A few weeks ago, my family and I rode the Virginia Creeper Trail. Built on an old railroad bed, the Virginia Creeper Trail offers a unique biking experience. 17 miles. Downhill. Really. It’s an amazing ride. The scenery is stunning and the trail is open to cyclists of all experience levels. As you head… [ read more ]

There are a few things I know about myself. I don’t like them, but I know they are true. I’m a perfectionist and I don’t like feeling vulnerable. But I kept hearing about this author and researcher,  Dr. Brené Brown , who has a couple of insanely popular  TED talks  where she discusses her research.  Guess what she researches? Vulnerability,… [ read more ]

I’m a task-oriented person. It’s how I’m wired. You’d think with that kind of wiring, I’d be churning out books by the dozens. Not so much. In fact, I’ve been struggling to figure out how to get this whole writing thing squeezed into my day. I’m a wife, a mom of three, and a published… [ read more ]

Every time I see a book on “structure” or “story” I find myself bracing for the inevitable battle. If you’ve hung around with writers for long you know why, don’t you?  Someone is about to get in an argument about THE way to write. In my mind, I see a group of literary protesters. “Structure Leads… [ read more ]

Covert Justice on the shelf in Wal-mart! When the idea of trying to sell my book started floating around in my brain, I always pictured it in Barnes & Noble. It would be on an upper shelf on the inspirational aisle. It would fit right in with books from my favorite romantic suspense authors—Eason, Mills,… [ read more ]

Stay in the Writing Gameby Lynn H Blackburn  @LynnHBlackburn I’d like to tell you a little story . . . I promise it is relevant . . .  Over the past few months, my family has had an unprecedented amount of illness and minor injuries. So much so that I’ve missed an insane amount of time… [ read more ]

Today’s post is for the writer’s out there… You’ve been writing for a while now.  You’ve got a book or two written. You’ve entered a few contests, pitched to a few agents, even attended a few conferences.  You’ve been doing this writing thing long enough to know you want to keep doing it. You know… [ read more ]

Several years ago, my dad made a beautiful mirrored coat rack. I had the perfect wall for it and it hung in a place of prominence in my home where it received oohs and ahhs from friends, family, and guests. Then we moved. Our new home has an open floor plan with short walls. Most… [ read more ]

So how much writing did you get done this summer? Every time someone asks me this, I have to fight an intense desire to slink away in shame. Instead, I mumble something about being busy with the kids and vacation because I hate to tell them the truth. How much did I write this summer?… [ read more ]

Ronie Kendig, Missy Tippens, Lynette Eason, Ginny Aiken I want a magic bullet. Somewhere there’s a book, a routine, maybe a diet, or even an outfit. Somewhere, there’s one thing I’m missing and when I find it, my publishing dreams will come true! Right? In my quest for the elixir of publishing success, I had… [ read more ]