Family

"Chance makes us family, hearts makes us friends"

I have been absolutely and amazingly blessed by the family that I have been given.  I have two loving, supporting parents.  My mother is my manager, editor, agent, planner, sounding board, chauffeur, cheerleader, decorator, just about everything.  I call her my "Momager".  My books, along with a lot of things in my life would not happen without her.  She has also become a great friend as well.  

I also have two sisters and a brother, and I count them among my best friends.  We have always been close, and while we have had our "spats" throughout the years growing up, I cannot remember any specific fights.  We haven't always agreed on things, but we have always been supportive of one another.  We get together has often as possible, and it is a rare week when I don't see my family.  I also have three wonderful nieces and an adorable nephew.  They are a big part of my world, and love my continually-growing family.

My extended family is also quite close.  We gather about three times a year, even though we are spread from the East coast to Denver.  They are also some family that has become friends

My love of family comes out in my writings.  In Though War Shall Rise Against Me, I focus on the friendships that become like family.  Some characters have siblings, but we do not see a lot of interaction between them.  In Book 2 of The Turner Cousins, Be Strong and Steadfast, we will see many more family interactions between the characters.  You will also read more about the relationship between the Turner cousins: Charlotte of Gettysburg, Belle and Elizabeth of Fredericksburg, Victoria and Mary of Vicksburg, and Rebekah of Petersburg.

Now its back to writing Be Strong and Steadfast!  Enjoy ringing in the New Year.  Stay safe and God Bless.

Friendship

A main theme of my novels is relationships.  We see many different relationships: romantic, familial and friendship.  This particular post is going to focus on friendships and their importance.
In Though War Shall Rise Against Me, we see old friendships develop and new friendships grow.  We see that no friendship is perfect and that sometimes, friends have to be willing to be brutally honest.  Many times, Charlotte's friends, especially Alex, tell Charlotte things that she does not want to hear, but needs to.  We all need friends like that.
I have been very blessed in the friend department.  I write this on the eve of a day where I will be able to meet up with some of my very best friends from across the country throughout the course of the day.  Friendships are extremely important in a person's life.  I have friends that I will not talk to for months, but when we get together, it is as if no time has passed.  I have friends that have such a similar mindset to me, that sometimes words are not needed.  I have friends who will be brutally honest with me (usually in the fashion department), and that help me with my own personal growth.  I am especially blessed to have family members (sisters, brother, parents) who have become some of my closest friends.
Do I agree with everything that my friends do?  Absolutely not.  I have a handful of friends that I agree with very little in terms of politics.  They know my stances and I know theirs, but we "agree to disagree" and don't let it ruin our friendships.  No relationship will be perfect and I don't believe you can find anyone who will agree with you 100% of the time.  At least I haven't found someone like that.
One of my favorite author/artists/cartoonists is Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts.  He once said "A friend is someone who knows all of your faults, but likes you anyways."  I strongly believe in that.  Our dearest friends will know our faults and weaknesses, but still care about us.  Another good trait of a friend is someone who will help you be the best person that you can be.  I tell that to my middle-schoolers all the time.
I believe my novels show those aspects of friendship between the characters.  Friendship is such an important part of my life that it naturally shows in my writings.  Book 2 in "The Turner Daughters" series, Be Strong and Steadfast also follows four friends.  We follow Isabelle and Elizabeth Turner, who are cousins to Charlotte and whom we met in Though War Shall Rise Against Me, and their friends America Joan Prentiss (who we also met in Book 1) and Catherine Corbin.  Their friendship will hit some rocky points throughout the course of the novel.  I hope you enjoy reading their story (it should be available in early 2017, stay posted for more updates).
Family is another theme that plays a major role in my novels.  I will be discussing that in my next post.  Stay tuned!  And enjoy your family and friends over the holiday weekend!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Welcome!

Good Morning!
I have decided to start a blog, as another avenue that I can connect with my readers or those who are interested in reading, history, or any other variety of topics.  I am a pretty eclectic person and enjoy a variety of things.  My goal is to write 2-3 posts per week.
Today, I decided to introduce the blog with an answer to a commonly asked question I get:  What made you want to be a writer?
The answer:  I never really decided to become a writer.  It was something that I always enjoyed doing.  I remember in Elementary school, we had a "Publishing Center" where students could write stories, turn them in to the Center, where parent volunteers would type them (most of the time on typewriters...yes, I am dating myself), bind them and give them back.  They would spend time in our school library and then we would get to take them home.  My parents still have all of the books that my siblings and I wrote, and it is quite the collection.
I never lost my passion for writing.  I have so many ideas up in my head and can't wait to get them down on paper.  I am really excited that I have so many people that want to read what I have written.  I feel so humbled by that.  I deeply appreciate all of my readers and all of the messages that you send me.  I hope to better connect with all of you through this blog and other forms of social media.  And if you are ever in the area when I am at an event, I would love talking with you again.  An unexpected benefit of writing Though War Shall Rise Against Me and selling it at events is meeting so many awesome and interesting people.
Check back in a couple of days when I talk about some of my specific inspiration for the relationships behind my novels.  Have a wonderful and blessed day!