Book Group & Jody Hedlund

I hosted book group tonight with a beautiful bunch of women from church! This past month, we all read THE PREACHER'S BRIDE by Jody Hedlund.

It's such a beautiful book. The main character, Elizabeth, is such a wonderful example of service and self sacrifice. I finished the book with the feeling of wanting to do better, to be better.

I have to admit, I first read this book a year ago when it first came out. I remember loving it! This month though, I wanted to read it again so I'd be fresh for the discussion, but it didn't happen. Last night I picked up the book and was going to quickly skim to freshen up my memory. I had one problem though, I kept getting sucked in. I found myself reading a page here, a scene there, and it angered me that I has such little time to get finished. I just love this book and the second time around was just as good as the first.

During our discussion tonight we also Skyped with Jody. It was wonderful to learn more about her life and writing journey. There were some very insightful questions asked and I learned more about the story behind the book.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.

Skeleton Lake is out TODAY!

Want to read a chilling book, perfect for Halloween? This would be the book. It's my dear friend and critique partner, Angela Kulig's first book and it's out TODAY!!

You can grab it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Smashwords for $2.99

Also, head on over to another dear friend's blog: Ali Cross. You can read Angela's guest post there.

Update

Hello! Remember me? Yeah, I'm the writer who hasn't blogged in AGES!

First and foremost, my critique partner, Angela Kulig, has her very first book coming out this week!! I am so incredibly excited and proud of her!! Want to check out her book? Yes? YAY! Click on the cover and it'll direct you to where you can read the first chapter! :)

So what have I been up to? EVERYTHING! But I wanted to share what currently has my interest. Since it's somewhat difficult to take a writing class at the moment with a house full of kids and a hubby that's gone at work 12+ hours a day, I decided to do a writing class of my own. I bought a whole bunch of books and have been studying and taking notes--the only thing missing is a lecture. One day, I will take a course, and I will relish the moment!!

I just LOVE this series! There are several books, each breaking down a basic unit of the craft. The first one I'm focusing on is this book by James Scott Bell:

I have learned so much, and I'm only half done. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Since learning is an ongoing thing, why not tighten up your plot writing muscles??

Lately, when I'm done taking notes, I've been reading the following book by debut novelist, Leigh Fallon. It sort of sucked me in, you know the rest!

I hope to be blogging more, I honestly do. ;)