At this time last year, we couldn’t wait for 2020 to end. It had been such a strange, challenging season of our lives. We couldn’t wait for the bright sparkles promised with 2021. Then when COVID continued to rage, our hopes faded. We sighed with regret as vacations got cancelled, supply chain issues kept essentials…
Tag: #amwriting
Deep breaths
During a Bible study, my teacher cautioned the class about praying for patience. “Since God answers our prayers, but not always in the way we expect,” she said, “He might place us in a situation that tries our patience in order to teach us a lesson.” Over the years I’ve found that advice to be…
Scripture to pray over teens
I’ve never prayed harder than I did during my children’s teenage years. Not only did I pray for them, I prayed for my husband and me. I asked God to strengthen and instill trust in our relationships, keep our children from harm, grant all of us patience and understanding, and . . . the list…
Truth for when the demons invade
I’m a big believer in memorizing scripture. The God-breathed messages come in handy when demons invade. Which they do. Daily. After all, Satan’s full-time job is to invade our lives and make us believe his evil lies. If he can shake our confidence in God’s goodness, he wins. Satan targets teens because they have open…
5 Steps to Creating a Book Trailer
A book trailer! All the marketing gurus advised me of its merits to authors of young adult books: teens love visuals, they love YouTube, and they click on the buy links more often than after they read book summaries. I sighed and rolled up my sleeves. I’d created employee communications videos in a former job,…
Angels and Demons
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…
10 Best Websites for Writers
For the past 23 years, Writer’s Digest has published a list of 101 best websites for writers. The majority are for professional writers, but there are some great sites that benefit students and everyday writers. In addition, there are a few for readers. Following are my favorites from this list, many of which I use…
The Mother Lode of Book Reviews for Teens
Earlier this week, I asked my Facebook friends (most of whom are moms and grandmoms) how they selected books to purchase for their teens. Their responses varied, but most replied that they liked to read online reviews. What a coincidence. Last Saturday, the Storyteller Squad, of which I’m a founding member, gathered on a video…
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…