I was honored to be interviewed on Amy Anguish’s blog. Amy was my content editor for What Brings Us Joy, and was a delight to work with. Read the Q and A here:
https://abitofanguish.weebly.com/writing/category/author-interview
Interview news
Books News
A dream come true
All my life, I’ve wanted to be an author. Not just a writer, but someone who publishes a book. Little did I know how much work it takes to write a 93,000 word book (about 350 pages). There’s so much to learn about writing fiction, publishing, and marketing a book. I haven’t learned everything, but I’m much wiser than when I started this venture. And I’m delighted to introduce you to Delia Truitt, Clarence Parker, and all their friends.
This beauty releases on July 15, 2025
This is the first of three books in The Truitts of Texas series, set in 1895. The second book, Seeds of Hope, releases in July 2026, and the third book, When Hope Takes Root, releases in July of 2027. Stay tuned!
January Book Giveaway!
I love giving away books. Why? Because I can’t help but share the blessing of quality literature filled with hope.
This first month of 2025, I’m giving away Michelle Shocklee’s newest release, All We Thought We Knew. It features two timelines, one in 1969 and the other in 1942, and the main themes are family, love, secrets, and injustice.
To give you more info, here’s what’s on the back cover:
She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.
1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.
In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.
Includes discussion guide for book groups
Standalone Southern, historical family drama about enduring hope amid personal tragedy
Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner or Lisa Wingate
Dual timeline set during the Vietnam War and WWII.
Sound good? Enter by clicking on the image below. On February 1, 2025, I’ll contact the winner and send a paperback copy of this wonderful book. Good luck!
How about a step back in time?
When was the last time you allowed yourself to be caught up in another time period?
Can’t remember?
I totally understand! It’s hard to make time to read, especially uninterrupted time. For some unknown reason (or guilt) we allow ourselves to tend to others’ needs and ignore our own. Relaxation? Rest? That’s for other people, right?
Only, it’s not. In Genesis chapter 2, God rested after he completed his work the prior six days. Verse 3 says, “God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.” (CSB)
Friend, if God considers resting holy, we should, too.
Okay, that’s settled, then! How will you rest?
Wait—I have an idea! Let’s read. Be it reading on the sofa, at the beach, in the mountains, or in a sudsy bathtub, let’s commit to resting our minds by allowing them to travel to another place and time.
And I’ve got just the books to send you on your way. I thought it would be fun to categorize them according to home furnishing styles.
Here are the categories: Mid-century modern, Early American, Farmhouse, Victorian, English cottage. I’ve linked the books to their description in Amazon (I have no affiliation with Amazon or anyone else). Have fun, and let yourself be transported to happily ever after.
Mid-century Modern (mid-twentieth century)
Almost Home, by Valer Fraser Luesse (one of my all-time faves), WWII Alabama
The Finder of Forgotten Things, by Sarah Loudin Thomas, 1930’s, West Virginia
The All-American, by Susie Finkbeiner, 1950’s, Midwest
Until Leaves Fall in Paris, by Sarah Sundin, WWII, Paris
The Maid of Ballymacool, by Jennifer Deibel, 1930’s, Ireland
In This Moment, by Gabrielle Meyer, 1861,1941,2001, Washington, D.C.
Secrets of a Charmed Life, by Susan Meissner, WWII, England
Shadows in the Mind’s Eye, by Janeyre Tromp, post WWII, Arkansas
Rebecca, by Daphne DuMaurier, 1930’s, England
Early American
Mountain Laurel, by Lori Benton, 1790’s, North Carolina
A Heart Adrift, by Laura Frantz, 1750’s, Virginia
The Rose and the Thistle, by Laura Frantz, 1715, Scotland
When the Day Comes, by Gabrielle Meyer, 1770’s, Colonial Williamsburg; 1914 New York City
Freedom’s Ring, by Heidi Chiavaroli
Farmhouse
The Moonlight School, by Suzanne Woods Fisher, 1911, Kentucky
My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream, by Pepper Basham, 1918, North Carolina
The Gold in These Hills, by Joanne Bischof, 1902, California
A Worthy Pursuit, by Karen Witemeyer, 1892, Texas
Where the Road Bends, by Rachel Fordham, 1880’s, Iowa
Short Straw Bride, by Karen Witemeyer, 1880’s, Texas
Victorian
The Lady and the LionHeart, by Joanne Bischof, 1890, Virginia
The Love Note, by Joanna Davidson Politano, England, 1860’s
With This Pledge, by Tamera Alexander, 1860’s, Tennessee
Count the Nights by Stars, by Michelle Shocklee, 1897, Tennessee
Counterfeit Faith, by Crystal Caudill, 1885, Philadelphia
Veiled in Smoke, by Jocelyn Green, 1871, Chicago
English Cottage
A Rumored Fortune, by Joanna Davidson Politano, 1866, England
A Name Unknown, by Roseanna M. White, WWI, England
A Castaway in Cornwall, by Julie Klassen, Regency, England
To Treasure an Heiress, by Rosemary M. White, 1906, England
As Dawn Breaks, by Kate Breslin, WWI, England
No Ocean Too Wide, by Carrie Turansky, 1908, London
A Noble Masquerade, by Kristi Ann Hunter, Regency, England
The Elusive Miss Ellison, by Carolyn Miller, Regency, England
The Governess of Penwythe Hall, by Sarah E. Ladd, Regency, England
Cool Off with Strawberry Soup
Think smoothie, only decadent
