Category: Writing

If you can go to this exhibit, do it. I went to the #VanGoghStlouis exibit.
You’ll walk in and think oh– I get to read a lot about this artist and maybe you learned a lot of it in Art History.

Then you notice how the exhibit is set up. Window frames catch your attention and you see information in a new way.

After you’ve read some amazing things about this artist, you walk into another room that is filled with color from lights and you might find that exciting. I did, but I didn’t know what was to come.

The next room you enter is huge! And before you know it you’re standing in paintings. Then the painting move. They sweep across the floor, flowers bloom beneath your feet!

Then you turn around and there is Van Gogh staring at you and he winks! That was startling–I mean it is an immersive art experience but I have to say that one had me second-guessing what I saw.

This was an experience I needed. I’ve been trying to write the next series and I can’t seem to find the imagination I once had. Doing more things like this will help with that. I used to go to the fabric store and look at colors and touch the material but I haven’t done that since “you know what hit our world in 2020” I hope that will soon be gone and we can all get back to filling our lives with experiences that fill our souls.

There’s this feeling I get when someone says, can I interview you? Radio makes me nervous. YouTube sends me running. My mother should have named me “Introvert Extreme.”

But they didn’t, and God didn’t say hide your writing under a rock. That would have possibly been another desire when I was younger. Oh, those marvelous days of hanging out on the porch writing stories with wandering plot points, misspelled words, and total misuse of point of view. It took me forever to show anyone my work.

I was recently on Book Banter with Tanya and it was delightful. Once I got over the first few minutes of thinking there was no way I could do this. To be fair I haven’t been speaking with a lot of people in the past 18 months. Alright, you will discover at the beginning of the interview that Tanya and I are friends, didn’t matter it was still an interview about how I write, how I come up with ideas, what did I like and hate about writing.

I soon settled down, Tanya has a nice calming voice and manner. 🙂 You can watch it here https://youtu.be/hznaAjQvj5U

It’s the book birthday for Love Finds an Outlaw!

Can a pistol-packing spinster and an adventure-loving reporter find love amidst the mishaps and trials of the Sana Fe railroad’s ill-fated inaugural excursion?

Mary Outlaw has a ticket to ride the Santa Fe train on a sight-seeing excursion from Topeka, Kansas to Pueblo, Colorado. She intends to live life unrestrained on this trip because it may be her only chance unless she can convince her father to let her choose her own husband. A future of cooking and babies is not the life she wants.

News reporter, Wyatt Cross bought the last ticket for the excursion, hoping one of the 84 women (he knows because he checked before buying his ticket for this scenic tour) would be someone he could love and who would share his sense of adventure. This is a last-ditch effort to keep his father happy and to preserve his inheritance. While waiting to board, he notices a tall, beautiful woman, Mary. The speed her hands move while she speaks fascinates him. Hope sparks inside of him. Maybe the trip will turn out to be more than a scenic ride up the mountain.

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*This story originally appeared in the Rails to Love Collection titled Outlaw on the Pueblo Excursion.

What’s it like when an author’s new book finally releases?

For readers, release day feels a little like Christmas morning. If you’re an avid reader of faith‑based fiction, you probably pre‑ordered weeks ago and have been watching your inbox for that magical “Download Complete.”

If you’re new to the author, you might see the cover scroll across your feed and think, “That looks interesting.” You glance at the back cover, read the blurb, and—if it stirs your heart—you click add to cart.

No matter which kind of reader you are, the moment you finally open that story, the rest of the world fades away. Dinner gets delayed, laundry stays in the dryer, and sometimes… well, bedtime disappears too. Good books have a way of doing that.

From the Writer’s Side of the Shelf

Now, from the writer’s point of view? Release day is equal parts joy and chaos.

Every author of Christian romance novels for women (and men too!) knows the mix of emotions: excitement, nerves, hope, gratitude, and perhaps one too many cups of coffee. We refresh sales dashboards. We whisper prayers that readers find meaning, encouragement, and a hint of hope tucked between the pages.

The good reviews make our hearts soar like a hymn on Sunday morning. The tough ones… well, they have a way of strengthening our humility and faith. Writing, especially faith‑based fiction, isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes courage, commitment, and grace.

And yes, there’s pizza for dinner. Again. Because while words pour easily, cooking rarely makes the list during release week.hat’s it like for a reader when a book releases?

When Distraction Meets Inspiration

Writers on release week should probably avoid driving.

We daydream about characters—wondering if readers love Jake yet, or if they’re still trying to forgive Raymond. (Give him time, friends.) We second‑guess that one scene we deleted about prairie life and buffalo chips—it might have been funny! But part of writing Christian women’s fiction is choosing what fits the story and what must wait for another book.

And yes, while we’re celebrating one release, our minds already dance toward the next story. Because faith‑filled storytelling never really ends—it just turns the page.

A Note to Readers

So, what’s it like when a book releases?
For readers—it’s an escape, a moment of peace, a connection with hearts and stories that remind you of God’s gentle presence.

For writers—it’s that same miracle, only from the other side. A whispered prayer that the words we wrote might touch the hearts that read them.

Whether you love Christian romance novels, historical fiction, or heartfelt faith‑based books, release day is a celebration of stories that bring hope home.

Thank you for being part of this journey, page by page, prayer by prayer.

I

If you loved A Bride’s Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee, then you already know Jake Miles—his doubts, his hopes, and the questions stirring before he ever stepped onto the steamboat. In A Bride’s Journey to the Colorado Territory, Book 2 in the Frontier Legacy Brides series, we meet the woman who will change Jake’s path forever: Cornelia Taggart.

This story isn’t only about romance. It’s about courage when life feels uncertain, faith when the road looks long, and holding on to relationships when everything else is shifting.

Meet Cornelia Taggart

Cornelia isn’t stepping into marriage quite yet—first she must cross an ocean. With her brother Raymond by her side, Cornelia leaves everything familiar in Germany for the promise (and the risk) of a new life in America.

She admits her fears openly:

• What if she forgets her English?
• What if she and her brother clash in close quarters?
• What if leaving home costs more than she expected?

Cornelia’s honesty reminds us that even brave heroines wrestle with doubts. For many of us, that feels familiar. We wonder the same thing when our lives change: What if I’m not ready? What if I lose myself in the journey?

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Why Readers Relate to Cornelia

Readers of Christian historical romance novels often look for more than sweet love stories. We long for:

• Reassurance that we’re not alone in facing fear.
• The reminder that faith steadies us when life uproots us.
• Cozy escapes into frontier towns after long, busy days.

Cornelia’s story offers all of this. She feels the heartbreak of leaving family, the longing for friends and even her horses, and yet keeps stepping forward. Her imperfect courage inspires hope—exactly what so many of us are seeking today.

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Jake Miles and Cornelia’s Future

If Jake’s introduction in Book 1 left you curious, this is where his path begins to feel the weight of change. Meeting Cornelia—and seeing America through her eyes—alters his journey as much as hers.

Their intersecting stories are layered with questions of love, adventure, family loyalty, and the kind of resilience that only grows when life doesn’t unfold the way we planned.

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Your Invitation

A Bride’s Journey to the Colorado Territory isn’t just a romance. It’s a reminder that the moments we fear most—new beginnings, uncertain paths, big goodbyes—can turn into the very seasons where love and faith shine brightest.

If your own life feels too hurried, too heavy, or too uncertain, this book offers a safe place to pause, breathe, and remember that hope meets us right in the middle of change.

👉 Read Cornelia and Jake’s story today and be part of the Frontier Legacy Brides series that readers are calling heartfelt, hopeful, and deeply relatable.

Order your copy here

Part 1: Jake’s Interview read here

It’s fun making up characters—and even more fun getting to know them. When it’s a character you already know, like Jake, the process becomes even more exciting.

At the end of A Bride’s Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee, Jake wasn’t exactly hero material. Troubled, restless, not always easy to like…but his journey isn’t over yet. In A Bride’s Journey to the Colorado Territory, Jake begins to change—and readers will get to see his transformation.

One of the ways I explored Jake’s heart was by writing an “interview” scene before he boards the steamboat that carries him west. Think of it as an exclusive front‑page scoop in the Cairo Evening Times, giving us a glimpse into Jake’s mindset before everything shifts.

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Article from the Cairo Evening Times

Reporter: Hey, you there! Sir! Can I catch you for an interview for the Cairo Evening Times?

Jake: I suppose. Don’t know that I’ll have much to say.

Reporter: You never know. People are curious about other people. Where you headed to?

Jake: Up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, then onto the Colorado Territory.

Reporter: Thought the gold rush was over. Think you’ll have any luck?

Jake: Probably not. My luck hasn’t been what I’d call good for quite some time. I figure it can’t hurt to try and turn it around. Then again, maybe if I stop thinking luck has anything to do with it—just hard work and more prayer—I might find what I’m really looking for.

Reporter: Leaving a sweet girl behind pining for you? Maybe a family?

Jake: No. There’s no one. Not even family that will miss me. My horse didn’t even look back when I sold him—moseyed on like he’d found his new best friend. You might say I burned all my bridges and tore up my railroads, and they aren’t likely to be rebuilt.

Reporter: You don’t plan on returning East?

Jake: Can’t think of a reason why I would.

Reporter: If I use your story, I’d like to print your name with it.

Jake: Jake Miles. But I doubt anyone will care what I have to say.

Reporter: Like I said—you never know what people will find interesting. Thanks. [waves to the next passenger] Hey you, over there, can I get an interview before you board?

One of the first things I did was write this interview before Jake boards a steamboat bound for St. Louis.

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Why This Interview Matters

This short exchange says so much about Jake:

• He’s broken and uncertain.
• He knows hard work and prayer matter more than luck.
• He doesn’t yet believe his life story is worth telling.

And yet… readers of Christian historical romance know that God has a way of working transformation in the most unlikely hearts. A Bride’s Journey to the Colorado Territory lets us watch Jake’s journey from bitterness toward hope, from isolation toward love.

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Your Turn

Would you want to sit next to Jake on that steamboat? Do you think his answer about not returning East will hold true?

Leave a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts! And don’t forget, you can order your copy of A Bride’s Journey to the Colorado Territory (Book 2 of the Frontier Legacy Brides series) today and continue the journey with Jake and Cornelia.

👉 Get your copy here »

If you like stories about the Oregon Trail, happily-ever-after, and Christian romance, this book is for you. Start your journey with Cornelia and Jake today!