Fun with Flowers | Personality Quiz

Which Heart's Spring heroine are you?

You might remember this quiz from the time I first posted it in 2015. :) If so, it's possible your responses (and thus, your result) might be different this time around! Or perhaps you have yet to discover which heroine from The Heart's Spring series you are...

Take the Quiz! 

(via PollSnack)

Possible results:

• Annabelle from Bellflower
• Elizabeth from Forget Me Not
• Sally from Bleeding Heart
• Margaret from Fairy Slippers
• Felicity from Morning Glory

Disclaimer: This quiz is just for fun! Results may vary and may or may not actually match your personality. :)

Fun with Flowers | The Heart's Spring Book Tag

Welcome to The Heart's Spring Book Tag! Feel free to continue this tag on your blog, or you can simply post your responses in the comments below. There are only five prompts, so it should be a quick way to share with other readers about some books that have stirred your emotions. :)

Note: The prompts are based on book titles/flower names and themes in The Heart's Spring series.

* * *

Bellflower: Name a book with beautiful writing or a profound plot that made you immediately fall in love.

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton has both wonderful writing and an engaging plot. My friend Courtney at The Green Mockingbird recently posted about rereading this book...and I think it's one I ought to reread sometime too! 

Forget Me Not: Name a book you adored in your childhood and can't forget even now.

The Disney Girls series was a fave of mine in elementary school. I still have the collection of a dozen books, minus #11, which I sadly lost at some point. This one, Adventure at Walt Disney World (#7), is super fun, with the group of friends taking a trip together, and with certain chapters featuring a journal of their time. So cute!

Bleeding Heart: Name a book that made you cry with deep compassion for a character.

I would be remiss if I didn't feature Against the Tide. There are some scenes near the end that were gut-wrenching to read, making me feel so much compassion for the heroine of the story. You can read my full review HERE.

I should also include Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West, as that story affected me to the point of tears, as well. (My review can be found HERE.) Both are powerful reads!

Fairy Slippers: Name a fantasy book or fairy tale that utterly charmed you.

I absolutely enjoyed Entwined by Heather Dixon (a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses"). This is another book quite deserving of a reread!

Morning Glory: Name a book that has not yet released but you just know you'll love.

Keturah sounds really good, and I love both the author and that gorgeous cover. :) This book is set to release February 2018.

I also have to mention The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep, another author I love with a promising story premise! (The book is scheduled to release June 2018.)

* * *

Your turn! How would you answer these prompts?

Which Heart's Spring Heroine Are You?

Crazy4Fiction (Tyndale House Publishing) recently posted a quiz regarding their latest fiction heroines, and I guess that inspired me, as I found myself thinking today about what sorts of questions I might include in a quiz for my books. :) So I created a personality quiz for "The Heart's Spring" series. Thought it might be fun!

Find out which heroine you're most like...

(Possibilities: Annabelle from Bellflower, Elizabeth from Forget Me Not, Sally from Bleeding Heart, Margaret from Fairy Slippers, or Felicity from Morning Glory)

Disclaimer: This is just a for-fun sort of thing. If the description doesn't really fit you - or if it eerily matches you to a T - I hope you'll remember I'm not really a mind reader. :) Hehe.


I'd love to know which heroine you are and whether or not you agree with your result! Which heroine has resonated most with you from the "Heart's Spring" books you've read so far?

1 Postponed Project + 1 New Project = Less Stress

In some ways I'm very excited to write this post, because of the relief it brings. But there's also an element of guilt, because I owe you all an apology. Let's just start there...

You know that book I've been promoting as a "Summer 2014" release? The one that I revealed the cover for months ago, mentioned in blog posts and newsletters, and created buttons for? Well, I don't think it's actually going to end up being a summer release...

I'm sure a lot of you saw this coming. I've been extending my time table farther and farther, hoping I could keep my goal. I even started thinking that "summer" counted up until the official end of the season (September 22nd). While that may be true, that was hardly what many of you were initially expecting, and not what I had been sharing previously on social media. *sigh*

So what does this really mean?  

I'm postponing the publication of Morning Glory. Please note that I haven't entirely given up on it. I mean, we're talking about Myghal's story! And look at that cover - I have to write the book just so I can claim that gorgeous piece of art designed by Lena Goldfinch. ;)

I've been talking about this story for a long time now, so you might be curious as to why on earth I don't have the book ready yet. Here are my reasons/excuses:

• Life has been...well, life. I can and will use the excuse of my recent move, which involved moving out on my own for the first time (excluding college, since I lived on campus), starting a new full-time job (also a first!), and all the ins and outs that go along with that. The truth is, though, that I could and should have had the book done even before the move. Yes, there were freelance projects, my 6-week stint at the grocery store, family drama, etc. - so I'm not going to say it would have been easy. But I probably could have done it. Probably. 

• I haven't put as much effort as I should into the research. I've done some research, but I sometimes get bogged down by all the little things I ought to check to make sure the story is historically plausible. It's all interesting stuff, for sure, but with the range of settings and the direction I went with some characters, I've been overwhelmed. Not that I necessarily have to look up a ton of information, especially when I'm just trying to get the first draft down on paper. Still, I've been worried that I'm being a little too free with my imagination and a little too unconcerned with whether or not I'm even remotely close to accurately representing certain things, especially toward the middle of the story... 

• I think I've made a pantser error. "Pantser" is a term applied to those of us who generally write "by the seat of our pants." It's all well and good (and kind of fun!), but there are times when you sometimes miss key story elements because you're not deliberately thinking through all the aspects of the story beforehand. I realized this when I glanced through the post shared on Seekerville last night: "Troubleshooting Tips for Problem Plots." It hit me that I've been writing Morning Glory almost entirely as a "reaction" - I can't really identify my characters' clear, pressing goals. It's more like I'm throwing issue after issue at them and then forcing them to react. No wonder I feel adrift in the middle of the plot here... I have nothing really pushing my characters or the plot forward beyond a vague idea of where I want the story to end. The bottom line: I love these characters. I love certain plot elements. But I think I would need to go back to the drawing board in order to fix the overarching plot. This would/will probably take a good deal of time, especially since I haven't even finished a full draft yet... 

• My attention and passion have been consumed by a new project. Yes, I've been distracted by a shiny idea that's been in my peripheral vision since last fall. I've known that because of where I am in life, I'd want to work on it sooner rather than later. Ideas have been slowly trickling into my mind during the last couple of months, and with the upcoming cover reveal (this Saturday, August 9th, hosted at Seasons of Humility!) - which forced me to finally come up with a back-cover blurb - I've been completely swept away by the concept. The freedom of writing a contemporary has wooed me over to the "dark side," at least for now. ;)

To all of you who have been waiting for Morning Glory's release, please forgive me for not following through on my initial publication date goal. I'm very sorry to keep you waiting and to have gotten any hopes up by circulating the buttons with my target publication month/season. :( Like I said, I do have high hopes of publishing this at some point in the future, but I'm not ready to commit to a new target date just yet. "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies," as the saying goes. (Although it's a little late for that first time around. *sigh again*) I'm not sure how big the changes to my current plot will be, but I hope to still introduce you to most/all of these new characters someday, Lord willing and passion returning...

In the meantime, I do hope you'll consider genre-jumping with me and checking out the project I *hope* to publish next, How a Star Falls (a fanciful new-adult contemporary romance novella). I've added it to Goodreads (sans cover and blurb until this weekend), so you can add it to your shelves. And do be sure to check out the cover reveal on Saturday, because Lena's cover designs never disappoint (and there's going to be a $10 Amazon.com gift card giveaway!).

Thank you all for reading and for your understanding!

A Winner and a Loser (Or an Honest Look at My Writing Progress)

Let's start with the happy news! I owed you all a post sometime last week announcing the "Name a Character" contest winner... I do apologize for the delay. Life has a silly way of distracting people - well, not to mention the books. ;)

Anyway, I entered the names into the List Randomizer on Random.org, and the winner is Carissa! She chose this name:

Rose

Lovely, is it not? And it will continue the flower theme in some small part, even in this non-flowery story. (Nice choice, Carissa!) Since I haven't given my full attention to How a Star Falls yet (but I'm really wanting to!), I haven't decided how I shall incorporate the name...but it will find its way into the book somehow. :)

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback on the new Seasons of a Story Publishing site and submitted character names! It's quite a fun list to draw from, so perhaps I might be asking to use some more of those names at some point.

And now for Morning Glory...

I've got to be honest: I'm not as far as I hoped to be by this point. I think part of me is distracted by all these other story possibilities - their shiny, shimmery splendidness I keep glimpsing out of the corner of my eye. I really can't wait to give more attention to each of these story seeds that keep promising me they'll bloom into beautiful things.

Another part of me is distracted by my new job and schedule. I'm certainly not complaining, though! One, this night owl is now learning how to actually get up at a decent hour in the morning. ;) Two, this is really my dream job, and I couldn't be happier with my position and the place I'm working.

Plus, if I'm honest, I probably could have been writing more the last week or two...but when I get home from work, a lot of times I just want to read! It's not my fault that these books are so darn engaging, is it? And then there's dinner and dishes and other "housekeeping" things, you know!

I guess I just feel sort of stuck. My passion for the story feels like an ember instead of a flame, and I wonder if I just need to push through it or if I need to accept it for now. But then I think of the commitment I made to all of you about publishing it this summer, and I don't feel right just giving up quite yet. My sweet friend and cover designer gave me some great brainstorming ideas, and I think the one thing I really need to do is just give myself time to sit down and think. Maybe do the research I keep putting off. Let myself get absorbed into the heart of the story again. I really do love these characters. I mean, how can I not love Myghal, really?? LOL. And each of the three sisters has a piece of my heart. In fact, one of them has asserted herself, not content to just be pushed to the side...

Anyway, I just wanted to be up-front with you, my dear friends and readers. Also, I would sure appreciate any prayers that the Lord's will be done with this and any story I write!

Tell me: What do you do to re-ignite your passion for a story when you're stuck in the middle of it? What is it about Morning Glory that you're looking forward to...or are you more excited about my upcoming experiments with new genres? ;)

Confession Time: Writing Projects

Hello, hello! This poor neglected blog... Seasons of Humility has been getting all the attention lately with book reviews and the super-fun Five Glass Slippers blog tour. :) But here I am again (finally), with a writing update.

Morning Glory

As you might have noticed by either my tweets or the WIP button in the sidebar, I've been making some progress on Morning Glory. But I've lost a bit of momentum... I think part of it is the fact that I'm moving next week. There are lots of details to take care of, people to see and things to do, and plenty to occupy the thoughts and emotions. Another part, though, is that I've reached Part II, and I'm at a transition for the book. I have vague ideas of where I want to take things, but I'm just not sure how I feel about them or how exactly I want to execute the plot. That's certainly fun in one sense (see Robin Lee Hatcher's post on Seekerville today), but I'm also not sure how to inject life back into the story.

That could also be due to other stories begging for my attention...

Arose

Maybe it's the inspiration of the Five Glass Slippers blog tour, maybe it's the creativity of books like Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, and maybe it's just my emotions right now, but I have an idea for the Five Enchanted Roses creative writing contest that recently captured my imagination! And I'm pretty sure I want to give myself permission to work on this for the next few days or so... ;)

I don't want to ignore my target release time frame for Morning Glory, but I think there's something to be said for giving some time to the idea that has ignited my interest and sparked my enthusiasm, so that I don't lose the passion. Plus, maybe taking a break to try to a different writing style will help me come back to Morning Glory with new ideas and perspective.

So, the current plan is to work on this story for a while. (Pinterest board: Arose) But of course, the main plan is to get through the moving process smoothly, so that I'm ready to start my new job!

???

There's one more story (affectionately referred to as my Secret Future Writing Project on Pinterest) that's been on my mind lately. I already have a cover for it (thanks to the awesome Lena Goldfinch!), and I'm eager to get started! I think this will be a great project to work on in this new season of my life. It's in a different genre, one that will allow me to explore my experiences and interests in a more direct way. I thought I could focus on it when I send Morning Glory to my editor, so I'll have something to work on while I wait. :) We'll see!

Seasons of a Story Publishing

This blog was started with the intent of updating readers on news about "The Heart's Spring" series, as well as offering behind-the-scenes information on the writing process and fun facts about the characters/settings/etc. But I've been working on a site for my "publisher," and I wanted to connect this blog with it - so that site would be more static, where all my bookish info would be in one place, and then this blog would be updated with newsy things. If that's the case, though, I guess I'll have to broaden this blog to encompass all my releases. Perhaps "The Heart's Spring" will still work, as I think that title would fit all my stories (they flow from my heart's "spring," and they come about in the "spring"/blooming season of my heart). So I guess I just wanted to give you all the heads-up about that, so you know that some changes are in the works!

And there you go...a convoluted glimpse into my author mind right now. I hope you aren't too scarred by the experience. ;)

New Paperbacks, New Twitter Account, & the New-sletter!

So...it's about time I share a new post on here, isn't it? I apologize that I've been absent lately! I guess Seasons of Humility has been getting all the attention. ;)

However, if you're subscribed to my newsletter, you should have received the "Spring Edition" in your inbox yesterday! And now that the newsletter has been sent into the world, I guess it's time I share some updates:

Paperbacks

Now, not much has changed within Forget Me Not and Bleeding Heart (just an addition of discussion questions and series info in the latter), but the covers of these two books have been updated! Just a few tweaks to show that they're part of a series - plus they're now going to be available with matte (soft) covers instead of glossy. :) If you already own the paperbacks, there's no need to get the updated ones unless you really, really like soft covers and want to see the series numbers on the spines, LOL. But if you've been waiting to pick up paperback copies, now is as good a time as any!

Here are the purchase links:

Forget Me Not

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | CreateSpace

Bleeding Heart

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | CreateSpace

Please note that I've approved the new versions and they should be available in their updated forms. But to be on the safe side...it wouldn't hurt to give 'em another few days just to make sure that the changes have been processed. And to be extra sure you get the matte versions, I'd suggest ordering directly from CreateSpace or Amazon. (OK, I'll confess that I get more royalties if you order from CreateSpace...but that's neither here nor there, right?? Right.) I think CreateSpace and Amazon (they're both connected) should be quicker with accepting the changes and are less likely to have a back stock of the glossy version. Please don't hate me if I'm mistaken, though! The glossy versions are still pretty. ;)

Twitter

What's this about a new Twitter account? Well, with the success of fictional-character accounts like Dr. Neil MacNeill's, and with the thought of a) giving a face to one of my own characters and b) getting my creative juices flowing, I decided to create an account for Myghal!

If you're a) #TeamMyghal and/or b) eager for Morning Glory, I hope you'll consider following my Cornish character. I'm excited to see how he does in such a foreign world. ;)

Follow @Myghal_Tamblyn

Newsletter

If you weren't previously signed up for my newsletter, you can still check out the Spring 2014 Edition HERE! Even though I've divulged some of the info included in there, you can still find an unedited teaser from Morning Glory, news about a special Kindle freebie promotion, and an interview with one of my editing & publicity clients, Jaye L. Knight. In other words... I hope you'll check it out and not miss out on the fun!

And here's the button I included in the newsletter, in case you want to grab it and share it! You can link it back to this blog or the Morning Glory blog. Thanks!

I guess that's enough "new" for now! Hopefully it won't be another month before I post again. ;)

Morning Glory Button

While playing around with PicMonkey in preparation for a client's blog tour, I ended up getting utterly distracted. This is the result...

A graphic designer, I'm not, but I had some lovely pictures and fonts to work with, and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. :) Plus, I had some great inspiration with my previous book-release buttons, which were designed by Anne Elisabeth Stengl:

Please feel free to take the Morning Glory button and share it on your blog/social media sites! Here are three simple steps:

1. Save the image to your computer.
2. Add the image to your blog's sidebar or wherever you'd like to share it! (If adding to your sidebar in Blogger, you might want to check the box for "shrink to fit.")
3. Link it back to this site or to the Morning Glory page. Thank you!

And while I'm here, I might as well give you a quick update on the writing front! Unfortunately, Camp NaNo didn't end up taking priority this month, and I'm not as far along in Morning Glory as I'd hoped. I still have my goal of publishing the book this August, so I'm just going to keep pushing on to meet that. I'll keep you all posted on my progress when life/time permits! And maybe I'll share some Myghal snippets, at some point. ;)

Hope you all have a great week! Now, back to work...

(Cover design by Stone Lily Design. Crater Lake background © Mario Bonomi; Morning-glory flower image © Cao Zhengsong | Images purchased from Dreamstime.com)

Holding onto Hope

Well, it's been far too long since I've posted here! I'd like to say I've been spending all this time working on Morning Glory, but I've been distracted by the job hunt, publicity projects, books, and life. But I'm not giving up hope. While I'm certainly not as far along as I should be, I've written about 10,000 words this month, bringing my total for this first draft to about 15,000 (including the front matter, because I like to pad my word count however I can, LOL). I figure if I can write 3,000 words a day starting on Monday, I could get close to my goal and have a draft the length of Forget Me Not. And if I don't quite make that (because I do have some other priorities), I'll just "keep moving forward," as I was reminded by watching Meet the Robinsons tonight.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a little teaser from my first draft with you. This is an unedited snippet from around the point I left off last... It's been kind of a darker story so far, and it will continue to be so for a while, but there are moments of hope and cheer in the midst of it all. So I chose one of those moments to share, because today of all days (Easter) is all about hope! I hope you enjoy the sneak peek. :)

***

Cresting the mountaintop, Felicity came up short. A glimpse of indigo spread before her, incredibly rich and still. Dropping Frances’s reins, she rushed past Papa and Mama, Glory, Myghal, and Helen. She ran until she came to the rocky edge and could gaze across the splendor of a lake so deep, its blue seemed to bleed from the beating heart of the earth.

The shimmery, misty morning light enclosed the mountain in a warm embrace, giving a royal sheen to the water. Felicity couldn’t tear her eyes away, not even to retrieve her journal in order to capture what she was seeing. She wasn’t sure she should even attempt to do so.

Myghal slipped beside her, his own gaze riveted on the lake. Glory came up on her other side, and the three of them stood together in awe. The moment was sweet, soft. A mercy from a deep well. And slowly, hope poured back through the cracks of her heart.

The lake was wide, but not the largest she had ever seen. And yet, its rim met the sky in a purple-blue that went on forever above and forever below. All-encompassing. The little mountain within, rising from the lake, caught her eye. Trees covered the small peak, just as trees rose like hardy survivors along the edges of the crater to her right.

“There’s Wizard Island,” Papa declared from behind her. He didn’t continue, and Felicity glanced back to see tears in his eyes. Glory tucked herself under one of his arms. From somewhere, Felicity found the courage to tuck herself beneath his other.

All was silent again, but for the moment, it felt right.

Off to Camp with Morning Glory

Yep. I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo! I'm still participating in DOOM, but I figured they could overlap since both are supposed to conclude at the end of April. And being involved in Camp NaNoWriMo might give me extra motivation. Plus, I always loved the virtual camping theme!

As I was putting together my camp info, I came across the section for sharing your novel's synopsis. This prompted me to finally write one for Morning Glory! It's subject to change, as I just put it together tonight, but I'd love your feedback. Do you think it fits well with the other blurbs for this series? Does it make you want to read the book?

***

The depths of fear. The dawning of hope.

Summer 1887

Felicity Lute's family is on the run from scandal and sorrow, but their "vacation" isn't bringing Felicity and her sister, Helen, together the way it should. Hope - or at least distraction - comes in the form of Myghal Tamblyn, a Cornish man wandering the West. When he joins them on their journey to Crater Lake, Felicity begins to believe her heart and her dreams will heal. Just as long as she and her two sisters can keep their secrets hidden.

Myghal has fallen in love - and been forced to let go of love - twice. He's intrigued by the flirtatious and flamboyant Felicity, but he's also wary of the obvious tension in her family, despite their welcome. An adventure with new friends might be just what his lonely heart needs, or it could be the path to a third and final heartbreak.

When tragedy plunges Felicity and Myghal into the very depths of their fears, will they find anything strong enough to help them rise again?

Inspirational Historical Romance

***

I'm registered under my heroine's name (Felicity Lute), if you want to connect with me at camp!

Writing Update and Giveaway Notice!

Just popping in to give a brief update and announcement. :) So... I definitely didn't get as far through Morning Glory as I had hoped in March. I could say that I was swamped with marketing and client projects and family stuff and choir practices and a couple of square dances, which in some ways is true. But I know I could have fit more writing time in - I think I just let it overwhelm me to the point of procrastinating. (I'm very talented at procrastinating. I perfected the skill in college.) I think at some point I decided to let March go to the dogs, so to speak. I kind of went a little crazy this month with the book-acquiring, as well. *sheepish grin*

However, there's still one month left of the 2-month DOOM writing challenge. So I've got a good start for the story - several thousand words - and now I can treat April like a NaNoWriMo sort of month, right? I'd like to get as far through this first draft as I can. I do want to honor the Summer 2014 release commitment I made, so it would be good to make a lot more progress this next month. ;)

In other news, I've got a book giveaway going on at my personal blog, Seasons of Humility! If you'd like a chance to win a signed paperback copy of Forget Me Not (US only due to shipping costs) or an ebook copy of any of my books, please do stop by. :) While I wanted to have a separate blog here to share my author news without going overboard on my personal blog, I do sometimes talk about my books there, in addition to sharing book reviews (Christian fiction and some mainstream YA and NA - usually with at least a bit of romance!) and other life updates and bookish things. Plus, I host my publicity clients' blog tours over there, so there are some fun events and giveaways coming up in the next couple of months that you won't want to miss!

Here's a pic of the lovely Forget Me Not paperback taken at my alma mater:

Shared on the Corban/Western Baptist Alumni Facebook page

I'm grateful to have my books included in their "Author's Corner" at Corban University. :)

Remember, if you'd like a chance to win your own signed copy, hop on over HERE. See you there!

Meet the Characters of Morning Glory

I'm getting to know the main characters of Morning Glory as I write, and I'm excited to explore their stories - their history and hopes and heartbreak. Here's a quick introduction to the handful of main characters (so far)...

Myghal Tamblyn

 (Photo of Stefano Masciolini; pinned from "For Redheads" on Tumbler)

Most of you already know Myghal - he was a prominent secondary character in both Forget Me Not and Bleeding Heart. He's Cornish, with a bit of an Irish accent picked up from his mother. (His accent is a little mixed-up from his heritage and all his wanderings...) My understanding is that the name should technically be pronounced Ma-hail. To me, he's Mee-gall, so that's what everyone else in the books think of him as. You know Americans - we butcher everything. ;) He's 34 years old at the start of Morning Glory.

Felicity Lute

(Photo of Astrid Berges-Frisbey; found on Pinterest - according to this pin, it was an edited pic...still, I like it for Felicity!)

(Photo titled "She's running and she can't stop II" by Snowfall-lullaby on Deviantart)

Felicity is the middle sister in the Lute family - 25 years old at the start of the story. She has blue eyes, and her hair is the darkest of the three sisters (yes, it's a family of redheads!), with auburn curls. She's a little flirtatious, and she's also a night owl and a poet. There's a rift between her and her older sister...

Glory Lute

(Photo by Aiste Tiriute; included in this post about her photography and titled "and in the dark, she glowed" on Flickr - you can also see more on the photographer's Flickr page and website)

Glory is the youngest in the family - 20 years old at the start of the story. Her hair is the brightest/most vivid. She's quiet, longs for touch (cuddling and the like), and has a tragic past.

Helen Lute

(Photo found on Pinterest, apparently from a Tumbler page...not sure who the model or photographer are.)

Helen is the eldest at 26. She's also quiet like Glory, but for a different reason. She's more severe, aloof, and bitter, at odds with Felicity.

***

The sisters' parents are Sean and Ava Lute. And there will be other characters, of course! This photo from the Native American Encyclopedia Pinterest page offers a hint at some future scenes I'm currently pondering...

Remember that you can see more of my visual brainstorming on Pinterest (no guarantee that all those pics represent elements of the story, as I haven't finished writing it yet!). And you can now find the book's "soundtrack" (or the early version of it, anyway - it might be tweaked as I write) on the Morning Glory site.

Which of these characters interests you the most? Do you like learning more about Morning Glory as I write, or would you prefer to wait until closer to the release date?

The Dawning of Morning Glory

It's almost that time... DOOM.

The writing challenge, that is!

I signed up for DOOM (I'm going with "Determination Overcomes Our Muddling" as the acronym), which takes place March through April, with the goal of writing 50,000 words. (Kind of like NaNoWriMo, but over two months, which sounds nice!) You can check up my sign-up post HERE.

I actually did start writing the first scene of the book the other day, though, and yes, Myghal has made an appearance. ;) I'm sure you'll be hearing more about the story in the days ahead... I'll just have to find the right balance of giving you tantalizing teasers without giving too much away, right? I'm sort of a pantser, so the details will likely be a surprise to me, too. But I've been contemplating the plot a bit, and I have some impressions of the characters and the main challenges to guide me along. That's basically what I had when starting Bleeding Heart, although that story ended up taking some surprising turns... Already my planning has turned to some heavier themes. There is a bit of pressure, knowing that readers come to expect certain things of my books now.

Okay, I'm officially rambling! Let's just say you should be hearing more about Morning Glory, as well as Fairy Slippers, in this next month - and I hope to have some fun posts to go along with the two stories. Stay tuned!

Will you be participating in Speedbo or DOOM next month? What are you planning to work on in March?

Busy as a Bee in the Garden

I'm keeping busy trying to tend all these "flowers" (AKA my books)! I was hoping to share a post this week with some insider info on Forget Me Not - some changes the story underwent, fun facts, etc. But I think I'll save that for another time after the blog tour...

 

Yes, as I'm sure most of you know, the Forget Me Not tour is well underway! You can find direct links to each post (once they're up) on the Forget Me Not blog tour page on my personal blog. There are interviews where you can learn about my dream date, my advice to the next generation, and lots of bookish tidbits...guest posts featuring Virginia City and Bonanza, my writing journey, and the handsome hero of The Journey of Natty Gann...and plenty of thoughtful and lovely reviews. And there's a tour-wide giveaway for my U.S. readers, where you can win a signed copy of Forget Me Not (when it's available), The Journey of Natty Gann on DVD, and a CD by The Civil Wars!

As you can well imagine, my forget-me-not is getting the most attention in this "garden"... But the other flowers aren't being completely neglected!

• Bleeding Heart - the sequel to Forget Me Not - is on sale for $.99! Don't miss this Kindle Countdown Deal, which concludes at the end of the day on Friday!

• E-mails are still trickling in from newsletter subscribers, requesting free copies of Bellflower (the short story prequel to Forget Me Not). Have you claimed yours yet? You can learn more HERE. And check out Abbi's review of the short story on Christian Novels!

• Since Fairy Slippers (the short story companion to Bleeding Heart, featuring Zachary Taylor the cook) wasn't one of the winners of the Five Glass Slippers contest, I now have the rights back. It's possible I'll do something like I did with Bellflower - offering it for free to newsletter subscribers, or maybe blog followers? - but either way, I hope to share it with you all this May! You can add it now on Goodreads and catch a glimpse of the story on Pinterest.

• And finally, Morning Glory... This poor flower has been waiting for some nurturing in the back corner of my garden. I found out about a 2-month writing challenge along the lines of NaNoWriMo, but on a smaller scale and taking place in the months of March and April. It's great timing, and I do so hope that it will motivate me to get Myghal and Felicity's story on paper! I'm sure you'll be hearing updates here on the blog in the weeks and months to come. :) 

What flowers/stories have been growing in your writerly garden?

"The Heart's Spring" Bubbles Forth

I've been showered with such sweet blessings recently! Kind e-mails from dear blogging friends. Sweet and understanding comments and messages regarding the "Humility and Forget Me Not" post on my personal blog. The discovery that my generous and wonderful friend Lena Goldfinch is willing to put together a cover for Bellflower in time for the Forget Me Not blog tour. And...

• Forget Me Not's progress on Amazon, reaching #5 for "Hot New Releases in Christian Westerns" and #94 for the Top 100 "Best Sellers in Christian Westerns" at one point last night. (Not to mention the beautiful reviews bloggers have been adding!)

• Finding Morning Glory on Melanie's blog (Christian Bookshelf Reviews) as her "Waiting On" Wednesday selection this week. (Guess that means I should get busy on that project, LOL!)

• Taking a chance and e-mailing USA Today's "Happy Ever After" blog team about being included in an upcoming "new releases" post - and not only getting a reply back the same day, but also seeing Forget Me Not at the very top of the post as the only cover featured. (Kudos to Lena for designing such a gorgeous one!) You can find the post HERE.

I'm humbled by the outpouring of love and support. Thank you all for caring about me and this series! I'm very much looking forward to sharing Bellflower with you soon and writing Morning Glory for you to hopefully read one day in the not-too-distant future...

Blessings to you, dear readers!

The Cover for Morning Glory Revealed!

Welcome to the new series blog, dear readers! I am so excited to finally launch this site and to have a place where you can follow the news for "The Heart's Spring" series. In addition to posting about releases, sales, blog tours, and the like, I hope to share some insights into the stories, offer you sneak peeks, and basically make this a fun place to visit for fans of Sally, Elizabeth, Felicity, and all of the other characters from the series (yes, Myghal, too!). Do please make yourself at home! Feel free to ask me questions in the comments, and be sure to check out the page links above for more information about each of the books. And for seasonal, packaged news about my releases, my editing & publicity business, and more, please consider signing up for my newsletter! I do hope to give newsletter readers a few special sneak peeks and extras in 2014.

You most likely found your way here from one of the Morning Glory cover reveal posts, so I'm sure you've seen the full cover. But here it is again!

The cover was designed by Lena Goldfinch of Stone Lily Book Designs. Don't miss the story behind the cover and the themed giveaway happening on my personal blog, Seasons of Humility! (The giveaway runs through January 9th.)

You might be wondering what the story is all about...but the truth is, even I don't know that yet! I have some general ideas (you can see some of my visual brainstorming on Pinterest), but I haven't actually started writing yet. First things first, I need to incorporate the edits from my proofreader for Forget Me Not and then send the e-ARCs for that book out to reviewers. And I also plan to do a bit of research reading for Morning Glory before I fully dive in. Rest assured, though, that I'm very excited about this project, and I cannot wait to continue Myghal's story and introduce some new characters!

I'm so blessed by my readers, and I'm so glad to have you join me on this publishing journey!