In my young adult speculative novel, The Demons Among Us, the characters’ eyes are opened to the reality of angels and demons. They experience both when they least expect it, and are left shaken by the force of the spiritual realm. Do you believe in angels? Demons? I do. I’ve never seen either one, but…
Tag: #acfwcommunity
Every Day is International Read to Me Day
If you love to read, here’s a way you can support global learning without leaving the comfort of your armchair. An Australian collective of educators and authors established International Read to Me Day (IRTMD) in 2015 to be celebrated on March 19 each year. The goal of this commemorative day is to draw attention to…
Baking & Bonding
In my young adult novel, The Demons Among Us (launching in September), the sixteen-year-old main character, Joy, is learning to cook. An early scene with Joy and her mom baking homemade sweet potato fries is loosely based on the times my daughter, Julia, and I share a kitchen. Even though she’s now married and lives…
Writing about Ethnic Characters
I’ve heard Edwina Perkins speak twice. After her first presentation, entitled The Danger and Power of Words, I felt like I’d been sucker punched. I was more prepared the second time. After all, I’d invited her to be the guest speaker at our American Christian Fiction Writers N. Georgia Chapter meeting. Her message is powerful…
Top 10 Teen Reads
It’s the time of year when libraries tally their top ten check-outs of 2020. I thought it might be interesting to compare teen readers in the north to those in the south, so I called librarians in two states. They emailed me their young adult fiction lists THE SAME DAY. Gotta love librarians. Following are…
I’ve signed with a publisher!
What a long journey! When I sold my public relations firm in 2013 and decided to write a book, I had no idea what a steep learning curve I’d encounter. My end goal was to publish an alternative to the stories about witches, vampires and werewolves—something with a touch of paranormal, but biblically based. I…
A Bright—not Black—Friday
Last year’s Thanksgiving made me dig deep to hitch up a smile. Both my children celebrated the holiday away from my husband and me for the first time in their lives—my daughter with her in-laws in Texas and my son with his Marine unit in Afghanistan. Tough year. Thanksgiving is our gig. We always host…
How Christianity and books launched Friday the 13th
Are you hunkering down in your home today, worried that bad luck might befall you? Don’t feel alone, one in four Americans say they’re superstitious. How did Friday the 13th become the spookiest calendar date? Early Christians were the first to acknowledge Friday as an unlucky day. After all, Jesus was crucified on a Friday….
NaNoWriMo Makes Me Nervous
Friends, I need a little prayer. For the past four years, I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo . . . with dismal results. This year, for once, I’d love to meet my goal. NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place in November for some strange reason. I don’t know about other writers, but…
Zeta tried to steal our joy
Yesterday started off with frightening thuds around 5 a.m. when straight-line winds from Tropical Storm Zeta tore through our yard, felling part of our wooden fence and two trees. My husband and I jolted from our bed to the howls of my daughter’s dogs. North Atlanta should not be a target for diluted hurricanes. My…