But where’s the fun in that? “She’s going to kill him!” my writer friend said, in a loud of enough voice and with convincing enthusiasm to be heard across the lobby while we waited for the elevator in my apartment building. We had just returned from a brisk, evening walk while we brainstormed her newest Christian suspense. A neighbor entered the area just as my friend finished illuminating her plot and announced the crux of her heroine’s dilemma. The poor man’s eyes bugged. I can only imagine the thoughts going through his mind. “What have I just overheard?” We reassured him we…
Latest news
read latest news from our blog
A Chat with Author Catherine Finger
Greetings from Marti Pieper in beautiful (and much colder than Florida) Seneca, South Carolina! After a recent move, we’re unpacking and getting ready for Christmas all at once. But we have all sorts of interesting tidbits from author Catherine Finger, so let’s get started with her interview right away! Welcome, Catherine! Please tell us about your book, Capsized by Death. Police Chief Jo Oliver is finally about to begin a new life with her daughter and fiancé, but before they can celebrate their dream wedding in Maui, a serial killer with ties to one of Jo’s old cases unleashes a…
Blind Spot
“At that time the deaf will hear word-for-word what’s been written. After a lifetime in the dark, the blind will see” (Isaiah 29:18 The Message). My husband Patrick has a little spot below his jaw line that he invariably misses when he shaves. Sometimes he misses it two or three shaves in a row, and then it isn’t just beard, now it looks like hair. That little patch of hair seems to hide in the shadows, difficult to detect, and then all of a sudden there it is. I began thinking about those little spots in my life that…
Featuring Dr. Mary Ann Diorio-CAN Volunteer Extraordinaire
Happy Friday CAN Members! This is Catherine Finger bringing you an interview with today’s featured author: Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. In addition to to being an award-winning author, speaker, leader, coach, and beloved family matriarch, MaryAnn finds time to graciously leads our CAN reviewers—a great service to our authors. Thank you for joining us today, MaryAnn! Catherine: What are your passions? MaryAnn: Worshipping God, loving my family, sharing the Gospel, writing fiction. painting—especially in oils. Catherine: Where do you volunteer your spare time giving you a more rounded life? MaryAnn: I spend my spare time discipling women and ministering to my…
A Chat with Author Davalynn Spencer
Merry Christmas from Sarah Sundin in California! Today I have the privilege of interviewing the interviewer! Davalynn Spencer serves on my team of author interviewers—but today it’s her turn to be grilled. Davalynn has made a name for herself with her western romances, which have won multiple awards, including the prestigious Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award. Welcome, Davalynn! Please tell us about your latest book. A High-Country Christmas is a two-novella set including my recently released Just in Time for Christmas and last year’s endearing Snow Angel. Each is a sweet tale of mishaps, memories, and emotions that test the…
The Gift of time
The Christmas season is upon us, and with it comes non-stop shopping, gift-giving, and entertaining. Not to mention baking, bow-making, and balancing the checkbook. No wonder it’s hard to find peace in the hustle and bustle of what should be one of our happiest times of the year. Often, in the midst of our hurry, we forget to count our blessings. One of the best ways to do that is to look around us and find someone with a greater need. Most likely we won’t have to look too far. It’s not just the poor, but the poor in…
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To a Story
“She’s cute, and perky, and all the things I’m not.” That’s how my real life persona, Donna Schlachter, describes me. I’m not sure why, because she’s a pretty swell person herself. Still, I suspect it’s because she likes to live vicariously through me. Kind of like a split personality. Maybe all authors are that way. We live our lives through our characters. Putting them in situations most of us would never experience. When I wrote the first book in this series, I had a character, an occupation, and a murder—but I didn’t know whodunit, or why. I got to within two…
A Chat with Author Dianne Neal Matthews
Welcome, readers. Davalynn Spencer from Colorado here, where it’s snowy and Christmassy already. Please welcome today’s featured author, Dianne Neal Matthews. Dianne, please give us a quick overview of your book Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily. Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily offers a daily dose of encouragement and wisdom for your stepfamily journey. Topics include parenting and step-parenting, strengthening your marriage, grief in the stepfamily, bonding with children, co-parenting with exes, and practical wisdom for bringing family members together. This already sounds like a book someone in my family would benefit from, Dianne. What led you to write…
Making Holiday Memories
Making Holiday Memories Thanksgiving was a traditional family gathering at my in-laws’ home. The siblings came from near and far with their families. Entering the snowy driveway, we’d see the house with seven gables high on the hill. The roar of snowmobiles coming from the fields nearby let us know nieces and nephews were enjoying Grandpa’s toys. Beautiful horses galloped in the fields near the red barn. Approaching the house, we caught a whiff of the baking turkey; then Grandma opened the door and lavished us with hugs. As we sat at the table beautifully set with china and crystal,…
A Few of My Favorite Things
I realized recently that a few of my favorite things and creatures have names beginning with the letter C. A fine example is Capsized by Death, the fourth of my Jo Oliver thrillers releasing Dec. 2, 2019. My dog’s name is Christie—short for “Christie, The Christmas Pup.” Well into her eleventh year, we’ve been a tight team since she first crawled up my leg like a little kitten when she was six weeks old. She rocked my world in the earliest days of a long period of pain in my life. Experiencing her little heartbeat and loving personality remains a…
