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That SummerBook #1 in the Caney Creek Seriesby Jo Huddleston Released December8A Southern historical novel LEAVE A COMMENT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY!! The Great Depression brings devastation to The Southern Appalachians, but love’s triangle survives. To escape his poppa’s physical abuse and their dirt-poor farm life, Jim flees to an imagined prosperous […]

I read the most delightful book the other day. And in one day, too! Never had I been so thankful to be stuck in a lobby while a mechanic repaired my car. 🙂 Leslie Gould has always been one of my favorite writers, but she’s hit a new stride lately with her Amish novels. I’ve […]

I like to weird my kids out by telling them how different certain things were when I was a kid. For instance, all three Berry children had dental appointments today. In the middle of the cleanings, I started in, using a drawling, Texas accent for some reason. “When I was a kid, we only had […]

One of my writing friends, Dianne Price, just launched a website. This lady is a dear and I think you’ll fall in love with her just from spending a little time there. I’ve had the pleasure of reading five of her soon-to-be published novels and I love her writing. Her characters, I’m convinced, are alive […]

“Your opening pages set the tone for the entire novel, so make sure you follow through with the promise you’re setting up from the first page. Is the mood light or serious? Romantic or mysterious? Tense, suspenseful? Comedic or literary?” Maureen Lang gives this advice on ACFW’s blog today. Which was funny, as I read […]

We’re having a birthday party with 30+ people for sweet Liliana in a few hours, so I’m too busy/lazy to do this myself, though I had planned on it: here are links to someone else’s blog with all the award winners and nominees listed PLUS their covers. Seeing the covers is such a better way […]

I guess The Start is a really good place to start when talking about the 4th, so here it is. Before I met Dave, I never really ran much. I would try, and end up out of breath and dying after a few blocks. As a sprinter in junior high, I was used to RUNNING […]

I recently read James Scott Bell’s Self-Publishing Attack: The 5 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws for Creating Steady Income Publishing Your Own Books. Jim and I have been pretty tight for years and years, ever since Mom and I wrote a second verse complete with hand motions for his Hairy Man worship song. Oh, but he might […]

(This post is not entirely true as my sweet honey took me to The Olive Garden tonight for a delicious 2 for $25 meal of never-ending bread sticks and salad, fried calamari, pork and beef ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, and smoked mozzarella chicken. Yum!) We try to eat at least one nice meal alone at […]

Hey, since I’m attempting to be a regular blogger again–did you notice I’ve posted every other day for a whole week? Didja? Didja?–I’m planning to introduce a new blog series on things I’ve figured out that make mothering large families easier. See, I’ve been cooking, cleaning, and shopping for a family of seven for more […]