Friday Sisterhood with Patty Smith Hall

Family Status:  My husband and I just celebrated my 31st wedding anniversary June 17th! We have two daughters—one who works in the medical profession and who is getting married next year, and our youngest who is a junior in college.

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: McDonald’s Sweet Tea with two lemons

What Is Your Favorite Food: Bread—I love just about any kind of bread!

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: I’m big into reading, walking the parks around my house, visiting with family and friends.

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life:  That’s a hard question! My parents, obviously, but my maternal grandmother too. I’m like her in many ways and seeing that, she was able to guide me through some life-changing decisions.


First Book You Fell in Love With: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I read this book every year from the time I was in 3rd grade until I graduated from college-I wanted to be like Beth(without dying, of course!)

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. To write that beautifully is truly a gift!

First Book Published: Hearts in Flight, July, 2011 

Most Recent Book: Hearts Rekindled, Feb, 2014

Out Next: Winning the Sheriff’s Heart hasn’t been assigned a release date.

How Many Have You Written:  6 total; four published, one looking for a publishing house; one I’m self-publishing. 

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: The business side of publishing—it’s important for every aspiring author to have a good handle on contracts, royalty statements and marketing.


What is Your Favorite Bible Story: The story of Paul—as a person who struggles with pain on a daily basis, his ministry while dealing with a ‘thorn in his side’ has special meaning for me. 

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Romans 8:28(which is also my life verse.)

What is Your Favorite Hymn: Another hard question! Because I love them all!

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: That the Lord would work in our girls' lives as well as our future son-in-law’s life.

Friday Sisterhood with Vickie Mcdonough

Family Status: Married, four grown sons, but two still live at home 

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Coke

What Is Your Favorite Food: Just one? Being honest--French silk pie

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: Read

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life: My dad

First Book You Fell in Love With: A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

First Book Published: My first published work was a novella in a collection called A Stitch in Time. First actual book was Sooner or Later. 

Most Recent Book: Call of the Prairie, book 2 in my Pioneer Promises series

Out Next: Song of the Prairie, book 3 in my Pioneer Promises series

How Many Have You Written: 34 

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: The skills of writing

What is Your Favorite Bible Story: The story of Jesus

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Jeremiah 29:11

What is Your Favorite Hymn: He Lives 

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: That my sons who are not walking with God would turn back to Him

Friday Sisterhood with Deb Kastner

Family Status: I’ve been blessed to be married for 27 years with 3 grown daughters and 2 adorable grandchildren.

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Plain black dark-roast coffee—and the occasional Mountain Dew. Had to cut out that soda habit.

What Is Your Favorite Food: Mexican

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: What is free time? There is no such thing in my life. On the rare times I’m able to do something for myself I enjoy going on dates with hubby Joe to dinner theater see a musical.

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life: After Jesus, my husband Joe. He’s been there through all my highs and lows.

First Book You Fell in Love With: The whole Chronicles of Narnia series. I got them as a set one Christmas and read them all straight through. I also remember my first Harlequin book. I think I was about twelve and was on vacation to a very small town in Oregon where my relatives live. There was a small circular rack of books in the drugstore. I picked out a Harlequin Historical called Sophie and the Prince, which was set in Russia. It was the beginning of my journey into a love of romance novels.

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

First Book Published: Beloved from Multnomah Palisades was my very first book published. My first book for Love Inspired was A Holiday Prayer, which received a 4 ½ star Top Pick from Romantic Times magazine.

Most Recent Book: Her Valentine Sheriff was a February release for Love Inspired.

Out Next: Redeeming the Rancher in July.

How Many Have You Written: 27 

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: To enjoy the process of writing and the joy that comes with it. While I’m incredibly blessed to be writing for Harlequin, writing on deadline is not always fun. I sometimes look back to my prepublished days with a bit of nostalgia, simply writing for writing’s sake.

 What is Your Favorite Bible Story: The Last Supper

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Psalm 37:4&5

What is Your Favorite Hymn: I’m a long-time member of the church choir. Music is such an integral part of my life that I simply can’t pick one song. I love the old hymns like, “How Great Thou Art” and newer ones such as, “In the Breaking of the Bread,” plus a lot of newer praise and worship music.

Granny and Anthony

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: For the Lord’s protective covering over me and my family and that my words would be honoring to God and edifying to others.