Why I Started Writing:

Accidentally. Writing as a career began with a series of well-placed accidents.

1) I began homeschooling our son. He wanted his own newspaper which he delivered in his red wagon to all our neighbors.

2) I compiled a giant collection of family stories as a keepsake for our children.

3) My own column at the local newspaper morphed into a blog. Soon I was hosting a podcast, Fireside Talk Radio, where we speak truth with a Texas twang.

4) When I heard publishers were interested in my books, I broke out in shingles! Seriously.

What would I do without the invaluable guidance of our friends at Elk Lake!

We are changing the culture one conversation at a time. All it takes is courage.

So, I write accidentally, but with all the courage I can muster.

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

A flashlight-under-the-covers reader from childhood, my favorites include C. S. Lewis, R. L. Stevenson, A. A. Milne, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. As a young believer, I benefited most from the down-to-earth, practical writing of Josh McDowell and John Trent, and later, Bob Goff.

Janet McHenry’s book, The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus stands out, too. I also love Derinda Babcock’s fiction and anything by Patrick Craig or Deb DeArmond.

My hubby and I consume C. J. Box’s books together in big gulps like popcorn at the movies.

Books I Have Written:

In The Well, the Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversation, I share about one woman at a well. One Savior. One community changed instantly.

How did He do it? I outline how Jesus took her from isolation to influence in one conversation. Simple methods He used that we can all use to make our conversations more powerful and tender.

In Marriage Conversations, from Co-existing to Cherished, I write about ways to create a beautiful life even when a marriage suffers, as they all do sometimes.

What I'm Working On Now:

Currently, Anna Krafve Pierce and I are creating some fun mommy manuals based on a bunch of our podcasts on Fireside Talk Radio.

Plus, I am wrapping up a blog series called, The Shame Reboot, about how to give false shame the boot for good.

But when I sleep, I dream of writing fiction. Fiction-writing friends, you are my heroes!