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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The Heart's Design

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

When Scripture speaks of the heart, it is describing the deep center of our inner life — the place where our desires, convictions, and affections are shaped. Modern science, interestingly, has begun to uncover a physical dimension that echoes this biblical truth. Neurocardiology has shown that the heart contains its own network of about 40,000 neurons, capable of sensing, responding, and even forming a kind of “memory.” While this doesn’t make the heart a literal third brain, it does remind us that God designed us with an intricate connection between our spiritual life and our physical being. The heart is not just a pump; it participates in the rhythms of our emotional and spiritual life.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

Science shows that about 80% of vagus‑nerve signals travel upward toward the brain. Those signals come from several organs, including the heart, and help shape our emotional and physiological responses, influencing areas responsible for emotion, attention, and decision-making. In other words, the heart speaks, and the brain listens. How fitting that Scripture calls us to trust God with all our heart. When the heart is aligned with Him, the signals that rise within us — our emotions, our discernment, our inner peace — become ordered and steady. Heart rhythm studies show that positive emotional states create more coherent patterns, which in turn support clearer thinking. It is a beautiful picture of how spiritual trust can shape emotional stability.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

If the heart influences how we feel and think, then the condition of our heart matters deeply. Science can describe the pathways, but only God can transform the source. David understood that the heart is the wellspring of our moral and spiritual life. When we invite the Lord to cleanse and renew our hearts, we are asking Him to reshape the very signals that guide our thoughts, choices, and responses. A heart surrendered to God produces a mind more attuned to His truth.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts (Colossians 3:15).

Heart-rhythm research shows that peace is not just a feeling; it is a measurable state that brings order to both heart and brain. Scripture tells us that God’s peace should rule in our hearts, acting like an internal governor over our emotional life. When His peace reigns, the heart sends signals of calm, steadiness, and clarity upward to the mind. Science can observe the effects, but only Christ can supply the source. The more we allow His peace to settle into our hearts, the more our whole inner life — emotional, mental, and spiritual — comes into harmony with Him.

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The Line Between Seeing and Believing

One of the driving tensions in Veiled Intentions is the struggle between hard evidence and human trust. Jenna Osborne enters her assignment trained to observe, to gather facts, and to keep her emotions firmly in check. Yet the more time she spends with Brad Foster, the more she realizes that facts alone don’t always tell the whole story. His steady kindness and quiet sincerity challenge the narrative she was sent to confirm, raising the uncomfortable question: what do we do when the heart challenges what others claim is true?

This conflict unfolds against a backdrop of robberies and confident eyewitness accounts. But eyewitnesses can be mistaken, and fear can push a community to choose a villain before the truth is clear. The novel invites readers to consider how easily assumptions take root and how difficult it can be to untangle perception from reality. “She came for a criminal. She stayed for a man worth fighting for.” That sentiment captures Jenna’s journey as her sense of duty collides with the unexpected decency she discovers in Brad.

Another thread woven through the story is the power of collective belief. Once a town decides who is guilty, that judgment can ripple outward, shaping reputations and influencing justice. The pastor’s unwavering faith in Brad offers a counterbalance—trust grounded not in forensic proof but in long knowledge of character. His stance doesn’t dismiss the need for evidence; instead, it complicates the picture, reminding readers that character testimony has long played a role in how communities discern truth.

Veiled Intentions doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it presents a layered portrait of decision‑making under uncertainty, where loyalty, duty, and affection rarely align neatly. For anyone who has ever wondered whether love clouds judgment or reveals it, Jenna’s struggle will resonate. Ultimately, the story explores what it means to seek justice in an imperfect world—one where intentions can be veiled, and sometimes the clearest witness is the heart itself.

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Adam's Fall, Jesus' Triumph

Read Matthew 4:1-11 and Genesis 3:1-7.

The temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 and the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 reveal a striking truth: Satan’s strategies haven’t changed. In Eden, the serpent approached Adam and Eve in a garden overflowing with beauty, provision, and fellowship with God. In the wilderness, he approached Jesus in a place of hunger, loneliness, and physical weakness. The contrast is sharp—abundance versus deprivation—yet the core issue is the same. The first Adam fell in perfect conditions, while Jesus, the last Adam, stood firm in the harshest conditions. The setting only highlights the deeper reality: temptation tests trust, not circumstances.

In both accounts, Satan twists truth. With Eve, he begins by questioning God’s word. “Did God really say…?” He mixed a grain of truth with lies and hid the deadly consequences. With Jesus, he quotes Scripture accurately but applies it wrongly, urging reckless actions under the guise of faith. Jesus responds by untwisting the distortion, wielding Scripture with right understanding, and with obedience. The temptations themselves line up: food, identity, and authority. Adam and Eve indulge, grasp for godlikeness, and choose independence. Jesus refuses to misuse His power, refuses to prove His identity on Satan’s terms, and refuses the shortcut to glory. Where Adam and Eve reach for autonomy, Jesus chooses obedience.

At the heart of both stories lies trust. Satan convinces Eve that God is withholding good, that He cannot be fully trusted, and that she should take matters into her own hands. He tries the same tactic with Jesus—prove God’s protection, seize the kingdoms without the cross, use power for self. But Jesus refuses every invitation to distrust the Father. The outcomes could not be more different. Adam and Eve’s fall brings sin, death, and exile; Jesus’ victory brings righteousness, redemption, and restoration. Their stories remind us that temptation is ultimately a question of trust—whether we will believe God’s goodness or grasp for life on our own terms. Jesus shows us the way to triumph.

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Veiled Intentions 

Jenna Osborne never planned on becoming an undercover agent, but when her twin brother convinces her to join The Brides of Liberty Bureau, she reluctantly agrees to help him investigate a man suspected of criminal activity. Brad Foster, however, is nothing like the hardened outlaw she expects. Steady, kind, and quietly compelling, he unsettles her in ways no criminal ever could. As a string of robberies shakes the region, Jenna vows to stay objective. Then, eyewitnesses claim they saw Brad fleeing a bank with money bags and firing shots. With only the pastor defending Brad’s innocence, Jenna must decide whether to trust the evidence or the man who's come to matter to her more than she ever intended.

Veiled Intentions released on Tuesday and is now available in Kindle, Audible, and paperback formats. It’s the first of two books I’ll be contributing to the Mail‑Order Brides Undercover multi‑author series. Each novel stands alone, connected only by the heroines’ secret work for the government‑sanctioned Brides of Liberty Bureau in St. Louis. These agents often pose as mail‑order brides to get close to suspected criminals, a strategy that leads to plenty of tension, unexpected twists, and rich storytelling possibilities.

I’m thrilled to finally share Jenna and Brad’s story with readers who enjoy mystery woven with romance, danger, and emotional depth. If you love undercover missions, moral dilemmas, and a heroine who must choose between duty and the stirrings of her own heart, Veiled Intentions offers all of that and more. I hope you’ll pick up a copy, meet these characters for yourself, and join me as this exciting new series unfolds.

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Teach a Child

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children… (Deuteronomy 6:7).

Teaching a child begins long before formal instruction, and it begins with example. Children learn what faith looks like by watching how we live it. Praying with them at breakfast for the day ahead, praying again at night before bed, and lifting up every concern — exams, trips, worries, and decisions — shows them that God is not a Sunday‑only presence but a daily refuge. When praise and worship are woven naturally into the rhythm of home life, children see firsthand that loving God is not a duty but a joy.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Training a child in faith is not a one‑time lesson or an occasional reminder. It is long‑term, steady, and intentional. Faith grows through repetition, consistency, and the quiet patterns of everyday life. When parents and grandparents model prayer, gratitude, and trust in God, they plant seeds that continue to grow long after childhood. Even small habits, such as pausing to thank God for blessings, praying before a difficult conversation, or turning to Scripture for guidance, become lifelong anchors.

We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord… (Psalm 78:4).

Our calling is generational. God designed faith to be passed down, lived out, and demonstrated in real time. Children need to see adults leaning on God, worshiping Him, and seeking His wisdom. They need to hear testimonies of answered prayer and witness the peace that comes from trusting Him. Teaching diligently means showing them that God is faithful in every season and that a life built on Him is a life that stands firm.

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The Joy of Writing Across Eras

Although I always write for the Christian market, my work spans many subgenres. I’ve never believed in locking an author into a single category unless that’s truly where their heart is. Stories come to us from all directions, and I’m a firm believer that a good writer can step into any field they feel inspired or called to explore. My own writing reflects the many interests God has given me, and I enjoy moving from one era or setting to another as new ideas take shape.

Out of the ninety-five books I have on Amazon, six are set in medieval England, three are set in the 1700s in America, and seventy are set in the 19th century (and most of them are Westerns). Three are set in the 1900s, nine are contemporaries, and three are Christian nonfiction. I have already published one book set in Victorian England, and I have two more scheduled for next year. I also have plans to write novels set in biblical times beginning in 2028. And who knows what the future might hold?

I hope my readers will appreciate all of these different journeys and enjoy my writing style enough to follow wherever the stories lead. Perhaps, like me, they prefer variety, fresh settings, new challenges, and unexpected paths. Writing across so many time periods keeps the work exciting for me, and I pray it brings that same sense of discovery and delight to everyone who reads my books.

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