by Tracie Peterson A Life So True is book two in the three-book generational series titled A Minnesota Legacy. Set in Minneapolis, in 1893, the story is a faith-based historical romance that offers hope and encouragement to the reader. It also reveals the importance of being truthful. This is the story of Evie Turner, daughter of Dr. Roman and Judith Turner. All her life she’s wanted to train as a nurse and work at her father’s side to help the poor and underprivileged of

by Marcie Gourley Most of life isn’t lived under bright lights. It is lived along dimly lit paths, not dark enough to lose our way completely, but not always clear enough to see very far ahead, either. Sometimes this leaves us feeling lost, or anxious, or cautious. We are on the kind of path where you take a few steps, adjust your footing, and keep going, trusting that what you need will be visible when you need it. I remember a hike like that. It was later than I had pla

by Suzanne Woods Fisher When my editor called two days after I sent her the manuscript for Chase the Light, I braced myself. Two days is fast. Really fast. In my experience, fast usually means one of two things: either she loved it so much she couldn’t put it down, or there were big problems. “I read it in two days,” she said. “And I have no revisions.” I actually laughed. “Really?” “None. It’s ready.” That’s a moment every writer dreams about. The wow moment. The o

by Robin Jones Gunn When my fiancé and I started making wedding plans, I had one important question that couldn’t wait. “Are you planning to wear a kilt?” His Scottish heritage ran deep, and I knew that other men in his extended clan showed up at weddings in kilts. His brother had bagpipes at his reception. I wanted to know what Ross’s vision was for our August wedding in Southern California. His reply was, “No kilt, but what do you think about having popsicles instead of

by Jenny Erlingsson I can still remember the way my daughter looked at me several years ago when we were going over letters. This particular alphabet was also a challenge to me because we were living in Iceland. So when she blinked at me and couldn’t name English and Icelandic letters a few seconds after reviewing them, I thought it was mostly because of the language difference. But as the months passed, I realized that my younger daughter was processing things differently.

by Stephanie Mack As my fortieth birthday began to beam at me from the calendar, I found myself doing what many women do in these quiet, existential moments—perhaps especially us millennials, a nostalgic bunch: Reflecting. Examining. Pondering. Not in regret, exactly, but rather curiosity. I thought almost instantly of the girl I was at twenty-one, fresh out of USC—that bright-eyed, big-dreaming bride at the altar with her college sweetheart. Then the career girl in pen

by Jaime Jo Wright When I sat down to write The Bookshop of 99 Doors, I had all sorts of ideas of where I wanted the story to go. I started out with a dead Civil War captain, a house based on a legendary ruin in Malaysia (of all places) with 99 doors and a rumored 100th that led to a spiritual portal, and a ghost-hunting team of paranormal experts. Let’s face it. Those pieces don’t fit together easily, and in the world of Christian fiction, one may question how I even inten

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