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19Oct 23

War of the Worlds: 5 Facts you didn’t know about the Fake Newscast

On October 30th, 1938, a radio broadcast on the CBS Radio station "The War of the Worlds" supposedly led to widespread panic all over the United States -- at least that's what the newspapers said. When you look at what really happened, it was the newspapers -- not Orson Welles and his cast -- that 'faked' the facts! What was War of the Worlds? Welles's broadcast was based on H.G. Wells's 1898 novel The War of the Worlds. The original setting for this story was 1890s England, which Welles changed for the radio broadcast to 1930s New Jersey. They chose…

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15Aug 23

5 ⭐️ Books I Read This Summer (and some great authors I recommend)

I've had a summer of great reading and connecting with great authors. With fall on its way (no! not yet!) lots of book clubs are talking about what they'll read in the coming months. In this post, I'm share some of my favorite reads, some new-to-me authors, and some old friends whose books always satisfy. (Make sure to check out the great sale on Code Name Edelweiss below!) Shadow in Moscow, by Katherine Reay. I haven't met Katherine but I'd sure like to. As soon as I heard about this story, it was an immediate buy – the Cold War,…

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Previous Articles

War of the Worlds: 5 Facts you didn’t know about the Fake Newscast

On October 30th, 1938, a radio broadcast on the CBS Radio station "The War of…

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5 ⭐️ Books I Read This Summer (and some great authors I recommend)

I've had a summer of great reading and connecting with great authors. With fall on…

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Spring 2023 Reading Recommendations

Are you looking for a great book to read this spring? I've got some recommendations for you in Historical Fiction, Contemporary, and Christian Fiction.
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7 things you didn’t to know about the Edelweiss (plus how to grow them at home)

Edelweiss, 🎶 edelweiss, 🎶 every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright,…

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Protected: Did It Really Happen? Where Fact Meets Fiction in Code Name Edelweiss

This is a password protected post.

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Code Name Edelweiss: Live and In Person!

Thank the Lord we can once again meet in person! I'm scheduling book signings, speaking,…

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The Hero Rats who save lives in Cambodia

You read that right. Rats who save lives. Let me back up a bit. Cambodia…

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The Christmas Countdown Book & Swag Giveaway

I'm making a list, I'm checking it twice and YOU are on my 'nice' list. As we count down to Christmas, I have books and swag to give away!
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Friday Fun: How much do you know about the 1930s?

I should be writing . . . or sharing some of my Christmas giveaways with…

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Why Are WWII Novels Such an Enduring Genre?

Take a look at any bestseller list for historical fiction and you can't help but…

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Ready for Love Virtual Event

Are you single Catholic woman ready for a Godly relationship? If so, I want to…

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On Being An Historian

When at the wise age of twenty, I decided to change my major from biology…

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An Adventure in Wyoming

Words can't really do justice to the incredible scenery, the beauty of the horses, and the experience of living in the wilderness of the high country of Wyoming. But pictures might.
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Learning from the Great Depression: Hacks for Making Ends Meet in 2022

In 1938 -- just like today -- nobody can afford to fill their tank. But…

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#Fridayreads Historical Fiction Book Binge!

It's been a while since I posted book recommendations, but now that Code Name Edelweiss…

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Five Quick Ways to Show Love to Your Favorite Author

If you love a particular author, here are some easy ways to let her/him know!…

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How to Get my Books (and other great books) at Your Library

Do you you know you can suggest titles for your public library's permanent collection? You…

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What is coming next from me: Code Name Edelweiss

Wondering what is coming next from me and when? This post answers all those questions:…

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Fear not! I have your next great read.

As an author, I get asked for book recommendations a lot. And sometimes I'm stumped.…

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Why Christian Historical Fiction?

"You're a writer, that's so cool! What do you write?" It's a question I get…

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Epiphany: What Do We Really Know About the Wise Men?

Writing the story of Adrina, the Magi’s wife, for Gaze Upon Jesus, (get the story…

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Enter into the Nativity: My Gift to you this Christmas

This nativity set was a wedding gift from my brother and sisters. I cherish it…

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Five Fun historical facts about The Twelve Days of Christmas song

If you've been listening to Christmas music since the day after Halloween, you no doubt…

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Protected: All That Glitters

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Spectacular Christmas Book Party Recommendations

Remember you can get many of these books from Baker Book House and use the…

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November is Full of Good News

November brings good news and good fun with a party and a great deal on In A Far-Off Land
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The Spectacular Book List for All Your Christmas Gifting

Christmas is coming, and what's a better gift than a book? But sometimes it's hard…

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Mexican Repatriation of the 1930s (a deeper look and sources)

The sight of the deserted plaza stoked his anger like dry grass fed a brushfire.…

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Nazis in Hollywood? It really happened.

The 'historical' part of historical fiction is sometimes the hardest part to believe. A couple…

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What I hope my readers ‘get’ from In A Far-Off Land. (Hint: it has to do with Jesus)

What I hope my readers get from In A Far-Off Land. HInt: It has to do with Jesus.
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A Big Announcement and a Small Request

What am I writing next and how you can you help!
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Summer Reading Time Is Here

What are you reading this summer? I love summer reading and I've got a lineup…

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Of Book Releases and Whatnot

Whew! In A Far-Off Land has been released into the world! I've been hearing from…

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Five Days until the Premier of In A Far-Off Land and One Last Book Giveaway

I can't believe it's almost time for the red carpet, the searchlights, the paparazzi. In…

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The Penultimate Giveaway

It's the next-to-last giveaway. And that means In A Far-Off Land is almost in your…

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The Countdown Continues and so do the Giveaways

Just eighteen days and counting until the book of my heart, In a Far-Off Land,…

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Double Giveaway and Less than One Month to Go!

A double giveaway and 3 reasons to pre-order a book
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A Giveaway of The London Restoration

This Giveaway is Over. Thanks for participating! I can't wait to gush again about the…

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Six Weeks until In A Far-Off Land Premier and Giveaway #8

This giveaway is now over. Congrats to Moon Phoenix over on Bookbub, you've won a…

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Double Giveaway: The Curator’s Daughter and Surviving Savannah

Double giveaway of two fantastic books #historicalfiction
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Giveaway of Clouds, A Memoir by Laura Sobiech

What a treat it is for me to feature my dear friend Laura Sobiech for…

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Giveaway #3: Courting Misfortune

This Giveaway is over but make sure to watch for my upcoming giveaways every Thursday…

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Orchard House Giveaway

This Giveaway is unfortunately, over. But check back every Thursday from now until May, 2021,…

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Shadows of the White City #Giveaway

This giveaway is over but there's more book giveaways to come! Welcome to the first…

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Top Ten 2020 Reads

We all know that 2020 was a hard year, so I'm not going to make…

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Slightly Spooky Reads

I don't often read spooky books, but when I do I read them in October.…

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Faded Memories: Old Time Movie Theaters

Do you remember any of these old-time movie theater customs?
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Review and Giveaway: Clouds, A Memoir

The kid who went down fighting, and didn't really lose.
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Book Reviews: Joining the Tyndale author ranks!

Reviews of some fantastic Tyndale Publishing authors
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Book Reviews: stories of WWII and a giveaway

This Giveaway is over, sorry! This time, I'll be choosing a winner from my Facebook…

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Leo (or Slats, or Jackie, or Telly . . .) the MGM Lion

The roar of the lion before some of our favorite films has been going on…

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Walk In Her Sandals: Meet Huldah

Huldah is many things: A friend, a mother, a mother-in-law, a widow and a simple…

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Gaze Upon Jesus: Meet Adrina, the Magi’s wife

Writing the story of Adrina, the Magi's wife, for Gaze Upon Jesus, I discovered that…

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Gaze Upon Jesus: meet Anna the Prophetess

"Some of the priests called me a prophetess. Others called me aged or even addled.…

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Gaze Upon Jesus: Meet Lila, the Innkeeper's Servant

Gerard van Honthorst Nativity Lila may be my favorite character  in this group of stories.…

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Gaze Upon Jesus: Meet Elizabeth, Kinswoman of Mary

Elizabeth, the kinswoman of Mary, was living a simple life in a small town in…

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Gaze Upon Jesus: Meet Mary, the Mother of the God

I must admit, the thought of writing a story from the perspective of Mary filled…

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Cooking with Martha: The Flavors of Biblical Israel

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was…

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Hagar and The God Who Sees

    I'm pleased to welcome writer and speaker Jennifer Slattery to the blog today.…

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Gifts That Keep Christ in Christmas

  Gift giving can be difficult. If you're like me, you want to keep Christ…

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Walk In Her Sandals: Meet Miriam

  Miriam is a courageous woman of Jerusalem who joins her son, James, as he…

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Walk In Her Sandals: Meet Zilpah

Zilpah is Anah's grandmother and the mother of Miriam. Although she is ancient, she sees…

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Walk In Her Sandals: Meet Veronica

Veronica is not mentioned in the Bible, but in the tradition of the Church she…

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Walk In Her Sandals: Meet Anah

  Anah is the first 'daughter of Jerusalem' we encounter in Walk In Her Sandals. She…

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Looking Forward To Lent

  I look forward to Lent. After the excitement, busyness, and sometimes overindulgence of Christmas,…

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Something to Read for Christmas

I've always loved this simple formula for gift-giving. With all the pressures of Christmas decorating,…

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Are You Ready to Walk In Her Sandals?

  "What if you could have been a witness to the events of the last…

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If you liked THE THIEF You'll Love RISEN

I’m not a movie critic, but I do love movies. Meaning, I love good movies with…

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The Tomb, A Novel of Martha, Blog Tour Giveaway

    The Tomb, A Novel of Martha Blog Tour is a two-week long event…

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Martha of Bethany's Honey Cake Recipe

"Every woman in Bethany wishes they could make cakes as light as the clouds, like…

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When His Breath Fades Away: How did First Century Jews Mourn for the Dead?

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four…

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When his Breath Fades Away: Burial Rites of First Century Jews

  During the last few weeks, I've been finishing up edits on The Tomb, a…

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A UK Adventure: History, Hiking, and Selfies

How does a trip to the UK with 4 teenagers sound? Exciting? Energetic? Exhausting? Absolutely. And…

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Blog Tour: What is My Writing Process? (And a giveaway!)

Many thanks  to the lovely and talented Rebecca Kanner for including me on this relay…

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What animals belong in the Creche?

Given my interest in Biblical history, it's no surprise that Christmas decorating at my house…

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Unwed and Pregnant in Ancient Israel?

This post received an honorable mention from the Catholic Press Awards when it was published…

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From Laxatives to Brain Surgery: Ancient Medical Practices

  In the Old Testament, illnesses were often God’s punishment for sins: “Yahweh will afflict…

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What was Ritual Purity in First Century Judaism?

As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m in no way a Jewish scholar. Yet learning…

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Christians and Jews: A Common Foundation in the Word of God

First, let me say that I don't claim to be an expert on Judaism. Still,…

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Joy, Beauty, and Generosity in Brazil

South America: it conjures up visions of jungles, political unrest, and poverty. What was I…

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Why I'm heading to South America with a Backpack and Sleeping Bag

You won't be hearing much from me in the next two weeks. No facebook posts,…

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What do demons in the Bible tell us about Jesus?

For the past two weeks,I've shared some of my research into demons and demonic possession…

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Demoniacs in the Bible: real or not?

What is demonic possession? It is tempting to try to explain away what the Bible…

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