I find joy in writing romance novels about families. Showing those get-togethers, siblings that are friends, cooking in the kitchen with a family member, be it mother, father, sister, aunt… you get the idea. They are there when we triumph and when we fall. Banning together to face whatever comes. 1 Corinthians 12:26 reads…and whether one member suffers, all members suffer with it. Whether one member be honored, all members rejoice with it… Family is our foundation, our beginning. It’s the place where we learn to give and receive genuine love, support, and nurturing. You learn how to be loyal and the relationships we have with our family members shape us into the persons we are right now. For me, my family are some of the most important people in my life. I have a huge extended family with over fifty first cousins on my father’s side and fifteen on my mother’s. But I only have one sister. It’s just me and her. My mother made sure that we grew up loving each other. Telling us how important we were to one another. I also knew both sets of grandparents and loved them to the utmost. What a blessing. I…

There are so many things to watch on TV, it’s hard to choose between them. But some shows have take-aways that viewers can use in their personal lives. I like shows that have positive energy and people who face tough challenges and overcome them. It leaves me feeling good, and it’s something I try to put in my writing. One of my favorite shows is America’s Got Talent. The contestants and their talents are very diverse. Many have gone through hard times, and their particular talent is often the thing that got them through adversity. The judges and audiences usually take them to their hearts and cheer them on whether they advance or get sent home. Another favorite is Dancing with the Stars. The stars face physical and emotional challenges and many–including some athletes–say it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done.  A strong camaraderie develops among the stars and their partners, and their dancing is often amazing. A third favorite is Survivor, which also tests players in many ways– their ingenuity and stamina, their survival and social skills to name a few. It’s definitely a game involving strategy and forming alliances, and players learn a lot about themselves. My fourth…