Babies on the brain

I missed the awesome giveaway weekend earlier this month, but I have a good excuse—my son was born on August 28 and we’ve still been adjusting to life going from a family of three to a family of four. Because I wasn’t able to participate then, I’d like to give away two copies of my debut book, MARRYING MISS MARSHAL from today’s commenters. I’ll choose the winners at the end of the day and post the names in the comments, so check back tomorrow to see if you’ve won!
–also just a note to say that I’ll try to check comments as often as I can today but with two little ones underfoot (one of them brand new!) I may not be here as often as I’d like.

Since this is my first post as a CRAFTIE Lady, I thought I’d share a little about myself. I’m a mom with a toddler and a newborn. I’ve been married for nine years to a wonderful man I met in college. I was born and raised in Oklahoma, spending several years of my childhood on a family farm. I graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2006, which was the same year I started writing for publication. I was contracted with Love Inspired Historical in 2010 and my first book with them was published just over a month ago, in August.

I wrote most of MARRYING MISS MARSHAL while trying to get pregnant with my daughter (although some of it was written/rewritten after she came along). My second book, THE HOMESTEADER’S SWEETHEART (May 2012), was written while I was pregnant with my son. I think because I had babies on the brain, that’s why both books feature babies in different ways.

In MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, the heroine (a town marshal) really wants a family of her own. During the story, she has to help deliver her best friend’s baby and it is a very poignant moment for both women. In THE HOMESTEADER’S SWEETHEART, hero Jonas White was forced to leave Philadelphia to care for his infant daughter. The book is focused on the hero and his family five years after that fact, but Jonas’s past is important to the story.

I think one reason I like writing babies into my stories is because most people have a reaction to them. As parents, we keep memories of our kids close to our hearts and can relate to what the characters we’re reading about are feeling and experiencing—like staying up late with a colicky baby or that scary moment when they seem to choke on their bottle. Aunts, uncles, friends, grandparents… most of us have a collection of moments stored up in our memory banks and when we read about something similar in a good book, that memory surfaces.

I’m sure you can tell I’ve still got babies on the brain—and probably will for awhile! I wouldn’t trade these precious moments with my little ones for anything. So tell me, what’s your favorite memory involving a baby or toddler?

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