7 Quick Takes Friday – In Name Only Edition

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Jen's Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

Since my novel, 1. , is FREE all day today and tomorrow on

2. In 2010, In Name Only won the Gold medal for Religious Fiction in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. When I found out that my book was one of the top three, I immediately thought, "A Bronze medal would be great." I never once thought I would win. When I did, I was speechless. In Name Only became the first Catholic novel to win the top prize in Religious Fiction in the IPPY Awards. Later, I attended the awards ceremony in New York City (photo below).

3. Two of my sons posed for the back cover of In Name Only (below: Tim to the left, in the role of "Liam," and Ben to the right, in the role of "David."

4. In Name Only has been in the top 100 since June of 2010 and managed to make it to the top ten late last year, taking over the coveted #1 spot in Religious and Liturgical Drama on Amazon Kindle at the beginning of January. Only recently has Stealing Jenny taken over the #1 spot in that category and several others.

5. In Name Only takes place in 1876, Philadelphia. In one chapter, the characters attend the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. When I was doing research for this book, I used the incredibly helpful and fascinating Centennial Exhibition website. There are hundreds of photographs from the actual exhibition, as well as trivia, facts and other information.

6. I am working on the sequel to In Name Only and it's tentatively entitled "A Subtle Grace." Last September, we had a great time shooting photos for the cover with our model posing in beautiful 1890′s dresses.

7. Did I mention the book is

For more Quick takes, visit Jen's Conversion Diary.