by Ann H. Gabhart Do you remember learning to read? I do. I went off to school eager to unravel the mystery of words and discover their promise. I was soon reading about Dick and Jane and their dog, Spot. Fast forward a lot of years and many, many books, both read and written, to when our local adult education center was looking for literacy tutors. I hate the thought of anybody not knowing how to read. So, I signed up, took the training, and was soon sitting next to a yo

by Angela Carlisle When I began the first book in The Secrets of Kincaid series, I had little idea what I was doing. I’d never finished a book before, hadn’t even come close. Honestly, I was unsure if I could write a whole book. But I had an idea for a story and decided to give it a shot. Now, I am not one of those authors that can sit down and plot out an entire book—much less an entire series. Would I like to be? Absolutely. But when I try, my brain laughs and gives me

by Cara Putman Embrace the grind. Do it with passion or not at all. Every day is a grind, and you have to go hard. We’ve all heard phrases like that. But we also know verses like Matthew 11:28-30: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Or how about Psalm 16:6: The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places? There are days I can sing those words with certainty. And months where I feel like I have to grit them out from

by Jen Turano As most of my readers know, I write comedy—historical romantic comedy to be exact. My goal with my writing is to provide readers with a bit of an escape from a world that far too often can feel overwhelming. With that said, I have to admit that the entire writing process for In Pursuit of Civility was one of the most challenging processes I’ve ever had since I’ve become an author. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish this book.

by Jamie Ogle When I was four years old, I saw the nearly four-hour-long, 1956 masterpiece, The Ten Commandments. I was immediately obsessed with it and Charlton Heston, and was thereafter, the easiest kid to babysit so long as that movie was in the vicinity. I watched it countless times. Named my baby doll Moses. Hid him all over the house in my mom’s breadbasket. Ben Hur became another favorite later on, and then Gladiator as a young adult. I was completely captivated by

by Eva Marie Everson I couldn’t help but laugh. With the exception of my hometown paper, which came out once a week and gave all the local who, what, when, where, and why of a Mayberry-esque community, I’d not been much of a newspaper reader. Except, that is, for the “Dear Abby” column. I read the letters asking for advice and the replies given as though they were Pulitzer Prize contenders. Ninety-nine percent of them, I cannot remember. But one—one in particular writte

by Leslie Gould There’s no doubt When They Met Again is a love story—it’s a friends-to-something more, feel-good story that reminds readers that faith, romance, and community can elevate us all. I wrote it both for myself and for my readers. My last series, Amish Memories, is a collection of three dual-time novels with the historical threads focused on pre-WW II in Germany, the WW II homefront in the USA, and post WW II in Germany. Although all three books have romantic t

by Sarah Sundin “Never in her life had Dr. Ivy Picot imagined herself a criminal.” Before I was a writer, I was a pharmacist. Although I no longer practice pharmacy, I’m still fascinated by health care. Pharmacy had appealed to me as an opportunity to use my skills to help people—to prolong life and reduce suffering and to increase understanding. Compassion shines at the core of the health care professions. But what if caring for the suffering was illegal? On rare occ

by Becca Kinzer “He’s coming! Dave Barnes is coming! I can’t believe he’s coming!” Honestly, I don’t remember if those were the exact words my friend said back in 2022 when she found out Dave Barnes was coming to her house. All I remember for certain is my exact response. “Who?” “Dave Barnes.” “Who?” “Dave Barnes!” Didn’t matter how loudly my friend shouted his name, I still didn’t know who he was. “Yes, you do,” she demanded before listing off a few of his songs.

by Jane Kirkpatrick It's my fan's fault. Suzy Wintjen, who reads my books based on the lives of historical women, drove several hours thirteen years ago to a signing I had in another state just to tell me about the woman anchoring With the Enduring Tides . Mary Edwards Gerritse was the first woman to deliver mail by horseback along the often treacherous and rugged North Oregon Coast in the 1890s. She was married with four children at home when she made that momentous choice

by Karen Witemeyer When it came time to brainstorm a new historical romance series, I knew I wanted to focus on a group of strong women, but I wasn't sure what their connection would be. Sisters? Friends? Co-workers in a corset factory? I like my heroines feisty and independent, and the more I thought about it, the more I began leaning toward a group of spinsters. In the 19 th century, women were expected to marry and set up households, often by the age of eighteen. Some

by Toni Shiloh Rooting for the hero is part of the reading experience that turns a good book into a fantastic read that readers will want to return to time after time. I’ve had many bookish heroes and heroines as I’ve been reading since I was a child: Nancy Drew, Elizabeth Bennett, Gilbert Blythe, Harry Potter, etc. But before I had books and the different worlds they offered me, I had a real-life hero who taught me about the importance of perseverance. My grandfather has

by Tracie Peterson Minnesota has always been a fascinating state to me and in particular, the city of Minneapolis has captured my attention. In this new series, A Minnesota Legacy, I was determined to create a generational series set in Minneapolis. Faithful of Heart is the start of that tale. 1870 Minneapolis offers an interesting setting. The town had its start back in the 1850s wilderness, but by 1870 was a bustling city of 13,000 people. Situated on the banks of the

by Connie Mann I love asking writers how their stories came to be. Everyone’s process is so different! Though I wish stories appeared in my mind’s eye in one nice, neat package, God’s creative gift doesn’t work that way in my brain. It’s a much more messy, layered process, like a mental crock pot into which I toss unrelated, interesting tidbits of information. After everything simmers a while, I start asking: what if? What if this place could be tied to this fact, could in

by Dana Mentink Two hours. That’s about the length of time I believe I’d maintain my composure if stranded in the wilderness. It’s possible that number is generous. I have zero sense of direction, and I can’t see beyond the end of my nose. I’m the kind that can’t find her car in the parking lot. The one time I traveled internationally I lost my passport before I even got out of the airport. So would I survive a situation where every means of communication and assistance was

by Elizabeth Goddard I had so much fun writing Deadly Currents because I got to include all the adventurous elements I love—and honestly, I figured some of them might get cut. I mean, a ghost ship? Pirates? Wasn’t that a little out of my lane? But somehow, it all worked. I wove it together with the kind of romantic suspense I always write—stories that carry a redemptive thread, often anchored in the theme of forgiveness. In Deadly Currents , I wanted to explore forgiven

by Jill Eileen Smith Most of us are familiar with the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. Though her story only appears in the Gospel of John, she is famous (or infamous) for having had five husbands, and the man she had at the time she met Jesus was not her husband. Many people assume that she was a promiscuous woman. We imagine her getting bored with man after man and changing husbands like we might change clothes or addresses. When I sat down to s

by Deborah Clack Where is your happy place? It can be a spot you visit regularly. Or it can be a place that exists only in your imagination. That thing that popped into your head when you first read the question. That place. Maybe you’ve never shared it with anyone. Maybe you, like me, have a penny jar you throw spare change into to save for a return someday. Wherever that place is … could you write a story about it? Would it be a fantasy formed with a brand-new world? A

by Mary Connealy Two things drove my interest in The Rocky Mountain Marshals Series. In book 1, Ambush of the Heart , I got to begin that adventure. The first thing: U.S. Marshals. I did a bit of research and just began discovering how much I didn't know. I mean . . . what are U.S. Marshals? The only one I could think of was Rooster Cogburn in True Grit . But my research was confusing. Yes, there were lawmen out hunting for outlaws. But a lot of that was because back then

by Elizabeth Camden When I was in college, I used to walk past a gorgeous old house slowly being swallowed by climbing ivy and the passage of time. I’d heard that an elderly man lived there, and that he’d done heroic things during World War I. He was a hero, but not a soldier. A neighbor told me that he’d been a volunteer for a long-forgotten group of Americans who banded together to save an entire nation from famine. I was fascinated and started researching the group he