I love a good book festival. I mean, Book + Festival = Fun, right? Books by the Banks in Cincinnati, Ohio is one of my favorite annual events. This year was no exception. At least a hundred authors attended. Thousands of book-buyers wandered through the convention center throughout the day. There’s so much to do! Shop, hit…

I was scrolling through my newsfeed recently and caught an article about gymnast Gabby Douglas. She’s a beautiful example to so many young women in our world—at twenty-years-old, she’s barely out of her teens, yet she’s an Olympic hero. Which means she’s in the limelight. This is a cause for celebration, but it’s also a…

My second title, ONE MOMENT, died in 2015. Due to unforeseen events, the book went out of print and has been unavailable to readers ever since. It was one of many sad events that left a whole slew of authors and their books homeless when my former publisher closed doors last year. The good thing about…

Every novel faces a unique journey to publication. My latest title, A MILLION TIMES GOODNIGHT, endured a very rough road. Here’s the story behind the story. I started the book in 2011, finished in 2012, and celebrated when it was acquired by Egmont USA in 2013. When I received my first editorial letter in 2014,…

This past summer, my first novel, THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES, was required reading for Beavercreek High School. The entire high school. That’s grades 9-12. I don’t think I need to explain how amazing this was, but just in case, it was very amazing. In addition, I booked a full-day author visit. Which was also amazing.…

  Little Secret: I can’t start a new book until I have several things in place. First, I need a main character with a name that’s the perfect fit, then I focus on an inciting incident that will spin the character’s life in a new direction, which brings me to an ensuing want/need/desire to help…

The launch party for my latest title, A MILLION TIMES GOODNIGHT, was hosted by Books & Co at The Greene in Beavercreek, Ohio on August 4, 2016. The store itself is gorgeous, a place that I envisioned myself signing years before I’d ever completed my first novel. I’m so fortunate to work with Sharon Kelly…

This year’s Antioch Writers’ Workshop marks the 20-year anniversary of my attendance as a participant. 20 years! This fact make me feel old. But it also makes me feel accomplished. It was a true honor to join the workshop as a seminar leader this year, taking on an afternoon session of fiction instruction. It’s amazing how close these small groups become…