Selfies with other authors!

I cherish the times I’ve been able to meet up with other authors, and to have selfies with them to enjoy later.

Patti Stockdale

Patti Stockdale with me, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Patti Stockdale took a selfie with me at the Cedar Falls Christian Writers Conference, probably 2019, before either of us had published a book. Her Three Little Things is one of my favorite books, based on the WWI letters of her grandparents. Patti’s latest book has been out just a couple of weeks, His Unforgettable Bride (of the Bride Ships New Voyages books). (Jody Hedland is getting Patti started with Sunrise Publishing, but I predict that soon Patti have another book with just her name on it!)

David LaBelle

Dave LaBelle with me, Guthrie Center Library, 2022

I attended an online conference where photojournalist David LaBelle was one of the presenters. I asked how to get a copy of his Bridges & Angels: The Story of Ruth, since it wasn’t listed on Amazon. I ordered it from him while he still lived in Ohio. Since then, he and his wife have moved to Dyersville, Iowa. He was so taken by Leora’s Letters that he called one day and a friendship formed, possibly because we both wrote books about such catastrophic losses. When I gave a talk at the Guthrie Center Library in 2022, he showed up. What a gift! I especially enjoy his books about photography because of his ideas behind capturing poignant people and moments.

Diane Holmes

I’m with Diane T. Holmes at Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, Iowa

Author Diane T. Holmes and I were invited to be part of an Indie Author’s Day at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines. I was scheduled much earlier, but she came to meet me. What a delight she is! So are her books, which she sells well and regularly at book signings and craft shows. Uprooted: Family is Where You Find It is her memoir. Two Sisters’ Secret is absorbing historical fiction about her grandmother’s immigration to Iowa.

Craig Matthews

Craig Matthews went with us to our favorite Machine Shed Restaurant, March, 2025. (My Harry Potter scar is healing nicely.)

I “met” Craig Matthews on LinkedIn a couple of years ago. He’d posted videos of making maple syrup in his own Michigan area. When I learned he was an author, I checked out his books and have been a fan ever since. So much so that I became a beta reader for his third and fourth books. He recently made a research trip (for a sequel for his first book) to Kansas City and stopped to meet us. We adjourned to the Machine Shed Restaurant for supper, and the end of a too-short visit. With four terrific books published, and another nearly ready, Craig just getting started!

Robin Grunder

Robin was my coauthor on Leora’s Letters, which was published in 2019. Since then, she’s formed her own Legacy Press Books to help people self-publish their books. I hired her for the next four books, including Meadowlark Songs, which will be out soon. (I just ordered a proof copy!) Robin has been a delight to work with, but we didn’t meet in person until just recently.

Robin has also published her own book, Memoir in the Margins of Psalms.