In just over a month, my newest novella will be released into the wild!

Here’s the gist (or “back cover copy,” if you’re feeling high-and-mighty):

Everything changed for Mercy Benson after the argument with her husband. Leaving behind the taxi horns and clamor of New York, the young widow follows her mother-in-law to the sleepy mountain town of Fayette. Despite relatives taking her in, Mercy feels utterly out of place among the whispering pines and church-going folks.

When she takes a job at the local restaurant, Mercy finds a piece of home in the owner, Wyatt Peralta. But she can’t claim it—someone broken and tainted would never deserve such joy.

Ruth is a familiar story from the Bible. But lots of people miss her background:

  • She was poor. Women lived by the graces of husbands and family members. When all of the men in her husband’s family died, Ruth was left with nada.
  • Ruth left everything she’d ever known to follow her mother-in-law to become a foreigner in a strange land.
  • This new country had a different language and unique customs.
  • The only food Ruth and Naomi had was what Ruth gathered in the fields: the leftovers and castoffs. The desperation was real.

So, why’d I write about Ruth? I find her fascinating! Her mother-in-law is the only person she knows in this bizarre, new place. They are not only destitute but broken in spirit.

As I move toward the launch date for “Mercy,” expect some goodies! Followers on my Instagram page will have a chance for a giveaway starting on October 18th. Blog subscribers will be able to read a portion of the first chapter before anyone else, because I can do that!

Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest so that you can see my inspiration boards for my stories.

I’m thirteen days away from my debut release. And this isn’t the dream I’ve clutched since I wrote halting poems about the robins outside or the nativity set my parents painted long before I was born.

I went to Mount Hermon a handful of years ago with my good friend Hannah Prewett.


And we both knew how our writing careers would go…

Hannah and I attend a local Christian writer’s group in Northern California. And we accidentally knew each other before I’d even stepped foot into the church where our monthly meetings are held. Our paths seemed destined to be! Before I knew it, we’d planned on going to Mount Hermon and, of course, we’d be roommates.

Here we are at the 2019 West Coast Christian Writers Conference a couple of weeks ago!

Boy, did we prepare! Business cards? Check. One-sheets? Check. Practice and practice and practice the elevator pitches? Check, the entire three-hour drive (with the exception of stopping for Chick-fil-A). And our mentors warned us not to get too excited, that this was only to learn and make connections with other writers.

But, again, we both knew our careers would launch into the atmosphere—a couple of those authors who just happened to make it straight out of the gate. She’d be a world-famous writer of fairytales with an allegorical twist. I’d churn out clean, sarcastic Young Adult books with pre-order dates months in advance. (See lots o’ pics and read Hannah’s telling here)

You see where this is headed?

My “career” started off like a car wreck. Hannah hugged me as I wept that very first night because I wasn’t a good writer, according to a note written on my submitted manuscript. There were no redeeming qualities in my story. I cried like a kindergartener dropped off at school for the first time: I wanted to go home, I wanted my blankie, and I wanted a snack.

This wasn’t how My Amazing Writing Career was supposed to start!

That evening, Robin Jones Gunn’s message righted my sails. And I let go of my writing career…for the night. Because I just knew it’d all turn around in the morning!

Let me save you some backstory: the answer to that was NOPE. And it would continue to go sideways, slantways, longways, and squareways for quite some time.

In the meantime, I’ve learned and practiced. Hannah and I still go to conferences together. (Like Realm Makers!) I’ve met amazing people and keep studying the craft. I read mind-blowing books and others that make me squint. I push and grow, putting myself out there after countless rejections.

My fat contract from one of “The Big Five” CBA houses has never materialized, but I have an incredible agent! There are friends who’ve mailed me a card or sent a text when I’ve had a no-good, rotten day. A couple of kindred spirits made of sarcasm and tacos now grace my life.

I’m thirteen days away from my debut release, as a self-published author. And this isn’t the dream I had, but I’m happy God’s got this dream in His hands.

Releasing into the wild, March 14, 2019