at the end of a project (or when I type THE END on a first draft) I analyze my work. Something like a report card that only I see. 

Only now I'm sharing it with you. :-) So here's the data:

  • I typed the first word on As the Bee Stings on January 4, 2019. I typed THE END on February 1, 2019.
  • Between 1/4/19 and  2/1/19 I wrote a total of 25 days.
  • Between 1/4/19 and 2/1/19 there was an elapsed time of 28 days.
  • That means I took off 3 days.
  • The final word count of the book was 54,823 words. That means I averaged 2,192 words per day that I actually wrote. 
  • The day with the shortest word count was Jan 31, with a total of 174 words.
  • The day with the longest word count was Jan 30, with a total of 4,790 words.
Now, this must seem like a bunch of numbers to you, but to me it means SUCCESS! I wrote an entire novel in 28 days, including days off!!! WOO HOO!

Yeah, I confess that doesn't account for the plotting, which took me a couple of months before I began writing. On January 4 I had a fully outlined, chapter-by-chapter plot to work from, and that plot took a lot of thought and planning. But still...I wrote a book in 28 days!!!

I don't know what the final title will be - that's up to my publisher. I'll let you know. But one thing I do know. I love this book, and I wrote it in 28 days!!!!

Thanks for celebrating with me. 



Friday

The Schizophrenic Writer

Writers are always talking about 'branding,' or establishing your place in readers' minds and hearts with one particular style of book. For instance, if you pick up a Stephen King novel you expect a chilling, supernatural horror story. You know Nora Roberts is going to deliver a satisfying romance. John Grisham will take you into the deep south and a legal thriller, while C.J. Cherryh will transport you to the outer reaches of the galaxy. 
Then you get to me. I don't have a genre. My writing career has been like a dizzying tornado that touches down here and there, picks up again and then hits ground in an entirely different place. I just finished writing my 36th novel, and by my count I have:
  • 1 sweet romance
  • 5 historical romances
  • 2 chick lits
  • 4 women's fiction
  • 1 amish novel
  • 5 small-town humor stories
  • 15 mystery/romantic suspense (16 ifyou count the one I just finished)
  • 1 illustrated children's book
  • 1 Biblical story with sf/f elements
I mean, really! No wonder my agent just shakes her head when I tell her, "I've got an idea for a new kind of story." The problem is, I like to read all kinds of stories. And when I read a really great one, my brain starts asking, "I wonder if I could do that." And then I have to try. Not exactly a great career decision, huh?
The other day I came to the harsh realization that I'm not getting any younger. (surprise!) Maybe I'd better figure out what I do best and settle into one genre. Could you help me out? What do you expect when you pick up a Virginia Smith novel? Which are your favorites?  I hope you'll leave a comment here and let me know.

Thursday

All About Bees...well, maybe not All

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm currently working on a cozy mystery about a woman who owns a flower shop. The publisher is Annie's Publishing, and this book will conclude their Victorian Mansion Flower Shop Mysteries series. If you've read many of my books you know I research thoroughly. Yes, my books are fiction, but a good novel must have enough fact blended in with the story so the reader can identify with it. If you read a novel set in your hometown and the author gets the street names wrong, you're going to get irritated and you won't be able to enjoy the story.

The mystery element in this story is an attempted murder of a man who is allergic to bee stings. So I've done a lot of research about bees! I thought I'd share some of it here, because I think it's fascinating.

1. Honeybees are the only insect that produces food eaten by humans. I don't count crickets who get eaten by some adventurous diners. ick! ick!

2. A queen bee is bigger than the worker bees, and can lay 2,500 eggs per day. That's one busy mama!

3. Worker bees, the ones that gather the pollen and nectar, fly several miles on their search for food. They only live about 6 weeks, but in that time they will fly about 1 1/2 times the circumference of the earth.

4. Some bees are solitary. They don't live in hives, and therefore they rarely sting because there's no territory to protect.

5. A beehive can produce 20-60 gallons of honey each year, depending on the location, the health of the hive, and the availability of food. Some estimates are even  higher, up to 100 gallons.

6. It takes approximately 1,000 stings to kill an average-sized adult who is not allergic to bee stings. This rarely happens, except in the case of Africanized bees.

7. When King Tut's tomb was opened, they found honey. And because honey never spoils, it was still good!

8. Honeybees don't see the color red. They are most attracted to blue, purple, and yellow.

9. A bee swarm occurs when a hive produces a second queen. The hive will divide, with a good number of the workers and drones flying away with the old queen to find a new place to live, while the remaining bees raise the new queen.  A swarm can gather anywhere - trees, old buildings, under your porch. Many beekeepers love to find a swarm because they can collect the bees and install them in a new beehive in their apiary (or the place they keep their beehives). Do not try this at home!

10. This was a surprise to me: honeybees are not endangered. There are 8 species of bees that are on the endangered list, including bumble bees, but honeybees are not. The Washington Post ran an article in 2017 saying that the number of honeybees was at a 20-year high.


I'm sure you're as fascinated by all that information as I am. And if not, well, you probably didn't read this far. :-)

Thanks to my friend, poet and author Judith Moffett, for providing a ton of information about honeybees based on her experience as a beekeeper, and for helping me work out a believable plot.

Sunday

Book Titles - I don't get to choose!

Many readers don't know this, but rarely does an author get to choose the title of her book. That was a shock to me when my first book, Just As I Am, was published. I like that title better than my working title, which was Uniquely Mayla. (The publisher did go with my suggestion for the second book, Sincerely, Mayla.)

I'm almost halfway through my new book (#36 for those who keep count, which includes me!), which I've called Honey, Bee Mine as a working title. My editor at Annie's Publishing has already told me that title won't fly because the book is a mystery and that's too romantic. I get it, but since the book is about honeybees and includes a marriage proposal, I kind of like it. The final title will probably end up being Love Stings or something similar. I am permitted, and even required, to submit possible alternate titles. My current list includes:

Like a Bee to Honey (too sweet, pun intended)
Flight of the Bumble Bee (pretty sure that's been taken)
Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee (too long)
Thorns, Bees, and Flowers, O My! (way too cutsie)
As the Bee Stings (possible)
The Sting of Love (possible)

The the main character in this book owns a flower shop. So it would be cool if the title could be a play on words about flowers and bees. I'll have to keep thinking about it.

Some might get a bit irritated with not being able to choose the titles of their own books. I admit the first time it was an unpleasant surprise. But after writing 35 books I've learned to trust my publisher. They're the experts. Publishers have marketing departments who study trends in books and readers, and its their job to know what will appeal to readers. My job is to write the best book I can. And I'm good with that!

If anyone has ears to hear...

No, I'm not about to tell you a parable. Instead I'm going to tell you about my latest non-writing-related project - audiobooks! For the past year or more I've worked with several extremely talented narrators to produce many of my books on audio. What a fun project! I've been able to listen to auditions by many awesome narrators, and then select the perfect one for each book or series.

Some of my books have been available on audio for a while. Just As I Am was my first, and I actually recorded that one myself. That was a lot of fun, but while I'm a good reader, I'm not a professional "voice." So from there I was happy to turn over the task to the pros.

Erin Novotny recorded The Days of Noah. She has a voice that is clear and smooth, and at times haunting and tense - perfect for that book.

I partnered with the multi-talented Becky Doughty for the Tales of the Goose Creek B&B books. I love her portrayal of Millie and Al, and especially of Tuesday Love!

The minute I heard Lauren Holladay read a sample, I thought, "Oh my goodness! That's Allie!" Actually, her voice was perfect for all three of the Sanderson sisters. She has that quirky-yet-dramatic tone so necessary for the Sister-to-Sister series. Since this series is very personal to me, I was thrilled to find a Voice who was so perfectly suited to the characters.

I'd never worked with a male narrator before, but since The Amish Widower is written from the perspective of Seth Hostetler, the book really needed a man to record it. You have no idea how thrilled I was to find Logan Harper. He not only has a soothing, easy-to-listen-to voice, he nails the Amish dialect. And his acting experience gave the audiobook a truly entertaining quality that I absolutely love!

Historical novels require a different style of voice than contemporary ones. Sarah Kate has a lyrical, smooth style that was absolutely perfect for the Seattle Brides series. My job during the production process is to listen to the recording and let the narrator know if anything doesn't sound right. With Sarah's narration, I was so caught up in the story I forgot to listen for corrections! And there weren't any.

The Amish of Apple Grove provided some unique challenges for a narrator. First, the Voice must portray both female and male. The male has a Texas cowboy accent - but not too much, which would be distracting. The female is Amish, so the narrator needs to be able to pronounce Pa Dutch terms and read passages from the German Bible. Cecily White contacted me because she is such a fan of Lori Copeland, my co-author on this book. The minute I heard her read a scene from the first chapter of The Heart's Frontier, I knew she had the exact qualities to make these audiobooks a success.

Have I piqued your interest? Then I invite you to visit the Audiobook page on my website for links to all my audiobooks. And for a limited time, you might be able to get a free audiobook by entering the drawing on the Reader Fun page.


Friday

Keep Believing

If you've heard me speak about my road to publication, you know I took a looooooong and painful route to my current career as a published author. You've heard me tell about collecting 147 rejection letters (yes - I still have every single one of them!) before my first acceptance. And no doubt you've heard someone ask, "How in the world did you keep going? Why didn't you give up?"

Well, I have to thank God and my mom for that. God, because I was convinced that He gave me the desire to write, and I believe He is a good God who doesn't put desires in our hearts that He doesn't want to fulfill.

Mom, because she believed in me from the very beginning. Seriously. From the very first fictional paragraphs I wrote, Mom was an enthusiastic fan. She believed in me, and in my gift of writing. She entrusted me with her stories, the ones she had dreamed up but never finished. (Read The Days of Noah!) She encouraged me through ever story I wrote, and there were a lot of them. And she refused to give up on my dream of becoming a published author, even when I was ready to throw in the towel.

She once gave me a postcard, one of those long ones that really aren't postcards so much as cardboard placards. I taped it to the wall above my computer monitor where I could see it every time I sat down to write. I can't tell you how many times I looked at that card and thought, "Yes. I can keep going."

I was cleaning out my closet recently and found it. Here it is:


I have just signed the contract for my 35th published novel, and yet, I can still remember the longing and hope I felt when I gazed at that card. 

Thanks, Mom. You believed in me even when I didn't. I owe you so much more than you'll ever know.


Sunday

Launching The Amish Widower

On April 1, I hosted a book launch party to celebrate the release of my 30th book. Even if you couldn't attend, I hope you enjoy a few pictures.


Thursday

Making Amish Friendship Bread

I first learned of Amish Friendship Bread long before I had even the glimmer of an idea that I'd write a book about the Amish. A friend who hailed from Pennsylvania shared a cup of bread starter with me, and the resulting bread was delicious! So I was thrilled to find the recipe for the starter and the bread in Georgia Varozza's The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook.



Want to try the recipe? Send me an email and I'll share it with you - friend to friend!

Monday

Why is Amish Fiction So Popular?

When Amish novels first started selling, industry pros scratched their chins and speculated about how long this 'fad' would last. Nearly everyone agreed within a year or so sales of Amish fiction would start slacking off. Guess what? It didn't happen. In fact, Amish fiction spawned a new sub-genre called "bonnet fiction."

Let me tell you one reason I think Amish fiction is still going strong.



Thursday

Researching The Amish Widower

Research is critical for a writer - yes, even a writer of fiction! Here's a short video talking about one of the fun activities I did to research The Amish Widower.

Monday

Falling in love with a story

Readers want to find books they can fall in love with. You know what? Authors do too! Here's a brief video I recorded about finding a character I could love in writing The Amish Widower.



Saturday

Inspiration and a Call for Help!

I recently sent a newsletter to those who have subscribed to receive my news. (And if you haven't, why not??? Sign up at the bottom of the Home page!) In this issue I talk about how I get inspiration to write, and also ask for help with a beloved older book.

Read it here:

http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/771917/e234fab0c2/ARCHIVE#.WKTHKKNFqJk.twitter