Surprise Honor

About a month ago the AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) held their conference. I did not attend this year. I had two different reunions to go to instead—a family reunion and a high school reunion. 

At the end of the AWSA conference they always have a lunch where they give awards and recognize writers who have had an impact on the industry the previous year. Mostly, these awards are given to specific books that have been submitted and judged to be the best in their category. But there are a few other awards and writers who are recognized for certain contributions they have made. I did not enter any books to be judged this year and certainly did not expect any honors or awards. 

To my great surprise, on my way home from one of my reunions, when I stopped for gas and had a chance to check emails, I read one from the editor of an online devotion site I contribute to. My editor informed me that she had named me as the Writer of the Year for my monthly contribution to that site. 

I am humbled, honored, and greatly surprised to have received such an award! 

Selah Update

I enjoyed a trip to beautiful Ridgecrest in Black Mountain, NC (near Asheville) a couple weeks ago to attend the Selah Award ceremony because an online devotion I wrote for “Arise Daily” titled, “Bundle Up” was a finalist. My husband, oldest son, and I spent a couple of days there enjoying that beautiful area. We had dinner in Black Mountain on Wednesday and lunch at The Grove Park Inn on Thursday before the ceremony Thursday night. We had supper Thursday evening in the Ridgecrest cafeteria where I met a new friend who was also a Selah finalist for a historical romance she had written. Her last name was Gabriel so we teased that at our table were Michael & Gabriel (the archangels.) 😆

At the ceremony, my devotion took 3rd place in its category, and I was later sent a bronze medal graphic. 

New Book Contract!

 

I recently signed a new book contract!! Woohoo! 

This is my first real novel. I wrote another fiction about ten years ago but it was a fiction based on fact so more of a creative nonfiction. 

Three years ago, my oldest son and I went on a tour of Savannah, GA where we learned that in the 1750’s men and children were thrown down a large underground drainage pipe, loaded into pirate ships, and forced to serve on those ships. On the drive back from that tour, we bounced around ideas for a novel/—character names, and plot ideas. And from that initial discussion our new book, “Savannah Sunrise” was born. 

The book, co-authored with my son, has been contracted by Elk Lake Publishing Inc. it doesn’t have a release date yet but I will definitely let you know it when I do. 

Selah News!

 

I’m so excited to be heading to the Selah Awards again this May! A devotion I wrote for Arise Daily has been named a finalist in the devotions online category. Here is a link to the Devotion

Another story in a Chicken Soup Book!

I got word a couple of weeks ago that another story I wrote will be included in an upcoming “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book. This one will be in their book titled, “I Can’t Stop Laughing”. I don’t know when it will come out but will let people know when it does. This will be the fourth Chicken Soup book in a year to include one of my stories. The picture is of one of the other three that came out earlier this year. I do not have a pic of the cover of the new one. I’ve had stories in a book they released in winter ‘25, summer ‘25, autumn ‘25, and now this one that I think will come out spring of ‘26. This is my third story to be included in one of their humorous books. I never saw myself as a humor writer, so this is fun! My life has certainly had its funny moments and I’m glad I’ve learned to laugh at them. 

Looking Ahead to 2026

Every January, I like to look ahead to the new year and post what writing activities I have to look forward to. Because I have a couple of surgeries coming up, this year they will be previewed as I look ahead too. 

January: 

*An article I wrote will appear in Home Life (a LifeWay publication.) 

* Devotion on Arise Daily

* I will have knuckle joint replacement surgery on either the 8th or the 29th. I am currently on the schedule for the 29th but my doctor is going to try to move things around so I can have it on the 8th. I won't know which date my surgery if on until I go in for my pre-op on the 5th. This will be my fourth knuckle replacement. Arthritis has hit my hands hard. 

* Other things of note in the writing world in January: SCWC Notable Book Awards finalists are announced on 1/19.

March: 

*I will have a total knee replacement on 3/6. This is my 2nd (and last) knee replacement. I had the other knee replaced in '24 and now know just how hard a recovery I am in for. 

*Also, 3/20-3/21 is the MidSouth Christian Writer's Conference in Memphis. I am on the MSCWC planning committee and serve on the faculty selection committee every year. I hate to miss this year's conference but will not be able to go because of the knee surgery. 

May: 

* The EPA convention is in Nashville this year 5/10-5/13. I 'm hoping to attend depending on how my knee surgery recovery goes. 

Summer '26: 

*A book I contributed to titled, "God's Perfect Moment" published by Guidepost will release.

*An article I wrote is contracted to be published in Bible Advocate sometime in the summer too.

Fall '26: 

Ten devotions I wrote will appear in Open Windows (Lifeway) 

Other Things:

The above are all that I know are for certain happening in the months ahead but there are many other writing related things that keep me busy. Every month I attend a meeting of the KY ACFW as well as a zoom meeting of the EPA Freelancers. At one of those ACFW meetings, I will be teaching on writer's rights but I don't know exactly which one yet. As soon as the MSCWC is over, my faculty committee will start working on the faculty for '27, every month I have a devo in Arise Daily and every week I post a devotional thought on my FB author page. In addition, I have completed a fiction manuscript that I am currently pitching to publishers and hope to be able to report a contract on it in the not-so-distant future and as soon as that book is contracted, I will need to buckle down and write its sequel which has less than 20,000 words written in it right now. And I am always writing, and submitting freelance work, Last year, for instance, at this time I only knew of one Chichen Soup book that one of my stories would appear in but by the end of '25 I had had three CS books with stories in them. The same can be said for articles in "The Lutheran Digest."

Writing related tasks keep me busy but I absolutely love doing them! Blessings to you and yours in 2026. 

Much to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s the season to count our blessings and recall all we have to be thankful for. I have much for which I’m thankful—good health, a loving family, and a lot of opportunities to do what I love doing (writing). 

I just came back from an annual Nigerian missionary reunion. It fills my heart with joy and sweet memories every year. My co-writer of many of my books, Shirley Crowder, grew up on the Nigerian mission field with me.its always good to see her along with other MKs (missionary kids). Here is is selling our books at the MK marketplace, a new feature in the reunions where many of us sell things we make or in our case wrote.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!