Blog

Conference Tips: Composing the One-Sheet
Conference Tips: Composing the One-Sheet
As I am prepping my work for attending the ACFW conference this year, I am composing my first one-sheet ever. While I have written several business-like literary proposals, I have... Read more...
Novella Collection from Barbour Publishing Coming in 2017!
Novella Collection from Barbour Publishing Coming in 2017!
I don’t usually post news updates, but something amazing happened this week! I received my very first contract for a novella from Barbour Publishing! Praise the Lord! I’m excited and... Read more...
The Power of Happy Moments
The Power of Happy Moments
For new writers, it is tempting to let drama and heartache swamp our stories. Now, while the saying is “only trouble is interesting,” today, I’d like to talk about how... Read more...
The Drafting Process
The Drafting Process
Drafting a new novel can be overwhelming, but I find if you break it up, it helps to alleviate some of the pressure and put your focus where it needs... Read more...
3 Ways to Incorporate Setting Description
3 Ways to Incorporate Setting Description
It’s important for writers to recognize their weakness in order to work on correcting them. For me, it’s description. When I get my beta reader feedback, the one thing that... Read more...
The 3 Promises of Your First Chapter
The 3 Promises of Your First Chapter
The beginning of your story is your contract with the reader as to what they can expect if they pick up your novel. Start strong to hook your reader, continue... Read more...
Developing Secondary Characters
Developing Secondary Characters
Sometimes, novels can come up a bit short on the word count and when that happens, we can be tempted to plop in a few scenes or add a new... Read more...
7 Elements that Make a Great Character 
7 Elements that Make a Great Character 
As I am going through and editing my third Victorian novel, I am re-evaluating how my heroine comes across on the page. In the first draft, the ideas are allowed... Read more...
Capturing Your Story
Capturing Your Story
Ever had a great idea for a novel, but didn’t know exactly how to capture it long enough to get it down on paper before it fluttered away into the... Read more...
The Language of Flowers
The Language of Flowers
One of my favorite aspects of the Victorian era is their value of sweet romance. As flowers were taken very seriously, dictionaries were soon sprouting up on how to interpret... Read more...
Growing Your Craft
Growing Your Craft
This month, I attended an American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) chapter meeting for the first time. In Louisiana, there weren’t any chapters near me, so when I heard that there... Read more...
A Guide to (Victorian) Tea
A Guide to (Victorian) Tea
In my new Victorian novel, the heroine runs a tearoom with her father and in college, I worked for about two years in a tearoom as a waitress and cook,... Read more...