New Beckoning Light Cover

I'm very excited about this gorgeous cover designed by Laura Estill!

College Basketball

     I admit it. I have only been a fan of Carolina Basketball for a few years.Yeah, I know that two major characters in Beckoning Light have played or are going to play for the Tar Heels, but my time as a fan is embarrassing small. Actually, my time as a fan of college basketball has been short. I only went to a handful of games while in college and grad school but then something happened—I moved to the triangle of North Carolina. I am convinced that it is impossible not to become a fan of the game when you live here, it’s even hard to go to the store during basketball season without someone asking what team you root for. Eventually I got pulled in, even with Carolina failing to make the tournament the first year we were here. Sometimes the place we live manages to change us—it becomes part of the fabric of who we are and once that happens it’s impossible to turn back. So yes, I’m a new fan of the sport, but really who cares, all that really matters is that when the game starts I’ll be yelling Go Tar Heels! 

Tell me about your favorite team. 

Writing Update

I've finished the first draft of Perilous Light and am starting the editing process. With a toddler and infant at home I may be working more slowly than I would like but I should be right on schedule for an early spring release. I've had so much fun writing Perilous Light and am so excited to share it with everyone. I'll post a book description soon.

In other news, once I finish Perilous Light I'll be working on the first book of a new series, The Crescent Chronicles. I'll have more information up soon but it's an urban fantasy/paranormal romance set in New Orleans narrated by a college student (and no, it isn't autobiographical :) ).

Friends and Community Service

     In life there are people who make a significant impression on you and who you can never forget. One of those people for me was Jena, one of my closest college friends and roommates who died tragically last year when she was only 27. Jena was one of those people who lived to give back to others. She believed fiercely in giving her time and energy to community service and outreach. In her honor, her friends and family started an organization, the Jena Ashley Smiles 929 Foundation, to help continue on Jena's strong commitment to community service, particularly in the areas of youth, literacy and medical research.

For the month of October, I will be donating all profits from the sale of Beckoning Light to the foundation.

For more information please check out     The Jena Ashley Smiles 929 Foundation

New Baby Boy

I became a mother of two on Wednesday when my son Samuel was born! I'll be taking a short break from writing but I'm almost done with the first draft of Perilous Light and I'll be sure to update everyone soon! 

Favorite Books

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about preference in books. What makes us love one book and dislike another? How do we choose what books we want to read, and which ones we pass up? In some ways it's similar to how we choose other things in life like foods and movies, but at least for me, taste in books becomes even more personal. My preference in books is broad, and my favorites vary but usually I stay in certain genres. However, my all time favorite book, Moby Dick, doesn't fit any of my usual book categories. There is just something about Melville's depiction of obsession and his prose that has me coming back time and again.

Does anyone else have a favorite book that doesn't quite fit in with your usual taste? How do you know that you have found your perfect book?

Creativity

I recently had coffee with a friend and we ended up discussing the creative process. She brought up how people tend to create in two distinct ways either with a flash of inspiration that is more emotionally based or in a more logical manner. Although my initial reaction was to say that my creativity always comes with a flash, recently my writing has become more of a hybrid of the two. I have been writing Perilious Light with a set plan, but letting the details fill in naturally.  I'm hoping that the result is positive... you will all have to let me know this Spring.