Hi, Patty Smith Hall here. As many of you are aware, Love Inspired Historical, the line I write for, will publish the last set of books this June. It's always difficult to see a line end, particularly when it's closing directly affects you. I won't say I didn't see it coming--just one look at the sales numbers over the last few years, and you wonder why they didn't do it sooner. Many who wrote for this line are venturing into contemporary or romantic suspense while others are still trying to figure out where to go from here.
For me, it's been an easy decision. I love reading and writing historical romance and fiction so changing genres was never an option for me. But I've been blessed since word of the closing hit. Last year, I was published in three novella collections(The American Heiress Bride, Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands
and The Captive Bride.) This summer, I'll have two more released--The Underground Railroad Bride and The Southern Belle Bride. I'm also working on a historical fiction that I hope will be published sometime next year.
That being said, I feel it's time to say good-bye. It's been difficult as I've read Harlequin books since I was eleven years old, and it was my dearest dream to write for them since the late 1980s. But times have changed--though I still read Love Inspired, there are other dreams to follow.
So thank you, readers. You are the reason I write in the first place. I'm honored and humbled that you would read my 'scratchings' as Jo March would say. Thank you to the LI editorial staff for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream and teaching me how to be a better writer. Thank you to my LI sisters who have talked me through plot points and tough times. You are some of the most generous people I know.
And thank you, Lord! You began this work in me when I was barely a child, and gave me the dreams of my heart. How great you are, Father! I can't wait to see what You have in store for me next!
PS--Don't miss the first installment of the Valentine's Day tomorrow! It's going to be fantastic fun!
Jean C. Gordon here with a new must buy from our Love Inspired Suspense authors. Just click on the cover to purchase it. And to learn more about Heather, click on her name.
NO SAFE PLACE
Someone wants accountant Rebecca Linn—the granddaughter of a federal judge—dead, and it’s Deputy US Marshal Kurt Brock’s duty to figure out why and protect her. But her powerful family insists Kurt keep his relationship with Rebecca strictly professional…no matter how much he’s drawn to the feisty, fast-thinking beauty. Rebecca is sure the suspicious evidence she uncovered in her latest auditing case has put a target on her back. But staying ahead of those out to silence her is bringing her dangerously close to Kurt—and putting both their careers on the line. With the attacker closing in, can Rebecca and Kurt survive long enough to reveal the would-be killer’s secrets?
And Thursday, February 1, look for the start of our annual Valentine Serial.
Jean C. Gordon here with a new must buy from our Love Inspired Historical authors. Don't you love the cover? Just click on it to purchase the book. And to learn more about Danica, click on her name.
HER RANCHER BODYGUARD
When Laura Booth’s dangerous ex-husband escapes from prison, she turns to the one man who can protect her: Owen Hamilton. Living with the widowed former lawman—who once helped put her ex in jail—and his adorable twin daughters on their Colorado ranch is a welcome respite. For the first time, Laura feels safe—but after her troubled past, she’ll never trust her heart again.
Owen would like to say only obligation draws him to Laura’s side. But in his gut he knows his feelings for the gentle beauty run deeper than duty—and it stops him cold. After guarding their wary hearts for years, can Owen and Laura give love a second chance?
Eleventh century fresco of the Exorcism at the Synagogue in Capernaum. [PD-US]
Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him." His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Mark 1:21-28
If you have prayer needs, please mention them
in the comments section so we can join you in prayer. You do not need to
include specific names or situations of a private nature, just say that you
have a prayer request. The Lord knows your heart and the needs you have. It is
a privilege and honor to pray with you and for you.
I'm Sarah Price and I'm so honored to be a part of the Love Inspired blog.
I've been writing Amish romances since 1989. In fact, my first novel, Fields of Corn, was written after I spent time living on an Amish farm in 1988-1989.
My family is Mennonite and in 1978, my grandparents took me to Lancaster, PA. One look at those farms and the horses...I was hooked!
So ten years later, I played a little hooky from college and set off to find an Amish family to rent me a room.
The result of that adventure is the basis of Fields of Corn. In fact, the first half of the story is almost 100% true. But then I ventured off the beaten path--like so many authors do--into the world of "what-if?"
In 2009, I self-published that book. Fifty novels later and several publishers into my career, I'm thrilled that Love Inspired is publishing my very first novel written almost thirty years ago!
Fields of Corn will be available at Walmart exclusively starting January 31st. I am excited (and nervous!) to hear what you think of the book that launched my writing career. (Wow...put that way and I'm really nervous! 😳)
I split my time between Morristown, NJ and Archer, FL. We live on a twenty acre horse ranch where my daughter trains wild mustangs--I just fall OFF the mustangs and break ribs from time to time 😁.
I hope you'll follow me on social media. I livestream about my crazy life every morning of Facebook (http//www.facebook.com/fansofsarahprice) and I'm on Instagram (@sarahpriceauthor).
I'm sure you know the old adage: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
But do they? Really?
Last week I dug out an old copy of my educational philosophy. I wrote it back when I was finishing grad school, and now I need to update it because my school is going through a transition.
Reading through it reminded me of some similarities in my writing and teaching careers.
When I first decided to become a teacher, I took a job teaching history in high school. That was 31 years ago, but I still remember saying to my husband, "I can't believe they're going to pay me to talk about history all day."
All my fellow teachers can stop laughing now. 😂 It didn't take long for me to realize that there was far more to teaching than "talking about history all day."
About that same time, I was writing my first book - a looooong historical novel. No surprise that, although I got positive feedback, I was often told that the history needed to take second place to the story.
Fortunately, for both my students and my readers, I learned my lesson.
I learned that teaching is more about the students than the content, and I learned that writing is more about the reader than my love of history. I guess you could say I really took that message to heart since I now write suspense rather than historical fiction.😇
Anyway, as I was pondering the changes in both my educational philosophy and my writing, I kept coming back to how much the world has also changed in the past 30 years.
The technology that pretty much rules our lives now, was fairly nonexistent at that point. In school we still used those mechanical copying machines that left you covered in purple ink. For my writing, I relied mostly on a legal pad and pencil before eventually upgrading to the miraculous word processor that didn't require whiteout!
But how have things changed?
~ My students cannot conceive of a world where you can't reach someone instantly.
I think fondly of those wonderful AOL message boards which (apart from early RT and RWA conferences) were my only link to other writers.
~ Today, readers email us or post messages on FB or Twitter. It's not at all unusual to be friends with your fans or with other writers.
I cherished the letters sent by Mary Jo Putney in response to my fan mail. (Snail mail, of course. There was no other kind.) She was my first link to the world of "real writers," and I appreciated the time she took to respond to a newbie.
~ At night, after my children were asleep, I used to seclude myself in a quiet room and write my heart out.
These days, if I haven't gotten sidetracked by FB when signing in to #1k1hr, I'm constantly tempted to "just log in and see what everyone is up to," a classic case of the FOMO that Terri Reed wrote about a few weeks back.
~ I have walls of research books I could lose myself in, but when I need to know what a particular town in Texas looks like, I can have an image in the amount of time it takes me to type the name into a search engine.
For me, the single biggest change also has to do with technology.
Thirty years ago - or even ten, I never would have had the courage to write inspirational fiction. I didn't think I knew enough, was eloquent enough, or had sufficient experience to write about faith in my life, let alone others' lives.
But I learned something about that too. And I learned it on the internet.
I don't remember exactly how I stumbled across Matt Maher's music videos, but from them, I gained the courage to try to find my voice in Christian fiction.
I'd pretty much stopped writing at that point. But then I heard this song.
And if I ever need to be reminded that I'm not in this alone...
It's easy to bemoan the changes the internet has wrought (especially in terms of distraction and lost work time), but there are so many amazing benefits.
Maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same in their essence. That's especially true if you consider the greatest truth of all.
This may be my favorite of all Matt's songs, and it's a wonderful reminder of why those of us who write inspirational fiction write what we write - we lift high the banner of the cross.
I thought it might be fun today to talk about how our writing lives
(or just our lives) and expectations have changed due to technology.
So, has the internet changed you and your writing? For better or worse?
In my debut book with Love Inspired, Instant Family, my heroine, Frankie Munro, struggles with trust and self-esteem because of the behavior of her ex-husband; while my hero, Ben Cedar, longs to make up for mistakes he made in the past by trying to be the perfect son and caregiver to his father, who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease. Throughout the course of the book, they both learn that they can't change the past and will never be perfect. But if they learn to put their trust in God - and in each other - they will discover that He is a God of second -- and third -- and fourth and .... chances, not because of anything we can do to deserve them, but because of who He is.
I think there are times that we all need to be reminded that it's okay to admit that we're not perfect. God certainly knows it and the people who truly care about us will accept us for who we are. In this time of social media, there can often be pressure to put our best foot forward at all times. It can be easy to forget that the messages, tweets, and posts that we see, or make, represent only a fleeting glimpse of our entire lives.
Because of this, I believe that it's very important to have support systems that allow us to be ourselves on our good days and on our bad ones: It could be family and friends; it could be a writing group or an online writing community, or a combination of all of these. I personally feel very blessed to find support in all said groups.
For example, the local writing group I belong to is comprised of writers ranging from best selling authors publishing with traditional publishers, through to smaller publishing houses and indie publishing. We all respect each others' work and celebrate any successes that we have. But, what's more important to me, is that we also support each other through the tough times. It's a group where I feel safe saying, "You know, I'm really having doubts about my writing right now." Sometimes, we don't even talk about writing, but share family news, health concerns, the books we're reading or the television shows we like to watch.
As a debut author, I know that my journey is only beginning and that there will be bumps along the way. So, it comforts me to know there are people I can share my questions and concerns with, who are willing to listen without judgment and share their expertise with me.
Most of all, it encourages me to know that God cares about each and every one of us and has a plan for our lives.
I hope that you enjoy reading about Ben and Frankie and what they learn about God, themselves and each other. And I would love to hear about your support systems!
Instant Family is available for order on Amazon and Chapters/Indigo.
For me, it's been an easy decision. I love reading and writing historical romance and fiction so changing genres was never an option for me. But I've been blessed since word of the closing hit. Last year, I was published in three novella collections(The American Heiress Bride, Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands
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