On Sequels and Big Dreams

A month after my first novel, "Wild Heart" came out in paperback, readers began asking for a sequel. I hadn't plan to write one, but with the question came thoughts and ideas for another Western. Characters from "Wild Heart" started talking inside my head, and before I knew it I had a story. It took a year or so to finish, and I was ecstatic.

I took my sequel to a WV Writer's conference in the summer of 2010, and pitched my book to two agents. I was nervous, and I'm sure I did not say the right things, but they listened. The one said to email her the first chapter. The gentleman said it wasn't the genre he usually worked in and thanked me before sending for the next potential published author.

Believing my dreams were coming true, I came home and sent the email. I waited on pins and needles for her reply. When it came, my heart sank. "Too slow," she said.

I moped for a few days, but then decided it was high time to revise the story. I did so, then prayed for the Lord to show me what next i should do.

"To Tame A Heart", sequel to "Wild Heart" was published through Create Space in February of 2011. Today you can read it in paperback or on your kindle from Amazon. Or, if you want an audio copy, you can listen to a sample and download it from Audible.


Being a full time homeschool mom doesn't allow much time or funds for wild goose chases. As a result, I haven't pitched a book to another agent since then. However, I have kept writing and publishing. The most important thing I've done is give my writing to the Master Storyteller. He gave me the ideas in the first place. Looking back, I now can say I'm thankful neither one of those agents were interested. Do I still have a dream of a publishing contract? Sure, but maybe later on when the kids don't need so much of my attention. Until then, I'll keep writing and self publishing and praying. I will also keep learning and growing.

Don't ever give up on your dreams. If it seems it's all falling apart, remember to give them to the one who created you. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He will never fail.

Happy reading. :)

Wild Heart: The Story That Started It All

When I was a teenager, I fell in love with Westerns, especially ones with romance in them. The Library Commission for the Blind here in my home state would mail me green boxes of tapes, and I would listen all day and sometimes all night. The trouble was that most of them were meant for a much older audience. Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" and Janet Daily's "This Calder Sky" are not the cleanest books on the market.

It was also about this time that God began dealing with me about the types of entertainment I was allowing myself to listen to. Surrounding myself in country music and secular books leaves little time for Bible and songs of praise. I searched for Christian books with a Western romance theme, but at the time most of them were only available in print. So, was I supposed to give up my love of Westerns for God? The obvious answer here is yes.

Then, one evening in the summer of 1994, I got out my trusty, old braille writer, put in a sheet of paper and decided to try to write my own Christian Western romance book. I banged away that summer, probably keeping my parents awake at night with all the noise. If you've ever been around someone using a braille writer, you'll understand. If you haven't, well, think old style typewriters and you'll be close.

I finished the story when I was 18, but by that time I was graduating high school and getting ready to go off to college in Pennsylvania. By Christmas, though, I was ready to come home and stay. In the summer of 1998, I went to Morristown, NJ and trained with a Seeing Eye dog. A month later, I moved out into my own apartment. Over the next year I worked on the story, but in October of ;99, I began dating the man I would marry. I didn't pick the book up again, seriously, until after my second daughter was born in 2007.

How I found time to write with a newborn and a toddler crawling all over me, I don't know. Yet, something about the stress of being a new mom brought out the writer in me. Nights walking the floor, changing diapers on one while potty training the other, the constant feedings and constant crying brought me to a place in life I'd never been. Learned a lot of lessons those few years, I'll tell you.

Today, my very first book, "Wild Heart" is available as a kindle book. You can download it from Amazon.

If you are like me and love audio books, there is an audio version on Audible.  W. B. Ward does a fabulous job of making the characters come alive. I believe you will enjoy it as much as I do.

So, now you know how I got started as a writer. My favorite genres have changed over the years. I seldom ever read Westerns anymore, but I love to watch them on TV. However, romance, the clean kind is still my favorite. Authors i now read include: Rachel Hauck and Susan May Warren. First and foremost, however, God's Word comes first in my life. I read it every day, and I'm trying to teach my children to love it, too.

My prayer for you, dear reader is that you are reading God's Word every day, too. I also hope you enjoy my first attempt at Christian fiction. May God lead you always toward a closer relationship with Him.

It All Begins With A Story

My grandmother used to like to tell me I was born in the middle of a snow storm. With a smile in her voice, she would talk about how the power went out and how the fire had died down in their wood burning stove. That was back in January of 1979. My grandmother is gone now, but stories like this  one inspire me to write on a daily basis.

I am the granddaughter of a coal miner, the daughter of a beautician, the wife of a minister and the mother of two, precious girls. I grew up and still live in rural WV, and stories are my passion. Whether it is a story written in a book, sung in a song or a tale told aloud, you can find me there. I began writing when I was eight-years-old and at present, there are over twenty story ideas/beginnings stored on my mac book's hard drive. Not all of them are finished; only three are published, but I am always coming up with new ideas. I also write songs and dabble in poetry. I write in different genres, including Westerns, children's fiction, historical romance, contemporary romance, fantasy, and one nonfiction book which is taking longer to compile than I ever dreamed possible.

In all my stories, though, no matter the genre, you will find a common thread. I became a follower of Jesus Christ in the summer of 1992, and He has completely changed my life. God has given me the ability to write, and I am attempting to give that talent back to Him. So, not wanting to pass up an opportunity to be a witness for my Lord, I try my best in all that I write to lead my readers to the foot of the cross. My books are not preachy, but you will find Jesus there, because they are His stories. He gives them to me, and I give them to you.

Writing is not the only thing I enjoy. I also like to sing, play piano, bake, knit and crochet, read and listen to music. I am by no means accomplished at any of these, but they do bring me happiness.

The purpose of this blog is to share with you, my faithful readers. I will often write about writing, but I do have a tendency to be unpredictable. So, expect the unexpected. Stories about my life as a woman who is blind just might pop up now and again. I hope you will subscribe and comment often. If you are on face book, come over and like my author page

Happy reading