I can’t be the only one. I hope. Are writers the only people who occasionally wake up with this scene in their head, like they were watching a movie while they slept? I do that quite often. I think it’s the best part of being a writer. I can lie in bed and slowly wake up from that dream that has my heart pounding and honestly, with complete sincerity, say I AM WORKING. So, this one summer night, I had a dream. I was in the past, way back like a medieval, and there was this warrior and his bride. She didn’t know him, was very afraid of him – not that I knew why at the time. It was a dream. All I knew was right there, sometime that night, they had to consummate the wedding. Now, for some reason, my brain tends to skip to the good stuff. So I pictured the warm skin and the closeness, his scarred muscles and her fear. There was caressing and gentleness and lots of invasion of private space. Then I went back. Like rewind. I do that. I wanted to know, now that I’d seen these two people together, who were…

So You’re the Writer I get asked that a lot. By everyone. My doctor. My dentist. Neighbors. Friends to my extended family. I’m not “a” writer. I’m “the” writer. Like there’s only one. Or it’s so odd, it deserves special definition. Most times I keep the writerly part of myself private. Only with other writers and among readers who know I’m published do I relax about my profession. But somehow, everyone finds out. And it’s always embarrassing. I’M not embarrassed to be a writer. No, never that. I LOVE being a writer. But some people have these interpretations, or just things they say, or maybe WHEN they say them, or HOW they say them, that can make it very uncomfortable. I recently attended a neighborhood block party, and lo and behold, the topic of my books came up. I’m NOT the one who raised the subject. A woman said, “You’re the writer!” And a male neighbor – a nice guy, but still… told me that, given what his wife reads of my work, he expected me to be a hottie. I’m positive that I disappointed him. 🙂 Not too long ago, I was sitting at a high school sporting event…

My second Love Inspired Suspense from Steeple Hill came out this week! Seeing SCARED TO DEATH on the shelf in my favorite bookstore is the continuation of a dream come true that started in April when my debut novel, NOWHERE TO HIDE, was first released. If you’ve ever worked to accomplish a goal that at times seemed almost unobtainable, I bet you can relate to the elation I feel having two books in print. The path to publication can be long and winding, filled with dead ends and detours. Constructive feedback is hard to come by, yet rejection abounds. Taking an idea and developing it into a full-length manuscript demands intense effort and self-discipline. Unfortunately, many would-be authors don’t persevere long enough to see their books in print. Because perseverance and determination are the key. Everything else can be learned. I made it because I kept trying. So can you. No matter what you’re hoping to achieve. Most dreams start with a tiny spark of an idea. For a writer, the process usually begins with a “what if!” What if a woman’s husband was murdered and the people who killed him are now after her son? If you read NOWHERE…