LIFEWAY SIGNING AT THE MALL OF GA

What a joy to meet and share the signing table with Julie Lessman yesterday at the LifeWay Bookstore at the Mall of Georgia in Buford! I loved her Daughters of Boston series. Simply delicious reading! You don't
want to miss reading this series. We've been online friends a while now, and Julie has graciously endorsed my next book!

Julie has a ton of fans, and met with a large bookclub on Monday night, all calmoring to pick her brain about her book's characters, especially, Charity. The gal we all love to hate!

I was honored that some of my fans drove over an hour just to meet me! One sweet fan, Lori, brought me some fabulous body lotion and splash and of course, I love it! I slathered it all over today after going to the pool! As usual, the staff at LifeWay are so nice to authors and I thank them for allowing me to be participate. Even though I-285 had 3 major lanes totally shut down, and we had an hour and a half drive, it was so worth it!

Just another Happy Trail...

TUESDAY-BOOK SIGNING

I'm pretty exicted about tomorrow. I'll be at the LifeWay Bookstore at the Mall of Georgia in Buford tomorrow, signing with Julie Lessman! It'll be a treat to finally meet my online friend. Her Daughters of Boston series is flying off the shelves and I've read all three novels.

The signing will be from 12-2 pm, so if you're anywhere near the Mall of Georgia, we'd love to have you drop by. At least the heat in Atlanta has dropped a few degrees since last week's unbearable temperatures. I was afraid it would scare Julie off if the weather didn't improve just a little.

Other good news is that Crossings Book Club is featuring my No Place for a Lady for the 7th month in a row! AND...LifeWay has asked me to participate in their October Fiction Day this fall. I hope my Jewel of His Heart will be on the bookshelves by that time. I am thrilled that Julie Lessman and Tamera Alexander have endorsed my second book! I feel greatly honored by those two very talented writers.

Gotta run now and gather up all of Julie's books for her to autograph! I'll try and post pictures later this week. It's been a busy week so far, with my daughter and three grandchildren here for a short visit.

Happy Trails...

LOVE IS...

Last week was a difficult one for me. My oldest brother, Sam, died in Mississippi after a long illness with his heart. He had a beautiful military funeral. While I know that he is in heaven, it's hard to accept that another sibling is gone. If you look close in the photo, you'll see a cross and a charm around my neck. One is a Glacier National Park charm in memory of my brother, Gary and the cross in memory of my sister Gail and brother Orville. During those last weeks before Sam's death, I worked furiously to meet my deadline on book 3, knowing that his passing would be imminent. I completed the novel one week before he died.

At the wake, many of his family and friends attended to give tribute to a life well lived. On either end of the room where my brother's casket lay, were TV screens, depicting his life through a video. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it and lingered a long time as the story of his life unfolded. It gave me a keener insight to a side of my brother's life that I hadn't seen before because I lived out of state. His wife, Olevia (no-it's not misspelled), had passed away 9 years before and he'd mourned her passing. Through his church, he became good friends with a sweet widow who lived down the country road from him. Frankie soon became the sunshine in his life while his heart steadily declined. Though a few years older than Sam, she was a constant cheerful presence in his life, though she had her own health issues.

When Frankie arrived at the wake, we snapped this photo before she made it to the casket to view Sam. Through my tears, I had to chuckle. She's a girly girl like me, and was all decked out in mauve pink from top to bottom. She carried a pink handbag and wore pink little heels. She always dolled up for him when she came to visit. She'd had a recent fall that broke her back so I assisted her to view my brother, and she broke down. She said she wished it could have been her instead. My sister, Doris, reminded her that it would have been just as hard on him if it had been her lying there instead. As she clutched onto the side of the casket, I pointed out to her that he wore a mauve-pinkish shirt and gray suit that matched her outfit and she gave me a tender smile. She really loved him and he loved her. I'm grateful that she made the last years of his sick existence bearable.

Which brings me full circle to ask this. What is love? God 's word gives us the definition in a nutshell from I Corinthians 13:4:

Love is patient
Love is kind
It does not envy
It does not boast
It is not proud
Love believes all things
Hopes all things
Endures all things and LOVE NEVER FAILS. Selah, (I added).

My brother Sam had fought the good fight, he'd finished the race and kept the faith. I know there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day!--and not only to me, but also to those that have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6.

Though right now I feel dead in my heart, Christ is alive and working in me.

Regional Bookstores and Libraries Conference

Friday, I'll be speaking at the Gathering of Regional Bookstores and Libraries for a conference. My topic will be The Value of Christian Fiction. I'm honored to be able to share my opinion about what I consider to be the value of writing Christian Fiction novels.

The conference will be held at Johnson Ferry Baptist church in Marietta, GA. Dottie Poythress is hosting this conference, and among the sponsors represented is my publisher, Revell Publishing, an imprint of Baker Books.

One of my favorite people speaking is Dr. William Lane Craig, one of our nation's leading Apologists. This should be a informative conference for bookstore and library staff for regional churches to make the most out of their ministries. I'm looking forward to speaking and giving away copies of No Place for a Lady.

This past Monday, I met my deadline for book 3 for Heart of the West series. So I'm taking a much needed break from the computer, but I'll try to post more frequently now that's completed. When marketing decides the title for that book, I'll post it. I have a feeling that it won't be my title, though.

Hope your summer is starting off in a great way. I know mine has.

Happy Trails...

LIFEWAY'S NATIONAL FICTION EVENT

What an enjoyable day at the Lifeway store in Buford at the Mall of Georgia. Nora StLaurent was such a gracious hostess who is the book club guru at the store. She has a wonderful personality and so much fun to talk with. And I thought I read a lot, but she has me beat on that score.

I was so impressed with Jeff Struecker and of course, I had to have his biography and his thriller for my son. The store was busy today and I met so many nice readers. The picture of me and the blonde is my dear friend, Connie from Cleveland who drove an hours to come to the signing. Ane Mulligan, The Zone Officer for the Operating Board for the ACFW came as well. We've chatted online, but this was the first time to meet face to face. What a vivacious, lively writer!

Just a geat way to spend a Saturday, and as usual, the staff at Lifeway are super!!

LIFEWAY'S NATIONAL FICTION EVENT

I'll be representing LifeWay's National Fiction Book Event tomorrow, Saturday, May 16th from 11-1 pm at the Mall of GA in Buford. I'm really excited about this! I'll be sharing the signing table with a highly decorated X-Army Ranger, Jeff Struecker, who was prominently featured in the movie Black Hawk Down. He is now a chaplain for the Army and writes thrillers. Check his website for further info. http://www.jeffstruecker.com/.
Check out Atlanta Examiner online for further reading about the event. Here's the link .

I hope if you're in the area,stop by--I'd love to meet you. The store in behind the mall near Target. Their phone #770-831-7707.

Tuesday night I was the guest of a local area book club that had just finished reading No Place for a Lady. The fellowship was great and they picked my brain about the details of writing, and of course, I had fun sharing the writing process.

I'm on deadline for the 3rd book in the Heart of the West series, but I'll be back posting on a more frequent basis in the near future.

Happy Trails...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I hope you're having wonderful Mother's Day! This will be a brief post to announce the winner of the drawing for a copy of my book. It was drawn fair and balanced, as Fox News would say--from a LSU baseball cap by my husband. He drew Michelle's name, who wrote that her mom was "gifted". I really like that because so many moms never realize how gifted they are because they are constantly multi-tasking and on the go!

I chose this verse for my mom's headstone in 1998--"Her children arise up, and call her blessed"...Proverbs 31:28a. I miss her so...

So I salute all Mothers everywhere for how you influence, guide, protect, minister, inspire, give, mentor, and teach but most of all for your unconditional love! Happy Mother's Day!

MOTHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY!!

Every year when Mother’s Day rolls around, I feel blue. I miss my dear mother but I remember all the goods things about her. She was always taking a meal to a shut-in or writing a card or letter to someone who needed cheering up. She loved to play her harmonica and was crazy about Elvis and cried all day the day he died. She loved gardening and had gorgeous flowers outside her tiny apartment. She made the best chicken’n dumplins’ you ever tasted, surpassed only by her cornbread and field peas. Her laughter was contagious and I don’t remember a day that she didn’t wear an apron or have a pot of coffee at 3 pm. Many of her habits wore off on me. How could they not?
So I’ve been thinking of one word to describe her and I think I’d have to say VIVACIOUS! There are many other words that I could use, but her energy and spirit for life was a huge blessings on my life. Soooo….

In honor of all mother’s everywhere, I’m giving away one autographed copy of my book, No Place for a Lady, for Mother’s Day. This is the rule--post a comment on my blog between May 1-10th. Give me in one word a description that best describes your mom. If you give more info that the one word, it will be thrown out. Be sure and leave your email address to enter your name in the contest. That’s all there is to it! I’ll draw a name on Mother’s Day and notify the winner. Don’t forget—use just one word!
Open to US residents only.

STORMY ATLANTA & STUFF

Atlanta is on tornado watch until 3 am once again, but that's springtime in Atlanta for you. I hope the wind and rain won't knock off all the blossoms from the white and pink dogwoods.

I don't know when I've been busier, but I wanted to take time to post a link of an interview that I did for Relzreview. It was posted Saturday but Australia is a day ahead and I'm just finding time to take a break writing.

Click here to read the interview: posted

HAPPY EASTER

There is nothing as lovely to me as the Dogwood Tree and its flower. It's my favorite of all flowering trees. There is a legend of the Dogwood Tree that the cross that Christ was crucified on was made of the Dogwood tree. You can find the story on the internet. When my mother died, I inherited a picture with a cross with dogwood blossoms and the poem.

Since tomorrow is Easter, I wanted to share one of my pastor's devotionals from Right From the Heart. It explains better than I can what is on my heart tonight.

Life's Most Important Question

"Pilate said to them, 'Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?'" - Matthew 27:22 Almost 2,000 years ago, a man named Pilate asked the most important question in life. Standing before him was an itinerant preacher. There was nothing remarkable about His looks. He had attracted a large following but few committed followers. He had no wealth - not even a home of His own. Yet He was the object of an unmitigated hatred from a mob. Pilate asked, "What shall I do with this man?" As the mob cried for His execution, the man, Jesus Christ, stood silently as Pilate cowardly sentenced Him to death on the cross.The question Pilate asked is ultimately one all of us have to ask. What shall I do with this man Jesus? He loves you, even when you could care less about Him. He cared enough to pay the penalty for your sin. What will you do with Jesus? Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance by how you respond.

Many Live Appearances After His Death

"...because I live, you will live also." - John 14:19Christianity is about faith - faith in Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. But have you realized there is also historical documentation of Jesus' resurrection? Six different books offer documentation of Jesus' nine live appearances after His resurrection: 1. He appeared to Mary Magdalene and other women the morning of His resurrection. 2. He appeared to Peter. 3. He appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus. 4. He appeared to the disciples as a whole (except for Thomas, who wasn't there). 5. He appeared to the disciples with Thomas, and Thomas believed. 6. He appeared to seven disciples at the Sea of Galilee and enjoyed a fish fry. 7. He appeared to over 500 people at once. 8. He appeared to James, his brother. 9. He appeared one final time to his disciples before He ascended to heaven. There are at least nine documented live appearances after His death. That is a lot of evidence that He rose from the dead.

I'll leave you with these thoughts to ponder. You can visit Bryant Wright's site at http://www.rfth.org/

THE JEWEL OF HIS HEART

I'm so excited to share with you the brand new cover for book 2 in Heart of the West series, The Jewel of His Heart. It's so beautiful and once again Revell had captured my herione perfectly with the Yogo blue eyes. I'm sure that you'll agree that it is stunning!
The story takes place in Montana, the Big Sky Country. Here's a tease-

Romance readers have taken to Maggie Brendan's softer romantic style that perfectly captures life on the American frontier, introducing them to rugged, independent souls and their inner spiritual struggles, and the quest for love that makes for a satisfying read every time. Set in 1890s Montana, The Jewel of His Heart finds Juliana drawn to a handsome, gentle sheepherder--but sparks fly when he considers mining, the occupation that lured her father away from his family. Both Josh and Juliana must make a choice--the world's riches and promises, or the eternal value of love.

I hope you'll be looking for it this fall and then "fall" in love with Josh and Juliana. Happy Trails...