A Match for Silas

My third book in The Matchmakers - Agatha Returns series will publish on Thursday, February 1. For my readers, this will be a series within a series because all my books in this MAP are set in Pinyon Falls, Texas. A Match for Marshall and a Match for Cord have already published, and Marshall and Callie and Cord and Moriah will also appear in this new book. Then, there will be five more books to come, the last of mine being published in August of next year.

A Match for Silas will be about the blacksmith in Pinyon Falls. He appeared briefly in both A Match for Marshall and A Match for Cord, but now, he tells his own story. When even Vanessa, the town flirt, wants nothing to do with him, Silas decides to follow Marshall's and Cord's examples and write to the matchmaker. However, when his intended bride comes, she's exactly what he doesn't want, someone from high society, but her circumstances prevent Jacqueline from returning home, so what's he to do?

Doug Birk and EJ Lavery are hard at work to finish the Audible version of the book. They've narrated the first two books and have agreed to do the others as well. They're both talented narrators, and I always love to hear the story come to life as they read it as if it were an old-time radio drama. The next book they'll be doing for me is A Match for Merle. This will be Vanessa's story, so stay tuned for more to come about that.

___________________________

God Blesses

Read Luke 5: 4-7.

When God calls us to a task, he always has blessings prepared for those who follow. Sometimes, there may be struggles involved, but the peace and joy that come from being in God's will overshadow the problems. This happened in a tangible way when Jesus called Simon Peter to use his boat to back off from the crowds that were pressing in on Him. When he finished speaking from Peter's boat, He told the fisherman to let down his nets. Peter complained that he and his crew had been fishing all night and hadn't caught a thing, but because Jesus asked it, he would put down his nets. When he did so, he and the other boat with him hauled in so many fish that it almost sank their boats.

Something similar happened to me when I went to the Philippines as a missionary. I had no idea how much money I might need, so in case of an emergency, I set up a loan at my bank that would only transfer into my account if it were needed. Not only did I not need it, but my expenses in the Philippines turned out to be less than if I'd stayed home, and I went home to more in my bank account than I had when I'd left. But the real blessings came from my experiences in the island nation: teaching wonderful high school students of missionaries in a private Christian school, volunteering at a nearby orphanage, making new friends, seeing a different culture, experiencing new things, and viewing beautiful scenery.

So, when God calls you, don't hesitate to say yes. You won't regret it, and I imagine many of you can tell your own similar stories. Plus, God richly blesses us for no other reason than His deep love for us and that He is a God who likes to bless His children.

____________________________

 The W. H. Over Museum

Tucked into a green spot not far from the University of South Dakota campus in Vermillion is an interesting museum. The W. H. Over Museum, founded in 1883, is the oldest museum in the state. It's an eclectic mixture of South Dakota history and artifacts from around the world, but it's definitely worth a stop if you're ever in the area, and the admission is free. My husband and I visited it when we were on our way to Deadwood this summer for a book festival and doing research for an upcoming book, Beckett's Brides. 

Learning and research are something most authors enjoy, especially historical authors, and museums offer a good, visual way to do this. Jim and I took our time driving out to Deadwood, so we could see some of the sights along the way, and it also broke up the long trip. I expect some of what we found will find itself into other books in the future.

____________________________________

 Pearls from Sand

All unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17a).

Imagine all the grains of sand that exist in the world. Then, imagine that these represent the sins of people. There are many of them, and they grow and accumulate over time as erosion takes place, but remember that pearls first begin as grains of sand. From a mollusk trying to get rid of an irritant, something beautiful forms.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

God is in the business of making something beautiful out of the insignificant, undesirable, or annoying. He can take our mistakes and bring good from them when we turn to Him in repentance. When God looks at sinners, he sees the possibilities, the pearls they could be. Christians too often look at sinners with judgment and see trouble-causing grains of sand. Even if a sinner repents and comes to know Christ, he may still be considered that irritating grain of sand instead of the pearl he's becoming.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus taught that we are to be kind and loving. When we do this, we come alongside God to help form pearls. Don't lock people into their past mistakes. Accept that God is in the business of changing people, of making pearls out of grains of sand. 

__________________________

 My First Writing Project of 2024

I am excited to have my first writing project of 2024 ready and loaded onto KDP. Grandma's Match for Garrett will publish tomorrow, January 16th. When Garrett Oliver’s grandmother requests help on her ranch after her husband dies, Garrett’s father chooses him to leave Cades Cove, Tennessee, and go to Indian Territory which is now Oklahoma. When he gets there, Garrett suspects his grandma wants to match him with her beautiful half-Chickasaw friend, but the more he sees of Wren Hudson, the less he resists his grandmother’s efforts. He wants to protect the often-shunned woman from the community’s prejudice and discover who’s vandalizing her place. But he’s supposed to return to Cades Cove, and Wren doesn’t plan to ever marry, so the future looks about as unpredictable as the Appalachian weather back home.

Link to book

This book was fun to write, but it was unusual for me. For one thing, I didn't know what was going to happen at the end until I got there. Normally, I know my characters, the beginning of my story, and the ending by the time I start writing, but not in this case. It might have been better for the genre if it had ended another way, but I stayed true to my characters' hearts. All my novels are character-driven, so they dictate the story to me.

I had hoped that Jared Walters could narrate the Audible version of the book, but he was recovering from COVID, and with the lingering cough, he wasn't ready. His voice and style would have been a perfect fit; however, I found a new narrator that I'm very pleased with. She's from Tennessee, like Jared, but she has a more general American accent. I think she's done a fantastic job, and I believe listeners will be as pleased as I am. I'm hoping that Charity Spencer will agree to do other books for me and that you'll check out this sweet story. Perhaps you'll fall in love with Garrett and Wren the way I did.

__________________________

 Are You Neglecting God?

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Mathew 6:24).

When we think about the possibility of neglecting God, most probably think of church attendance, but attending church is only one factor. Praising, worshipping, and learning more about Him and how to live a godly life are important. The fact is that we need to attend church for our own well-being. It helps to keep us on track and builds our faith. It's the best place to find important fellowship with other believers and find the acceptance and support we need. Church attendance should be viewed as a joy, not a duty.

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 (Hebrews 10:25).

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2).

Another way we neglect God is by not reading our Bibles on a daily basis. Relationships don't develop if we don't get to know each other, and the Bible lets us get to know God. Much of it is His love letter to us. If you love someone, you want to spend time with them. God communicates with us mainly through His Word. I can't see why any true Christian wouldn't be eager to read their Bibles. The more I do, the more enticing it becomes. My husband often follows a one-year plan of reading through the entire Bible. I read a chapter or two each day. Whatever method you use, you need to make it a daily routine.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Prayer is another crucial element. It's where we talk directly with God. How amazing it is to be able to spend time communicating the the all-powerful Creator of the universe, have Him listen to us, and be able to hear from Him! It's where we get much of our strength and power, and it's where we're shown areas in which we need to improve. Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have, but most of us don't rely on it enough. We should set aside a dedicated time to pray at least once a day, and we should say short prayers all through the day. Paul tells us to pray constantly. Our whole lives should be lived in the power of prayer. When you don't pray, you're saying to God that you don't need Him; you can handle things on your own. That's a dangerous attitude. Don't neglect God. Attend church with a joyful heart, study His Word daily, and pray often. You won't regret it.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth (Psalm 145:18).

_______________________

 A Look Back at Writing in 2023

We've said goodbye to 2023. Looking back it's been both a good year and a hard year as far as my writing goes. I published 16 books, which made it a very busy, hectic year, but I love to write and miss it if I have too long a break, so I've also enjoyed it. Another added advantage is that publishing so many books meant I sold more and could offer more scholarships to needy missionary children since all my profits go to a scholarship fund for that purpose. Regardless, however, I don't plan to ever write 16 books in one year again. It was just too many, and I couldn't have kept up with the pace indefinitely. 

Another thing that made 2023 rather unusual is that all the books I wrote and published were MAPS or multiple-author projects. These are stand-alone books that are part of a themed series with several authors. MAPS also have the advantage of a shared fan base and gaining new readers. They've been good to me.

Of my 16 books in 2023, 14 were historical and 2 were contemporaries. Thirteen are set in the West, and the other 3 are set in Illinois, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Although I didn't start out to be a Western writer, it has turned out that way. And as always, all of them are available on Kindle, KU, Audible, and print. Here is a list of the 2023 books:

Jan 23, 2023 – The Prodigal Pastor

Feb 1, 2023 – A Match for Marshall

Feb 21, 2023 – Mason's Memories

Mar 21, 2023 – Simon’s Shane

Apr 18, 2023 – Ingrid's Intention

May 1, 2023 – A Match for Cord

May 30, 2023 – Boone’s Burden

Jun 12, 2023 – Hurting Hero

Jul 18, 2023 – Inman’s Impersonation

Aug 1, 2023 – Solomon’s Secret

Aug 29, 2023 – Upside-Down Cakes by Dana

Sep 19, 2023 – Bretta’s Business

Oct 16, 2023 – Annette’s Assignment

Nov 17, 2023 – Lily: Christmas Quilt Brides

Dec   5, 2023 – Fruitcake by Fran

Dec 26, 2023 – Tessa’s Time

_____________________________________

 

Don't Be Part of the Falling Away

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1).

The Bible warns us that in the last days, before the rapture, there will be a falling away from the faith. Many of our elder citizens can see that happening now since things are much different from when they grew up, and statistics support them. A recent study shows that church attendance has fallen 7% in the last 5 years, and half of the congregations now have 65 or fewer attending. 4,500 Protestant churches closed their doors in 2019.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Paul saw the danger even in the early church. I imagine Satan is eager to take advantage of the current trends and for people to turn from their faith, think they don't need God, or put worldly things above spiritual things. He will work hard in the last days to pull as many away from God as he can. He wants as many as possible to share his eternal suffering.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love (Revelation 2:4).

John is told that the church at Ephesus has left their first love. They had fallen away, although they were still attending church. That's also true today. Too many of those attending church are just going through the motions, hoping to do just enough to get into heaven but not being devoted to God. They are lukewarm at best and trying to straddle the fence with one foot in the world and one foot in heaven. It won't work. We have to be totally God's, or we aren't His at all. Let's make sure that the Lord doesn't have something against us.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God (Hebrews 3:12).

As we look to a new year, let's make sure that we are strong in our faith, even amid the possible beginning of a great falling away. Let's renew our commitment to God and make sure we put Him first in our lives, far above anything else in importance. Let's cling to Him in hard times, and have such a close, personal relationship that it brings peace and joy no matter what's happening around us. If we do, this will be the best year ever.

___________________________

Looking Forward to Writing in 2024

All sixteen of the books I published in 2023 were MAPS, multiple-author projects, where several authors write standalone books according to a theme. I have some single-author books I want to publish, but that won't come in 2024 either. The ones I'd planned to write have been replaced by MAP opportunities too good to pass up.

However, having to push hard to get the sixteen books written in 2023 that I'd committed to, I vowed not to try that many again. I've made myself a rule not to publish more than twelve in any year, and that's still a lot at one a month. In 2024, I'm scheduled to publish eleven. Below is a tentative schedule, which could change some, but it won't change much:

Jan 16, 2024 – Grandma’s Match for Garrett - Grandmother Knows Best

Feb 1, 2024 – A Match for Silas, The Matchmakers - Agatha Returns

Mar 5, 2024 – A Journey for Jillian - Reluctant Wagon Train Bride

Apr 20, 2024 – Zoe – Prairie Roses Collection

June 1, 2024 – Beckett’s Brides - Double Trouble

Jul 1, 2024 – A Match for Merle, The Matchmakers - Agatha Returns

Aug 5, 2024 – Carmen’s Wedding Dilemma - The Matchmaker & Mother-In-Law

Sep 2, 2024 – A Match for Milton, The Matchmakers - Agatha Returns

Oct 4, 2024 – Noah’s New Bride - The Mountain Men & Mail-Order Brides

Nov 1, 2024 – A Match for Reece, The Matchmakers - Agatha Returns

Dec 6, 2024 - Andrea: Christmas Quilt Brides

____________________________________