Amy R. Anguish's Blog, page 10
August 15, 2024
Book Spotlight: Love's True Home
My guest author today has become a dear friend over the last few years even though we haven't met in person (YET!). I'm blessed to be her content editor, but also in a novella collection with her in a few months too. If you haven't tried one of Lori DeJong's stories, I highly recommend them. So, sit back and check out her thoughts on how her fiction is a mission. 
In my newest release, Love’s True Home, Ally, my female protagonist, was raised as the daughter of foreign missionaries in several Central American countries. Now residing in Arlington, Texas, she longs to grow her roots deep into American soil, although her widowed father still works among the indigenous people at a medical mission in Guatemala.
While Ally loves the people of Guatemala and the work the missionaries like her father do there, she believes strongly that it’s not her calling and prefers to work in student ministry back in the US. That’s where she meets Zane, an adventurous young man who loves working with young people as much as she does.
So, it comes as a shock to her when a visit to the Guatemalan village where her father serves becomes the very thing that threatens to tear them apart, when Zane’s long-held dream of serving on foreign soil is suddenly on the verge of coming true, but Ally knows she can’t share it.
As I began the research for Guatemala, the Lord brought into my path, literally, a very special young lady named Natalie Arauco. Natalie and I met in a hallway on the way to a social event at the 2022 American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference in St. Louis. We introduced ourselves and realized we were both from Texas, literally forty-five miles from each other, which we thought was a huge coincidence in itself since Texas is the size of … well, Texas is really, really big, y’all.
I told her she should come to my writers’ group in Georgetown. But then she said she was currently working as a missionary … IN GUATEMALA. I actually stopped in my tracks. Right there outside the door of the event we were going to. I couldn’t believe it. I told her there was a Guatemalan mission in Book Two of the series I was writing, and I had just started my research, and all the information online was completely overwhelming. We made plans to meet up again at the end of the conference, exchanged contact information, then over the next year, exchanged numerous emails and met twice via Zoom.
I have thanked the Lord many times over for Natalie. In fact, I pray very often for Natalie and have her photo on my refrigerator to remember to pray for her and the work she’s doing as a teacher in the Guatemalan village of Chivoc. Natalie spent so much time with me over Zoom answering my dozens of questions, and when she said she would send me some photos, she sent me over 200 hundred photos and videos, y’all! She even did a sensitivity read for me so I could be sure I represented Guatemala the way it should be.
Natalie loves to share about these people she holds in her heart. There is so much poverty, and so much domestic abuse, and many of the children don’t stay in school past third or fourth grade. But through the work that Natalie and other missionaries are doing, many children are staying through junior high and even high school, graduating and improving their lives and the lives of their community. She’s an inspiring young lady, and she’s blessed my heart immeasurably.
In the book, Zane’s in a foreign country for the first time, spellbound as they’re entering the fictional town of Pamoca in the mountainous region of Guatemala. Here’s an excerpt and a photo that might give you a small snapshot of what he might’ve seen that day.
Ally squeezed his hand. “Welcome to Pamoca.”
“We’re here?”
“These are the outskirts, about ten minutes from the mission.”
His insides clenched in anticipation. The town of Pamoca, Ally had told him, was home to approximately fifteen thousand souls. There were also several outlying villages close enough that the missionaries could travel there and back in a day, providing medical treatment and dental checks, all while sharing the gospel. He hoped they might get to go on one or two during their two weeks here. How cool to be able to see mission work in a foreign land firsthand.
The area became more congested, and the dirt road gave way again to pavement. In the town square, the marketplace teemed with people, including merchants selling everything from eggs to traditional clothing to woven goods and everything in between.
“Is there no central place to buy groceries?”
Ally shook her head. “You buy what you need from whatever merchant provides it. Meat from one, vegetables from another, beans from yet another, and so on. You’d be hard-pressed to find much dairy, though. Milk, butter, and processed cheese are a luxury.”
He peered out the window again. “So many kids. Why aren’t they in school?”
“The school year is January through early November, so they’re essentially on the equivalent of what a summer break would be back in the US. And, unfortunately, many of the kids don’t go to school past third grade or so. They’re needed to help at home, whether it’s farm work, construction, brick-laying, weaving. Most traditional Guatemalans are of the opinion a higher education isn’t as important as the help their children can provide at home.”
********
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into Guatemala, and at Zane and Ally. They really are so cute together. And both committed to being who God wants them to be, where God wants them to be. My key verse for this book is from Proverbs 16:3, from the NIV, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”
Love's True Home
Allyson Kincaid needs roots. Born and raised on the foreign mission field, all she wants is home and hearth on American soil. Finally past the break-up with the man she’d thought was the love of her life, she’s ready to put herself back out there. Too bad the first guy who’s made her pulse skip in nearly two years dreams of a life spent in foreign missions. She’s been there, done that, and, although she supports him in his calling, knows his choice means she’ll be laying even more broken dreams, and a newly shattered heart, at the feet of Jesus.
When Zane Carpenter relocates to Arlington, Texas, his seventh move in thirteen years, his only thought is to meet his obligation with Becker Ministries in a few months, then take a foreign mission assignment, his dream for the past several years. But working so closely with Ally in student ministry has him feeling things he’s never experienced. He’s ready for a future with her, until he accepts an opportunity to work on foreign soil and Ally stays behind. He knows God put him there for a reason, although his heart still longs for the girl back home.
Lori DeJong is a contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith. She resides in Georgetown, Texas, with her husband and two fur-babies and is the mother of one grown daughter. Lori's debut novel, "Love's True Calling", was the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Romance and was released in June 2023. "Love’s True Home" is Book Two in the series and released in June 2024, and "Love’s True Measure" will release in June 2025. Lori's Christmas novella, "Jingle Bell Matchmakers", releases as part of "A Match Made at Christmas" novella collection in October 2024.
Links:
Website: https://loridejongwrites.com/
Community: https://bit.ly/LoriDeJongCommunity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loridejongwrites/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loridejongwrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/loridejongwrites
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38460845.Lori_DeJong
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lori-dejong
In my newest release, Love’s True Home, Ally, my female protagonist, was raised as the daughter of foreign missionaries in several Central American countries. Now residing in Arlington, Texas, she longs to grow her roots deep into American soil, although her widowed father still works among the indigenous people at a medical mission in Guatemala.While Ally loves the people of Guatemala and the work the missionaries like her father do there, she believes strongly that it’s not her calling and prefers to work in student ministry back in the US. That’s where she meets Zane, an adventurous young man who loves working with young people as much as she does.
So, it comes as a shock to her when a visit to the Guatemalan village where her father serves becomes the very thing that threatens to tear them apart, when Zane’s long-held dream of serving on foreign soil is suddenly on the verge of coming true, but Ally knows she can’t share it.
As I began the research for Guatemala, the Lord brought into my path, literally, a very special young lady named Natalie Arauco. Natalie and I met in a hallway on the way to a social event at the 2022 American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference in St. Louis. We introduced ourselves and realized we were both from Texas, literally forty-five miles from each other, which we thought was a huge coincidence in itself since Texas is the size of … well, Texas is really, really big, y’all.
I told her she should come to my writers’ group in Georgetown. But then she said she was currently working as a missionary … IN GUATEMALA. I actually stopped in my tracks. Right there outside the door of the event we were going to. I couldn’t believe it. I told her there was a Guatemalan mission in Book Two of the series I was writing, and I had just started my research, and all the information online was completely overwhelming. We made plans to meet up again at the end of the conference, exchanged contact information, then over the next year, exchanged numerous emails and met twice via Zoom.
I have thanked the Lord many times over for Natalie. In fact, I pray very often for Natalie and have her photo on my refrigerator to remember to pray for her and the work she’s doing as a teacher in the Guatemalan village of Chivoc. Natalie spent so much time with me over Zoom answering my dozens of questions, and when she said she would send me some photos, she sent me over 200 hundred photos and videos, y’all! She even did a sensitivity read for me so I could be sure I represented Guatemala the way it should be.
Natalie loves to share about these people she holds in her heart. There is so much poverty, and so much domestic abuse, and many of the children don’t stay in school past third or fourth grade. But through the work that Natalie and other missionaries are doing, many children are staying through junior high and even high school, graduating and improving their lives and the lives of their community. She’s an inspiring young lady, and she’s blessed my heart immeasurably.
In the book, Zane’s in a foreign country for the first time, spellbound as they’re entering the fictional town of Pamoca in the mountainous region of Guatemala. Here’s an excerpt and a photo that might give you a small snapshot of what he might’ve seen that day.
Ally squeezed his hand. “Welcome to Pamoca.”
“We’re here?”
“These are the outskirts, about ten minutes from the mission.”
His insides clenched in anticipation. The town of Pamoca, Ally had told him, was home to approximately fifteen thousand souls. There were also several outlying villages close enough that the missionaries could travel there and back in a day, providing medical treatment and dental checks, all while sharing the gospel. He hoped they might get to go on one or two during their two weeks here. How cool to be able to see mission work in a foreign land firsthand.
The area became more congested, and the dirt road gave way again to pavement. In the town square, the marketplace teemed with people, including merchants selling everything from eggs to traditional clothing to woven goods and everything in between.
“Is there no central place to buy groceries?”
Ally shook her head. “You buy what you need from whatever merchant provides it. Meat from one, vegetables from another, beans from yet another, and so on. You’d be hard-pressed to find much dairy, though. Milk, butter, and processed cheese are a luxury.”
He peered out the window again. “So many kids. Why aren’t they in school?”
“The school year is January through early November, so they’re essentially on the equivalent of what a summer break would be back in the US. And, unfortunately, many of the kids don’t go to school past third grade or so. They’re needed to help at home, whether it’s farm work, construction, brick-laying, weaving. Most traditional Guatemalans are of the opinion a higher education isn’t as important as the help their children can provide at home.”
********
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into Guatemala, and at Zane and Ally. They really are so cute together. And both committed to being who God wants them to be, where God wants them to be. My key verse for this book is from Proverbs 16:3, from the NIV, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”
Love's True HomeAllyson Kincaid needs roots. Born and raised on the foreign mission field, all she wants is home and hearth on American soil. Finally past the break-up with the man she’d thought was the love of her life, she’s ready to put herself back out there. Too bad the first guy who’s made her pulse skip in nearly two years dreams of a life spent in foreign missions. She’s been there, done that, and, although she supports him in his calling, knows his choice means she’ll be laying even more broken dreams, and a newly shattered heart, at the feet of Jesus.
When Zane Carpenter relocates to Arlington, Texas, his seventh move in thirteen years, his only thought is to meet his obligation with Becker Ministries in a few months, then take a foreign mission assignment, his dream for the past several years. But working so closely with Ally in student ministry has him feeling things he’s never experienced. He’s ready for a future with her, until he accepts an opportunity to work on foreign soil and Ally stays behind. He knows God put him there for a reason, although his heart still longs for the girl back home.
Lori DeJong is a contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith. She resides in Georgetown, Texas, with her husband and two fur-babies and is the mother of one grown daughter. Lori's debut novel, "Love's True Calling", was the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Romance and was released in June 2023. "Love’s True Home" is Book Two in the series and released in June 2024, and "Love’s True Measure" will release in June 2025. Lori's Christmas novella, "Jingle Bell Matchmakers", releases as part of "A Match Made at Christmas" novella collection in October 2024.Links:
Website: https://loridejongwrites.com/
Community: https://bit.ly/LoriDeJongCommunity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loridejongwrites/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loridejongwrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/loridejongwrites
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38460845.Lori_DeJong
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lori-dejong
August 12, 2024
A Fairytale Come True
Over the last few years, I've fallen in love with Fairytale Retellings. There's something fun about revisiting the familiar even if it's told in a new way. So, when my muse decided I should write a new Cinderella last year, I gave in. Why not have some fun with it, right?Thus, during Nanowrimo last fall, Rendersella was born. And, as of now, I have a contract for it to be released next July!!!
I'm thrilled to share this fun story with you. It's definitely not your typical fairy tale. Mine are set in the real world and have no magic. But they have the familiar pieces like pumpkins and shoes and a Prince Charming character who is so sweet. Even an evil stepmom and stepsister.
Even better, I'm working on a couple more fairytale retellings. Fairest Inn All is started, my Snow White retelling. And someday I'll write Beauty Shop and the Beast. Characters from the first book are in the other two as well, so it's going to be a fun series if I can find enough time to get it written.
Want to know more about Rendersella?
Here's a blurb to give you an idea.
Ella's dream is to have her artwork displayed in the famous Prince Gallery, but she has to eke out a minute here and there to work on it between working for her stepmother. When her stepsister steals her drawing and claims it as her own, she fears her last chance is gone.
Chaz Prince wants to prove to his dad that he's ready to take more responsibility at the family gallery, but his dad insists Chaz prove he can handle it. Chaz talks him into a contest to bring in some new artists, sure this will be exactly what the gallery needs. When he stumbles across Ella's piece, he not only wants the artwork, but wants to get to know the artist too.
At the gala to celebrate the contest winners, Ella is determined to let them know the artwork is hers, but time is against her. And where did her shoe end up?
What do you think? Are you as excited as I am? More to come as we get closer, but I have two more stories releasing between now and then so back to work for me!
August 8, 2024
How to Tell a Child is a Reader
At the beginning of the summer, my daughter's most-anticipated activity of the summer was reading. She didn't have to put a book down and go to class or do homework. She could simply enjoy as many stories as she could squeeze in. And she squeezed in a lot. I'm not sure how many hours she got this summer because she lost track around day three. But my son kept track of his reading log for a contest we'd entered and he logged 7,307 minutes (over 121 hours).Don't worry. We did more than read this summer. But we did burn through quite a few stories and make multiple trips (per week) to the library.
The thing about readers is, you can usually tell when you're talking to one. Even if they don't tell you.
For instance, my daughter usually has a book in hand. As well as one on the dining table, one on the couch, one in her bed, and several others scattered here and there. She uses whatever is nearby for her bookmarks. The other day I spotted a marker, a headband, and a kleenex all shoved between pages so she could pick up where she left off.
That's an obvious way to spot a reader. But there are other more subtle hints too. For instance, my daughter has taken to calling things "horrid." When was the last time you heard that word used? Not necessarily a normal fourth-grade-girl word, right? And yet, she loves it. She also pronounces some words in a way that shows she learned it by reading and not by hearing it. Trust me. We've had to decipher quite a few words over the last few years as she slaughters the pronunciation. But that's okay. Because she usually uses in the right context.
Also, most of my daughter's conversations will eventually end up in a discussion of various characters. She just can't help herself. She falls in love with the fictional worlds she reads about (and who can blame her? I do the same thing). Those characters, to her, are like friends. So, they come up in conversation.
Can you think of other ways to spot a reader? What are some ways your children let their reader lights shine?
August 5, 2024
Author Interview: Diane Tatum
Today, I'm happy to introduce you to a fellow Tennessee author. I just discovered Diane Tatum, but her books sound like a lot of fun. So, read all the way to the end so you can find out more! 
Diane, you have quite the collection of books! I know you write across several different genres. Which is your favorite to write and why?
Three books have been published so far this year, making twenty available on Amazon. I’ve come to really enjoy writing romantic suspense. The romance is still strong in these stories, but the characters are also working together (willingly or not!) to resolve the mystery. I feel like it heightens the connection between the characters. I have two mystery series: Main Street Mysteries set in fictional Daelin, GA, and Mysteries at Kate’s B&B set in Adams, TN.
With a history of teaching for so many years, do you find the things you learned teaching being incorporated into your stories?
After teaching middle school for eleven years, I’m not writing YA! What I learned most is how different people are and how different they perceive things. I guess I got a course in human behavior and not always in the best way. My villains take on some of the characteristics of people I interacted with in and outside of the classroom. I also did most of my teaching in a small town, and my stories often take place there as well.
In addition, I taught seventh grade for seven of those years. At my middle school, seventh grade involved teaching geography and Tennessee history. That’s where I learned about the Bell Witch in Adams. I also taught Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days during the last month of the school year, kind of like a wrap-up of geography. One of my former students wrote me on direct messenger recently that she’d thought of me when doing a Jules Verne Lego set. Setting my stories in places I’ve been fortunate to experience is a great lesson I’ve taken from the classroom and Jules Verne.
You live pretty close to the area of TN I live in. Do most of your books find a setting near you or do you like to set books in other places too? AND Where do you get your story ideas from?
I enjoy setting my books in places I’ve experienced or know something about.
The Mysteries at Kate’s B&B series (Book 4 just went live on July 4!) is a romantic suspense set in Adams, Tennessee, home of the Bell Witch. The ideas for this series came about as my husband and I were driving home from St. Louis down I-24. As we approached the exit for Adams, TN, my husband said, “What if you set a story in Adams?” I said, “Yeah, the main character could move to Adams and start a Bed and Breakfast.” He said, “And there’s the Bell Witch built in!”
Another book I recently finished for a set from my publisher was set in Cologne, Germany, as a result of a Rhine River cruise in we took in December. My book is called Christmas Market Romance. The set is called Once Upon a Christmas Romance and is currently $0.99. My main character has MS and goes to Cologne for a month every year to help run the family’s Christmas market kiosk. The cover has a couple in front of a Dom Spekulatius booth. The background picture was taken by my husband and the brown coat under the superimposed couple is mine!
We’re taking a trip next spring that runs from Prague to Berlin. Wonder what ideas I’ll get there!
Can you tell us about a book you're working on now? Any sneak peeks?
I’m working on a book currently called Lonely Rhine River Honeymoon. It would be following the itinerary of the Viking River Cruise we took in December (I know, a 2nd book from that trip!). The two main characters are a new wife/widow Callie taking the honeymoon cruise that she and her late husband had planned, and a busy executive Hunter whose life holds no time to find a life partner goes on the same trip paid for by his father. Since it’s December, there are also Christmas Markets!
What have you learned in your journey as an author that you never expected?
As a high school student, my goal was to be a writer. However, being a pragmatic person, I knew I wouldn’t be able to support myself, at first anyway, so I went to college to be an accountant. I assumed I would not be married anytime soon. By the time I finished my degree in 1980, I had married and was expecting our first son. I had also determined that accounting was not a career for me as a mom. Fast forward to 1997. I graduated with a Masters in Teaching - Language Arts. Then we moved to Tennessee. After teaching middle school to help my boys with college, my husband told me to “Come home and write your stories.”
What I never expected in my delayed career of choice is how hard it would be to get published, and then how hard it was to do marketing. As an introvert who taught public school for eleven years and was an adjunct professor for our community college for ten years, I was thrilled to stay home and write. But even after signing on with a publisher, I was expected to put myself out there and invest in marketing my books as well as myself. As a business major, I knew this, but It was not the easiest thing for me to do. The pandemic only accentuated my desire to hide away. It still is not my favorite part of the job.
Last but not least, what is one random fact about yourself that very few people know?
People say my characters fall in love too quickly in my books. However, what people may not know is that I met my husband at church in December 1977 and we married in July 1978, so … We just celebrated 46 years of marriage despite having a quick romance!
Hooray for long marriages! Your books sound great and I'm looking forward to hearing more about them.
Readers, keep going for info on how to keep up with Diane as well as more information on her books.
Christmas Wedding Disruptions is Diane E. Tatum’s twentieth book with Winged Publications. Diane grew up in St. Louis County and began writing in elementary school. Her first published book Gold Earrings began as a short story in a high school creative writing class. Diane taught middle school for eleven years. She retired from teaching public school when her husband told her to “come home and write your stories” and bought her a laptop. Diane has been an adjunct professor of English at the local community college as well as an author. She is supported by her family: husband Ken, two sons and daughters-in-law, and four young grandsons. Diane’s home in Tullahoma, Tennessee, includes a 6-year-old retired racing greyhound named Iggy and a 1-year-old Jack Russell puppy named Travor.
See Diane’s Pinterest for each of her books: https://www.pinterest.com/tatumlight
Website: www.dianeetatumwriter.com
Amazon page: amazon.com/author/dianeetatum
blogs: http://tatumlight-tatumsthoughts4today.blogspot.com/
http://tatumlight.wordpress.com/
email: tatumlight@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/tatumlight
twitter: @DianeTatum
Once Upon a Christmas Romance
Between all the thoughtful gift-giving and festive decorating for the holidays, hearts are made tender and romance can strike for the unsuspecting. A chance encounter, a snowy rescue, or a happenstance beyond a tight schedule all lend themselves to ignite a spark of affection while the stockings are being hung with care. Here are eight new contemporary novellas released just in time to set the stage for sweet romance at Christmastime. Find out what obstacles may arise between the hesitant hero and the attractive heroine that appears in his path.
There may be a threatening Scrooge or two to shake out of the mix
before two hearts can align at Christmastime!
The Other Side of the Fairy House by June Foster
The Mistletoe Mess by Jill Boyce
The Christmas Stalker by Colleen Snyder
Christmas Market Romance by Diane E. Tatum
A Jane Austen Christmas—Secret Billionaires by Laurie Boulden
Come Again Christmas by Cindy M. Amos
There’s No-el in Murder by Sydney Winthrop
A Sun-Drenched Christmas by Sheridan Lee
Kate’ B&B, Book 4: Christmas Wedding Disruptions
It’s finally December in Adams, TN. Time for Christmas and, finally, Kate and Will’s wedding. Kate has decorated the bed & breakfast for the holidays and for the wedding planned for December 23. Will has filled the house ceilings with mistletoe for any excuse to kiss his bride-to-be. While Kate and Will are excited and hopeful that the wedding be the most important event in December, intruders continue to break into the house destroying Kate’s wedding finery. In addition, Will’s wedding ring disappears. If all that wasn’t disruptive enough, Will inadvertently finds himself working for a biker gang on a Christmas deadline.
Will the weekends prior to the wedding be calm, relaxing, and merry?
How will Kate and Will’s relationship survive the stress of continual breaks in security? Will they be able to marry on December 23?
Diane, you have quite the collection of books! I know you write across several different genres. Which is your favorite to write and why?Three books have been published so far this year, making twenty available on Amazon. I’ve come to really enjoy writing romantic suspense. The romance is still strong in these stories, but the characters are also working together (willingly or not!) to resolve the mystery. I feel like it heightens the connection between the characters. I have two mystery series: Main Street Mysteries set in fictional Daelin, GA, and Mysteries at Kate’s B&B set in Adams, TN.
With a history of teaching for so many years, do you find the things you learned teaching being incorporated into your stories?
After teaching middle school for eleven years, I’m not writing YA! What I learned most is how different people are and how different they perceive things. I guess I got a course in human behavior and not always in the best way. My villains take on some of the characteristics of people I interacted with in and outside of the classroom. I also did most of my teaching in a small town, and my stories often take place there as well.
In addition, I taught seventh grade for seven of those years. At my middle school, seventh grade involved teaching geography and Tennessee history. That’s where I learned about the Bell Witch in Adams. I also taught Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days during the last month of the school year, kind of like a wrap-up of geography. One of my former students wrote me on direct messenger recently that she’d thought of me when doing a Jules Verne Lego set. Setting my stories in places I’ve been fortunate to experience is a great lesson I’ve taken from the classroom and Jules Verne.
You live pretty close to the area of TN I live in. Do most of your books find a setting near you or do you like to set books in other places too? AND Where do you get your story ideas from?
I enjoy setting my books in places I’ve experienced or know something about.
The Mysteries at Kate’s B&B series (Book 4 just went live on July 4!) is a romantic suspense set in Adams, Tennessee, home of the Bell Witch. The ideas for this series came about as my husband and I were driving home from St. Louis down I-24. As we approached the exit for Adams, TN, my husband said, “What if you set a story in Adams?” I said, “Yeah, the main character could move to Adams and start a Bed and Breakfast.” He said, “And there’s the Bell Witch built in!”
Another book I recently finished for a set from my publisher was set in Cologne, Germany, as a result of a Rhine River cruise in we took in December. My book is called Christmas Market Romance. The set is called Once Upon a Christmas Romance and is currently $0.99. My main character has MS and goes to Cologne for a month every year to help run the family’s Christmas market kiosk. The cover has a couple in front of a Dom Spekulatius booth. The background picture was taken by my husband and the brown coat under the superimposed couple is mine!
We’re taking a trip next spring that runs from Prague to Berlin. Wonder what ideas I’ll get there!
Can you tell us about a book you're working on now? Any sneak peeks?
I’m working on a book currently called Lonely Rhine River Honeymoon. It would be following the itinerary of the Viking River Cruise we took in December (I know, a 2nd book from that trip!). The two main characters are a new wife/widow Callie taking the honeymoon cruise that she and her late husband had planned, and a busy executive Hunter whose life holds no time to find a life partner goes on the same trip paid for by his father. Since it’s December, there are also Christmas Markets!
What have you learned in your journey as an author that you never expected?
As a high school student, my goal was to be a writer. However, being a pragmatic person, I knew I wouldn’t be able to support myself, at first anyway, so I went to college to be an accountant. I assumed I would not be married anytime soon. By the time I finished my degree in 1980, I had married and was expecting our first son. I had also determined that accounting was not a career for me as a mom. Fast forward to 1997. I graduated with a Masters in Teaching - Language Arts. Then we moved to Tennessee. After teaching middle school to help my boys with college, my husband told me to “Come home and write your stories.”
What I never expected in my delayed career of choice is how hard it would be to get published, and then how hard it was to do marketing. As an introvert who taught public school for eleven years and was an adjunct professor for our community college for ten years, I was thrilled to stay home and write. But even after signing on with a publisher, I was expected to put myself out there and invest in marketing my books as well as myself. As a business major, I knew this, but It was not the easiest thing for me to do. The pandemic only accentuated my desire to hide away. It still is not my favorite part of the job.
Last but not least, what is one random fact about yourself that very few people know?
People say my characters fall in love too quickly in my books. However, what people may not know is that I met my husband at church in December 1977 and we married in July 1978, so … We just celebrated 46 years of marriage despite having a quick romance!
Hooray for long marriages! Your books sound great and I'm looking forward to hearing more about them.
Readers, keep going for info on how to keep up with Diane as well as more information on her books.
Christmas Wedding Disruptions is Diane E. Tatum’s twentieth book with Winged Publications. Diane grew up in St. Louis County and began writing in elementary school. Her first published book Gold Earrings began as a short story in a high school creative writing class. Diane taught middle school for eleven years. She retired from teaching public school when her husband told her to “come home and write your stories” and bought her a laptop. Diane has been an adjunct professor of English at the local community college as well as an author. She is supported by her family: husband Ken, two sons and daughters-in-law, and four young grandsons. Diane’s home in Tullahoma, Tennessee, includes a 6-year-old retired racing greyhound named Iggy and a 1-year-old Jack Russell puppy named Travor.
See Diane’s Pinterest for each of her books: https://www.pinterest.com/tatumlight
Website: www.dianeetatumwriter.com
Amazon page: amazon.com/author/dianeetatum
blogs: http://tatumlight-tatumsthoughts4today.blogspot.com/
http://tatumlight.wordpress.com/
email: tatumlight@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/tatumlight
twitter: @DianeTatum
Once Upon a Christmas RomanceBetween all the thoughtful gift-giving and festive decorating for the holidays, hearts are made tender and romance can strike for the unsuspecting. A chance encounter, a snowy rescue, or a happenstance beyond a tight schedule all lend themselves to ignite a spark of affection while the stockings are being hung with care. Here are eight new contemporary novellas released just in time to set the stage for sweet romance at Christmastime. Find out what obstacles may arise between the hesitant hero and the attractive heroine that appears in his path.
There may be a threatening Scrooge or two to shake out of the mix
before two hearts can align at Christmastime!
The Other Side of the Fairy House by June Foster
The Mistletoe Mess by Jill Boyce
The Christmas Stalker by Colleen Snyder
Christmas Market Romance by Diane E. Tatum
A Jane Austen Christmas—Secret Billionaires by Laurie Boulden
Come Again Christmas by Cindy M. Amos
There’s No-el in Murder by Sydney Winthrop
A Sun-Drenched Christmas by Sheridan Lee
Kate’ B&B, Book 4: Christmas Wedding DisruptionsIt’s finally December in Adams, TN. Time for Christmas and, finally, Kate and Will’s wedding. Kate has decorated the bed & breakfast for the holidays and for the wedding planned for December 23. Will has filled the house ceilings with mistletoe for any excuse to kiss his bride-to-be. While Kate and Will are excited and hopeful that the wedding be the most important event in December, intruders continue to break into the house destroying Kate’s wedding finery. In addition, Will’s wedding ring disappears. If all that wasn’t disruptive enough, Will inadvertently finds himself working for a biker gang on a Christmas deadline.
Will the weekends prior to the wedding be calm, relaxing, and merry?
How will Kate and Will’s relationship survive the stress of continual breaks in security? Will they be able to marry on December 23?
July 11, 2024
Book Spotlight: Just Another Home
Do you have a home away from home? What makes a place feel like home for you? Guest Author Kimberly Banet is talking about a place that felt so much like home to her she set her new book there. And hey! It's not too far from where I live. ;) Read on. 
My book, Just Another Home, was released two months ago. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who goes to live with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie, whose biological kids have grown up and moved out of the house.
Something most people don’t know about the book is that the setting of the story, Franklin, Tennessee, was not just some random town I chose for the backdrop of Sam’s story. Franklin is a place that I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart.
In 2015, our daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Derek, moved to Franklin. That’s a little over three hours from our home in Indiana where my husband Jeff and I have lived all our life, and still do. Of course we were sad to see them move away, but it was for a great job opportunity, and we would get the chance to visit frequently. That’s exactly what we did.
In the four years Nicole and Derek lived in Franklin, we went to visit for the weekend just about every other month. We loved the small-town, rural feel of Franklin, with its rolling fields and farms and the scenic beauty of the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge. It also satisfied everything we wanted in a small city with its unique shops, boutiques, and locally-owned restaurants on Main Street and in nearby Cool Springs.
My favorite things about Franklin, though, were the great family weekends we spent there. The memories of one weekend in particular always makes me smile. It was December, our son Brandon was able to go with us, and we attended the Dickens of a Christmas Festival on the square in downtown Franklin. It was just one of the many festivals they have there, but the one I love the most.
It was a blustery, cold day for Middle Tennessee. The high was only 30 degrees and snow flurries were flying. With coffee in hand, we braved the streets and saw all our favorite Dickens characters—Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Tiny Tim, among many other famous Dickens characters. There were vendor booths, and to top it off, a giant, beautifully lit Christmas tree in the square. It was a cold, festive, Christmas-like day with both our kids together in the same place at the same time. When we got too cold to walk anymore, we ducked into a pizzeria to have lunch and warm up. Then we finished the day at our favorite local bookstore, Landmark. This mother’s heart was full.
Does all of this sound familiar? If you’ve read Just Another Home, it does, because this exact story is played out in Chapter 20 as Sam attends the Dickens Festival with his foster family. It’s the first time he is genuinely happy since he can remember. He is with a family that cares about him, and all his basic needs are met. And more. He can enjoy the day with them without having to fight for survival or worry about what tomorrow brings. For once he is free and his heart is not troubled.
Kind of like this momma’s heart, having her whole family in the same place at the same time.
Just Another Home
Sixteen-year-old Sam Keller has lived in foster homes and group homes most of his life and has long ago given up on the dream of a stable, forever family. Adults have always let him down, and so has God, and he has no use for either.
John and Abbie Grayson are a respected, successful couple in their fifties with two grown children. They live in their dream home in Franklin, TN, an idyllic suburb of Nashville, where John is a successful college basketball coach, and Abbie works part-time at their local church. But Abbie feels something is missing from her life and convinces John they should become foster parents.
Their worlds collide when Sam is placed in the Grayson home for a few days. Days turn into months, and Sam thrives with the Graysons and allows himself to dream of a forever family, while John and Abbie realize the teen has found his way into their hearts.
As the Graysons begin to investigate the possibility of adopting Sam, an evil agenda emerges, and a secret past is revealed. Nothing short of a miracle can save Sam from a harrowing ordeal and keep the Grayson family together.
Kimberly Banet holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She started writing in 2020, and in 2023 Just Another Home was a Genesis Finalist. Kimberly and her husband Jeff have been married more than thirty-six years and have two grown children, Nicole and Brandon. They live in beautiful Starlight, Indiana with their two dogs, Daisy and Winnie.
Connect with Kimberly:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyBanet.Author
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimbanetauthor2023/
Twitter https://twitter.com/kimbanet_author
My book, Just Another Home, was released two months ago. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who goes to live with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie, whose biological kids have grown up and moved out of the house.Something most people don’t know about the book is that the setting of the story, Franklin, Tennessee, was not just some random town I chose for the backdrop of Sam’s story. Franklin is a place that I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart.
In 2015, our daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Derek, moved to Franklin. That’s a little over three hours from our home in Indiana where my husband Jeff and I have lived all our life, and still do. Of course we were sad to see them move away, but it was for a great job opportunity, and we would get the chance to visit frequently. That’s exactly what we did.
In the four years Nicole and Derek lived in Franklin, we went to visit for the weekend just about every other month. We loved the small-town, rural feel of Franklin, with its rolling fields and farms and the scenic beauty of the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge. It also satisfied everything we wanted in a small city with its unique shops, boutiques, and locally-owned restaurants on Main Street and in nearby Cool Springs.
My favorite things about Franklin, though, were the great family weekends we spent there. The memories of one weekend in particular always makes me smile. It was December, our son Brandon was able to go with us, and we attended the Dickens of a Christmas Festival on the square in downtown Franklin. It was just one of the many festivals they have there, but the one I love the most.
It was a blustery, cold day for Middle Tennessee. The high was only 30 degrees and snow flurries were flying. With coffee in hand, we braved the streets and saw all our favorite Dickens characters—Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Tiny Tim, among many other famous Dickens characters. There were vendor booths, and to top it off, a giant, beautifully lit Christmas tree in the square. It was a cold, festive, Christmas-like day with both our kids together in the same place at the same time. When we got too cold to walk anymore, we ducked into a pizzeria to have lunch and warm up. Then we finished the day at our favorite local bookstore, Landmark. This mother’s heart was full.
Does all of this sound familiar? If you’ve read Just Another Home, it does, because this exact story is played out in Chapter 20 as Sam attends the Dickens Festival with his foster family. It’s the first time he is genuinely happy since he can remember. He is with a family that cares about him, and all his basic needs are met. And more. He can enjoy the day with them without having to fight for survival or worry about what tomorrow brings. For once he is free and his heart is not troubled.
Kind of like this momma’s heart, having her whole family in the same place at the same time.
Just Another HomeSixteen-year-old Sam Keller has lived in foster homes and group homes most of his life and has long ago given up on the dream of a stable, forever family. Adults have always let him down, and so has God, and he has no use for either.
John and Abbie Grayson are a respected, successful couple in their fifties with two grown children. They live in their dream home in Franklin, TN, an idyllic suburb of Nashville, where John is a successful college basketball coach, and Abbie works part-time at their local church. But Abbie feels something is missing from her life and convinces John they should become foster parents.
Their worlds collide when Sam is placed in the Grayson home for a few days. Days turn into months, and Sam thrives with the Graysons and allows himself to dream of a forever family, while John and Abbie realize the teen has found his way into their hearts.
As the Graysons begin to investigate the possibility of adopting Sam, an evil agenda emerges, and a secret past is revealed. Nothing short of a miracle can save Sam from a harrowing ordeal and keep the Grayson family together.
Kimberly Banet holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She started writing in 2020, and in 2023 Just Another Home was a Genesis Finalist. Kimberly and her husband Jeff have been married more than thirty-six years and have two grown children, Nicole and Brandon. They live in beautiful Starlight, Indiana with their two dogs, Daisy and Winnie.Connect with Kimberly:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyBanet.Author
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimbanetauthor2023/
Twitter https://twitter.com/kimbanet_author
July 8, 2024
Reading Along
Do you read with your children? My husband and I have always read books to our kids, but the books have become more mature as the children have. I've mentioned several times that we've been reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books together adn we're almost finished with that series. We're hoping to start in on Narnia soon.But we're also sharing a love of reading another way. I've shared quite a few of my favorite books from growing up years with my daughter. She's read quite a few of the Oz books by Baum, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Anne of Green Gables, among others. I love seeing her fall in love with characters I've loved for so long.
This summer, though, we're mixing it up. She started reading a series her cousin recommended, but we had waited until summer to begin because of the length of the books. After she read the first one, she mentioned not being sure if she wanted to go to the next. Several of my friends had mentioned enjoying the series when they heard what she was reading, so I decided to see for myself. Right now, my daughter is a book ahead of me in reading the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger. Both of us are enjoying the fantasy stories about a girl raised by humans even though she was secretly an elf. And it's amusing to me to have my nine-year-old ask me "Where did you get to in the book? Ooh. Just wait until you get to the next scene." I love that we can share this together, that we can talk about it and share our favorite characters or chapters. I just can't keep up with her because she's reading all the time and I still have a bit of work to do despite it being summer. LOL!
Have you ever read a series with your children or significant other or good friend just so you could talk it through afterward? I can't decide if it's more fun to do with my daughter or my book club. ;) Either way, I hope she always wants to talk books with me. How about you?
July 4, 2024
Growing to Love a Love Story
My daughter is nine and very much not in the "boys are cute" stage yet. Which I'm totally fine with. She thinks they're good friends and sometimes funny, but she doesn't want a boyfriend. Honestly, until this year, she didn't really want to read any books with that stuff in it either.But, in the last year or so, she's read a few of my favorite stories, like Anne of Green Gables (and most of the rest of the series) because she absolutely loved Anne and wanted to know when she was going to marry Gilbert. And, as we've been reading through the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, she's watched Laura be courted by Almanzo. And y'all, the giggles!
She's starting to like the idea of a love story and a romance. Does that mean I want her to go out and read any and every love story out there. Good gracious, no! But to ease into it with stories like these, where the relationship is built on something more than looks or physical. Where the characters form a bond over shared experiences and trials and memories. Where the marriage has a chance of surviving long-term. Those are the romances perfect for a young girl just dipping her toes in the water of love.
I'm hoping these books and others like them will give her an idea of what to look for in a good guy. That she'll see from not only the stories but also her parents' relationship that romance isn't supposed to be all kisses and butterflies, but that it can also be a friendship turned more.
But mostly, right now, I'm enjoying her giggles every time we read about Almanzo coming to pick up Laura to go for a buggy ride or to attend a singing. My daughter knows what's coming and she's itching to get to where they're actually married finally, after reading about them for so many years. But until we get to that chapter, let the giggles live on!
What stories did you start your children out on to help them ease into the idea of romance? Any other good ones I should be looking for?
July 1, 2024
Author Interview: Laura Thomas
Today, I am very happy to introduce a fellow author I met through Anaiah Press, Laura Thomas. She writes fiction that sounds fascinating and I hope you enjoy getting to know more about her and her books through this interview! 
I know you write across several genres and age-groups, but your adult fiction is romantic suspense. What made you choose that genre to write?
Christian romantic suspense was a favorite genre for me as a reader—back in the day I devoured everything by authors such as Colleen Coble, Terri Blackstock, and Dee Henderson. I loved how they blended clean romance with spine-chilling suspense and a message of hope, but at the time I was writing Christian teen fiction and had intended to only write for children and teens. However, as I penned my third Christian teen fiction (Tears, Fears, and Fame), I realized the story was heading in a suspenseful direction with an air of mystery—and I loved it! Then whilst on vacation in Jamaica, I had sudden inspiration for my own Christian romantic suspense story and came home to start writing The Glass Bottom Boat. It seems I found my true love in this genre as that was the first of six published romantic suspense books with more to come!
With your eleventh book being published soon, you have quite a few characters to choose from. Is one of your characters more like you than the others? In what ways?
This is such a great question! I think those who know me well tend to see aspects of me in most of my protagonists—not intentionally on my part, yet certain traits, dreams, experiences, or fears seem to be projected onto my characters and often come out in my writing. Madison in The Glass Bottom Boat has a fear of drowning, Bethany and Natasha in my Tears trilogy both have a love of ballet, Bella in The Lighthouse Baby adores all things books, Juliet goes to a Mexican orphanage in The Orphan Beach, and in my latest novel, Captured in Frame, Georgia moves her life from Canada to the UK… I did the opposite, but this new series based in England allows me to dig deep into my English upbringing. Also, I’ve been told that some hear my literal voice clearly in my books and end up reading them with their own version of an English accent!
Having lived in England, Wales, and now Canada, are those locations where your books are set? Which is your favorite?
Setting is extremely important to me as a writer—like an ever-present character—and many of my books have been inspired by my travels including visits to Jamaica, the Oregon Coast, Mexico, and Paris. I was especially excited to set my two Christmas novellas in my home province of beautiful British Columbia, Canada, where winter wonderlands are my reality. And now in my new romantic suspense Bite of Betrayal series, we get to hunker down in jolly old England. The first novel idea took root whilst staying at my sister’s family vicarage in a charming village in the countryside, where I decided some sinister shenanigans needed to occur! I haven’t set anything in Wales yet, but I did live there for 13 years and my husband is Welsh, so I never say never…
As a dog parent, do you love to incorporate dogs (or other animals) into your stories?
Haha! Yes, as empty nesters we have now become those people who have a dog-child with Lulu our Frenchie! Somehow, a Frenchie found its way into The Lighthouse Baby way before I considered getting one of our own, and my literary agent is actually working on finding a publisher for my children’s picture book about Bonbon the Frenchie! We also had an English bulldog named Lily, and she featured in both my Christmas novellas… in fact, Snow Globe Secrets was dedicated to her memory as we lost her just after I wrote it. There have also been kitties in my books and another bulldog in my middle-grade, The Candle Maker… so now that I think about it—yes, I really do love including our furry friends in my writing!
Can you give us a sneak peek into what you're working on next?
Absolutely! I have just submitted the second book in my Bite of Betrayal series to my publisher… it’s called The Final Word and is due to be released in June 2025. We haven’t started edits quite yet so I’m not sure how much could be changed, but I’m delighted that the story kicks off in Paris before settling in the English countryside, and the fact that the protagonist is an aspiring novelist who loves to bake. I’ve included opera, a cool sports car, murder, faith, romance, and plenty of Cinderella vibes… I can’t wait to share it!
Last, but not least, can you tell us one fun fact about yourself that very few people already know?
Many know that I pie-in-the-sky-dreamed of being an author when I was a little girl, but not many know that as a realistic five-year-old, I set my sights upon being a “lollipop lady” instead. (This is the English version of a crossing guard at elementary school!) I remember being enamored and impressed by our courageous, kind, grandmotherly holder of the “STOP” lollipop who brandished it like a lightsaber and saved us from being mowed down by traffic on the daily! She was perhaps my first heroine and now I’m pondering how I can work her into one of my stories…
I love that fact so much, and I hope you do work her into a future story somewhere! Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Readers, keep scrolling for more info about Laura's soon-to-be-released novel and info on where you can find her.
“In an idyllic village nestled in the English countryside, photographer Georgia Brooks is desperate to begin a new chapter in her life. Bramble Cottage was supposed to give her space to heal and hope again after suffering betrayal and rejection by the only man she ever loved. This was Georgia’s chance to rekindle her faith and reconnect with her sisters in a place that held sweet childhood memories—not expose herself to the ugly underbelly of the art world and put her family in danger.
Local pediatric surgeon, Doctor William Hughes, is captivated by the Canadian beauty with a camera over one shoulder and the weight of the world on the other. After suffering his own tragic loss and balancing a demanding career with raising a toddler, he recognizes the heaviness of grief . . . and the burden of guilt.
When Georgia discovers she could be in possession of incriminating evidence to frame a criminal ring, she needs to trust someone. She chooses Will. Postcards, photographs, paintings—something about Bramble Cottage is worth killing for. Can Georgia uncover the truth in time?”
Captured in Frame is available for preorder NOW and releases August 5, 2024!
https://laurathomasauthor.com/project/captured-in-frame/
A published, award-winning Christian author, Laura writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul—especially in her numerous romantic suspense novels, as well as her teen fiction, marriage, and children’s books. Laura is a hope*writers certified writing coach, a book-loving chocoholic mom and nanny, and is married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they now live the empty nest life in Kelowna, British Columbia, with their French bulldog!
Find all her books, blog, bio, and writing coaching, and sign up for her free monthly newsletter at: www.laurathomasauthor.com
LINKS:
WEBSITE: https://laurathomasauthor.com/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lauracthomas/
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/LauraThomasAuthor
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Laura_Thomas_
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.ca/lauracthomas/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5837074.Laura_Thomas
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-thomas
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAIg1LlXedxtfqmEAssdgnQ
I know you write across several genres and age-groups, but your adult fiction is romantic suspense. What made you choose that genre to write?Christian romantic suspense was a favorite genre for me as a reader—back in the day I devoured everything by authors such as Colleen Coble, Terri Blackstock, and Dee Henderson. I loved how they blended clean romance with spine-chilling suspense and a message of hope, but at the time I was writing Christian teen fiction and had intended to only write for children and teens. However, as I penned my third Christian teen fiction (Tears, Fears, and Fame), I realized the story was heading in a suspenseful direction with an air of mystery—and I loved it! Then whilst on vacation in Jamaica, I had sudden inspiration for my own Christian romantic suspense story and came home to start writing The Glass Bottom Boat. It seems I found my true love in this genre as that was the first of six published romantic suspense books with more to come!
With your eleventh book being published soon, you have quite a few characters to choose from. Is one of your characters more like you than the others? In what ways?
This is such a great question! I think those who know me well tend to see aspects of me in most of my protagonists—not intentionally on my part, yet certain traits, dreams, experiences, or fears seem to be projected onto my characters and often come out in my writing. Madison in The Glass Bottom Boat has a fear of drowning, Bethany and Natasha in my Tears trilogy both have a love of ballet, Bella in The Lighthouse Baby adores all things books, Juliet goes to a Mexican orphanage in The Orphan Beach, and in my latest novel, Captured in Frame, Georgia moves her life from Canada to the UK… I did the opposite, but this new series based in England allows me to dig deep into my English upbringing. Also, I’ve been told that some hear my literal voice clearly in my books and end up reading them with their own version of an English accent!
Having lived in England, Wales, and now Canada, are those locations where your books are set? Which is your favorite?
Setting is extremely important to me as a writer—like an ever-present character—and many of my books have been inspired by my travels including visits to Jamaica, the Oregon Coast, Mexico, and Paris. I was especially excited to set my two Christmas novellas in my home province of beautiful British Columbia, Canada, where winter wonderlands are my reality. And now in my new romantic suspense Bite of Betrayal series, we get to hunker down in jolly old England. The first novel idea took root whilst staying at my sister’s family vicarage in a charming village in the countryside, where I decided some sinister shenanigans needed to occur! I haven’t set anything in Wales yet, but I did live there for 13 years and my husband is Welsh, so I never say never…
As a dog parent, do you love to incorporate dogs (or other animals) into your stories?
Haha! Yes, as empty nesters we have now become those people who have a dog-child with Lulu our Frenchie! Somehow, a Frenchie found its way into The Lighthouse Baby way before I considered getting one of our own, and my literary agent is actually working on finding a publisher for my children’s picture book about Bonbon the Frenchie! We also had an English bulldog named Lily, and she featured in both my Christmas novellas… in fact, Snow Globe Secrets was dedicated to her memory as we lost her just after I wrote it. There have also been kitties in my books and another bulldog in my middle-grade, The Candle Maker… so now that I think about it—yes, I really do love including our furry friends in my writing!
Can you give us a sneak peek into what you're working on next?
Absolutely! I have just submitted the second book in my Bite of Betrayal series to my publisher… it’s called The Final Word and is due to be released in June 2025. We haven’t started edits quite yet so I’m not sure how much could be changed, but I’m delighted that the story kicks off in Paris before settling in the English countryside, and the fact that the protagonist is an aspiring novelist who loves to bake. I’ve included opera, a cool sports car, murder, faith, romance, and plenty of Cinderella vibes… I can’t wait to share it!
Last, but not least, can you tell us one fun fact about yourself that very few people already know?
Many know that I pie-in-the-sky-dreamed of being an author when I was a little girl, but not many know that as a realistic five-year-old, I set my sights upon being a “lollipop lady” instead. (This is the English version of a crossing guard at elementary school!) I remember being enamored and impressed by our courageous, kind, grandmotherly holder of the “STOP” lollipop who brandished it like a lightsaber and saved us from being mowed down by traffic on the daily! She was perhaps my first heroine and now I’m pondering how I can work her into one of my stories…
I love that fact so much, and I hope you do work her into a future story somewhere! Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Readers, keep scrolling for more info about Laura's soon-to-be-released novel and info on where you can find her.
“In an idyllic village nestled in the English countryside, photographer Georgia Brooks is desperate to begin a new chapter in her life. Bramble Cottage was supposed to give her space to heal and hope again after suffering betrayal and rejection by the only man she ever loved. This was Georgia’s chance to rekindle her faith and reconnect with her sisters in a place that held sweet childhood memories—not expose herself to the ugly underbelly of the art world and put her family in danger.Local pediatric surgeon, Doctor William Hughes, is captivated by the Canadian beauty with a camera over one shoulder and the weight of the world on the other. After suffering his own tragic loss and balancing a demanding career with raising a toddler, he recognizes the heaviness of grief . . . and the burden of guilt.
When Georgia discovers she could be in possession of incriminating evidence to frame a criminal ring, she needs to trust someone. She chooses Will. Postcards, photographs, paintings—something about Bramble Cottage is worth killing for. Can Georgia uncover the truth in time?”
Captured in Frame is available for preorder NOW and releases August 5, 2024!
https://laurathomasauthor.com/project/captured-in-frame/
A published, award-winning Christian author, Laura writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul—especially in her numerous romantic suspense novels, as well as her teen fiction, marriage, and children’s books. Laura is a hope*writers certified writing coach, a book-loving chocoholic mom and nanny, and is married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they now live the empty nest life in Kelowna, British Columbia, with their French bulldog!
Find all her books, blog, bio, and writing coaching, and sign up for her free monthly newsletter at: www.laurathomasauthor.com
LINKS:
WEBSITE: https://laurathomasauthor.com/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lauracthomas/
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/LauraThomasAuthor
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Laura_Thomas_
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.ca/lauracthomas/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5837074.Laura_Thomas
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-thomas
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAIg1LlXedxtfqmEAssdgnQ
June 24, 2024
Welcome to Sassafras
This post was originally on InspyRomance in 2023. Now that InspyRomance has shut down, I thought it would be fun to revisit it here. 
Hello, and thanks for visiting.
Have you been to Sassafras, Arkansas before? Well, it’s not terribly easy to get to. Basically, it’s only found in a few books by Amy R Anguish. But we’re fairly proud of our little town.
Where exactly are we located? Well, you know. About an hour north-east-ish of Little Rock. But not too far east, mind you. A bit closer to the foothills of the Ozarks, but not quite. Still in the land of rice and cotton. Anyway, that gives you a pretty good idea.
Sassafras isn’t huge. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if they include the livestock when they put the population number on the sign. But we’re big enough to have two grocery stores and a hospital. And just the other day, I heard they’re talking about bringing in a Walmart. Yep. We’re moving up in the world.
What can you expect find here?
Well, if you visit in An Unexpected Legacy , you’re going to find the church building, of course. And one of our lovely parks. The courthouse down in the center of downtown. And a few little antique shops, as well as a tearoom. Quite nice.
Nice enough you want to visit again? Well, No Place Like Home allows you a peek into our hospital (sad situation, that) as well as into the preacher’s house. James Stewart is his name. He’s a great guy, but one of his daughters … well, that book tells her story better than I can.
Of course, if quilting is more up your alley, we’ve got a nice little shop down a few blocks from the courthouse. It’s called The Missing Piece. You can visit it along with our annual Watermelon Festival in Love in Any Season . The Nortons run the shop and are sweet ladies, though I think Tommy London is stepping in to take his Mom’s place in the business too. About time he came back home. Those people tend to visit the local deli, run by Dawn Smith. She has some of the yummiest sandwiches around.
In case you need groceries while you’re here, we have two options. Foodland is on the North side of town. More of a chain store, but it has pretty much everything you need. I prefer to go to McDonald’s Grocery, though. It’s run by Mack McDonald, the third generation to bless our town with plenty of local produce. He’s a bit stuck in his ways sometimes, but I think Kaitlyn Daniels is loosening him up. She was able to get that new app Grocerease in town, and she scurries all over delivering groceries when she’s not subbing at the elementary school. More about Mack and Kaitlyn in Love Delivered .
Of course, there are other amenities around. We’re not too far from some good fishing and hunting spots. And if you need something you can’t find here, Little Rock’s an hour away. All in all, I think Sassafras is about the best place to be.
So, y’all come stay awhile, you hear?
So, what do you think? Do you want to visit Sassafras? Do you like revisiting a fictional town in different stories? What are some other spots you’d like to see more of in this little town? I’m sure we’ll visit it again in the future. ;)
Hello, and thanks for visiting.Have you been to Sassafras, Arkansas before? Well, it’s not terribly easy to get to. Basically, it’s only found in a few books by Amy R Anguish. But we’re fairly proud of our little town.
Where exactly are we located? Well, you know. About an hour north-east-ish of Little Rock. But not too far east, mind you. A bit closer to the foothills of the Ozarks, but not quite. Still in the land of rice and cotton. Anyway, that gives you a pretty good idea.
Sassafras isn’t huge. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if they include the livestock when they put the population number on the sign. But we’re big enough to have two grocery stores and a hospital. And just the other day, I heard they’re talking about bringing in a Walmart. Yep. We’re moving up in the world.
What can you expect find here?
Well, if you visit in An Unexpected Legacy , you’re going to find the church building, of course. And one of our lovely parks. The courthouse down in the center of downtown. And a few little antique shops, as well as a tearoom. Quite nice.
Nice enough you want to visit again? Well, No Place Like Home allows you a peek into our hospital (sad situation, that) as well as into the preacher’s house. James Stewart is his name. He’s a great guy, but one of his daughters … well, that book tells her story better than I can.
Of course, if quilting is more up your alley, we’ve got a nice little shop down a few blocks from the courthouse. It’s called The Missing Piece. You can visit it along with our annual Watermelon Festival in Love in Any Season . The Nortons run the shop and are sweet ladies, though I think Tommy London is stepping in to take his Mom’s place in the business too. About time he came back home. Those people tend to visit the local deli, run by Dawn Smith. She has some of the yummiest sandwiches around.
In case you need groceries while you’re here, we have two options. Foodland is on the North side of town. More of a chain store, but it has pretty much everything you need. I prefer to go to McDonald’s Grocery, though. It’s run by Mack McDonald, the third generation to bless our town with plenty of local produce. He’s a bit stuck in his ways sometimes, but I think Kaitlyn Daniels is loosening him up. She was able to get that new app Grocerease in town, and she scurries all over delivering groceries when she’s not subbing at the elementary school. More about Mack and Kaitlyn in Love Delivered .
Of course, there are other amenities around. We’re not too far from some good fishing and hunting spots. And if you need something you can’t find here, Little Rock’s an hour away. All in all, I think Sassafras is about the best place to be.
So, y’all come stay awhile, you hear?
So, what do you think? Do you want to visit Sassafras? Do you like revisiting a fictional town in different stories? What are some other spots you’d like to see more of in this little town? I’m sure we’ll visit it again in the future. ;)
June 13, 2024
Book Spotlight: Love Overboard
Do you ever pay attention to reviews others have left for books you read? Authors tend to watch them more carefully than we sometimes should, but they can be such a help to letting other readers know what to expect from our story. Author Shannon Dunlap is here today to talk about one review that caught her off-guard. See what you think. 
“Hilarious Story!”
“LOL a minute”
“a complete HOOT!”
“HYSTERICALLY FANTASTIC”
Love Overboard began with a television feature I saw about a woman in her eighties who skipped the retirement home to live on a cruise ship. The idea captivated me. What if there wasn’t just one? What if a group of them spent their later years sailing the Caribbean? And what if they spent their days matchmaking the young people? The story experienced the growing pains of cuts, edits, pitches, and acceptance before it finally released in May.
The days filled with excitement when my romcom launched. It hit #1 on the Amazon New Releases list for Contemporary Christian Romance. But my story had a secret mission that didn’t involve selling books. I wanted it to bring merry heart medicine to the readers. From many of the Amazon reviews, it looked like I was succeeding. So many mentioned how it made them laugh. But then I checked Goodreads and saw one person assigned it two stars.
Two stars?
Ouch!
Perhaps I’m a sucker for punishment, but I clicked on the review to discover what hadn’t hit the reader’s sweet spot. The woman was honest but not unkind. And she probably had no idea I’d consider her review one of the biggest compliments my book received. She began with these words: Heavy religious undertones which aren’t for me.
I admit it made me laugh. My book is Christian fiction. Isn’t saying it has religious undertones like complaining a cookbook has too many food pictures? But I appreciated the description. It was good to know I hadn’t written a story where God was so watered down that an unbeliever might not notice Him. His story was woven among the romance and mystery.
Interacting with enthusiastic readers has been a blast. But I hope I never lose that foundation. Just like my golden girl matchmakers who consult the Heavenly Father on a regular basis, I want to keep Him front and center as I write new stories. Maybe I’ll even earn some more two-star reviews.
I might even say I’m looking forward to it!
Love Overboard
A snort-laughing, cruise ship romance takes readers into topsy-turvy waters
When a group of four quirky friends retire on a neverending round of cruises, their attire consists of more than floral shirts and gaudy skirts. Armed with walkie-talkies and battle plans, these relationship experts--who've dubbed themselves the "Shippers"--target hostess Lacey Anderson and director Jonathan King in their romantic schemes. But the young couple refuses to cooperate. They've been on the "love boat" together before, and it went down in flames.
Boss matchmaker Emily Windsor has orchestrated multiple romantic successes, and these two upstarts certainly won't get the best of her. The chemistry between Lacey and Jonathan is obvious, but the couple rebuffs every outlandish plot and "coincidental" meeting, forcing the matchmakers to chart a new course to true love--all while inadvertently thwarting drug smugglers threatening to ruin their floating home on the ocean.
This laugh-out-loud rom-com features loveable characters, over-the-top situations reminiscent of 1950s sitcoms, and a dash of mystery. The toe-curling romance will push the reader overboard and all in with Shannon Dunlap's new series.
Shannon Sue Dunlap lives in hot and humid Texas where she teaches music for her day job and writes romance in her spare time. She loves Dr. Pepper, Korean food, Jane Austen, and most of all Jesus. She’s working hard on the sequel for Love Overboard which should release next year.
Shannon offers a free sweet romcom novella to those who sign up for her email list on her website.
http://www.shannonsuedunlap.com
“Hilarious Story!”“LOL a minute”
“a complete HOOT!”
“HYSTERICALLY FANTASTIC”
Love Overboard began with a television feature I saw about a woman in her eighties who skipped the retirement home to live on a cruise ship. The idea captivated me. What if there wasn’t just one? What if a group of them spent their later years sailing the Caribbean? And what if they spent their days matchmaking the young people? The story experienced the growing pains of cuts, edits, pitches, and acceptance before it finally released in May.
The days filled with excitement when my romcom launched. It hit #1 on the Amazon New Releases list for Contemporary Christian Romance. But my story had a secret mission that didn’t involve selling books. I wanted it to bring merry heart medicine to the readers. From many of the Amazon reviews, it looked like I was succeeding. So many mentioned how it made them laugh. But then I checked Goodreads and saw one person assigned it two stars.
Two stars?
Ouch!
Perhaps I’m a sucker for punishment, but I clicked on the review to discover what hadn’t hit the reader’s sweet spot. The woman was honest but not unkind. And she probably had no idea I’d consider her review one of the biggest compliments my book received. She began with these words: Heavy religious undertones which aren’t for me.
I admit it made me laugh. My book is Christian fiction. Isn’t saying it has religious undertones like complaining a cookbook has too many food pictures? But I appreciated the description. It was good to know I hadn’t written a story where God was so watered down that an unbeliever might not notice Him. His story was woven among the romance and mystery.
Interacting with enthusiastic readers has been a blast. But I hope I never lose that foundation. Just like my golden girl matchmakers who consult the Heavenly Father on a regular basis, I want to keep Him front and center as I write new stories. Maybe I’ll even earn some more two-star reviews.
I might even say I’m looking forward to it!
Love OverboardA snort-laughing, cruise ship romance takes readers into topsy-turvy waters
When a group of four quirky friends retire on a neverending round of cruises, their attire consists of more than floral shirts and gaudy skirts. Armed with walkie-talkies and battle plans, these relationship experts--who've dubbed themselves the "Shippers"--target hostess Lacey Anderson and director Jonathan King in their romantic schemes. But the young couple refuses to cooperate. They've been on the "love boat" together before, and it went down in flames.
Boss matchmaker Emily Windsor has orchestrated multiple romantic successes, and these two upstarts certainly won't get the best of her. The chemistry between Lacey and Jonathan is obvious, but the couple rebuffs every outlandish plot and "coincidental" meeting, forcing the matchmakers to chart a new course to true love--all while inadvertently thwarting drug smugglers threatening to ruin their floating home on the ocean.
This laugh-out-loud rom-com features loveable characters, over-the-top situations reminiscent of 1950s sitcoms, and a dash of mystery. The toe-curling romance will push the reader overboard and all in with Shannon Dunlap's new series.
Shannon Sue Dunlap lives in hot and humid Texas where she teaches music for her day job and writes romance in her spare time. She loves Dr. Pepper, Korean food, Jane Austen, and most of all Jesus. She’s working hard on the sequel for Love Overboard which should release next year.Shannon offers a free sweet romcom novella to those who sign up for her email list on her website.
http://www.shannonsuedunlap.com
