What a sweet treat!

The Christy Award nominees for 2010 were announced today and
How Sweet It Is is a finalist in the contemporary romance
category.

Last year, Rain Song was nominated in the First Novel category.

While last year I was excited to hear the news, this year I am even more
honored.

Thanks to all who have encouraged me along this journey.

And thanks to my inspiration, my sweet and brave
Daniel Paul Wisler (8/25/92---2/2/97). Miss you, son.

BlogTalkRadio Share Show Widget

Interview on building self-esteem after the death of a child

When a child dies, our self-image suffers. Join me and Gloria and Heidi Horsley on Open to Hope Radio as we discuss how to build self-esteem and confidence after the death of a child.

The show has been recorded and will air on May 13 at noon (EST),
9AM Pacific time.

This link will take you to where you can listen to the program via your
computer speakers. It'll only take 18 minutes of your time.

Check out this new novel: K. Dawn Byrd's Queen of Hearts

About the book:
Daphne Dean is proud to be serving her country stateside during WWII as a reporter and an Office of Strategic Services operative. When the photograph she takes of the crowd at a murder scene places her on the mob's hit list, she's forced into hiding in a vacant mental asylum in the middle of nowhere with terrifying secrets of its own.

Daphne believed herself to still be in love with her ex-fiancée, Kenneth, until she spends several days locked away in the asylum with Vito, the mob boss' son. Can she put the terrifying events that occurred there behind her and allow herself to pursue a relationship with Vito? Or, will she return to Kenneth who has turned his back on his country by becoming a draft dodger and a black market racketeer? One thing's for sure, it won't matter if she can't escape the mental institution alive.

About the author:
K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance. She holds a masters degree in professional counseling from Liberty University that she believes gives her better insight into the minds, feelings and emotions of individuals, which helps her to better understand her characters and develop them more fully. Queen of Hearts, a WWII romantic suspense will release April 1 and Killing Time, a contemporary romantic suspense will release August 1, both with Desert Breeze Publishing.


Order the book:
From Desert Breeze Publishing

From Amazon

Visit K. Dawn Byrd's website where she features many authors and their works.

Beverly Lewis and Me!

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to hear bestselling Bethany House author, Beverly Lewis, speak at Cary's Page Walker Center, an event sponsored by the Wake County Libraries.

Beverly shared how she grew up in Lancaster County, PA, observing the Amish culture around her. She enjoyed playing with her Amish friends and recalled the fun of riding on a tire swing at one of the farms. Her knowledge of this group of people was remarkable. Later, Bev took questions from the gathered audience and then signed copies of her books, the newest being The Telling.

As for me, I was happy to just be there. The icing on the cake was being invited to eat lunch with Bev, Steve Oates and Julie Klassen---all Bethany House people. How nice it was to talk with folk from the home office as we dined outside at the Czech restaurant, Klara's.

One of the fun facts I discovered about Beverly in addition to her sweet nature, is her love of dessert! Her choice was the apple strudel. Julie selected the ice cream with espresso sauce. Steve and I went without. (Only because I knew that night I'd be dining at my writers' critique group and Catherine would have a scrumptious dessert. She did, and I had a deluxe-size portion of strawberry shortcake. Not sure if Steve got dessert or not yesterday.)

What a fun day it was, and what an honor to experience a small portion of Bev's 2010 book tour.

Blog Talk Radio: join me!

I like doing new things, for the most part. And I get to this April 23rd
at 1 PM (EST). I'm going to be on my own Blog Talk Radio program talking
about easy steps to writing through grief. I do hope that many of my
friends will join me and listen in. You can learn more at this link here.

For those of you who want to know the tools of writing through grief,
please tune in and share how writing has helped you in your journey.

Book event at Raleigh's Family Store

What a nice time I had this afternoon at Family Christian Stores.
Thanks to Sarah, John and James, plus all those who bought novels.