Heidi McCahan's Blog, page 25

The Ten on Tuesdays: Favorite Books About Friendship

I’m linking up with The Broke and the Bookish today and sharing ten books about friendship. These are a combination of my favorites, my children’s favorites and two that come highly recommended but I haven’t read them, yet.

1. The Rainbow Fish Marcus Pfister and J Alison James. I’ve read this to my kiddos many, many times. I think they just like the page with the shiny scales. But it’s never too early to hear the deeper message about friendship and giving of yourself.

2. George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends by James Marshall. My mother-in-law introduced us to the George and Martha books a few years ago. So funny. The boys howl with laughter every time.

3. Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. When I saw the topic for today’s list, this is the first book that came to mind. A beautiful story about complicated relationships and the circumstances and choices that shape us. I love the dynamics of the “Ya-ya’s” and the beauty and heartache that weaves throughout their friendships.

4. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. As the cover states, “an old man, a young man and life’s greatest lesson”. Enough said.

5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Aibileen and Minny, Skeeter and Aibileen … even Skeeter’s precarious position in society between revealing the truth and dealing with Hilly heinous attitudes … so much to examine and appreciate in this novel. One of the most moving and incredibly well-written books I’ve ever read.

6. Vision in White: Book One in the Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts. I enjoyed this four book series about friends living together and running an upscale wedding planning business. The first book was by far my favorite. For a fun, lighthearted, somewhat steamy romance that incorporates friendship, this rates pretty high on my list.

7. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand. Two sisters and one friend arrive on Nantucket for the summer, hoping to leave the challenges and heartaches of their everyday lives behind. A great summer read from one of my favorite “beach read” authors.

8. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. Every time I blog about books these days, I mention this one. Seriously. So incredible. In terms of friendship, I love the way Augustus Waters loves his friends. It’s as simple as that.

9. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I haven’t read this yet, but the description intrigues me. An unlikely friendship that starts with a bus ride and grows from there. I loved Attachments, so I’m eager to try another novel by Rainbow Rowell.

10. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. A story about two women and the friendship that spans three decades. Love, loss, betrayal and the Pacific Northwest. What’s not to like, right?

Your turn: what’s your favorite book or series of books that incorporates the theme of friendship?

Cheering For Change Among the Risk-Averse

Photo Credit: Compfight

It’s a proven fact: four out of five bees in my hive fear change. I’d even go so far as to say they abhor it. I’m holding out hope that the middle child might embrace my approach, but it’s still early, yet.

As the stay-at-home parent, my approach and attitude regarding change sets the tone around here. For better or worse. When I’m faced with the opportunity for significant life change, I prefer using my intuition … my “gut” instinct. I also pray, seek advice from others, discuss it with my husband, etc. But i often rely on that initial, almost visceral response.

You can imagine how well that flies with the ones who require cold, hard facts and solid data points.

Last week, due to circumstances beyond our control, we were faced with a decision that impacts our boys’ school calendar. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it feels pretty major when it’s your kids. This means starting the new school year in July with unfamiliar teachers, mostly unfamiliar classmates and a complete shift in the rhythm of our calendar year. It changes when we take vacation, when we see extended family, and who we hang out with when we are out of school. Since a change of this magnitude isn’t real popular, families were asked to volunteer to change calendars.

My initial response was, “why not?”

Have I mentioned most of the people I live with aren’t a fan of change?

There was a fair amount of whining, a little bit of anger and flat-out denial when I suggested trying a new calendar. I can’t say that I blame them, given their current classroom experiences felt pretty darn awesome. We tried presenting all the pros and cons, Steve drew a diagram … we emphasized the importance of prayer when faced with a tough decision …

Stalemate.

Then the doubt rolled in. Who am I to ask them to embrace my way of thinking? They’re kids. They can’t approach a big change with the attitude of an adult. At this point, they feel slighted, uncertain and confused. Shouldn’t I focus on that? Can I really push toward a major change when they are the ones that ultimately have to endure it?

Or am I on the right track and this is one of life’s GREAT TEACHABLE MOMENTS?

By yesterday afternoon, I was starting to sweat bullets. I still wanted them to try something new, they appeared firmly entrenched in the comfortable and familiar. Then with zero fanfare and limited whining, they both announced the same preference. An agreed upon change. Halleluiah.

So here we go. Volunteering to make a significant change that may or may not work out for us. I don’t know how all of this will shake out. I’m hoping that their bravery will be rewarded and this change will be for the better. But I keep leaning on this verse, because anything else robs me of my peace.

“For I know the plans I have for you … plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  -Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

How about you? Do you embrace change or run screaming in the opposite direction? If you’re a parent, how do you coach your children through a major life change?

My Writing Process Blog Tour

The Writing Process Blog Tour stops by my little corner of the blogosphere today. Many thanks to my friend and critique partner Marion Ueckermann for nominating me to join the tour. First I’ll give you a glimpse into what’s on the horizon for Marion, reveal a little  about my own writing process, then point you toward three writers that will surely rise to the top of your TBR pile this year.

Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter (Tyndale House Publishers) and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven. Her debut novelette, Helsinki Sunrise, releases 21 August 2014 by Pelican Book Group (White Rose Publishing) - Passport to Romance series. Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and Beauty for Ashes. She belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. Marion lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

Marion’s stop on the blog tour: http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/2014/05/my-writing-process-blog-tour.html

http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

http://apebbleinmypocket.com/

Heidi’s writing process:

1. Current writing project: I’m working on a sweet romance about a beautiful American sportscaster trying to prove to herself and her father that she can succeed in the male-dominated world of professional baseball. She’s pursuing an interview in Tokyo with a reclusive, yet very handsome, American trying to restart his pitching career with a Japanese professional team. It’s been a blast to write, I kinda hate to type ‘the end’, but this is all a lot more fun if I actually share my work with others.

2. How my work differs from others in the same genre: My debut novel, Unraveled, just released and falls under the large umbrella of inspirational women’s fiction. While there are plenty of authors writing incredibly wonderful stories set in Alaska, I think I have a unique opportunity to tell a story from the perspective of someone who grew up there. My Tokyo baseball story is heavily influenced by a study tour I took in college where we observed the culture, business practices and sports medicine programs (both in the university and professional sports settings). Of course every writer draws on personal experience and careful research to craft their novels. I’m not at all saying that my experience trumps anyone else’s. But I do believe that readers choose a novel to escape and/or learn about another part of the world, and I believe my stories appeal to that desire in a reader.

3. Why do I write what I do? Because the voices in my head get really loud if I don’t let them come out and play. Ha! Seriously, I write for so many reasons. Because I believe God gave me the gift of wrangling words and to ignore that gift would be a waste. I write to understand the world around me, to make a statement, to process the grief and dismay I experience when life disappoints me … I write because it makes my heart sing.

4. How does my writing process work? I read this great quote from the brilliant Anna Quindlen: “most of my writing rituals are designed to allow me NOT to write: power walking, newspapers, phone calls. But eventually I run out of other things to do.” I’d say that about sums it up. Even when my children are occupied and I have a chunk of time to crank out some words, Facebook is suddenly the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen. Or I have the overwhelming urge to vacuum the carpet or throw in another load of laundry. Eventually I have to tell myself to write a thousand words before I can do anything else that even remotely resembles fun. I started using the Wordtracker app this year, which is a timer, but it reveals just how incredibly unproductive I can be and that guilts me into writing something. Anything.

The tour rolls on: May 19th

Please stop by and visit three of my fellow Winslet Press authors:

Brie Gowen works parti-time as a Registered Nurse in the critical care unit of a rural hospital in northeast Mississippi. She enjoys the hectic pace because it reminds her of the beautiful chaos of her full-time job at home of mothering two daughters, ages three and one. Motherhood is her passion and she enjoys spending any free time she can muster writing down what she learns from those experiences with her miniature teachers. Along with those lessons and what God speaks to her, Brie finds true enjoyment by sharing it all in her writing, another passion she was reminded recently how much she enjoys. You could say the inspiration of her children and the full realization of God’s grace brought it out in her.

Aside from nursing, mothering, doting on her husband and writing, Brie is also a lover of Jesus and finds true joy in sharing her faith and how God changed her life.

Brie is a writer of books and many a blog post over here

You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter

Megan Easley-Walsh is an author of historical fiction.  She lives beside the sea with her husband and overflowing bookshelves. Her writing is often accompanied by a cup of tea and the song of the seagulls overhead. At university, she completed studies in history-focused international relations, global ethics and is a certified English teacher who has taught a writing course to international college students. Born in New York in the ’80′s, she grew up traveling the world. Her father was in the Air Force and she lived in New York, Alaska, Illinois, California, Germany, and South Carolina- all before graduating college. She has also lived in Ireland. So much traveling makes for worldwide friends, lots of photos, and a ton of story ideas. A few of her adventures included having a moose in the backyard in Alaska, gold panning in California, riding the bus on the Autobahn to high school each day in Germany and ice climbing on the largest glacier in Europe, in Switzerland. Megan has been creating stories since before she could write and won her first computer in a writing contest during college. Befriending characters in need of an author, she is delighted for her friends dressed in pigment to make their debut. Her historical thriller, Across the River, will be published by Winslet Press late Summer 2014!

You can connect with Megan through a variety of social media platforms:

Website: http://www.meganeasleywalsh.com/
Blog: http://meganeasleywalshauthor.blogspot.ie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MEasleyWalsh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeganEasleyWalshAuthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/easleywalsh/


Brenda S. Anderson writes gritty, life-affirming fiction that offers hope and reminds the reader they’re not alone. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is currently President of the ACFW Minnesota chapter, MN-NICE. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, theater, roller coasters, and baseball (Go Twins!), and she loves watching movies with her family. She resides in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area with her husband of 26 years, their three children, and one sassy cat.Her debut novel, Chain of Mercy, Book #1 in the Coming Home series, released April 22, 2014, and Pieces of Granite, the prequel to Chain of Mercy, is scheduled to release on September 16, 2014!You can connect with Brenda here:

Website link: http://brendaandersonbooks.com/

Blog links:

http://brendaandersonbooks.com/blog/

http://inkspirationalmessages.com/

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaSAndersonAuthor

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/BrendaSAnders_n

Pinterest link: http://www.pinterest.com/brendabanderson/

Thank you for stopping by my blog today to hear more about my writing process. I hope you’ll continue to follow the tour as well as keep these new authors on your radar.

 

Throwback Thursday: Three Generations

I was searching for a picture of my first Mother’s Day and came across this gem, instead. Of all the family photos in the “archives”, this has to be one of my top 5 favorites. What is it about multi-generational pictures that tug at our heartstrings? This is me, my mother, my sister and her oldest daughter. I can’t believe it’s been 12 years.

We had a great lunch a day before the wedding at this fun little bistro. It’s all such a blur, with so many emotions and expectations surrounding a milestone event. But these are the moments that I treasure, surrounded by the people that mean the most to me.

A huge thank you to my friend, Caryn Olson, for using her mad photog skills, capturing this beautiful moment and being a bridesmaid.

Jessica Turner at The Mom Creative  launched a new link up recently. We’re sharing the stories behind our Throwback Thursday posts. So click here and share your story, k?

Happy Book Birthday, Here To Stay!

I’m very excited to spread the word about one of my favorite rising authors and all-around cool chika, Melissa Tagg. Her sophomore novel, Here To Stay, is out of the gate with tons of much-deserved praise, including numerous five star reviews. If you like a laugh out loud rom-com paired with a tender message of redemption and hope, then you simply must add Here To Stay to your summer reading list.

Back cover blurb: After playing nomad for five years, Blake Hunziker has finally had enough of adventure. Not sure what reception he’ll get from everyone back in Whisper Shore, he’s stunned at not only a warm welcome from his hometown but also a job offer. The job is his if he can successfully pull off the annual Christmas Festival. If only he knew the first thing about coordinating events…

If there’s one thing Autumn Kingsley knows, it’s Whisper Shore. For years, she’s been stuck running her family’s inn when all she wants is to see the world. Now she has a visit scheduled from a potential investor who could take over the inn, as well as a dream job offer in Paris. But with just two weeks to whip the inn into shape, her chance at escape is a long shot.

The Hunzikers and the Kingsleys may not get along, but Blake knows Autumn’s the only one who can help him. She agrees to a trade–she’ll help with the Festival and he’ll help with inn repairs. But what was meant to be a simple deal quickly becomes much more than that when the guy who’s done running away joins forces with the girl who can’t wait to leave.

My review: The list of things I love about Here To Stay seemed to grow with each passing chapter. First, let me say that I was looking forward to this sequel before I even finished Melissa Tagg’s debut novel, Made To Last. Blake Hunziker’s words, actions and his final scene in that story left me eager for more. I was thrilled when I found out he played the role of hero this time around. The rich layers that comprise Here To Stay are evident from the opening paragraph. Autumn Kingsley is fixing the roof on her family’s Inn, longing for a letter to arrive in the mail that will supposedly “change everything”. When she gets down from the roof, she runs right into an old flame and his new fiancée. Hello, conflict. Of course I had to keep reading. From the minute Blake appears on the pages of Here To Stay, it’s obvious he has issues: struggles, challenges, regrets … all of these combined with his generosity, ability to pilot a plane, and his desire to right past wrongs makes for one swoon-worthy, incredible hero.

Blake and Autumn have so many obstacles standing in their way, both external and internal. Guilt, pride, goals and dreams they long to achieve but haven’t yet. Furthermore, their families have a long history of broken relationships and competing business interests. I was rooting for them both from the get go, yet each time the stakes increased, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the thing that would keep them apart forever. That’s what I love about inspirational fiction: the issues and characters are relatable and the underlying message of hope and God’s sovereignty is like a subtle stream, flowing throughout the novel.

Melissa Tagg does an outstanding job of crafting dialog that makes us giggle one minute, yet tugs at our heartstrings just moments later. She has certainly carved a niche for herself in the rom-com genre. While I get a kick out of witty comebacks and playful banter, I long to read a novel where the hero and heroine come to grips with their heartache while experiencing a subtle, believable transformation. To me, those are the components of a powerful story. Well done, Melissa Tagg! You knocked this one out of the park. I can’t wait to read book #3.

A special thanks to the publisher, Bethany House, for a complimentary copy of Here To Stay in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to Melissa, as well, for welcoming me to her launch team once again. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. 

This just in! For a limited time, Melissa Tagg’s debut novel, Made To Last, is only $1.99 for your Kindle. Click here and start reading book #1 in this fabulous series. 

Social Media Love: Melissa enjoys connecting with her readers. She has a fantastic sense of humor, by the way. You can check out her beautiful website here , follow her on Twitter here , or visit her Facebook Author page here . Happy reading, friends!

The One Where We Skipped Town

Okay, so we didn’t exactly skip town. That implies spontaneity. On a whim. That’s not how we roll. It was a well-orchestrated, planned in advance, over-analyzed and quite frankly, it took a village. But the husband and I managed to get away for the weekend sans children. The last time we left the boys, we only had two. And we lived on a different coast. Our baby is four years old.

Hold the phones, ye wise sages of marital wisdom. We know. This adventure was long overdue.

We bagged the excuses, carved out the time, and away we went. We’re grateful for grandparents, uncle, aunt and three cousins (I told you … a village) who welcomed our posse into their home for the weekend.

We couldn’t decide where to stay and read about eleventy billion reviews online before choosing this place. I have to say that growing up in a family business that depended on tourism for an income, as well as living in a town where bed and breakfasts are plentiful … I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what “bed and breakfast” means. Yet every time I stay in one, I’m surprised. Our room was lovely, the breakfast delicious. No complaints there. But I’ve decided that a breakfast that involves a meet and greet with strangers and adult conversation is not my thing. I’m so not a morning person. Add a flamboyant host who wants to mesh a stand up comedy routine with everyone’s life stories … needless to say, we were outta there in a flash and dined at Starbucks on day two.

We did see some interesting characters performing for tips on every corner. Mostly musicians with their guitar cases open, but we saw a few other artists. This guy was our fave. He changed his arm position occasionally and would bow if someone tipped him. But mostly, this was his deal. Crazy weird and cool all at the same time.

We waited in line for tables at fun restaurants and ate scrumptious food that would have made our children beg for  a chicken nugget.

Visited the summit of Mt. Mitchell (brrr!) and enjoyed a beautiful drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Most importantly, we remembered what it was like to be married to each other instead of just two resident assistants clinging to our sanity in a frat house. Oh, the joy of starting and completing a conversation with one’s spouse.

Occasionally we wondered how the children were doing. Were they okay? Was Eli alright without us?

Yes, he looks quite miserable, doesn’t he?

It would appear that a good time was had by all.

We Have A Winner!

Thank you to all who stopped by and read my interview with author Brenda Anderson and took the time to enter the giveaway. It was a lot of fun to hear your responses regarding your favorite amusement park rides. To select a winner, I assigned every unique comment a number and plugged the possibilities in at random.org. The winner is Kay!

Congratulations, Kay. Brenda and I will be in touch with you regarding your autographed copy of Chain of Mercy.

 

A Book Birthday, A Giveaway, A Few Little Known Facts

 

While Unraveled has landed in the hands of friends and family, as well as my treasured early readers, today is the day I’ve dreamed about, hoped for and occasionally shed a few tears over … my debut novel’s official release into the world.

Sigh. Somebody pinch me.

On the eve of our wedding, Steve’s siblings stood up at the rehearsal dinner and ‘roasted’ the groom-to-be. That might be a Southern thing. Sorry, you don’t get to hear what they said, but I will ‘roast’ Unraveled, instead.

Five Little-Known Facts About Unraveled

1. A minor character in the novel, Seth, is based on a real person from my childhood. My parents owned a lodge in Alaska for a big chunk of my childhood. We were a few miles from a gold mine. The family that mined in this particular spot relied on us for telephone use, an occasional hot shower, a drop off for heavy equipment, etc. One of the miners stuttered. But when he sang, he didn’t stutter at all. He was often alone in the mine, so by the time he got to our place, he was quite chatty. He sang his way through many a conversation. I found this quite fascinating and found a way to work it into the plot.

2. The second chapter was the first chapter for a loooong time. Through the years I affectionately term ‘the baby-raising’ years, the first paragraph of chapter two lived on my hard drive. We had 3 boys in 6 years and not much time to write. I knew my first novel would be the story of a girl going back home to Alaska. But once I learned more about the craft of writing, I realized that I needed a little more substance in my first chapter so my readers would want to know Lauren. A new first chapter was written and re-written numerous times until I felt confident this was a girl we could root for.

3. Lauren was originally named Carrie. Until I entered the first chapter in a contest and an editor said that name was reminiscent of a girl from the covered wagon days, not a modern day women’s fiction heroine.

4. Unraveled as the title. I’m a huge fan of single-word titles. A certain character called the heroine by the wrong name (not Carrie) early on in the novel, and much to my surprise, this thing went in a completely different direction. By the way, I always thought authors were crazy when they said that. I mean, c’mon. You wrote the darn thing, so change it. But then it happened to me and I knew this was a girl with some secrets that would unravel. Unraveled was the first title that came to mind and it never changed. Thank you, Winslet Press for letting me keep it.

5. I heard Lady Antebellum’s Dancing Away With My Heart for the first time while writing the first chapters of Unraveled. I immediately saw Blake and Lauren dancing together and hurried to scratch the scene out on paper. The polished scene occurs late in the novel, but I wrote toward that scene. It was like my light at the end of the tunnel.

In celebration of this gigantic dream come true, I’m giving away an autographed copy to one lucky reader.

See all of the details and delightful fine print listed below.

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Adventures of a Debut Author: Road Signs and Mile Markers

photo credit: Compfight

Yesterday, a friend asked me if I wrote myself into the plot of Unraveled. The short answer is, ‘yes’. While the heroine’s story isn’t my personal story, there are elements of the author woven into the characters. It’s inevitable in the creative process, as far as I’m concerned. Just as our children inherit our physical attributes, parrot our speech and mimic our mannerisms, so it goes for the words we spill across the page. For centuries, artists have used their canvases as a platform for self-expression, a means of social commentary, or as a vehicle to sing praises to the Lord.

This verse from Jeremiah is quite familiar, I’m sure. It’s found on mugs and signs, note cards and frequently quoted this time of year as we move toward graduation season. For me, it is a sign post–a mile marker– on the road to publication. The summer I sat down to start writing Unraveled, the same summer I celebrated a milestone birthday, I entered the original first chapter of the novel in a writing contest. Within a couple of weeks, I received an email stating I was a finalist in the contest. (Hold your applause, it’s entirely possible that there were a very limited number of entries). The only stipulation for advancing in the contest was submitting a completed manuscript by the end of the year.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?

Wrong.

Thus began many long hours hunched over my computer whenever my regular gig as a wife and mother allowed me a chance to type out some thoughts. There was much deleting and re-typing, as well as angsty hand-wringing … which often progressed to whining and a strong desire to give up. It was in these small moments that this verse began to re-appear in my life. Never so bold as a road sign or a billboard, but maybe in a sermon at church on Sunday morning or in a blog post by one of my favorite writers. I kept moving forward, knowing there was a plan for this story that lived on my hard drive.

I finished the first draft just hours before the contest deadline. I didn’t win the contest, but I’d accomplished something significant: my first novel, no matter how poorly constructed, was written. It was the Christmas season and among the gifts under the tree that year, I unwrapped a small sign given to me by my sister-in-law. Of course you know what it said, right?

“I know the plans I have for you … plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  -Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

Fast forward a year or so, and I’m attending a women’s conference, incidentally with the same sister-in-law who gave me that sign. We left the morning session for a break and returned with instructions that every seat had a bookmark, lying face down, with an inspirational thought or verse printed on it. While the seat you chose might be random, this message would have significant meaning for your life once you read it.

We chose our seats, I picked up my bookmark and flipped it over. Jeremiah 29:11 stared back at me. Chills (the good kind) ran through me. I drove home from the conference alone that day, a rare luxury to ride alone in a car these days, and thought about that verse quite a bit. Now maybe it had nothing to do with my writing life. If I take the time to look, I can see God’s handiwork ALL OVER the details of my life. He isn’t a God who neglects one area of our lives while focusing on another. But at least in my case, I require some remedial work on occasion and tend to need multiple signs in order to pay attention or believe what He says is true. This would be one of those instances. In order to keep pressing on toward the goal of publication, I needed the proverbial road signs to mark my way. Just as a marathon runner needs a cup of water and a loved one at the side of the road, cheering them on, I needed to know I was on the right track.

In the many phases of writing and re-writing Unraveled, the spiritual thread was the hardest for me to incorporate. Let’s be real: this Lauren girl is one messed up little chika. Eventually, I hung a locket around her neck with Jeremiah 29:11 engraved on the back. Because I’m the author and I can. Ha! Seriously, though, my hope is that this portion of the story, as well as the overall message of the novel will serve as a reminder that hope and forgiveness are real and tangible. Our God is a God with a plan. He is most definitely a God of second chances.

So there you have it, friends. The long answer to a short question. Yes, there is a bit of me woven into the threads of this story. Just as the Creator finds ways to weave His truth into our lives all of the time.

If you’re interested in reading more of Lauren’s story, Unraveled officially releases Tuesday, 4/29. More details here .

What’s your life verse? I love connecting with my readers and I’d love to know how God has worked in your life to grab your attention. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Adventures of a Debut Author: A Grateful Heart

Ya’ll.

Look what arrived on my doorstep yesterday. Long distance high fives and scrumptious treats … A celebration in a box for the imminent release of my first novel. Squeeee!

Chocolate, more chocolate, access to coffee and a framed photo of the novel’s cover.

I heart my people.

While I’ve been known to get completely consumed a little wrapped up in the journey toward publication, this week the contagious joy of a dream come true really blossomed all around me. Words of encouragement, fun Tweets and genuine enthusiasm have poured out from friends and family. I’m forever grateful.

I’m kicking off what I hope will be a regularish series about this adventurous season in the life of an author. My goal is to feature other debut authors and their work, as well. So stay tuned for more details and a behind the scenes (sorry, pun fully intended) peek at how this all goes down.