Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
More than anything, I want my books to make people laugh. I want readers to feel like they’re on vacation in a small town where everyone feels like family, and where zany fun is always just around the corner and love is in the air!
So far, I’ve written four books. “Love on the Range” is the prequel to my Looking Glass Lake series of Christian contemporary romance. “Love’s True Home” will come out in August 2016, and “Love’s Long Lost Wish” will come out in October 2016. Watch for three more fun books to be released in 2017, and then my fun Christmas book “Love’s Christmas Kiss” to come out in September 2017.
I’ve planned over 20 books for the Looking Glass Lake series…if I’m not running through the sprinklers with my nieces and nephews, or avoiding laundry by concocting crazy recipes in the kitchen, you can find me at my laptop bossing around my Looking Glass Lake characters.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Love on the Range” was inspired by an article about chuck wagons I read in the magazine Western Horsemen. Authentic old-fashioned chuck wagons are still used today on many ranches. As soon as I read that, I just knew I had to write a book about it. And then, because I love to turn things upside-down, I thought it would be even better if the chuck wagon cook (traditionally a man) was a woman!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I might be the only writer who writes her outline on sticky notes! I go through packs and packs of them, in a rainbow of colors. I love the inventor of sticky notes…using them unleashes my creativity.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The classic girl’s books like “The Secret Garden,” “A Little Princess” and anything by Lucy Maude Montgomery were my earliest influences. I especially love Lucy Maude Montgomery’s “The Blue Castle.” It’s a romance, and even though it was written for adults, as a kid, that is what made me want to write love stories.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the final editing for “Love’s True Home.” This is book one of my inspirational romance series of Looking Glass Lake. It was a difficult book to write, but was very rewarding. The main character, Lauren Rolphe is nothing like me…I’m emotional and expressive, and she finds it hard to express emotion at all. But there is a secret grief that she harbors, and that sorrow hits very close to home for me. While “Love’s True Home” has its own share of laughs, it’s also the book that had me going through boxes of tissue as I wrote it.
I’m also working on the second draft for “Love’s Long Lost Wish.” This sweet book has an adorable little girl whose wish brings a happily-ever-after ending for some very special people.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t determined that yet. I haven’t done much marketing. I wanted to focus on marketing after I got at least two books out into the world.
But I do believe in the “free sample” concept. Partly because I have always loved the free cookies I used to get from the grocery bakery as a kid! 🙂 I like the idea of letting readers get to know me a bit for free before purchasing more of my books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Study and learn how to write, but use your inherent strengths. Figure out how your creativity and your brain works, and learn how to leverage those strengths. For the longest time, I couldn’t create an outline because I just didn’t think in a linear fashion. Books about outlining in a linear way really drove me nuts. I wasted a lot of time trying to force myself to use methods that used my weaknesses and not my strengths. When I started focusing on using methods I loved (like brainstorming and thinking in pictures), my writing really took off. Now, instead of writing in a linear fashion, I use lots of brainstorming questions to trigger creative thoughts. I write them down on sticky notes, amass a huge pile of them, and then start arranging them into an outline. I’m a big believer that when writing is fun, you’re probably doing it right! If writing is not fun, you might still need to explore better ways of approaching it that works for the way you’re wired.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Love God. Love people. It’s that simple.” –My husband, paraphrasing Jesus
What are you reading now?
You’ll always find any new book by Brenda Minton, Debra Clopton, or Janet Tronstad on my nightstand. Usually, you’ll find a few in the glove box of my car, too—just in case the line at the Post Office is too long! I also snap up any new book by Heather Woodhaven or Lisa Phillips, as soon as I can. If I’m folding laundry, you can bet I’ll have Heather Blanton’s Romance in the Rockies series going on Audible. Because of her, I look forward to laundry day! A new-to-me author that I’m super excited about is Karen Witemeyer…again, her books are on Audible! (Secretly, I call Karen and Heather my laundry buddies!) And my Kindle is chock full of books by Kimberly Rae Jordan, Lucy McConnell, Belle Calhoune, Brooke St. James, and Liz Isaacson.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Lots of research trips! I can’t wait to try to tame wild mustangs myself, because Meg does this in “Love’s Long Lost Wish.” And I’m hoping to bring a rodeo star to the Looking Glass Lake party next year…the queen of mounted speed-shooting! Maybe an outdoor survival class, if I’m brave enough!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible…because I can’t function without it! It’s new every time I read it. Lately, I’ve been enjoying the Amplified Version because it helps provide cultural background and nuance that I’ve missed. I’d bring a cookbook…because what a great opportunity to cook up new foods I’ve never tried, and I do love to cook! I’d probably bring my friend Heather Woodhaven’s book: “The Secret Life of Bookclub” because reading it is like she’s right there next to me, and I know I’d miss her like crazy. Something by Louis L’amour to make me feel brave and to remind me of the west that I love so much.
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