Month: December 2014

An Interview with Author Valerie Comer and a Giveaway!

Published by Hallee on December 19, 2014

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to my friend Valerie Comer. Valerie started the InspyRomance blog where I am a regular contributing author. She LOVES whole food, real food – like me! We are also in the Love Brings Us Home, Seven Christian Romances Celebrating Faith and Love together. I hope you enjoy the interview — and be sure to check out Valerie’s giveaway at the bottom of this post!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m Valerie Comer, and I live on a small farm in British Columbia, Canada. One of my passions is food, something Hallee and I definitely have in common! My husband and I, together with our adult kids and preschool granddaughters, grow much of our own food (vegetables, fruit, nuts, honey, and meat).
I haven’t seen much fiction like mine, addressing food issues from a Christian worldview. I’ve tagged my website as the place “where food meets faith… and fiction.” Answers to the question, “Does God care what we eat?” are a central issue in my novels.

Tell us about your current release. SWEETENED WITH HONEY, the third story in the Farm Fresh Romance series, finds beekeeper Sierra Riehl hopeful to catch the eye of widower Gabriel Rubachuk, knowing he must first face the past. Yet as he begins to embrace hope and fall in love with her, reality changes. Sierra begins to suspect she can’t give Gabe what he deserves, and their budding romance fizzles. But how can she trust him with her devastating secret?

With all those characters in your head screaming to get out how do you write fast enough to get it all down? LOL, I can’t keep up. They have to get in line. Sometimes they get their elbows jammed in each other’s ribs, trying to push ahead in the queue, but it rarely works for them! I’m in the midst of the Farm Fresh Romance series (three books out, three more to come), so unless the new idea comes wearing a pair of Farm Fresh overalls and carrying a garden hoe, it gets relegated to the way back burner of my mind.

I know there are parties going on back there, because sometimes I can hear the music. I can feel the zing as several ideas bump into each other and grab hold, creating a stronger idea between them. But they still have to wait their turn!

Do you have a pre-determined length in mind when you first begin a book? I’ve written thirteen complete stories now (many of which you will never see) in various lengths from novellas of 20,000 words to full-length novels at 100,000 words. I’m getting better at feeling the pacing intrinsically as I write, and my first drafts usually land up within 3000 words or so of my planned-for length.

What is your inspiration for writing? I have to say my three young granddaughters inspire me. I want to leave a legacy for them in a variety of ways. One is the financial reward I hope will continue well into the future. Another is to follow the creativity God has given each of them and use it for His glory. Another is to show them in story form (as well as the farm life they’re familiar with) how Christians grapple with issues of food and the environment.

I love my grandgirls! The youngest is two and a half and was the springboard for the character of young Maddie in Sweetened with Honey. The little monkey never sits still and ricochets from one adventure to the next. Like little Maddie, my granddaughter adores her grandfather, about the only person she’ll sit and snuggle with for more than a few seconds.

Who do you envision your typical reader to be? I’m not sure if my typical reader and my ideal reader are the same person. I write for women in their thirties and forties who are concerned about their families’ health and food consumption. In reality, many of my readers are women in their fifties and sixties as well. Plus, one of my enthusiastic local fans is a nonChristian man in his 70s who is passionate about food. He loves this series of books!

I assume when you start a book, you pretty much have the plot laid out. LOL, then you’d assume incorrectly! That’s how I wish my brain worked. I love organization in my “real life.” Whenever I’ve tried to envision a novel’s details in advance, I see mostly fog with occasional wispy glimpses into scenes. It’s very frustrating.

The reality is that I have to know my characters and my setting clearly before I start writing. The two main characters in Sweetened with Honey, Sierra and Gabe, have been secondary characters in previous books, and that helped a lot. The setting of Green Acres Farm also has been well established earlier. (By the way, this doesn’t mean you have to read the other books to understand this one. I hope you’ll want to, but it isn’t necessary. Each is complete in itself.)

I jotted down the few things I knew had to happen in the story and started writing, trusting God to use my imagination for the story He wanted told. It was a true adventure, and I met with several surprises. Gabe made a choice I did not see coming. When I realized what would happen a few chapters ahead, it stalled me on writing for a few days. I paced my office—the whole house—trying to figure out what impact his decision would have on the story’s ending. It came together, but I just couldn’t believe he’d do that to me!

Why yes, I think of them as real people. Aren’t they?

What do you do when you hit a roadblock and have NO idea what to write? See above, lol. I do a lot of pacing. I also use mind-mapping techniques on my giant whiteboard. And I pray.

In Sweetened with Honey, Gabe owns a health food store and two boys from his tween Sunday school class come in. He suspects them of stealing from him. In the story, these are Gabe’s thoughts: God? I could use an idea here.

In reality, that was my prayer, too. I had no idea what Gabe should do with his suspicions. I typed that brief prayer and stared out the window, and I believe God answered. What happened next certainly fit Gabe’s personality and the story.

Is this a Christmas story? No and yes. Sweetened with Honey takes place from late September to just before New Year’s Eve. The few Christmas scenes are pivotal. So, if you’re looking for something that touches on Christmas without being a full holiday story, this is a great novel to pick up.

If you’re looking for a true Christmas title to read in these few days surrounding our celebration of the birth of Jesus, may I recommend Snowflake Tiara? It contains two long novellas, a historical written by Angela Breidenbach and a contemporary by me. These are set in Helena, Montana, 125 years apart, both against a Christmas beauty pageant backdrop. My character, Marisa Hiller, is an organic farmer who is passionate about helping needy families in her community, so, if you are intrigued by my mash-ups of contemporary romance and farm lit, you’ll enjoy Snowflake Tiara, too!

I’ve loved sharing my writing with you. If you’re interested in my Farm Fresh Romance series, you’ll want to know that I’m offering a short story free to folks who join my email list. Peppermint Kisses is a Christmas tale set between the second and third novels. You’ll find it here

You can find Valerie on Twitter and on Facebook and you can purchase Valerie’s Books at

Be sure to enter to win either Snowflake Tiara or Sweetened with Honey :
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m so grateful for your visit, today.
You would bless me if you added me to your feed reader or subscribed via email.
You can also become a fan on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. I would love to see more of you!

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An Interview with Author Elizabeth Maddrey

Published by Hallee on December 17, 2014

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance. Today, I bring you Elizabeth Maddrey. I love anyone who had a crush on Pierce Brosnan in “Remington Steele”, so I already feel like we’re a bit like soul sisters. Add two little boys and a love of crochet, and I feel like we should be next door neighbors who regularly enjoy sharing cups of coffee. I very much enjoyed reading about her writing and hope you enjoy her interview as much as I did.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My husband and I have been married just over 19 years. We met in our first college class (bright and early at 8am) – a computer architecture course. We’re both computer nerds at heart, though I don’t flex those nerd muscles professionally any more, preferring being home with our two boys and getting to write instead! When I’m not writing or being Mom, I enjoy cooking and crochet and playing the piano.

Tell us about your current release. Love Defined is the third, and final, installment in my women’s fiction series about twin sisters and their attempts to start a family. Infertility is one of those things that’s never really finished, so even though I’m ending the series, not everything is tied up in a pretty little bow. I feel like all the characters have reached a place of resolution and happiness that will see them through the next stage of their life. That, to me, is a happy ending and I hope readers will get that sense.

If you knew ahead of time your book would benefit only one person on their spiritual journey, would you still write it? Absolutely! In fact, I spent a number of years wrestling with questions along these lines before I ever ventured into the publishing world. I wanted to be sure that my motives for writing were what they needed to be. Having that understanding that, you know what, it’s okay if I’m not one of those big-name authors from the large houses who everyone raves about, has really helped me focus on the fact that what matters is telling stories that will resonate with people who maybe aren’t used to having stories published that do that. I’m just incredibly grateful anytime God uses one of my books to touch someone.

How do you push past the fear of your writing being average and be bold enough to sell it to a publisher(or agent or audience if you self publish)? I’m not sure I actually push past the fear – that fear comes right along with me every time I submit a new idea to my editor. But you know the saying “Feel the fear and do it anyway”? That’s what you have to do. I just remind myself (sometimes I do it a lot) that I’m not in this for fame or fortune but because I want my stories to touch hearts, and they can’t do that on my hard drive. So while there are always going to be people who leave negative reviews, I can look past that and focus on the fact that there are other people who enjoy my books and that makes it possible to take a deep breath and write another one.

Who was your first Screen/Musical Crush? Johnny Depp in 21 Jumpstreet (the TV show, not the movie reboots) ties with Pierce Brosnan in Remington Steele.

How did you determine whether to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher? I started out looking for an agent and then, hopefully, a contract with one of the big traditional publishers. After several conversations and critiques and mentoring sessions with authors I respect, I realized that the stories I like to tell weren’t probably going to be a fit for what was tending to sell. I considered self-publishing at that point, but I also met with a new small publisher who was interested in the less-mainstream plot-lines. It was a good fit, for both of us, and I’ve been very happy publishing my books with her. I have, just recently, dipped a toe into the indie pool though and that was fun, too. So I might do more of that in the future, we’ll just have to see.

Do you have your plotline and character development already laid out before you begin writing a book, or do they develop as you write? I generally have a semi-vague notion of what I want to write before I start – but it could be as simple as one or two sentences highlighting the main plot arc (e.g. twin sisters struggling with infertility). From there, I start writing and I see where it takes me. I usually get a good feel for the next few pages as I’m writing and it just strings along from start to finish. I’ve tried do to more concrete planning…it just doesn’t work super well for me, unfortunately. I kind of envy the plotters of the world.

Do you have pre-determined length in mind when you first begin a book? I usually have a target of around 75,000 words, but really it’s all about the story. How many words will it take to tell the story the way it needs to be told? I can fluff or cut if I have to meet some kind of length requirement for my publisher, but generally speaking I don’t like to do that (and haven’t really had to, either.) But I think the 75K mark makes a nice size book to hold in your hand and gives you a good bang for your buck in terms of time spent reading vs. price.

Do you write your books for your own enjoyment or more for what you think people would want to read? I hope it’s both, but I don’t spend a ton of time analyzing how many people I think are going to like an idea before I sit down and start writing it. I think there are enough people out there in the world that there have to be some who are going to enjoy the stories that I enjoy writing. Maybe not as many as if I tried to follow the market trends – but I also know that when I try to write something that isn’t where my heart is, it turns out horrible. If I can’t love my characters and their stories, the time I spend with them is painful, and it shows in the final product. (And those few manuscripts that ended up that way will never see the light of day!)

Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her on Facebook Pinterest Google+ and on her Website. You can purchase her books at:

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A Parcel for Prudence is Now Available!

Published by Hallee on December 16, 2014

The exciting Virtues and Valor serialized story continues with book 4!

4ParcelPrudence_640 MURIEL TOLSON grew up with all of the luxuries life could offer. As the daughter of a duke, she married the second son of an earl and lived in style on his family’s estate. When her husband ships off to fight the Nazis in Africa, Muriel heeds his request to use her intelligence and language skills to help with the war effort. She approaches the British secret services and soon finds herself recruited into an experimental all female cohort dubbed the Virtues, a collection of seven extraordinary women with highly specialized skills.

Assigned the code name of PRUDENCE, her natural French allows her to infiltrate Occupied France where she works as a courier; carrying messages, money, and sometimes people through the secret resistance network aiding the allies to accomplish very dangerous missions behind enemy lines.

When Nazis capture the agent code named TEMPERANCE, the team shucks previously laid plans and fast-forwards operational timelines. Is the team ready for this daring mission, or will the Third Reich thwart their plans before they can even get started?

A PARCEL FOR PRUDENCE is part four of seven serialized novellas entitled the Virtues and Valor series.

Seven valorous women — different nationalities, ethnicities, and social backgrounds — come together as a team called the Virtues.

In 1941 Great Britain a special war department assembles an experimental and exclusively female cohort of combat operatives. Four willing spies, a wireless radio operator, an ingenious code breaker, and a fearless pilot are each hand-picked, recruited, and trained to initiate a daring mission in Occupied France. As plans are laid to engineer the largest prison break of Allied POWs in history, the Nazis capture the Virtues’ radio operator. It will take the cohesive teamwork of the rest of the women to save her life before Berlin breaks her and brings the force of the Third Reich to bear.

Some find love, some find vengeance, and some discover the kind of strength that lives in the human heart when all they can do is rely on each other and their shared belief. Courage, faith, and valor intersect but, in the end, one pays the ultimate price.

Continuing the Virtues and Valor series by Hallee Bridgeman. Seven serialized novellas, each inspired by real people and actual events, reveal the incredible story of amazing heroines facing the ultimate test of bravery. Book 4, A Parcel for Prudence, is now available at the following locations:

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An Interview with Author Laura J. Davis!

Published by Hallee on December 15, 2014

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance. This week, I am so honored to have Laura J. Davis as my guest. I absolutely loved this interview. Yesterday, I had a small lunch party to celebrate my husband’s birthday. My parents were in town, and our pastor and his wife came to lunch. As my parents and the pastor’s wife entered the dining room and surveyed the beautifully set table laden with the feast I’d spent several days planning and preparing, the pastor’s wife said, “Is there anything Hallee doesn’t do well?” My father’s answer made my husband snort laugh. “She can’t sing. At all.” So, I’m always so in awe and so honored to meet and speak to singers. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. First I’d like to say, thank you for hosting me today. A little about myself? I’m Canadian and a former singer/songwriter with over 30 years in music ministry. After an emergency surgery went awry I woke to find my vocal chords damaged. But God had a plan and lead me to writing full-time. I have had stories featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul and my first novel Come to Me won a Reader’s Favorite Award in 2010. I have since published two more books and I’m working on a fourth.

Tell us about your current release. My latest release is He Who Has an Ear, Who the Seven Churches of Revelation are Today. I wanted to find out how closely those seven churches in Revelation resembled the church today and I was surprised with what I found. Out of the seven churches listed in Revelation only two were commended, the rest were letters of warning. I found that those warnings are still relevant today and the body of Christ needs to take heed before Jesus’ return.

The book I’m bringing you today however, is not current but the story is timeless. Come to Me is a novel based on the life of Christ through the eyes of His mother and covers everything from his birth to His ministry and resurrection, but from Mary’s perspective.

If you knew ahead of time your book would benefit only one person on their spiritual journey, would you still write it?
Oh, yes definitely.

What do you think is lacking in Christian Fiction? I might have a different perspective then most because my other job, besides writing, is reviewing Christian books, which I do at www.interviewsandreviews.com and lately I am finding that many authors are omitting a clear presentation of the Gospel, which I think is a shame when they have the opportunity to do so through their characters. Some will claim to be Christian books because they might have the character praying or going to church, but then it stops there and the character never has a crisis of faith or is never presented with the Gospel message. While some of the big-name Christian authors have not deviated in this regard the newer ones seem to be afraid to say anything at all and so they have a nice story but have omitted the one reason why they call their books Christian. It isn’t happening in every book I read, but it is a trend I see happening and I hope it does not continue.

What’s the first major news headline that you can remember and what do you remember (i.e. Moon Walk, Watergate, Pope being shot)? That would be President Kennedy’s murder. I was only around six years old at the time and was watching TV at a friend’s house when Walter Cronkite broke the news. Even at that young age I knew something important had happened and the sadness of everyone around me really affected me. Even though we were Canadian we mourned his loss as well.

Who was your first Screen/Musical Crush? Donny Osmond. I was such a geek.

How did you determine whether to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher? My experience is different than most. My career had been in music as a solo Christian artist but after 30 years in music ministry an emergency surgery went horribly wrong and my vocal chords were damaged. I tried for months to get my voice back and begged God to heal me, but He had different plans. Over the course of several months He kept urging me to write about Jesus from His mother’s perspective. Well, I was a songwriter – not a novelist so I balked at this for some time, refusing to give into the pressure to write, because I knew if I did, I was saying goodbye to singing forever. But there came a time when I realized I needed to surrender my hands to God as I did my voice, and once I did that Come to Me just poured out. But once it was written I had no idea what to do with it or who to take it to. So I self-published about 30 copies to give to family and friends and left it at that. In the meantime, I let people know I had lost my voice and was no longer singing. I had been on the Christian television program 100 Huntley St. previously when I was singing, so naturally I contacted them to let them know where God had taken me. They immediately wanted me to come on the air and talk about my experience and my book. Well, then I was in real trouble because now people wanted to buy my book and the company I originally self-published with was too expensive so I did some research and found another self-publisher who acted more like a publisher really, because they would take the book to stores and would promote it in flyers, collected royalties, etc. But it was a crash course on self-publishing that’s for sure.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers? As a singer I practiced every day, because there was always room for improvement. I see the same thing with writing. You must write something every day. The more you write, the more your writing improves. And it can be anything, a letter or a blog post – just write something.

You can find Laura on her Website on Facebook and Twitter

and you can buy her book at

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An interview with Author Tamera Kraft

Published by Hallee on December 13, 2014

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance. Today, I’m happy to introduce you to Tamera Kraft. Tamera is heavily involved in children’s ministry – something that I absolutely admire because I have long ago figured out that children’s ministry is not my ministry. She also has some very insightful thoughts on Christian fiction. I really enjoyed this interview — and love that A Wrinkle in Time was one of her favorite books. I hope you enjoy it as well, and check out her Christmas novella. It is 99 cents right now.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. I have always loved adventures. That’s why I write Christian historical fiction set in America. There are so many adventures in American history. I’ve been married to the love of my life for almost 36 years. Wow. That’s a lifetime especially considering I was married when I was 19. I also have two grown children who I’m very proud of and two of the most wonderful grandsons in the world. Really, they are. I was born and raised in Ohio, and have lived in Akron, Ohio since I was married.

I’m also the leader of a ministry called Revival Fire For Kids where I mentor other children’s leaders and teach at workshops and conference. I travel around to other churches as a children’s ministry consultant and children’s evangelist. I’m a recipient of the 2007 National Children’s Leaders Association Shepherd’s Cup for lifetime achievement in children’s ministry and have written some children’s ministry curriculum.

I currently have two novellas published: A Christmas Promise through Pelican Book Group and Soldier’s Heart through Helping Hands Press. Recently I received third place in the TARA (Tampa Area Romance Writers of America) Writing Contest.

Tell us about your current release. A Christmas Promise is a novella about a Moravian missionary family celebrating Christmas in the first white settlement in Ohio, Schoenbrunn Village.

A Moravian Holiday Story, circa 1773

During colonial times, John and Anna settle in an Ohio village to become Moravian missionaries to the Lenape. When John is called away to help at another settlement two days before Christmas, he promises he’ll be back by Christmas Day.

When he doesn’t show up, Anna works hard to not fear the worst while she provides her children with a traditional Moravian Christmas.
Through it all, she discovers a Christmas promise that will give her the peace she craves.

Do you feel pressured to compromise your standards in order to reach a larger audience or be more successful? That’s a great question. I don’t ever feel pressured to compromise my standards, but sometimes I feel pressured to write something that’s not me. Contemporary Romance and historical romance are big in Christian publishing circles, but I write Christian historical adventures. Although almost all of my stories do have a lot of romance in them, the romance isn’t the main part of most of my stories. The adventure and the historical events surrounding the story are. It would be easier to compromise on that and write straight romance, but I have to write what is in my heart.

What do you think is lacking in Christian Fiction? I’ve thought a lot about this question and have come up with two answers.

First, because of the business side of publishing, large publishers tend to like to go with formulas that work. Who can blame them in this economy? But it also makes taking chances on different kinds of stories a risk they aren’t willing to take. This means that there is a sameness in most Christian stories. Not that there aren’t great Christian writers writing great novels, but that formula always seems to be lurking underneath.

Second, romance seems to be the money maker and king of Christian fiction. I feel there’s too much emphasis on romance and “getting married to the right guy” in the Christian community today. Since there are roughly 60-65% women in church congregations, this puts enormous pressure on them. There’s so much more to Christianity. It would be great to see more novels about married couples or about Christians risking it all to follow God. It would even be great to see some stories about women who discover God has a call for them that doesn’t include marriage especially if they thought that was the only way they could serve God. Those are the stories I’d like to see.

How do you push past the fear of your writing being average and be bold enough to sell it to a publisher? This speaks to our self-confidence and how we handle rejection. Nobody like to be rejected, whether by an agent or publish or by readers after our novels are published. And we all reel from the scathing remarks of critics. But in order to do anything in life, not just writing, I remind myself that I don’t have to give into my fear of failure or rejection. I continue to work on my craft, take valid criticism to heart, and continue on the writing journey. As John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”

Whats the first major news headline that you can remember and what do you remember? (ie. Moon Walk, Watergate, Pope being shot) That’s a hard one. I grew up in the 1960s and so much was happening at the time that it all is jumbled up in my mind. I remember Civil Right protests, Vietnam protests, and protests against things like book banning and speech suppression. Around the same time, Robert Kennedy was shot, and then his assassin was shot. Also Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. I also remember Richard Nixon running against Herbert Humphrey and winning. I remember a reporter getting into a fist fight at the Democratic National Convention. It was a turbulent time.

After all of this jumbled mess of history in the making, I remember two events clearly. I was with my family vacationing in Washington DC when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Instead of seeing the sights that day, we were huddled in the hotel room glued to the TV set. I had just turn 10 years old a month earlier.

I also remember when I was in fifth grade the next school year in May. I lived in Ravenna, Ohio, and my elementary school was a little over a mile from Kent State University. Riots had been going on for days in the city of Kent. The ROTC was burned down, and store owners had rocks thrown through their windows. Despite the rewriting of history, it looked more like Ferguson than a peaceful protest. One day an announcement came of the school loud speaker that the protesters were breaking through the police barricades and were headed toward the school. We were ordered to leave the school and get on the busses to go home. School was cancelled. Those who walked were instructed to go straight home or to go to the nearest friend’s house and call their parents to come get them. It was a scary time.

What is your preferred method of writing? (computer, pen & paper, etc.) I’m amazed at the authors who go old school and write with paper and pen. My friend, Mary Ellis, author of a ton of Amish books does that. But it honestly drives me crazy. My hand gets tired. I hold my pen wrong, and that makes it so I write slower than most people. It’s a habit I picked up as a child and I can’t break it. I love computers. I love how easy it is to fix mistakes so I don’t dwell on them. I love how fast I can type, sometimes even faster than the ideas come to me. And I love the organization I can do on the computer through MS OneNote without notebooks and research cluttering my office. Also when I need the answer to a research question, like when did the train come to a certain town, I can take a moment to look it up, copy it to OneNote, and go on with my writing.

Who were some of your favorite authors as a child? (Book series, maybe?) I loved A Wrinkle in Time, Little Women, Encyclopedia Brown, and the Little House on the Prairie Series, but my favorite was Black Beauty. My grandmother read it to me before she died. I was nine at the time. My grandmother used to read to me all the time. She lived with us and took care of me while my mother worked. I think she’s the one who started my love of literature.

I’m always intrigued by how writers get started…did you always have these books inside you and knew that you wanted to write them or did the idea just pop into your head one day and you decided to put pen to paper? Ideas don’t really pop into my head. It’s more like they germinate until they are full grown. Most of my ideas come from historical events. I read about some historical event or time in history and I wonder about what it was like for the people who lived at that time. What struggles did they face? I mull it over for a while and research it some more until the stories take root and form in my mind. That’s probably why I write historical fiction.

Thanks for having me on your blog.

You can find Tamera on Facebook

On Word Sharpeners Blog and on Twitter

Her books are available at:

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An Interview with Author Margaret Daley

Published by Hallee on December 10, 2014

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance. This week, I’m so happy to introduce you to Margaret Daley. I have a very soft part of my heart for special needs teachers because I have a son on the autism spectrum — so, add a special needs teacher with a romantic suspense writer and you have one of my favorite kinds of people! 🙂 Check out Margaret’s Christmas book, enjoy it during this season. I hope you enjoy her interview as much as I did.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’ve been writing for thirty-five years first in the secular market then the Christian market. I also taught high school students with special needs for twenty-seven years and retired to write full time. I loved teaching and often that influences my subject matter for a story. I’ve written romantic suspense and contemporary and historical romance. My favorite to write is romantic suspense.

I have been married for forty-four years. He’s a wonderful husband and my best friend. I have one son with two granddaughters.

Tell us about your current release. The Yuletide Rescue is the first in my Alaskan Search and Rescue series for Love Inspired Suspense. It comes out in December.

MISTLETOE AND MURDER
When Dr. Bree Mathison’s plane plummets into the Alaskan wilderness at Christmastime, she is torn between grief and panic. With the pilot—her dear friend—dead and wolves circling, she struggles to survive. Search and Rescue leader David Stone fights his way through the elements to save her. David suspects the plane crash might not have been an accident, spurring Bree’s sense that she’s being watched. But why is someone after her? Suddenly Bree finds herself caught in the middle of a whirlwind of secrets during the holiday season. With everyone she cares about most in peril, Bree and her promised protector must battle the Alaskan tundra and vengeful criminals to make it to the New Year.

Alaskan Search and Rescue: Risking their lives to save the day

With all those characters in your head screaming to get out how do you write fast enough to get it all down?
I write all the time. If not I’m plotting in my head. All those characters keeping screaming for their own story.

What’s the first major news headline that you can remember and what do you remember? The assassination of President Kennedy

What inspired you to start writing, or did you always want to write? I didn’t always want to write. I always wanted to be a teacher. But I’ve been a storyteller from when I played with my dolls as a little girl and made up stories of their lives.

How did you determine whether to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher? I’m called a hybrid author because I write for a traditional publisher and also self publish. I’ve enjoyed being in both worlds.

Do you have your plot-line and character development already laid out before you begin writing a book, or do they develop as you write? I do both. I have a framework for my story when I start but it always develops as I write. I’ve often written a romantic suspense without knowing who the villain is until the end. In those cases I set up several and pick one as the story unfolds.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Keep writing and learning the craft. Determination is a big part of success in this business.

You can learn more about me and my books on my website. Or you can connect with me on Twitter or my Facebook page

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