Mountain Mishap

I just published my tenth novel. Mountain Mishaps returns to the Appalachian Mountains, the setting of the first four books I published in my Appalachian Roots series. This one is a standalone, however; and since I grew up in the culture of the Appalachians, this is the setting that comes the easiest to me.

In the novel, Anna Allen grew up in the Charleston Orphan House in South Carolina, but at eighteen, she must now leave. Her best option is to wed; and when a man from the Appalachian Mountains comes looking for a wife, she hesitantly agrees to marry him. However life with Elbert Ramsey and his father turns out to be miles from her dreams.

In 1851, Levi West decides to go stay with his brother in the Appalachian Mountains. His parents had died, leaving the farm in debt, and a brazen woman had caused a rift between him and his best friend. Although his sister-in-law’s younger sister acts almost as bad, Levi finds he loves the rugged mountains. When a hunting accident endangers his life, help comes from an unexpected source. Dare he hope for a family of his own, or will another woman just disappoint him again?

So, come back with me to the rugged life in the Appalachians in the 1800's and visit for a while with some families who will steal your heart, experience their hopes and dreams, and live their happy-ever-after. You can check the book out today online at places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or you can get it at favorite place to buy books in a few days. Happy reading.

All my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children,

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St. Augustine

Spanish galleon replica

 On August 28, 1565, the men aboard Pedro Menendez de Aviles's ship spotted land that would become St. Augustine. Spanish Admiral Aviles became Florida's first governor. He named the city he founded "St. Augustine," because August 28th marked the feast day for St. Augustine.

Fort San Marcos

St. Augustine would remain Florida's capital under Spanish rule for over 200 years. Great Britian took the region for a short while, and when Spain finally ceded the area to the United States in 1819, the city remained Florida's capital. However, this changed in 1824, when the territorial government moved to Tallahassee. But by the latter part of the 1800's, St. Augustine had already become a tourist attraction.

Aviles Street, the oldest street in the U.S.

St. Augustine has continued to hold the title of the oldest city in the United States established by Europeans. It has also held it's position as a top tourist attraction. The historical sections of the city and its beautiful beaches draw crowds year round. In 2015, it celebrated its 450th year. Now that's a birthday to celebrate.

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Front Lines or Sidelines

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8: 12).

Most Christians would agree that the world today needs God's light. However, we should ask ourselves what we're doing to shine His light to others. Are we carrying His Word like a high-powered flashlight to lead people out of the darkness? Are we looking for ways we can show His love, especially to the destitute?

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few (Matthew 9:37-38).

If each person who professes to be a Christian would get out of the recliner, develop a servants heart, and follow God's commandments in obedience, the Christian faith wouldn't be declining, and our churches would be packed each time the doors opened. We need workers for the harvest. Where are they? Where are you?

Wherefore take unto you the whole amour of God, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:13).

Christians need to be willing to put on the armor of God and move to the front lines instead of remaining on the sidelines. God didn't mean for us to sit but to serve. Faith demands action. Love for our fellow man requires that we get involved. When we come to the end of our lives on earth, what we've done with Christ and how well we've served God in obedience will be the only things that matter. How's your heavenly report card looking? Are you working for his kingdom on the front lines or are you sitting on the sidelines?

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Turning into a Series

My characters drive my novels, and lately I've had a number of books that began as a standalone but turned into a series. The last one is my In from the Storms series. It began with a book set in Wyoming in the 1870's that I was calling In from the Storm. At first, I wrote it in two parts. Part One had Ian MacGregor and Aileas Douglas as main characters, and Part Two focused more on Ian's sister, Jeannie. However, the book became too long, so I divided it into two novels. I then called the first one Mountain Storms and the second one Past Storms. Lo and behold, when I finished the second book, Brady Sharpe, Aileas's stepbrother, demanded that his story be told, so Dust Storms was added. I'm writing on it now. They should be available sometime next year.

Just before the three books in the In from the Storms series, I wrote another standalone, Off the Streets, about a homeless man and the family who wanted to adopt him but met opposition. When I finished it, I realized I'd left the story of the teenage boy from the family hanging. Therefore, I'll also need to tell Brandon's story in a sequel. I've entitled this series of two "Another Chance," and the second book will be called Without a Dream.

The first set of books I published evolved the same way. I actually wrote Sown In Dark Soil first, but Granny Em kept telling me I needed to back up and tell her story, so I did; and Cleared for Planting then became the first book in the Appalachian Roots series. Uprooted by War told about the characters during the Civil War, and Transplanted to Red Clay finishes the series with Rachel, Granny Em's great granddaughter.

Promise was actually the first book I ever wrote, although not the first one I published. It became The Farmers series with Promise being about Isaac Jackson; Peace about him and his sister, Jasmine; and Pardon about Kevin, the younger brother, who ends up on the streets for a while. 

Although I do have two standalones out, When Winter Is Past and With Summer's Songs, my readers seem to prefer my series. Mountain Mishap, another standalone set in the Appalachian Mountains, should be released next week, and It All Started at the Masquerade, my fourth standalone, is going through the editorial process now. It's always part of the writing fun to find out which novels will turn into a series. I never know.

All my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.

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National Senior Citizens' Day

August 21st is National Senior Citizens Day. Current statistics say there are almost 50 million seniors 65 or older in the United States and nearly 1 billion worldwide. At one time, these citizens garnered much respect. However, gradually society is beginning to look at what they aren't able to do anymore rather than what they can do and their vast knowledge and wealth of experience.

There is a delightful lady, Jewel Tolson, living in a nearby town to me who just turned 107 on July 4th. She is still sharp-witted, full of laughter, and fun to be around. The former oldest person in the world just died in Indonesia in May. He was 146 and may hold the record of being the oldest man to ever live in modern times. Now, Violet Brown of Jamaica is the oldest living person at 117.

Regrettably, there are many forgotten seniors living in nursing facilities with no visitors. Going by and saying hello to some of the residents would be a great way to celebrate the day. In fact, a character in one of my books does just that and ends up adopting a senior friend. That friendship was special to both Isaac Jackson and Jobe Hamilton in Promise. Maybe you could find one special to you.

(All my profits from my books go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.)

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How to Be Holy

Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 16b).

As God's people, we are called to be holy. Unless we are, we can't be in His presence. Many people realize their inherent sinful nature and think this is impossible, and it is on our own. Thankfully, however, Christians are not on their own. We have the Holy Spirit living within us to be our guide.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments (1 John 2:3).

The first step in being holy is to accept Christ as our Savior so His blood will wash away our sins. We trade our sinfulness for His righteousness. Then, with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we seek to follow Christ in obedience. When we live in God's will, we glorify Him and walk in holiness. 

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

The Holy Spirit makes us whole, shows us the truth, and grows our minds to be more Christ-like. As we begin to feel and understand God's love for us, our love for Him increases. As our love and trust increase, we submit more and more. Sin is conquered as we surrender our lives to the One who created us. This is how we live obedient, victorious, holy lives.

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Editing manuscripts

More and more, the books I read, especially the ebooks, are riddled with errors. Right now, I'm reading a series of four books by four different authors, and each one has many careless, unnecessary mistakes. For example, characters' names are mixed-up, "sheik" is used for "chic," "shew" for "shoo," "thought" for "though," "he's" for "his," "complement" for "compliment," words are left out of sentences, adjectives are used when the adverb with "ly" is needed, and there's capital letters in the middle of words. These are just a small sampling of the mistakes, not even looking at the content, such as "the stores she perused."

I'm beginning to think some indie authors are deciding not to get an editor. It's true that good editors can be expensive and the process can be time consuming, but it is absolutely crucial if they're going to put out a quality product. I wouldn't dream of publishing a book without an editor, because I certainly can't catch my own mistakes. I get so involved with the story, my eyes don't see them, or I read what I think I put instead of what is actually there.

Poorly edited books give writers, especially indie writers, a bad name when there're still many good ones out there. We need to do a better job across the board, however, because the reader deserves our best. I know it's not easy. Mistakes sometimes slip through despite our best efforts. However, no book should have over a hundred or more glaring errors, and I've read many that do. Whether an author pays a professional editor, finds someone who will do it gratis, or something in between, getting every manuscript edited before publishing is a must.

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V-J Day

V-J celebration in Oak Ridge, TN

The initial announcement of Japan's surrender in WWII came on August 14, 1945, in the U. S., but because of the time difference, it was August 15th in most of Europe. Celebrations erupted everywhere. Although it would be until September 2nd before the official document of surrender was signed aboard the battleship the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay, for all intents and purpose, the long war was finally over.

V-J celebration in Times Square, NY

The event was dubbed V-J Day and followed V-E Day when the war had ended in Europe with Germany's surrender, yet Japan continued to fight. On August 14th, however, the Japanese government first made the  announcement in a radio broadcast and sent a cable to U.S. President Truman through the Swiss diplomatic corps in Washington, D.C. Truman relayed the announcement live in a national broadcast beginning at 7:00 p.m.Washington time.

Riots broke out in San Francisco

Riotous celebrations broke out in San Francisco, injuring over 1,000 people, killing 13, and violently attacking at least 6 women. The largest crowd in the history of New York City's Time Square gathered there to celebrate. Workers in the Garment District even threw scraps of cloth out the windows to join the ticker tape, leaving a carpet about 5 inches deep.

The Jorgensen photo

Service men began kissing women close to them, and perhaps the most famous photograph of the celebrations came from one of those moments. Alfred Eisenstaedt caught Greta Zimmer Friedman and George Medonca in a victory kiss, and Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen published a similar photo in the New York Times.Finally the war had ended. 

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People First
(After God, of course)

And he saith unto them, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

People were and are a priority for Jesus. We're why He came to earth as a babe in a lowly manger and went to the cross, a vile death. He came to make a way to save us from our sins, restore our relationship with the Father, and give us a more abundant life. It's beyond me why so many people still reject Him when He only wants to bless us and give us the best life possible.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Matthew 22:37b)

Jesus was all about loving. He touched people in a special way, took the time to build relationships, taught others to love, and wrapped it all in prayer. I've said it before, but it bears repeating, if we could get the loving right, according to the Golden Rule, we wouldn't have to follow another law or rule. Love done the right way, God's way, covers it all.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

I'm a teacher, and I can be an extrovert. I'm a writer, and I can be an introvert. But even my solitary side knows I must make time for other people. It's what ministry and serving is all about, and it's following the example Jesus set. We should put people above tasks and things. Even the church should be about relationships, fellowship, encouragement, and love. To love God and love others is the most important commandment to Christians. Let's not fail.

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Predictability

Although I have yet to get this complaint, many of the reviews I read rate a book lower because it's too predictable. The problem is that the romance genre is predictable by nature. Readers would be even more upset, and rightly so, if a book ended badly or wrong. Karen Kingsbury had many upset readers when she changed the man her main character was destined to end up with in midstream in her Bailey Flanagan series. Beth Wiseman received some complaints for the way Message in a Bottle ended.

In a romance novel, we don't read to see who the main characters will end up with as much as we read to see what will happen to get them there. If being able to guess the ending bothers a reader, the person needs to choose another genre. Mysteries may give the twists, turns, and unpredictability some readers prefer. Women's fiction doesn't always have a happy ending either. In fact, this is why women's fiction is not my favorite. I want happy endings in what I read, because real life has too many unhappy ones.

I find novels that try hard to be unpredictable less satisfying. They either have undesirable endings, or they try to fool the reader into believing something that hasn't happened,which is deceitful or lying to the reader. I view reading somewhat predictable novels like a trip to a long-anticipated destination. You know where you're going to end up, but there's a lot of excitement and adventure in getting there. And once you arrive, you're oh so glad you came. 

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The Purple Heart

How old would you think the Purple Heart medal to be? It was actually established by George Washington on August 7, 1782, while at his headquarters, at that time in Newburgh, New York. Originally the award was known as the Badge of Military Merit. It was given to only three Revolutionary War soldiers by General Washington himself, but he authorized other officers to issue the badge as they deemed appropriate, but no one did.

After those first three recipients, the award wasn't bestowed officially again until the World War I era. At that time, the name was changed to the Purple Heart and was given in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving in the military on or after April 5, 1917. Around two million men and women have been awarded the medal. It remains the oldest military award given in the United States. You can see more information at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, New York.

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Just a Little Sin

In our human minds, we often rank sins and see some as much more serious than others. Although this may be needed in the court system to dole out punishment, it doesn't work with God. Disobedience is disobedience and a sin is a sin. Holy God can not look on any sin, and therefore it is all unacceptable to Him. That's why Jesus cried out from the cross and asked why had God forsaken Him. When the Savior took on all our sins, God had to turn his back to Him, because our Holy Father could not be in the presence of sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8-10).

Look at Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. By human reasoning, it wasn't a great sin to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was "just a little sin." But look at the consequences. They lost their closeness with God; were expelled from the beautiful garden; had to work hard and suffer; and lived with a selfish, sinful nature. In addition, they would pass these consequences on to all future generations. They had willfully disobeyed God while trying to rationalize away their sin. Sound familiar?

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10).

This is why Christ went to the cross and died for us - so that we could again have a close relationship with God, have a home in Paradise with Him one day, find hope and joy, and live in love and righteousness. And when we make mistakes or sin, we can repent and be forgiven and restored to fellowship. No, there is no "little sin," but there is a great Savior.

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The Fun and Not So Fun of Writing

I love writing, and I find almost every step in the process enjoyable. My favorite part is writing the first draft. I get to journey to another time and place, make new friends that become like family, and venture into all sorts of situations. I let my characters drive the story, and they're always surprising me. I get so involved with them I've actually shed tears at their heartaches, and I've allowed them to talk me into including them far more than I'd planned. It's exciting to see where each novel takes me.

I write a lot of historicals, and I even enjoy the research. It reminds me of finding the correct puzzle piece to fit where needed. I came through college in history and English, and I guess writing all those research papers trained me well. In addition, I have never lost my love for learning, and that comes in handy, too.


I hear many authors talking about how they hate the marketing end of things. I don't, although I do wish I knew more about it. I see each speaking engagement and each book signing as an opportunity. I love to talk about writing and my books, and I look forward to meeting readers and hearing what they have to say.


If I had to choose one part I didn't like, it would be the editing. The first couple of times are not so bad, but I find I have to go through a manuscript multiple times - before I send it to the editor, during the editorial process, and then at least one final time at the end. I don't mind reading the story again and again, but to try to watch for the mechanics is harder for me, because I get so involved with the story. The reward, however, is seeing a book in print that I can be proud of.

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