Juggling Family & Writers Conferences

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

Autumn is my favorite season because September and October bring several special dates to mind—my wedding anniversary, the birthdays of my two boys and the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Conference.

I’ve been attending ACFW since 2005, which is the first year I met Susie May and knew she was someone I wanted to help mentor me through this crazy writing journey.

That initial conference was everything I dreamed and even more. I formed friendships, realized I had a ton of things to learn about the writing industry and leaned into the knowledge God called me to be a writer.

Attending conferences are not required to get your books published, but they allow you to build relationships with other writers and industry professionals, which is one of the essentials for a writer’s career. Investing in a conference means investing in educating yourself as to what industry professionals are looking for as they read hundreds of proposals that come across their desks or fill their inboxes.

However, the months and weeks leading up to the conference can be challenging especially if you’re a parent, working inside or outside the home. When I made plans to attend my first conference, I needed to take time off from my day job and find care for our two boys, who were ages 14 and 11 at that time because my husband worked second shift at the time. We needed someone who could be available for our boys after school and help with their extra-curricular activities.

One more juggling act for writers wearing many hats.

For us, our primary responsibility was to find care for the boys. They stayed with friends who had kids close in ages to our boys, and they lived within walking distance to both boys’ schools. I felt confident leaving them with responsible adults because I knew they’d receive great care.

In order to help our friends take on the additional responsibilities of our boys’ activities, I used a weekly calendar and wrote out all of their after school activities and homework projects that needed to be completed while I was gone. I made sure my boys understood their responsibilities in seeing these things to completion. I wrote out checks for lunches, school pictures and made sure they had clean clothes for school and practices.

I reviewed everything with Hubby, the boys and the family who would be caring for them for those days. I made a few casseroles ahead of time that could be frozen, and I gave them to my friend’s family to help with evening meals. Even if they decided not to serve them for dinner, she had an extra meal on hand for some other time when cooking time was tight. Plus by adding two extra boys to their family of 5, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for her.

Once my boys’ needs were taken care of, I focused on preparing for the writers conference. I studied the ACFW conference information on the website, ordered business cards, prepared my one-sheet for pitching and communicated with my upcoming roommate. I packed my suitcase and printed boarding passes for one of the greatest adventures of my life.

Having peace of mind about things on the home front allowed me to keep my focus where it needed to be while sitting in workshops, meeting with editors, chatting with agents and getting to know other writers. I called my boys each night and talked about their days, making sure they were ready for the next day.

Once I returned home from conference and after passing out hugs, I made notes about what worked that year and what needed to be improved for the next year’s conference. Yes, I was already planning ahead because I needed that time to budget the money and have the days marked off my work schedule.
If you desire to attend a writer’s conference, but wonder how you can leave your family, don’t despair. With a bit of planning and asking family or friends to help out, you can work everything out in order to attend your favorite conference.

TWEETABLES

Juggling Family & Writers Conferences @lisajordan on @NovelRocket #writing http://bit.ly/2xgTbCa

Want to attend a writers conference, but unsure because of family? @lisajordan shares on @NovelRocket #writing http://bit.ly/2xgTbCa

Trying to balance kids and a conference? @lisajordan shares how she managed it on @NovelRocket #writing http://bit.ly/2xgTbCa

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Lakeside Romance

A Recipe for Romance Sarah Sullivan will do whatever it takes to make her summer youth program permanent. But when she's tasked to teach the teens basic kitchen skills, her hope goes up in flames. Not knowing the first thing about cooking, Sarah needs help. Smelling the delicious aromas coming from her neighbor's apartment one night, she thinks she's found her answer. Alec Seaver might know his way around pots and pans, but the lone-wolf widower doesn't want anything to do with the free-spirited beauty next door. But after he becomes Sarah's reluctant partner, Alec realizes that she might just be the key ingredient missing from his life.

 

Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. She is the Operations Manager for Novel.Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and playing in her craft room with friends. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.

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Need More Writing Time? Learn to delegate

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

The summer after I graduated high school, I worked as a waitress at a local family 24-hour restaurant.

During a particularly busy rush after the bars closed at 2 a.m., I maneuvered through a crowded dining room, carrying a large oval tray above my head loaded with hot food. I approached the customers’ table and started serving their meals.

A rowdy gentleman, who had consumed large quantities of alcohol, pushed his chair out, slamming it into my back. My knees buckled, but I struggled to keep from face planting in someone’s mashed potatoes while holding onto the heavy tray with the rest of the food.

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Saying No & Letting Go

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

My grandparents owned a dairy farm. When my siblings and I were younger, we’d play in the barn with our large extended family. My cousin, who was a year older and my closest friend at the time, used to convince me to follow her across the barn beams suspended above the hayloft.

We'd practice our gymnastics routines, even though neither of us had any training. As we stood above our adoring audience of barn cats, we'd extend our arms and put one foot in front of the other to make our way across the rough-cut beams. Despite our stupidity, God's angels shrouded us in safety.

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The Importance of Asking Why

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

Until last month, I'd spent the last nineteen years of my life working as an early childhood educator. While working with young children, one of the questions I’d heard most often in my career was, “Why?”

Children ask this question constantly because they are sponges, soaking up all kinds of information. If they’re given one answer, chances are they’ll continue asking why to find another. Sure, it can be annoying, but it’s how they learn. Many times I’d ask them why and they’d usually tell me "because."

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Creating Sidekicks For Your Characters

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

Laverne & Shirley. Lucy & Ethel. Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson. Batman & Robin. Shaggy & Scooby. SpongeBob& Patrick. Shrek & Donkey. Frodo & Sam.Monica & Rachel. Lorelai & Sookie.

Depending on your age, these names may sound familiar, but what do they have in common?

They’re all fictional main characters with their sidekicks.

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Help! I've Fallen Out of Love With My Story!

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

As I wrote out my synopsis, I came to a heart-sinking realization—I wasn't in love with my story anymore. When I brainstormed the initial story, I was so excited and on fire to dive into character development and plotting. And yes, I still like certain elements of my work-in-progress, but the crux of the story left me feeling a bit...meh. If I didn't love it, how could I champion it to my agent, my editor, or most of all, my readers? So I asked a group of writing friends for some advice. I’ve compiled their responses to help other writers who may be struggling with story love as I have been. 

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6 Tips for Productive Brainstorming

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

My good friend Jeanne Takenaka, who writes beautiful, encouraging blog posts, and I have been working together for nearly a year, helping each other to strengthen our stories and digging deeper into learning the different craft elements.

Our partnership works well because we are able to balance out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been thinking about what makes our partnership work, and I’ve decided to share some tips to help others who are pursuing craft partnerships.

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5 Tips for Creating First Dates for Your Characters

by Lisa Jordan @lisajordan

Do you remember your first date? Or maybe your first date with the person who ended up becoming your spouse?

My husband and I had a unique courtship—we met in our hometown while he served in the USMC but had come home on leave. For the next 18 months, we communicated via handwritten letters, phone calls, and infrequent weekend visits.

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5 Ways Bad Reviews Can Help You to Become a Better Writer

by Lisa Jordan  @lisajordan 

One star.

Wow.

My breath caught in my throat and heat crawled across my cheeks as I read the reviewer’s words that expressed her displeasure after reading one of my novels. How could she write such things? Didn’t she realize the struggle and tears that went into meeting that deadline? Of course not. Readers aren't aware of life's challenges we're juggling while writing novels.  

With her words echoing inside my head, I emailed my writing support team—agent, editor, and two mentors—asking if her words were true. After being assured I hadn't failed as a writer—and advised again not to read reviews—I reread her review again. This time, though, I gleaned some wisdom from her words. 

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Finding Stolen Moments to Write

by Lisa Jordan @lisajordan

Today’s writers are not as those portrayed on TV. Many do not have the income ability to write full-time, nor do they have opulent offices overlooking the ocean.

In fact, quite a few of my author friends work full-time inside or outside the home, care for their families, juggle church responsibilities, battle dust bunnies from overtaking their homes and try to squeeze in a decent night’s sleep.

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Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

by Lisa Jordan

I don’t make resolutions. Since 2009, I’ve chosen one word as a way of focusing on my prayers, lists, calendar, and commitments. I’ve found making resolutions causes too much pressure and guilt when I’m unable to achieve them. However, I do set goals that help me to plan ahead.

Fitzhugh Dodson said, “Without goals, and plans to read them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”

With that in mind, I’ve learned about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

Specific—your goal needs to be specific. Think about what you want to accomplish. Why does your goal matter? What’s at stake? Who is involved in helping you achieve this goal? Where do you need to be for the goal to be achieved? What’s holding you back?

In 2017, I’d like to write a novella collection in addition to my Love Inspired novels. It matters because the additional income helps to meet our household and my writing budgets. If I don’t write, then I have less income for writers conferences, etc. My writing team is involved in the process. And in order to meet this goal, my fingers need to be on the keyboard. So to make my goal more specific, I could say my goal is to write 1500 words a day, six days a week.

So how will I measure my goal?

Measurable—your specific goal needs to be measurable, meaning you need a way to track your progress. If you’re setting a writing goal, you can track word count progress on a spreadsheet, even going as far as showing the number of words written against the number of words still needed for the rough draft. If you achieve your daily word count, you know you’re on track to meeting your goal.

Attainable—your goal needs to be attainable, meaning it needs to fit within your abilities and lifestyle. When setting goals, it’s great to stretch yourself, but know your limits. With my demanding day job and other obligations, I couldn’t commit to writing more than 2 Love Inspired novels a year if I want to write novellas as well. If your overall goal feels intimidating, set mini goals for yourself. If having a completed manuscript by the end of 2017 feels overwhelming, consider something more attainable like two chapters a month.

Realistic—your goal needs to be realistic. Writing a book a month isn’t realistic to me, even though I can dream about having the skills to make it happen. Writing one book in three months is more realistic and manageable for me. As I continue to hone my craft and improve as a writer, I’ll be able to produce stronger fast drafts, which will enable me to complete novels sooner rather than later. Writing 1500 words a day is a realistic goal and doesn’t feel overwhelming for me to achieve. Keep your expectations in check so you’re not setting yourself up for failure.

Timely—your goals need to be timely. Without a commitment to meet your goal, then you could lose focus and motivation. Plus, learning to write with deadlines prepares you for the publishing world. Set a timetable with a start date and an ending date. You can even break your timetable into smaller increments to help you succeed rather than stress.

Life happens. Be flexible. Take stock of your goals periodically throughout the year and see if you need to adjust your goals...and your attitude. Keep expectations in check. Be willing to ask for help and to accept help from others. Delegate tasks in order to give yourself more time to work toward meeting your goals. By maintaining S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can reward yourself when you reach them by your deadline.  

TWEETABLES

Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals by Lisa Jordan (Click to Tweet)

S.M.A.R.T. goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely~ Lisa Jordan (Click to Tweet)

You can reward yourself when you reach them by your deadline~ Lisa Jordan (Click to Tweet)

Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. She is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa also serves on the My Book Therapy leadership team. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, crafting with friends and binging on Netflix. Learn more about her at lisajordanbooks.com.

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5 Reasons to Keep Writing

by Lisa Jordan 

NaNoWriMo is winding down. Many of you may be writing strong closing in on that word count. Some of you may have stopped. Others may want to continue, but you’re discouraged.

So what’s holding you back?

Fear?

Procrastination?

Time?

Novelist E. L. Doctorow said, “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

Sometimes even seeing beyond the dashboard can be a challenge. So I’m giving you five reasons why you need to keep writing.

1. You have a dream. Cinderella sang, “A dream is a wish the heart makes.” If you’re like the majority of writers I know, you have a dream. A dream to be a writer. In order to fulfill that dream, you need to write.

2. You were created for this. God instilled the desire to write within you. He gave you the ability to create characters, come up with plots and put them together in a story to share with others. He did not say you have to go it alone. He didn’t give you this dream to take it away.

3. You have a voice. Like your handwriting or fingerprints, your writer’s voice is unique. You can learn the craft alongside your peers, but only you can write the same story in your voice. As literary agent Sandra Bishop says, “Voice is your personality on the page.” It’s how your characters are defined, how they speak, how you describe your storyworld, how you plot—that’s all about your voice. Keep writing to allow your Voice to be heard.

4. No one else will do it for you—unlike running the dishwasher, gassing up your car or folding your laundry, no one can write a book for you. Okay, yes, ghostwriters can, but those words aren’t yours. Your head is full of characters begging to be released onto the page. Give your head a rest and let your characters have their say. ;)

5. Personal satisfaction. Do it for yourself—if you stop writing, will it affect your family? Will your friends stop talking to you? Will time stand still? Most likely not. However, if you stop, how will you feel? Only you can answer that question. Believe in yourself and your abilities. You can do this.

Author Phyllis Whitney said, “You must want to enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning. Like any other artist, you must learn your craft—then you can add all the genius you like.”

Once upon a time, a girl dreamed of writing novels. She tried and tried, but at times, wondered what was the point? Ten years ago, she challenged herself to attempt NaNoWriMo. In thirty days, she wrote a novel. A bad novel, but she still did it. She proved to herself she could do it. Two weeks later, her husband bought her a laptop since he realized this writing thing wasn’t going away.

She studied the craft, wrote, revised, screamed in frustration, deleted, quit for a day or two, joined My Book Therapy, revised, wrote and finally entered another contest, which became a turning point in her writing journey. She finaled and scored a top-notch agent who eventually sold her novel to the publisher of her choice. That NaNoWriMo manuscript released in August as her fifth published novel. She’s been where you are. She knows your pain. She believes you can do this.

TWEETABLES

5 Reasons to Keep Writing by Lisa Jordan (Click to Tweet)

Once upon a time, a girl dreamed of writing novels~ Lisa Jordan (Click to Tweet)

Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. She is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa also serves on the My Book Therapy leadership team. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, crafting with friends and binging on Netflix. Learn more about her at lisajordanbooks.comlisajordanbooks.com.

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Who Likes Bad Reviews???

Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories that feature those comes naturally to her. She has been writing contemporary Christian romance for more than a decade. Her debut novel, Lakeside Reunion, released in November by Love Inspired. Her second novel, Lakeside Family, releases this month. Happily married for over twenty years, Lisa and her husband have two young adult sons. When she isn’t writing or caring for children in her in-home childcare business, Lisa enjoys family time, romantic comedies, good books, crafting with friends and feeding her NCIS addiction. Visit her at www.lisajordanbooks.com to learn more about her writing.

NR: Leave a comment for Lisa and be entered in a drawing for a signed copy of her book. (U.S. residents only, please)

Bad Reviews Can Help You to Become a Better Writer

One star.

Wow.

I read the reviewer’s words that expressed her displeasure after reading Lakeside Family. My breath caught in my throat as my heart thumped against my ribs. Heat crawled across my cheekbones. How could she write such things? Didn’t she realize the struggle and tears that went into this story?

Of course she didn’t. She read the words on the page and wrote a well thought out review citing examples from the novel to prove her points. Despite the one star, I appreciated her feedback.

After I pondered her words a while, I considered how I could learn from it to create more likeable characters from the beginning. But, I also had to consider this character’s journey throughout the story. She carried a heavy load and needed to go through her own emotional journey to hear truth so she could learn to trust.

Authors risk public feedback the moment their books are made available to the public. Of course we want our readers to love our stories and our characters. But you know what? We won’t be able to please everyone. We simply need to write our novels to the best of our abilities and know we are offering our finest work. As authors learn more in the craft, they write better books.  

When we do get those tough reviews, we need to consider the source. Is the reviewer someone who reads a lot of books, reads a variety of genres and expresses her opinion clearly? Reviewers who like a book, but give it a lower score based on genre frustrate me. Reading the back cover copy gives the reader a general idea if the novel is Christian or secular.  

After reading the reviews, ask yourself if there’s some teachable moment threaded in the reviewer’s words. Is more than one reviewer saying something similar? Talk these concerns over with your agent and editor. Is this a weak area in your writing? Should you strive to change that particular component?

Finally, believe in yourself and your abilities. You can’t allow every review to shake your confidence. Otherwise you will be too paralyzed to write something new. When your novels are released, simply remember you did your best, your editor loved the story to have offered a contract and you won’t able to please everyone.

Bio: Married 23 years to her real life hero, Lisa Jordan knows a thing or two about romance. She and her husband have two college-aged sons and will be facing an empty nest soon. By day, Lisa is an early childhood educator, and by night, she is a contemporary romance novelist with Love Inspired. Lakeside Reunion, her debut novel, is a 2012 Carol Award Finalist. Lakeside Family, her second novel, releases in August 2012. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Agency. In her free time (ha!), Lisa enjoys good books, chick flicks, crafting with friends and feeding her NCIS addiction. To learn more about Lisa, visit her website at www.lisajordanbooks.com.

Lisa is celebrating the release of Lakeside Family with a month-long party of giveaways, including Coffee Lovers and Tea Lovers baskets. For more details and to enter the gift basket giveaways, leave a comment on: http://lisajordanbooks.com/novels/lakeside-family-book-release-celebration/)

Lakeside Family
The one man she never wanted to see again is the only who can save her daughter’s life.

In the space of a minute, Nick Brennan learns he has a nine-year-old daughter— and that she desperately needs his help. All this time, his high school sweetheart, single mother Josie Peretti, thought he knew about their child. And that he just didn’t care. About the ill little girl—or Josie, the woman he’s never forgotten. But Nick made a long-ago promise never to forsake his family the way his father did. A promise he vows to make good on now… if only Josie will bless him with a second chance.

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Every novelist has a journey. This is Lisa Jordan's

Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories that feature those comes naturally to her. She has been writing contemporary Christian romance for more than a decade. Her debut novel, Lakeside Reunion, will be released in November by Love Inspired, followed by her second novel, Lakeside Family, which will be released in August 2012. Happily married for over twenty years, Lisa and her husband have two young adult sons. When she isn’t writing or caring for children in her in-home childcare business, Lisa enjoys family time, romantic comedies, good books, crafting with friends and feeding her NCIS addiction. Visit her at www.lisajordanbooks.com to learn more about her writing.

Tell us about your new release:

Bed-and-breakfast owner Lindsey Porter prays she won’t run into Stephen Chase when she returns to Shelby Lake. Five years ago, the cop jilted her to marry another woman, and Lindsey fled town. But no sooner does she hit city limits than Stephen pulls her over for a broken taillight. Despite the past, he’s still able to stir up Lindsey’s old feelings for him. Now a widower and single dad, Stephen recognizes a second chance when he sees one. And he’ll do anything to make Lindsey trust in God and take a risk for love—again. Read an excerpt of Lakeside Reunion

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

When I married my husband, he was a military policeman in the USMC, who dreamed of being a civilian cop like his dad. The closer his discharge date grew, the more fearful I became about his career choice. I begged him to give up his dream of being a cop, and he did. I’ve always regretted that, and when I became serious about writing, I started a story about a woman whose father was killed in the line of duty and she couldn’t marry the man she loved because he was a cop. The story evolved into one about trust, forgiveness and second chances.

Did anything strange or funny happen while researching or writing your book?

I didn’t have any weird moments, at least from my perspective. At times, I tried to picture certain physical movements in a scene, so I’d ask Hubby to help pose so I could write it correctly in the scene.

Every novelist has a journey. How long was your road to publication? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

My desire to write began when I was 16, but I became serious about pursuing it as a career about 12 years ago. Doors didn’t open until I finaled in the 2009 Genesis contest and signed with Rachelle Gardner in March 2010. She submitted my manuscript to Love Inspired and called on Friday, January 7^th, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. with news about my first sale. I sobbed to the point where Hubby thought someone had called with tragic news.

Do you ever bang your head against the wall from writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I do believe I have a permanent dent in my forehead from banging my head on my keyboard. My novel had gone through so many revisions, but it was still flat. At that time, I was becoming involved in My Book Therapy, so I emailed Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck for advice. We had a two-hour brainstorming chat that solidified my story spine and forced me to dig deeper into my characters’ motivations. That’s when my story started to come to life.

Do you consider yourself a visual writer? If so, what visuals do you use?

I’m visual in that I have to picture the scene as I write it. I scour the Internet for photos of characters, their homes, their work places, etc. to give me a baseline for the storyworld and various descriptions. I use Pinterest to pin those to my virtual bulletin boards so I always have them when I’m using 2 different computers.

Novelists sometimes dig themselves into a hole over implausible plots, flat characters or a host of other problems. What's the most difficult part of writing for you?

Plotting is a challenge for me because I tend to be an in-the-box thinker, but I’m getting better. I’m learning to broaden my perspective to see what’s beyond the box flaps.

How do you overcome it?

I have a brilliant critique partner—Michelle Lim—who is gifted with the ability to plot. She knows my weaknesses and gracefully helps me to make my stories move forward with a feasible plot. She’s a great friend and a terrific springboard to help my brain to move beyond the box.

Where do you write: In a cave, a coffeehouse, or a cozy attic nook?

I do a lot of my writing in my comfy leather chair in the corner of my living room. If I need to write without distraction, I plug in my ear buds, turn on Pandora and write to music, but I’m still available for my family. If I need constant quiet, I move to the corner in my bedroom where my writing desk is located.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My alarm goes off at 5:45, but I usually hit snooze until 6:15, then I force myself out of bed and head for the shower. Then it’s time to get my son up for school. At 7 a.m. my doorbell rings and my day with my six Little Darlings begins—I’m a state-registered childcare provider from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Once daycare ends, I clean up, do paperwork, fix dinner, clean up, then settle in my chair for a couple of hours of writing, social media, or other computer work that demands my attention.

Some authors report writing 5-10 thousand words a day. Do scenes flow freely from your veins or do you have to tweeze each word out?

It depends on the scene. I hate writing the rough draft. I’m a polisher. Give me the bare bones and I can edit until I’m happy with it. I force myself to write as many words as I can in 30 days—my crit partner and I usually challenge each other. Once the story bones are in place, I can go through each chapter and add the other necessary elements to bring it to life.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Susan May Warren taught me “God heals the character’s lie she believes about herself and the hero heals the wound.”

Rachel Hauck encouraged me to “tell the story between the quotes” and “always ask why to reach your character’s core motivations.”

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Surrender your writing to God. Join My Book Therapy—amazing organization to help writers find their voice. Learn from the pros but honor your own voice. Learn the craft and don’t be in a rush to submit.

I’m holding a scavenger hunt and lakeside photo contest to promote my Lakeside Reunion release. Plus, blog commenters on my blog hop will be put in a drawing for fun prizes—breakfast basket, Love Inspired Authors basket, autographed copies of Lakeside Reunion. Visit my Lakeside Reunion Contest page for more information.

The token for this blog is pancakes. 

Lakeside Reunion

Bed-and-breakfast owner Lindsey Porter prays she won’t run into Stephen Chase when she returns to Shelby Lake. Five years ago, the cop jilted her to marry another woman, and Lindsey fled town. But no sooner does she hit city limits than Stephen pulls her over for a broken taillight. Despite the past, he’s still able to stir up Lindsey’s old feelings for him. Now a widower and single dad, Stephen recognizes a second chance when he sees one. And he’ll do anything to make Lindsey trust in God and take a risk for love—again. Read an excerpt of Lakeside Reunion

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