When Thin Places released this year, I felt naked. And rightfully so. I shared my story stark on the page there, my heart displayed for all to see. The pain, the neglect, the sexual abuse, the divorces–all these damaged me and my heart. Hints of those injuries haunt me today still. One thing that really [...]

I had the privilege to talk to an ABC reporter yesterday about my blog My Family Secrets. It was heartening today to read this Oprah sister story on the ABC news site where the reporter included my thoughts throughout the piece. It surprised me that Oprah hadn’t known about her half-sister most of her life, [...]

Some of you may know (and some of you may not) that I mentor writers at The Writing Spa. I also have two mentors that do a terrific job, mentoring in fiction and nonfiction. (I do both). I’ve recently set up a facebook page for the Spa, and am running a giveaway there for a [...]

I mentioned this week that when I sold my first novel, I actually had a two book contract, which then became Watching the Tree Limbs and Wishing on Dandelions. You can read chapters from each by scrolling down to Tuesday’s and Monday’s post. In those two novels, I used a device to keep Maranatha telling [...]

When I signed my first novel contract with NavPress, they asked for two books. Wishing on Dandelions follows Maranatha Winningham into high school where she now has to grapple with romance while still being haunted by a past of sexual abuse. My hope and intention has always been to write a third Maranatha book, to [...]

I wrote Watching the Tree Limbs in 2004, before I was published. I’d written another novel too–and that one hasn’t yet been published. The book went to every publishing house in the Christian publishing industry and was rejected by every. single. one. It wasn’t until a year later that Rachelle Gardner, then the acquisitions editor [...]

This has been a decision I’ve thought and prayed through. It boils down to simplicity and decluttering. I don’t say that lightly, nor do I mean that people are clutter. What I do mean is that I’m becoming increasingly worried about spreading myself too thin, about putting more of myself out there in the public [...]

Today I’m thankful to feature my friend Holley Gerth, sharing a painful yet redemptive story with you. She’ll be giving a FREE webinar next week chatting about transitions of the heart. Find out more here. Later, I’ll host a webinar about Transitions in Faith, followed by author Lauraine Snelling discussing Transitions in Courage. We’d love [...]

I’ve tried nearly every parenting method on the market. Sometimes I’ve felt elated that I grew my children Jesus’ way. Other times I worried that I didn’t discipline correctly. I’ve been stern. I’ve been lax. I’ve wavered. I’ve showered with love. But none of those methods captured my children’s hearts or me quite so much [...]

Note: This post is part of the Idea Camp’s exploration of sexual abuse. It happened so long ago. Nearly forty years now. The picture at the top of this post is me, aged five. The year the boys came and took me away. Stole a year of my life. In ravines. Under trees. In a [...]