Blog Stories
Kyle’s Newsletter June 2019
Hello, my reading friends! Kyle’s newsletter I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying your summer. May your weather be mild, your kids stay busy on their own, and may you have plenty of time to do what you most enjoy! That’s my summer wish for you! My summer wish for myself has already been fulfilled in part, with my annual trip to Europe. I have been going primarily to France each year (for the last 3) for several reasons. Because I...
A Promise is Here
Lately, my mind has been in faraway places. A lot of the time, I’m in Provence. The reason for that is my new book, A Promise in Provence. It’s finally finished! This is the sequel to Prodigals in Provence, but it reads mostly like a stand-alone novel. Of course, I’d love for you to read Bree’s story in Prodigals in Provence as well! Prodigals and Promise are books in my first series (a series of two!), the Provence Series. Book One, Prodigals, is about Bree Sorenson, uptight control-freak...
Expect the Best!
Happy New Year!
We say that so easily, don’t we? We are sincere (I am being sincere!), but if we dig into the phrase, it contains our hopes and anxieties for the coming twelve months
Reflections at Christmas
Mary, a not-so-average teenager How would you react in Mary’s shoes? You’re a girl of about 14 told you’re pregnant, even though you’re engaged (and you know you’ve been a good girl.) Mary had been raised all her life with the hope of the Messiah’s arrival. She fully understood the honor she had received by being chosen to bear the Son of God. We might expect her to be fearful, embarrassed, to dread, to shun inconvenience. But her reaction contained none of these. Rather, her song of praise in...
Limping, Strolling, or Running
There are different ways that people come to God. Not just initially, but along the way as they journey through their lives with him. First, there’s the limp. Life has beaten us up. We’re emptied out and bruised all over. Maybe not even sure God has noticed or cares, but we still go, limping toward him. Our journey may be slower because of it, but that’s okay. We get there. And we get a lot of TLC along the way as he meets us in often surprising ways. Or maybe limping demands more effort than...
This December….Curl up with a romantic story that takes you places!
Hi friends, I hope your fall season is fragrant with crisp, falling leaves and apple cider. I hope winter is magical, with twinkling lights and promises of hope and redemption. So, what’s better than roasting chestnuts on an open fire? Curling up with a Christmas romance. But One December only starts at Christmas . . . and ends the following Christmas. I’d like to take you on a vicarious trip to Paris. But FIRST, you need to meet Mike and Nikki, who get back together One December after three...
Hope for Clay Pots
Several years ago, I started learning pottery. I took my first class, which involved ust clay, a couple tools, and my hands. That was called “hand building” for obvious reasons! The next step in my learning was the pottery wheel. I assumed I’d catch on quickly because I’d done well at the first step.
Become: An Intriguing Word
When I lived in Paris, I used to walk regularly to a gym near my apartment. One day as I was passing a construction site, something unusual caught my eye. In the middle of the sidewalk sat a temporary street lamp which was anchored by a massive concrete block. Someone had stenciled this word in red on the block: Become. I never learned who painted this word on a block of concrete or why, but I was amused and intrigued. A few weeks later I was on a different street not too far from the first...
Real History in North Carolina
Times were hard and about to get worse.
Between the years 2000 and 2010, the U. S. lost over 700,000 jobs in textile mills and apparel factories. Many of these were in North Carolina, where textile was once a major industry, more important than furniture or tobacco.
This is the setting of my most recent novel, Circle Back Around, which takes place
God our Fortress (and A New Book!)
As I write this post I am in Raleigh awaiting the arrival of a “monstrous” hurricane. It’s a strange feeling knowing that, despite currently sunny skies, in two days it will come and there’s nothing we can do but prepare water and flashlights
Is Anyone Listening?
There’s this awkward situation. You know the one I mean. We’ve all been there. You go to a restaurant or to a party. Almost everyone knows one another.
You’re the new kid. You introduce yourself and everyone does the same with a vague, generic smile. And that’s often as far as it goes. They then turn to the
Staying in the Shelter
It started early in the morning. I was meditating on the lyrics of a Christian song and I teared up. When that happens, it makes my soul feel alive as I enter into what I’m reading or praying or thinking about. I know it’s touched me deeply, leaving a lasting reference.