Celebrate! by Sally Shupe

Happy December! The month of celebration. I thought about what I’d set out to accomplish over the year. In some areas, I accomplished everything I set out to do. In other areas, I fell short. But you know what? Overall, I am happy with how this year turned out. My writing has grown, I’ve made new friends, I’ve got some great new ideas for more stories for next year. I’m excited!

Don’t focus on what didn’t get accomplished this year, and why you couldn’t get those items marked off your list. Didn’t get that remodel done? Didn’t find that great new job? Didn’t get that one last box emptied? Or maybe you didn’t get that book written, or finish the outline for your next book. Instead, focus on what you did accomplish. Look at your completed tasks. Did you get an outline typed up, flesh out characters for a book, enter a contest, get feedback? Did you find a critique partner? Celebrate the little things you did get done! Reward yourself for continually working toward your goal.

So. What are you celebrating? Every step forward is a step to be celebrated. Didn’t completely follow that diet plan? Celebrate that you’re more active now than you used to be, or that you’re eating more vegetables than you used to. Don’t focus on the negative, on the things you didn’t get done, the obstacles that you couldn’t control. Did life get in the way of you accomplishing your goals? Look at what you did get done during that time. Sometimes just showing up takes everything you’ve got. Celebrate that! Celebrate all the little things that make life special to you. A sweet smile, an unexpected visitor or card, writing an extra 500 words, a new idea for your next book. A snowstorm-or maybe that’s just me lol.

While you’re celebrating the season, and the reason for the season, pull out all the little and big things you’ve accomplished this year, and celebrate those things. Merry Christmas!

Sally Shupe lives in southwest Virginia with her husband, two grown kids, and a whole bunch of pets: five dogs, three cats, a rabbit, and birds at the birdfeeder (and the mandatory snowman when the snow cooperates). She writes contemporary Christian romance, with two completed manuscripts and others in progress. They are part of a series located in small town Virginia.

When Sally’s not writing or working full-time, she is a freelance editor for several authors who write fiction and nonfiction; students working on dissertation papers; a copy editor for Desert Breeze (now closed); a content editor for Prism (became part of Pelican); performs beta reading for various authors; publishes book reviews on her blog and with Valley Business FRONT’s monthly magazine; is a member of ACFW and ACFW Virginia; and loves genealogy, running, and crocheting.

Sally uses her love of words to write about God’s amazing love.

How to Start a Writer's Sprint Group by Shannon Moore Redmon

Ever struggle to get your bum in the writer’s seat several times a week to complete that long-awaited deadline?

You’re not the only one.

In the evenings after a long hard day of work, my brain doesn’t want to be creative and balks at the idea of trying to construct a story. Often times, I find myself curled up with the TV remote in hand, wishing I would muster up the stamina to get a few words on the white screen, mocking me in its glow.

Enter my writer friend Sami Abrams, a fun-loving, extroverted writer (yes, they do exist) who wanted to get some friends together and write. She suggested we meet online, chat about our stories for a few minutes and then write as many words as possible in a fifteen-minute time slot. I loved the idea and our Writer Sprint group was born. A shout out to the amazing authors who participate with me: Sami A. Abrams, Ginger Vaughn, Darlene L Turner, Dana R. Lynn, and Loretta Eidson.
 
Five easy steps to start a Writer Sprint group

1) Select how many times you want to meet. Our group meets two to three evenings a week. We each come from a different area of the country—from the west to east coast and deep south to Canada. Make sure to take into account different time zones when scheduling. Six writers take part in our group, usually not all at one time. The most we’ve had in a meeting at once has been four people. Limiting the number of writers to a smaller group, allows for each person to get the individualized help they need with the scenes they are writing.

2) Decide on a host to oversee each meeting. We take turns doing this or volunteer for a specific day of the week to lead. Our host for the night will post three Zoom links to the group Facebook page. Zoom links only provide a forty-minute window for a free account. (Not sure about other web-conference services). When the timer runs out, we exit the meeting and go to the next link. Sometimes Zoom will grant us a gift and provide unlimited time, which is nice.

3) Sprint Write. The host moderates our fifteen-minute limit and activates our start time. We all disperse to our works in progress to write as many words as possible. Although, some authors use the time to brainstorm or edit a chapter. Whatever they need. Then our host calls us back over audio to the video meeting when time is up.

4) Celebrate Victories. We compare word counts and celebrate all writing progress. We also use this time to hash out any sticky spots that might have cropped up. This is not the time to critique work. Only to write, edit or brainstorm.

5) Repeat. A group can determine how many sessions they want to do in a sprint. Depends on availability of the writers. We’ve found that two to three sessions work best for our group.

Benefits of Writer Sprints

1) Evening writing. I wasn’t doing much during this timeframe of the day, because my creativity is more active in the morning. By starting a group, our brains learned to let go of workday struggles and allow the story juices to flow again.

2) Increased writing speed and completed goals. I’m not as fast as some members in the group (Ginger Vaughn 😊), but trying to write as many words in a fifteen-minute period helps us let go of perfection and just write the scene. Get the words down. We can always go back and edit later. Our group writes anywhere from five-hundred to two thousand words a night per writer. Five-hundred words written every day will accomplish a completed novel in six months. That’s progress!

3) Provides encouragement. When we write alone, our enemy has a way of getting into our heads and filling it with all kinds of negative thoughts... We can’t do this. We’ll never finish. Our writing is terrible. Sound familiar? But with Godly brothers and sisters surrounding us, we inspire, encourage and lift each other up in our writing. We talk through our plot ideas that don’t work or find knowledge in others to make a scene plausible. We flesh out our characters and help create authentic storylines with depth. By writing together, we not only benefit from a well written story, but our readers will too.

Time to gather up a few friends, put on our writing brains and start a Writer’s Sprint group!

With Godly brothers and sisters surrounding us, we inspire, encourage and lift each other up in our writing. @shannon_redmon @MaryAFelkins #amwriting #SeriouslyWrite

Time to gather up a few friends, put on our writing brains and start a Writer’s Sprint group! @shannon_redmon @MaryAFelkins #amwriting #SeriouslyWrite

Shannon Redmon remembers the first grown up book she checked out from the neighborhood book mobile. A Victoria Holt novel with romance, intrigue, dashing gentlemen and ballroom parties captivated her attention. For her mother, the silence must have been a pleasant break from non-stop teenage chatter, but for Shannon, those stories whipped up a desire and passion for writing.
There’s nothing better than the power of a captivating novel, a moving song or zeal for a performance that punches souls with awe. A rainbow displayed after a horrific storm or expansive views on a mountaintop bring nuggets of joy into our lives. Shannon hopes her stories immerse readers into that same kind of amazement, encouraging faith, hope and love, guiding our hearts to the One who created us all.

Shannon’s writing has been published in Spark magazine, Splickety magazine, the Lightning Blog, The Horse of My Dreams compilation book, and the Seriously Write blog. Her stories have been selected as a semi-finalist and finalist of the ACFW Genesis Contest and won first place in the Foundation’s Awards. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. The StoryMoore Blog is named in memory of her father, Donald Eugene Moore.

Connect with Shannon:
www.shannonredmon.com
The StoryMoore Blog
FB: https://www.facebook.com/shannon.redmon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shannon_redmon
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonredmon/

The Big Writing Secret by Mary Manners

The tasks in a writer's life are akin to the ebb and flow of waves that lap along the shoreline. No matter how many are checked off the list, there's always another heading in. Sometimes, like a boat caught in those waves, a writer can become overwhelmed. A few years ago I was tackling a full time job and a writing career, and I dreamed of the day I could retire from my day job to focus only on writing. I would have time to write the million stories dancing through my head.

Well, that day has come and gone and I still find myself searching for more hours in the day to get everything done. Most days, I cannot fathom how I managed to do it all with a fifty-hour work week as a school administrator. But somehow I managed...and I wrote a good deal of those million books because it was important to me, and I knew the biggest secret of writing.



So, what is this secret? Well, the biggest secret to writing successfully is so simple that it's almost painful. You must simply plant yourself in a seat and write. And then write some more. And continue writing, even when you don't feel like it. The more you write, the better a writer you will become. It takes time and patience to learn the craft. There's no magic fairy dust, no elves that come out at night to finish what you began (though sometimes I wish this was so).

My favorite time of day is early morning...the pre-dawn time when everyone else is sleeping. That's the closest thing I have found to any sort of writing magic, because the world is still and quiet and it almost feels as if I've found those extra hours I've been searching for. It's then the creativity burns brightest. I would suggest trying this, even if you are not a morning person. You might just be surprised by the outcome. Just don't message me to let me know until after lunch. ;-)

~~~~~

Love on a Dare (The Mulvaney Sisters: Alana)

FOUR SISTERS AND THE MEN THEY LOVE. SWEET, SMALL-TOWN ROMANCE...

Alana Mulvaney’s life is in a holding pattern. Consumed by day-to-day operations of the family business, Alana has no time for fun or romance. But a little fun and a whole lot of romance is just what Alana’s sisters have in mind when they learn childhood friend Donovan O’Reilly has returned to town.

Donovan O’Reilly has loved Alana Mulvaney since he moved in next door to her at the age of five. But he broke her heart when he was forced to leave town, and now that he’s returned home to Winding Ridge he has a second chance to prove his love. But is it too late to earn her trust…and her love…again?

~~~~~

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing. She lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and their rescue dog Axel, mischievous cats Colby and Rascal, 8 rambunctious chickens, and 13 fish.

Mary writes stories full of faith and hope. Her books have earned multiple accolades including two Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, the Aspen Gold, the Heart of Excellence, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.

Mary loves long sunrise runs, Smoky Mountain sunsets, and flavored coffee. She enjoys connecting with reader friends through her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

Never Give Up by Mary Manners

Never Give Up

By Mary Manners

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

~Hebrews 12:1~

What do the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and Motherhood have in common? Well, as a former marathon runner, I’m convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the countless hours of running and training during my marathon days prepared me for the other two.

Marathon running is an endeavor that requires dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. Runners have to train when they don’t feel like it…when their legs ache and they haven’t slept well. When the weather is hot, humid, cold, rainy, or the ground is blanketed in snow. Runners train before the sun rises, after dark, and as a strong north wind tries to blow them right off the path. Distance runners maintain focus and stay true to the goal. There’s no turning back, only looking forward and always striving for the next great challenge.

The same can be said of writing. It’s a path that requires dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. After all, what reader would enjoy a book that lacks a satisfying ending…devoid of plot, direction, or character arc? What publisher would pay for such a book? So writers plot even when they don’t feel like it…when their friends are going to the movies or out to dinner, when they’d rather read than revise, when warm rays of sunshine beckon from an office window and their heart longs to run and play. Writers pound the keyboard early in the morning when the rest of the world has yet to rise and late at night when the rest of the world has gone to bed. They write when the refrigerator lures with just one more soda or a piece of chocolate pie. When writer’s block strikes they take a sledgehammer to it instead of pushing away from the desk, no matter how painful the sacrifice.

Being a mother is an endeavor that requires dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. Saying no to a child has never made any mother popular. Moms overlook their own needs to care for a child. They mother early in the morning, late at night, and every moment in between. They remain strong as a century-old oak when the storms of terrible two’s and the teenage years rage, while teaching their teen to drive or when their toddler throws a tantrum in the grocery store check-out line.

My life’s journey has been a blend of the three M’s. My daughter has begun embarked on a career as a school librarian, carrying the torch that I once held. She will graduate from college with a master's degree in May. The child I once shuttled to basketball practice and choir rehearsal now chauffeurs me. I have learned, depending on the day (sometimes even the hour), that I know nothing…and everything. Recently, a college friend of mine sent a photo that was snapped our sophomore year (1982). Looking at the photo, I thought I saw my daughter staring back at me. Was I ever that young, thin and…unwrinkled? My daughter took one glance at the picture and gasped, “Mama, is that really you?” as if I could have never—possibly—been that vivacious young woman in the snapshot. After a good laugh, I thought about the fleeting passage of time and how happy and truly blessed I am to have experienced the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and, most especially, Motherhood.

~~~~~

Tragedy and Trust

ONE WRONG TURN AT A FORK IN THE ROAD...

When Chloe Rylin flees New York City and her dream of becoming a Broadway performer, she returns to her hometown harboring a life-altering secret and the shame of a shattered past. Best friend Kelsie asks her to help build a house through the local Shelter the Homeless program, where Chloe meets Zack Coleman and his mischievous St. Bernard, Sammy.

Zack is dealing with a devastating loss of his own, yet his gentleness and patience melt Chloe's resolve never to trust, much less fall in love, again. But what will Zack think when he discovers the shame of Chloe's past? Will he reject her, or can their fledgling love heal hurting hearts and blossom into a happily-ever-after, together?

~~~~~

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing. She lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and their rescue dog Axel, mischievous cats Colby and Rascal, 6 rambunctious chickens, and 13 fish.

Mary writes stories full of faith and hope. Her books have earned multiple accolades including two Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, the Aspen Gold, the Heart of Excellence, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.

Mary loves long sunrise runs, Smoky Mountain sunsets, and flavored coffee. She enjoys connecting with reader friends through her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.



Doin' It Right by Mary Manners

Doin' It Right

by Mary Manners

“If you’re going to do something, then do it right.”

            Those words, spoken by my father, came to me the winter of my thirteenth year as I delivered newspapers along my route on the streets of Elmwood Park, a suburb of Chicago. It was the winter of 1976 and we were in the clutch of a terrific, trademark Chicago blizzard. The streets were buried in three-foot drifts and my fingers ached with a bone-freezing chill through two pairs of wool gloves as I tossed rolled newspapers from the passenger window of our beat-up Chevy station wagon while my dad navigated the icy terrain. He usually didn’t chauffer me; I rode the six-mile route on my bike with papers nestled neatly into a burlap sack woven across the handlebars. But, today he’d decided the snow was a little more than my bubblegum-pink bike could handle, hence the unsolicited lesson in proper newspaper delivery. I really didn’t care what his thoughts were at the time; all I wanted was to get home to the warmth of our living room. Yet, with each paper that missed its mark Dad made me exit the car, retrieve the paper, and walk it up to the customer’s cleared front porch.

            I was a bit—okay, more than a bit—miffed at him that day, as it took several hours to finish the route and I was sure I’d permanently lost the use of a couple of fingers and toes in the process. But, as the following days passed, Dad’s words stayed with me. If you’re going to do something, then do it right. Little did I understand at the time that they would become a cornerstone of my work ethic over the decades to come, guiding me from a naive teenager to an award-winning teacher and principal, as well as a published author.

            With Dad’s encouragement, in the months and years to come I wrote and read everything I could devour, and then wrote and wrote and read some more. I was blessed to also have wonderful teachers along the way, who took the time to lift me up, to ask about my writing, to talk with me as if both my dreams and I truly mattered.

            Over the years, writing has become a part of me so huge that I cannot imagine life without it. Removing writing from my life would be like attempting to live without breathing—impossible. I have continued to write through moves from Chicago to the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, through college, marriage, career changes, and the deaths of both my parents.

I have never, ever stopped writing, and I try my best to pay that encouragement forward. Recently, two former students approached me and, with smiles plastered on their radiant faces said, “When we get published, we’re going to dedicate our book to you.” One of those words, above all the others, made my heart sing—they said when, not if. Sweet music to my ears, as I have managed to pass along the confidence that was instilled in me by several sweet souls who cared along the way.

Sometimes the best life lesson comes in the form of advice from your dad while delivering newspapers on the icy streets of Chicago during a blizzard—if you’re going to do something, then do it right.

~~~~~

Promises Renewed

A heartbreaking secret stands between Brianna and Jackson, and she plans to keep it that way...

When Brianna Caufield hosts an online auction to raise money for her fledgling youth center, the last thing she expects is to be matched for a date with Jackson Reed. Lured by the fame of an NFL career, the hometown hero and all-star quarterback broke off their engagement without so much as a backward glance. Now, washed-up and wiser, Jack’s come home with renewed faith and a changed heart—and he wants Brianna back.

No matter how much she still cares for Jackson, Brianna knows the secret she harbors will destroy any chance of a future together. Can Jack find a way to coax the secret to the surface? And if he does, will forgiveness draw them closer together…or will their love be shattered forever?

~~~~~

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing. She has two sons, a daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren. She lives in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and their rescue dog Axel, two rescue cats, Colby and Jax, 12 chickens and 13 fish.

Mary writes stories full of faith and hope. Her books have earned multiple accolades including two Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, the Aspen Gold, the Heart of Excellence, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.

Mary loves long sunrise runs, Smoky Mountain sunsets, and flavored coffee. She enjoys connecting with reader friends through her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.





It's Worth the Sacrifice by Mary Manners

It’s Worth the Sacrifice

By Mary Manners

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

~Hebrews 12:1~

What do the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and Motherhood have in common? Well, as a former marathon runner, I’m convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the countless hours of running and training during my marathon days prepared me for the other two.

Marathon running is an endeavor that requires dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. Runners have to train when they don’t feel like it…when their legs ache and they haven’t slept well. When the weather is hot, humid, cold, rainy, or the ground is blanketed in snow. Runners train before the sun rises, after dark, and as a strong north wind tries to blow them right off the path. Distance runners maintain focus and stay true to the goal. There’s no turning back, only looking forward and always striving for the next great challenge.

The same can be said of writing. It’s a path that requires dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. After all, what reader would enjoy a book that lacks a satisfying ending…devoid of plot, direction, or character arc? What publisher would pay for such a book? So writers plot even when they don’t feel like it…when their friends are going to the movies or out to dinner, when they’d rather read than revise, when warm rays of sunshine beckon from an office window and their heart longs to run and play. Writers pound the keyboard early in the morning when the rest of the world has yet to rise and late at night when the rest of the world has gone to bed. They write when the refrigerator lures with just one more soda or a piece of chocolate pie. When writer’s block strikes they take a sledgehammer to it instead of pushing away from the desk, no matter how painful the sacrifice.

Being a mother is an endeavor that requires dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. Saying no to a child has never made any mother popular. Moms overlook their own needs to care for a child. They mother early in the morning, late at night, and every moment in between. They remain strong as a century-old oak when the storms of terrible two’s and the teenage years rage, while teaching their teen to drive or when their toddler throws a tantrum in the grocery store check-out line.

My life’s journey has been a blend of the three M’s. My daughter will graduate from college in May. The child I once shuttled to basketball practice and choir rehearsal now chauffeurs me. I have learned, depending on the day (sometimes even the hour), that I know nothing…and everything. Recently, a college friend of mine sent a photo that was snapped our sophomore year (1982). Looking at the photo, I thought I saw my daughter staring back at me. Was I ever that young, thin and…unwrinkled? My daughter took one glance at the picture and gasped, “Mama, is that really you?” as if I could have never—possibly—been that vivacious young woman in the snapshot. After a good laugh, I thought about the fleeting passage of time and how happy and truly blessed I am to have experienced the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and, most especially, Motherhood.

~~~~~

Showered by Love (Honeysuckle Cove #4)

Jessica Marlin comes to Honeysuckle Cove carrying a secret–she’s pregnant. Shamed by her indiscretion and the circumstances of a former way of life, she’s determined to make a home for her child in the quaint community—even if it means going it alone forever. But when her secret becomes too big to keep, she fears she’ll be forced to abandon her new role as kitchen manager at Honeysuckle Cove Inn. Will friendship—and God’s grace—prevail, or will Jessica be forced to uproot and move on once again?

Rogan Brooks has convinced both himself and his hometown of Honeysuckle Cove that he’ll never settle down long enough to embrace marriage, let alone fatherhood…until he sees the glow of pregnancy, along with the promise of a future, radiate from Jessica Marlin’s eyes. Can Rogan assure Jessica that his heart is true and he’s committed to being a daddy—complete with a happily ever after—for keeps?

~~~~~

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime exploring her joy of writing. She has two sons, a daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren. She currently lives along the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach with her husband Tim.

A former teacher as well an intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades sharing her love of learning with students from kindergarten through middle grades. While growing up in Chicago, Mary worked her way through a variety of jobs including paper girl, hot dog vendor, grocery store cashier, lifeguard, swim instructor, pizza chef, and nanny. Many of these experiences led to adventures that bring humor and insight to her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs, ocean sunsets, and flavored coffee.

Connect with Mary at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.





Have you given yourself a pat on the back today? By Christina Lorenzen

So there I was in 2014 beaming from ear to ear with my first book contract. I compare the feeling to being in love. Your heart is racing and all you can think about is that special someone (in this case the future book). Unfortunately, once the book releases and the hype dies down, like the flush of new love, some of the feeling fades. It was a great achievement, but all around me I saw friends announcing contracts for second, third and fourth books.  

I joined in Nanowrimo to write a sequel to my 2014 release. I worked like a madwoman. On December 2, 2015 I got my second book contract. I was ecstatic at the thought that I would have two books published. Fast forward to April of this year. There was the usual hoopla that comes with a book release – guest blogs, author spotlights, internet radio interviews and more. I was on cloud nine.

Last week I was cleaning out my file cabinets (I still have 4 metal file cabinets dating back to my writer beginnings, the 80s. I’m dating myself). One piece of paper made me stop what I was doing. It was a list of goals titled “By the time I am 55”.  I laughed because I’m teetering close to that now. I am happy to say that ‘have at least 2 books published’ had been met. Now I’ve read articles about how the brain will focus on that one negative thing even if there are five positives. Sure, the other goals were met. I had opened a separate savings and checking account for business. I had taken those college classes. But there were still a few goals I hadn’t attained. And while I should have patted myself on the back for what I had accomplished so far, I was agitated.

Though I’m sure people in all walks of life find themselves always looking for the next rung on the ladder, writing in particular lends itself to a certain discontent. In such a competitive industry, we often obsess over what comes next. If we have one book published, we need to get that second book out. 

Even after that second book is published, you need to get the third and fourth book out. If, like me, your books are eBooks only, you might feel pressured to be in print. Maybe you think it’s time for an agent. . What about movie rights? I’ve seen several friends negotiating movie rights (Hallmark Channel, have I got a movie for you J). No matter where we are in our careers, we often feel like it’s just not enough. It’s the proverbial hamster wheel. And round and round we go.

It’s easy to obsess over the big picture, easy to forget the little victories. I’ve learned that the key to discontent is to compare your journey to someone else’s.  I’ve found the key to my own happiness is to enjoy the journey.  Nothing new there, right? But oh how hard it is to do it. Like many things in life, it’s something you have to choose to do each and every day. When I feel myself comparing my career to someone else’s (and we’ve all done it), I take a trip down memory lane. I relive what it felt like the day I opened that email that said “we would love to publish this”.  And I remember to give myself a little pat on the back. 

Have you celebrated just how much you’ve accomplished already?

A Wife for Humphrey on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/gr8mhle

Christina started writing as a young teen, jotting stories in wire ring composition notebooks. Her first typewriter made it faster to get all those stories out of her head and down on paper. Her love of writing has sustained her through a myriad of jobs that included hairdresser,legal secretary, waitress and door-­to-‑door saleswoman.

Luckily for her, writing proved to be successful and a lot less walking than going door to door. "A Husband for Danna" is Christina's first novel. She is busy working on her next. When she isn't writing or reading, she can be found walking her dog, talking to her herd of cats and spending time with her family.

Christina's second book, A Wife for Humphrey, was released on April 28, 2016. Her first Christmas novella, Snow Globe Reunion, will release on September 1, 2016.

To find out about Christina's upcoming releases, visit her website at http://christinalorenzen.com/.

Subscribe to Christina's newsletter and be entered automatically each month to win a $5 Amazon gift card at http://christinalorenzen.com/connect-with-christina/