In 2008, my first Shaker book, The Outsider, was published. I eventually wrote seven more Shaker books. The Refuge is the last Shaker book I’ve written. Since I’m having a giveaway here for that Shaker book, this seemed a perfect time to share once again some of the sayings attributed to the Shakers. I liked being able to includes some …
Hidden Springs Mysteries on E-book Sale
I love it when some of my books are on e-book sale for super low prices. Right now, all three of my Hidden Springs mysteries are only 99 cents at many online booksellers, Amazon, Kobo, B&N along with others.Or you can go to my website and check out the link on my book pages for my Hidden Springs Mysteries, Murder …
Meet Darcie from The Refuge
Fall is here. The trees will soon be turning color. That made me think about one of my books that has a definitely autumn scene cover. The Refuge is the last Shaker book I wrote. It’s been out a few years, but I posted about it today on my Facebook Shaker Wednesday. Since that had the book on my mind, …
A Day of Storytelling
Yesterday was the Cave Run Storytelling Festival here in Kentucky at Cave Run Lake. I suppose it’s not too hard to understand why I love storytelling. I’ve been called a storyteller, but I do my story telling on paper or the computer page. At the Storytelling Festival, these storytellers stand up on a stage with a microphone and tell stories …
The Joy of Snail Mail
Sometimes a writer gets something fun in the mail – a letter handwritten in an envelope with a stamp on it that lands in said writer’s mailbox. Years ago when I was writing books for younger readers, it wasn’t unusual to find one of those letters in my mailbox. I exchanged letters over several years with a young girl …
The Glow of Morning Glories
A few years ago, I planted some morning glory seeds beside a trellis in my yard. When I did I had to think my father would have wondered if I’d lost my mind after the way we’d always had to fight what he called morning glories in the crops and garden. In fact, I’ve probably yanked out no telling how …
Birthdays and Smile Wrinkles
Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years. ~Ausonius I just had a birthday. They have a way of coming around faster than they used to. When I was waiting to finally be a teenager, the year seemed to go on and on. I’m long past the teenager years. Going …
The Joy of Grandparenting
Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley Did you know this Sunday was Grandparents Day? It’s not a day that has caught on with special advertisements for grandparent gifts or cards to send or visits to make. But it’s still fun to have a day …
A Title Reveal
“Good books don’t give up all their secrets at once.” ~Stephen King Maybe neither do titles of those books. But a book needs a good title. Maybe even better than good. Something catchy. Something that makes a reader wonder and yet know at the same time. The right title can entice you to open the cover. I’ve had over forty …
Labor Day for a Farm Girl
“Farming is not just a job, it’s a way of life.” – Unknown For most people, Labor Day is a holiday when you don’t have to work. You have the day off. You can go on a picnic, go fishing, read a book, visit family, have some fun. That might be true for me now, but that wasn’t always the …










