Returning to the Mountains: A New Story Rooted in Home

As some of you may know, I grew up in the Appalachian Mountain culture. It’s not surprising, then, that the first books I published were four historical novels in the Appalachian Roots series. I’ve written more books in that setting, but it’s been a while. When I began to write my newest book about life in the Great Smoky Mountains around the time of the building of the national park, it felt like coming home, and I’m excited to share that adventure with readers. There is something about those ridges and hollows, their quiet strength and stubborn beauty, that continues to influence the stories I tell.

This newest novel released October 9 and carries that heritage forward through the eyes of Gwenda Stuart, a young woman whose world is the Smoky Mountain valley her family has tended for five generations. When surveyors arrive to map out land for the proposed national park, Gwenda meets Adam Wagoner, the outsider sent to assess the very slopes her people have fought to keep. She dislikes him instantly. He represents change, loss, and the threat of displacement. Yet as he keeps returning—listening to her father, helping neighbors, and learning mountain ways—Gwenda begins to see a man who respects the land as deeply as she does. He's a man who might even help her family negotiate for a fair future. Still, the question haunts her: Can she trust him when the stakes are her home, her heritage, and the only life she’s ever known?

I wrote this story with the hope that readers would feel the tension of that moment in history with the uncertainty, the courage, and the grace that threads through even the hardest decisions. In the shadow of the mountains, grace truly does write a new story. Gwenda’s journey is one of holding on, letting go, and discovering that sometimes the person you least expect becomes the one who stands beside you. He came helping those who wanted to take her land. Now, he may steal her heart. I can’t wait for you to step into the valley with her and experience the beauty, conflict, and hope that shaped the birth of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Gwenda, Great Smoky Mountains Bride is available now in paperback, Kindle, KU, and Audible. Get your copy today.

We're Responsible

When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand (Ezekiel 33:8).

Ezekiel 33 is one of the most sobering passages in Scripture for Christians today. God told the prophet that he was a watchman, someone responsible for sounding the alarm when danger approached. If he failed to warn the wicked, the consequences were not only on the sinner but on the silent watchman himself. That truth should settle deeply into our hearts. We are called to share God’s Word, His warnings, and His hope. Not harshly, not arrogantly, but faithfully and lovingly. Silence may feel easier, but Scripture makes clear that silence carries consequences.

Paul echoed this same burden in his ministry. He said he was “pure from the blood of all men” because he had not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God. He understood that preaching truth was not optional. It was necessary. Whether people listened or rejected the message, Paul’s duty was to speak. Christians today carry that same calling. We are entrusted with the gospel, and we are accountable for how we steward it.

In a world that often prefers comfort over conviction, God’s people must remain faithful watchmen. Sharing truth is an act of love, not judgment. Warning others is an act of compassion, not superiority. When we speak God’s Word with grace, humility, and courage, we fulfill the responsibility He has placed in our hands. And when we do, we can stand before Him knowing we have been faithful to the calling He gave us.

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New Rules, New Posting Style

Facebook has gotten much more aggressive about shifting its algorithm and prioritizing posts that keep users on the platform rather than sending them elsewhere. That means any post containing an external link--whether it’s to a book page, Amazon, a blog, or a website--gets quietly pushed down in visibility. Fewer people see it, fewer people engage with it, and the post simply doesn’t travel as far. It’s just how the system works now. Because of that, many creators have had to rethink how they share their work so their posts don’t get buried before anyone even has a chance to read them.

That’s why I’ve changed the way I share my own links on Facebook. Instead of placing them in the main body of the post, I now tuck them into the comments. It’s twice as time‑consuming for me, and it feels less intuitive than simply placing the link upfront. But doing it this way helps the post reach more people, keeps it from being penalized by the algorithm, and ultimately gives my content a better chance of being seen. It’s a small adjustment with a surprisingly big impact.

I do regret that this makes things slightly less convenient for you, the reader. I’ve always preferred to make access as simple and straightforward as possible. But given the way Facebook now handles outbound links, this compromise helps ensure the message actually reaches you. Hopefully, with time, we can both adjust to this new system--me taking the extra step to place the link in the comments, and you knowing exactly where to find it.

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The People-Pleasing Trap

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25).

Most of us are people pleasers to some degree. It often stems from wanting others to think highly of us, to be accepted, or to avoid conflict. But Scripture warns that living for the approval of people becomes a trap. When our decisions hinge on how others might react, we lose the freedom that comes from trusting God alone. His approval is steady, unchanging, and rooted in love, not in shifting human opinions.

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).

The Bible makes it clear that pleasing people and serving Christ often pull in opposite directions. When we chase human praise, we compromise our convictions, soften truth, or exhaust ourselves trying to meet expectations God never placed on us. But when our hearts are anchored in pleasing the Lord, our choices become simpler. His voice becomes the one we follow, and His approval becomes enough.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5).

True peace comes when we release the pressure of trying to keep everyone happy and instead commit our ways to God. He guides, strengthens, and blesses the path that is surrendered to Him. When our focus shifts from pleasing man to pleasing God, we walk with confidence, clarity, and rest. The opinions of others may rise and fall, but God’s faithfulness remains constant, and that is where our hearts find freedom. We are to focus on pleasing God, not man.

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Characters and Corners

Meet the people behind the mystery and learn how the setting shapes every choice in Veiled Intentions, where small-town life magnifies secrets and loyalties.

Veiled Intentions is a character-driven story, and at its center are figures who complicate the easy labels of hero or villain. Jenna Osborne is stubborn, observant, and quietly brave; she enters the investigation with the professionalism of someone who intends to keep her heart safely out of it. Brad Foster, the man under suspicion, is the opposite of the stereotype. Where the rumors painted him as rough and underhanded, Brad’s steadiness and unexpected warmth unsettle the expected and invite empathy. Jenna’s twin brother, Hollis, is a catalyst. Twins in fiction often function as mirrors or foils, and here he nudges Jenna into a role she never imagined. His assurance that he’ll be by her side softens Jenna’s resistance, but it also forces her to make unusual choices. The dynamic between them raises the question: how much of who we become is a response to those who believe in us? The pastor is a pivotal secondary character whose belief in Brad introduces moral complexity. In a story built on testimony and evidence, his trust is a counterbalance to the visual claims of bystanders. He reminds readers that character assessment often relies on long-term perceptions rather than a single snapshot of an event. His presence also deepens the community feeling of the setting—a town where relationships matter, and reputations can be defended or destroyed by neighbors.

Veiled Intentions relies on place to amplify the stakes. The region affected by the robberies is small enough that everyone knows someone connected to the case, and rumors travel quickly. That intimacy raises tension: a wrongful accusation has immediate consequences beyond legal penalties. Settings like this act as characters themselves, pressuring inhabitants into decisions they might avoid in anonymity.

• Jenna’s investigative instincts clash with personal attachments.

• Brad’s quiet dignity complicates public assumptions.

• The town’s tightly woven social fabric makes every choice visible.

Together, these elements create a cast and a backdrop that make the central mystery more than a puzzle to solve. They’re what make Veiled Intentions feel lived-in and true: relationships that force moral reckoning, a place that magnifies every whisper, and characters who surprise themselves by changing. In the end, the story becomes not just about uncovering what happened, but about understanding the people shaped by this town and the choices they make under pressure. Readers who enjoy complex heroes, nuanced romances, and settings that matter will find plenty to savor here.

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Christ-Like Fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance… (Galatians 5:22–23).

When Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, he isn’t simply giving Christians a checklist of virtues to strive for. He is describing the very character of Christ—His nature, His personality, His way of being in the world. These qualities are not abstract ideals; they are the lived-out expression of Jesus Himself. When the Spirit produces these fruits in us, He is shaping us into Christ’s likeness so that the world can see Jesus through us.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29).

Jesus invites us to learn of Him, and Paul’s list shows us exactly what that looks like. Christ’s love reached lepers, tax collectors, and sinners. Joy for Him wasn’t dependent on circumstances but flowed from His relationship with the Father. His presence calmed storms, both literal and human. He showed longsuffering with disciples who misunderstood Him. His gentleness welcomed children. Goodness flowed as He healed the broken. Faith carried Him to the cross. In meekness, He chose servanthood over status. With perfect temperance, He resisted every temptation. When we see the fruit of the Spirit, we are seeing the heart of Christ revealed.

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

The fruit of the Spirit is not produced by human effort but by Christ living in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we are born again, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts, and He begins the lifelong work of shaping us into the image of Christ. He cultivates what we cannot manufacture, Christ’s love in place of irritation, His peace instead of anxiety, His gentleness where harshness once lived. The more we yield to His presence, the more Christ’s own character becomes visible in our daily lives. And that is the hope of glory: not that we become better versions of ourselves, but that the Spirit forms Christ within us so the world can see Him through us.

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Vision of My Heart 

Thank you, Janice, for the opportunity to share about my passion for sharing Jesus through fiction.

I didn't set out to be a novelist. I spent years running an ESL program in my town, and when it closed, I needed a new way to keep doing what I'd always done, pointing people toward Jesus. Turns out fiction works just as well as a classroom. I'm also legally blind, which explains a lot if you've ever watched me navigate a crowded room or a rearranged grocery store. None of that matters much once you open one of my books though, because what you'll find inside is Missouri dust, stubborn horses, faith that gets tested, and love stories that take their sweet time getting where they're going. If you like your Westerns with grit and grace in equal measure, you're in the right place.

Vision of My Heart is the seventh and final book in my Discerning God's Best series, and it belongs to Serafina Shankel, a young woman who loses her sight to smallpox along with the confidence she used to wear so easily. She meets that altered world with quiet dignity instead of complaint. Then a Missouri storm strands her far from home, and a horseman named Connor Finnegan finds her. He's steady, a little dry in his humor, and carrying enough loss of his own to recognize hers. What grows between them has nothing to do with sight and everything to do with the kind of seeing that matters more. [Link to book here.] 
This book stands on its own, but it's also the last stop on a seven-book journey through Shumard Oak Bend, and I'd love for you to read the whole series in order first. Sera and Connor's story lands so much deeper once you've walked the road with everyone who came before them.

This whole series exists because a door closed. When my ESL program shut down, I needed a new platform to keep sharing Christ, and writing became that platform. Seven books later, here we are. But this particular book asked something different of me than the others did. I didn't research Sera's blindness in a book, I researched it in my own life. I still have some vision left, enough to be dangerous, but I know where this road can lead, and I wanted to face that possibility on the page with the same grace I gave Sera. Writing her didn't just tell her story. It helped me practice trusting God with mine.

https://youtu.be/U8Q0u5H0wGU?si=xI5WvnnxBB_BOSd3via @YouTube

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