I think you can tell I was starting to get bored. I was grasping for straws at this point because it was so short. However, I ended up utilizing the eh moments for a basis in Kerri's book. Chapter 14 Cade had slept late, again. Arielle had turned off the light, cooked breakfast, and washed the past week’s laundry, and all the while Cade snoozed. Yes, she understood the last nights and such, but was he really that exhausted? It was―what, ten o’clock or something? Now, she sat

So...this one is a guilty pleasure. None of y'all really know Rhys Sterling yet, but I wanted to share a little bit of the background on his name, which has some very interesting origins. Without spoiling anything (no guarantees, of course), I'll give you a bit of backstory on Rhys himself. After I watched Gone with the Wind at the age of twelve, then read the book a couple weeks later, I knew without the shadow of a doubt that (1) Rhett Butler is AWESOME, no matter what my d

Last week I focused on the word “church,” its origins, meaning, and original usage. This week, I want to give you some insight into what we now call “church” was in the 1st and 2nd centuries, and why/how that changed over the years. Basically, we’re going to look at the context of Hebrews 10:25. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Modern-day English tran

This will be the last one, but every scene from Kerri's POV, I rewrote when I began writing her story. Which could be why those scenes are either better and more descriptive or just plain confusing. And, technically, I just realized I'd never had a reason for Opa's sudden departure, but I'm going to assume he wanted to be buried alongside his wife in Germany. 🤔 Chapter 13 A tear fell from Arielle’s eye. Opa was leaving. He’d packed his bags, and now he was saying goodbye. Go

Zivon Marin was one of Russia's top cryptographers, until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee after speaking out against Lenin and separated from his brother along the way, he arrives in England driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits. Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera--and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and recreating photographs. With her father's connections i

So...before I kick off this week's NotW, I want to go ahead and inform you that, at the end of this post, I'll be sharing a small tidbit of what's coming next, after Bound and Determined. I may fully expound upon Novel #4 in another, longer post later, but for now, I'll just stick to a quick--but bright--neon sign after I tell you all about how Kit Arlington got his name! Christopher Luis Bradley Arlington made his debut in Held Captive, and as Christopher Luis Bradley Arling

The History of “Church” as We Know it— Around 33 AD (no one knows the exact year, of course), Jesus Christ was crucified, resurrected, and ascended into Heaven. In 313, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, accepting the practice of Christianity within the Roman Empire. In the 11th century, the first Roman Catholic Church was established in England. In 1517, Martin Luther published his “95 Theses,” which began the Protestant Reformation of the Catholic church across

...To theaters--Jocelyn Grover and Markus Keene are to star the feature film Held Captive, which is to be released Summer 2022 and will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, based on the novel of the same name by Grace A. Johnson. Yeah. No. I didn't have you fooled, did I? I mean, there is no "Jocelyn Grover" or "Markus Keene," although I'd be beyond grateful if there were actors who fit the bill for Rina and Xavier. And there will definitely NOT be a theatrical release of a movi

Coming back to this, I am truly surprised I actually finished it. By the last few chapters, I'd begun to grow bored, but, for some odd reason or the other, I pressed on. In a way, I'm very glad I did, or else I wouldn't have these characters and their inspiration for other (much better) stories. Chapter 12 Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise...’” Arielle sang as she fixed breakfas

Now this is a classic. I can't tell you how many times I've used this name (three, just in the Daughters of the Seven Seas series), or how many times I want to use it. Collin and James, to me, are the names that fit any guy perfectly. I just adore them. And I adore my three Collins--John Collin Bennet, Xavier Collin Bennet, and Collin Maverick Bennet. (After writing that name six times, it's starting to sound weird. Collin. Collin. Col-in. Cole-in. Col-on. Ahem.) Now, since I

Chapter 11 October 1857 Rochester, New York A letter. Hmm. And addressed to her, at that. She never received mail. Never. If a letter, package, or anything of the sort was brought in, it was for Marcus. She wasn’t even allowed to ask what it was he’d gotten. Perhaps it was only an honest mistake. They did live at the same address. So surely whomever had sent the missive was confused as to who to send it to. Marcus traveled so very often that his address was all over the place

So, I'm going to be blunt--and I mean throughout this entire post, which walks a fine line between review and rant--so not only will there be some spoilers, there will also be a lot of honesty. I love Julie Lessman. For once, she's a great person and, for two, she's a great author. Sure, she's not perfect, and neither are any of her books (jury's still out on A Hope Undaunted, of course), but somehow, she manages to snag you, reel you in, make your heart bleed. Despite typos

When I first began writing "The Lady Pirate," I knew I needed a scary, not-very-likable name. At the time, the one on the top of my head, the one which, to me, perfectly fit that description, was Maverick. (I spelled it Mavrick at the time, which is actually an accepted spelling.) Now, I don't know why I didn't like the name, or where I'd heard it before, or why in the great googly moogly I thought that it fit a pirate captain, of all things, but it worked. It still works. An

Chapter 10 Ich sterbe, Sonnenschein.” Arielle felt all the air rush out of her lungs. Her beloved Opa was dying. How could this be happening? All that she’d been through, then her grandfather shows up like a glimmer of hope, now this? He laughed like all was well, smiled like life was good, but he was dying? He came all the way there to tell her that he was dying? Why? “Sunshine, don’t be troubled. I shall be with the Lord soon. That is something to rejoice about. I needed to