Sneak Peek at the New Cover

What do you think? I'm pleased as can be with the cover of my next release. To whet your appetite, here's a taste of what the book's about.

Joel never meant to be a single dad, working at a hair salon in the small town of Eden Plain, Texas. But at twenty-seven, that's where he finds himself, sharing custody of his preschool son with an ex-wife he still loves and sharing Sunday night dinners with a group of other single dads. He regrets the poor choices that brought him to this place, but it's not until the worst happens that Joel learns how much he still has to give. This is the story of love in the midst of heartache and friendship in the midst of real, everyday life.

This book is a big departure from the Ruby Prairie series. Written in the male voice and in a contemporary setting, A Bigger Life was inspired by a chance encounter with a hip, young hairstylist who has since become my friend. My hope is that current readers will enjoy this new direction and that I'll make a few new friends along the way.

Look for A Bigger Life to arrive in bookstores in January of next year. Of course amazon. com, always on the ball, has it available for preorder now.

Folks Want to Know

When new friends discover I'm a writer, when they find out that I've sold a solid dozen manuscripts in the past nine years, yet still work at a regular job, they pointedly ask why. Why would a rich author work long hours? Why would she endure an hour plus commute to a job that's physically tiring, emotionally exhausting, and spiritually draining?

Lots of reasons, I say.

First, I've been a nurse for more than two dozen years. It is work I love, work I'm good at, work that has meaning. Work I'm called to.

Second, writing is solitary business. I am a wee bit of a loner, and seem to become more so with each passing birthday. I need to be out with people even if I'd rather be at home gazing at my own navel. My job as a hospice nurse calls for intimate interactions with coworkers, patients, and families.

But there's another big reason.

Money.

Get ready folks. Here's the shocking truth: Writers don't make that much. At least few of us do. Like the wheat farmer who receives pennies for the wheat that goes into the making of a two dollar loaf of bread, writers glean pennies on the dollar cover price of their books. Which means this. You gotta sell a lot of books to be financially solvent.

More books than me.