Meet My Scottish Hero

October 28, 2025October 28, 2025 Denise M. Colby

I love reading novels with nobility in them, but I’ve been a little intimidated to write one, until now. Get ready to meet Alex Sinclair. The Scottish hero in my new novella, No Plan at All, which releases Tuesday November 4, 2025.

No Plan At All book cover. this is the prequel novella in the best-laid plans series by denise m. colby and is a travel romance with hidden identity, strangers to lovers, and forced proximity tropes including a scottish hero

Alex is from Scotland. He has come to America for eight years to live on his own, before he’s to return and marry. He speaks with a brogue and uses words such as lass, aye, and nae. He’s a peddler selling wares to small communities he travels through, in his wagon with his best friend – his horse Berrymin. He also plays the guitar, reads his Bible, and writes in a journal every day.

When he meets Sarah, she is drenched from the rain, her hair hanging in her eyes.

book quote in No Plan at All, by denise m. colby from the scottish hero Alex

And she only knows him as Mr. Smith. Because he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s Lord Berrymin from the town of Bruin (yes I went with an entire bear theme as a nod to our dog Bear, who was still with us when I wrote the first draft).

I had a lot of fun writing a Scottish hero. Particularly my hero, Alex Sinclair. He’s kind, good-hearted, and wants to help people, including protecting Sarah’s reputation.

Scottish Hero Research

In May of this year, I was fortunate to go to Scotland and see Edinburgh, tour the castle, and find goodies in the gift shops that got me excited to launch this book. See, when I picked the last name Sinclair, to me it was a Scottish name that fit my character. I had no idea the crest included a rooster.

The Sinclair Scottish Hero Crest, which fits perfectly in line with Denise M. Colby's best-laid plans series

For those that have read my debut novel, When Plans Go Awry, you all know how much a connection this is, with my character Bert. I love the way God connects things. (and thankful it didn’t take too long for me to see it!).

I also love the insignia on the crest – Commit Thy Work To God.

Which is exactly what Alex is doing in California in 1867.

I also learned highland cows are BIG in Scotland and I was so excited to find a variety of merchandise to choose from.

highland cow stuffed animals in Scotland stores

I now have my own collection, causing me to call it my highland cow era.

I’m loving how easy it is to find highland cow merchandise everywhere now, I may or may not have gotten a few goodies for my launch team members and I also have this flag waving in my front yard, to remind me of my trip to Scotland and my Scottish hero, Alex.

fall Highland cow front yard banner makes me think of my scottish hero in my book No Plan at All

All of this is to say how excited I am for you to meet Alex (and Sarah), and read about their journey together as they travel from town to town, camping in the outdoors, and selling his wares.

If you want to find out more about No Plan at All, check out my book page. If you’d like to learn more about the series, I share more on the series page. You can order any of my books, print or e-book, on Amazon, and after release day on Walmart.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Writing

Book Cover Reveal for No Plan At All

August 27, 2025August 27, 2025 Denise M. Colby

I’m so excited to share the book cover for Sarah and Alex’s story, No Plan At All. No Plan At All is the Prequel Novella in the Best-laid Plans series and releases November 4, 2025.

Set in 1867, two years before When Plans Go Awry.

Alex left Scotland and a noble title behind…Sarah left behind the only home she’d ever known. Neither expected to find love on the road.

A Pre-order link will be available next month.

So now for the reveal on my blog.

No Plan At All book cover reveal. this is the prequel novella in the best-laid plans series by denise m. colby and is a travel romance with hidden identity, strangers to lovers, and forced proximity tropes

Two strangers. One journey. A love neither expected.

Sometimes the best life is the one we never planned.

Sarah Anne Baker never wanted to be anyone’s burden. But hours after losing the Godmother who raised her, she faces an impossible choice: marry her late fiancé’s brother—or flee into the unknown. With fear as her only companion, she places her trust in the one man leaving town that night—the enigmatic traveling peddler known only as Mr. Smith.

Alexander Sinclair walked away from his noble title in Scotland to live a quiet, hidden life. Peddling wares from town to town has given him peace, free from the weight of expectation. Until a desperate young woman crosses his path. He can’t turn her away… no matter the cost.

Together, Sarah and Alex set out on a journey through loss, healing, and a bond neither expected to find. But as secrets surface and choices demand to be made, both must decide: cling to the lives they planned—or risk everything to embrace the future God has written for them.

A tender tale of courage, redemption, and love strong enough to change the course of two hearts forever.

No Plan At All hits these tropes:

Romance Tropes

Strangers to Lovers
Forced Proximity / Traveling Together
Hidden Identity / Secret Nobleman
Protective Hero
Wounded Heroine
Slow Burn Romance

Inspirational / Christian Fiction Tropes

God’s Plan vs. Human Plans
Redemption / Healing through Love and Faith
Providence in Unexpected Places
Self-Sacrifice / Service

Historical Romance Tropes

Road Romance / Journey Romance
Escape & Reinvention
Cross-Class Romance
Found Family

If you adore secret identities, runaway brides, and love stories woven with faith, this book is for you.

Sarah is mentioned in When Plans Go Awry, Book 1 in the Best-laid Plans Series. No Plan at All is set in 1867, two years before When Plans Go Awry.

Hashtags for No Plan At All

General Christian Fiction #ChristianFiction #ChristianRomance #FaithBasedFiction #ChristianBooks #CleanRomance

Historical Romance Focus #HistoricalRomance #ChristianHistoricalRomance #HistoricalFictionRomance #CleanHistoricalRomance #InspirationalRomance

Reader/Community Engagement #AmReading #BookLovers #ReadersOfInstagram #Bookish #FaithAndFiction #BookCommunity

Specific Tropes #RunawayBrideTrope #HiddenIdentityTrope #RoadRomance #SlowBurnRomance #SecondChanceRomance

Newsletter subscribers get first peek on all book covers. Click here to join my newsletter list for future sneak peaks and behind the scenes fun.

Check out the series page on Amazon or on Bookbub and be notified when this book releases.

Writing

A Slight Change of Plans Cover Reveal

April 4, 2025April 4, 2025 Denise M. Colby

I’m so excited to share with you A Slight Change of Plans Cover Reveal on my blog. Book two in the Best-laid Plans Series is Jenny and Ren’s story. Jenny is one of the schoolteachers that came west to teach. It is scheduled for release Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Stay tuned for pre-order information, as well as new blog posts related to behind the scene research.

A Slight Change of Plans

She believes she doesn’t matter.

Jenny Millard’s hopes for security and stability as a schoolmarm out west are dashed when her schoolhouse closes and no positions are available nearby. With only enough money for a one-way train fare, Jenny heads to her friend’s home uncertain of her next step.

His scars have made him an unlovable outcast

Newcomer Ren Lyman prefers to keep to himself, hiding in the back of the blacksmith shop to avoid the stares at the scars left by a childhood accident. When he comes across a lost stranger, he’s surprised when she doesn’t recoil at his appearance, and even more so at his eagerness to assist her.

As Jenny settles into the welcoming, but small, town of Washton, she can’t help but come across Ren, especially since his daily constitutional takes him along the same path. It doesn’t take long for them to form a connection that breaks down the walls erected by years of hurt. But when strange occurrences unsettle the townspeople, it seems their chance at happiness might be at risk.

Will Jenny and Ren discover that they’re enough—for God, and each other?

A Slight Change of Plans is being published by Scrivenings Press. Each story in the Best-laid Plans series is a standalone book. Book one, When Plans Go Awry, is currently available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Writing

My First Book Release Day with When Plans Go Awry

June 4, 2024June 4, 2024 Denise M. Colby

It’s my very first book release day and there are so many exciting things happening. I’m finding myself wanting to use all the terms for today. Happy Book Launch, Happy Release Day, and Happy Book Birthday. So When Plans Go Awry, I wish you all of these!

Happy Release Day for When Plans Go Awry blog banner

And I ask all of you to come celebrate with me as my debut novel, When Plans Go Awry, releases out into the world. When Plans Go Awry is now available at Amazon in paperback, eBook, and on Kindle Unlimited. The paperback is also available on Barnes and Noble’s website.

I have had such great response to the cover and the story, from early readers. Much to be thankful for! I hope you will enjoy the story as well.

Historical Romance Book Cover pre-order link with words When Plans Go Awry by Denise M. Colby which is a historical christian romance novel

Other Book Release Excitement

I’ve been busy creating author and book accounts at Amazon, Fictionfinder, GoodReads, and BookBub, so if you are on any of these, please follow me! And if you haven’t yet signed up for my newsletter, please do so to stay informed of future book events and books.

Also, I wanted to share I have a new logo!

Red one room schoolhouse with text underneath Denise M. Colby Historical Romance Author

And a variation with my tagline

Links to other activities this week

What fun I’ve had leading up to this day. From my first author blog interview, to my first author podcast interview, to the book blog tour my book is taking this week.

Click on the graphic below to check out the book blog tour. Every day there are several book bloggers posting on their book blog. The complete list is listed here on the Silver Dagger Book Tour page.

When Plans Go Awry Book Launch Blog Tour graphic to celebrate New Book Release

I’m just so grateful Luke and Olivia’s story can be read and enjoyed by everyone. Thank you so much for your support. And if you feel led to leave a review after reading it, that would be so appreciated. Leaving reviews is one of the most helpful things you can do for authors.

Stay tuned for more book launch news as the fun continues.

Blessings,

Denise

Writing

My Very First Book Cover

March 23, 2024March 23, 2024 Denise M. Colby

Since my last post, I now have my very first book cover design completed, and I’ve created a book page on my website. This year everything is moving fast. And I’m loving every minute of it!

I was able to give a sneak peek to my newsletter subscribers before posting about it on Facebook and Instagram. But I also wanted to talk about my very first book cover here on my blog. It’s such a big moment for me, after years of wondering what my book cover would look like.

And now, here it is!

Historical Romance Book Cover with land, one-room schoolhouse, schoolmarm on cover with words When Plans Go Awry by Denise M. Colby which is a historical christian romance novel

There’s a one-room schoolhouse.

A river.

And Olivia, holding her journal.

My very first book cover!

I only get one time to say that it’s my first book cover, so it’s fun for me to state it. As I said earlier, I’m enjoying every minute of this new chapter in my writing journey.

It’s amazing how quickly this book cover came together. The overall design was complete within three to four days. Way shorter than what it took to write the story. I may never look at covers the same now that I understand how they are put together. Now the next part is the back and inside. I can’t wait to see everything in print.

My publisher, Scrivenings Press, has created a book page for When Plans go Awry. And just this week I was able to create a GoodReads book page as well, where you can add it to your ‘want to read’ list. And again I have my own dedicated book page on my website.

All of these pages are showing off my very first book cover. As well as a short description of the story. It feels very surreal!

Book Launch News

So as you can see, I have many exciting things to share here, and many more to come. If you are interested in joining my launch team, go to my launch team interest form sign-up. You will get to read the book before it launches, have a chance to win prizes, and help me launch When Plans Go Awry.

I would love it if you would join me. And I can’t wait for you to read all about Olivia, Luke, the town of Washton, and its wily rooster, Bert.

Writing

My First Book Contract

January 1, 2024March 23, 2024 Denise M. Colby

I have good news to share. I signed my first book contract in 2023 and the first story in my Best-laid Plans series will publish in June, 2024.

How did this book contract come about, you ask?

I’m excited to share I won the grand prize in the Scrivenings Press #GetPubbed writing contest. My novel, When Plans Go Awry, won first place in the Historical Romance category, and then went on to win the grand prize. The grand prize includes a book contract. My novel is scheduled to be launched into the world on June 4, 2024.

Denise M. Colby won the grand prize in the Scrivenings Press #GetPubbed 2023 contest for When Plans Go Awry, which includes a book contract — The contest results were announced on November 16. I think I will always remember this day. A pivotal turning point in my writing story. Where I went from aspiring to contracted.

What’s amazing is looking back over the past thirteen (yes, 13!) years of working on my stories, making friends, learning, and growing as both a person and as a writer. I’m so thankful for the journey.

The path has been a lot of winding cross-backed, up and down, narrow and wide dirt trails, with a few paved and flat sections along the way. Then, on November 16, these contest results were announced, and everything has changed — and I’m on a new path now!

Scrivenings Press welcomes Denise M. Colby to the family of authors with her first book contract for her grand prize entry When Plans Go Awry which will publish in June 2024

The word CHANGE was the perfect word for me in 2023.

From a writing perspective I chose this word because I wanted to change how I approached my writing. To not be afraid to change my opening or what my characters said. I wanted to be able to try new phrasing and change my manuscript for the better. I wanted to embrace change in different ways including pitching and trying new contests.

And because of that, I can now add additional changes that have happened this year!

I finaled in a contest and got to submit my entire manuscript
That entire manuscript won 1st place in a contest
And then won the grand prize in that contest
That grand prize included my first book contract
My first book contract is now a 3-book series titled Best-laid Plans
And my first book, When Plans Go Awry, will be published June 4, 2024

Very Big Changes in My Personal Life, Too

Change has been up front and center in my personal life this year as well. With one college graduation and our youngest’s high school graduation, we are moving on from being booster presidents and weekly performances or activities to attend. Our middle son asked his sweetheart to marry him, and we are experiencing new things with being parents of the groom. We’ve been blessed with new responsiblities in our day jobs, and been able to travel quite a bit this year.

I’m so excited for June 2024. We will celebrate a book launch and a new marriage.

Celebrate my book contract with me!

To follow my publishing journey in 2024, sign up for my newsletter or follow me on my facebook or instagram pages. I will be building a street team to help with the book launch, so stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

As the year 2023 ends, all of these things are the best changes possible. And I’m so excited for 2024 and what is to come. I also can’t wait to share my 2024 focus word with you. That will be in my next post!

Denise M. Colby loves to write words to encourage, enrich, and engage with others. You can find similar encouraging posts on A Slice of Orange such as meeting writing goals or when your confidence wavers, and on her own website Moments of Encouragement. She also loves to write about her word of the year and share quotes that include that specific word in them. Each word builds a new layer in her writing journey (and her life). In 2022, her word was Work. 2023 year, her word was change.

Writing

It’s The One-Room Schoolhouse’s Fault

October 16, 2019July 24, 2020 Denise M. Colby

I have this thing for historical one-room schoolhouses. I don’t know why. They are cute, inviting and have history that is yearning to be told. Ever since I visited the one-room schoolhouse in old town Sacramento during my oldest son’s 4^th grade Sacramento trip, I have wanted to write a story about one.

How specific some of the rules were.

How students were separated with boys on one side, girls on the other.

How each student had to stand at the side of their desk to speak.

How lashings were given for the most interesting infringements.

How a female teacher had different rules than a male teacher.

How for some of these students, it was the only education they would ever receive.

How children of all ages were taught in the same room.

How one measly stove in the center of the room provided heat.

How lunch was carried in a bucket.

Quote from Blog by Denise M. Colby - Maybe it's the influence of Little House on the Prairie, but i find the history of the one-room schoolhouse a little romantic

Maybe it’s the influence of Little House on the Prairie, but I find the history of the one-room schoolhouse a little romantic. And so, when I went on the same trip with my second son two years later, the same curiousness came back, a few characters formed in my head, and a story screamed at me to write it.

So I did.

My story is about a town across the river from Sacramento that has a brand new schoolhouse. This schoolhouse seems to want to match-make for its teachers. Their first teacher got married before she set foot in it. The next one, my heroine Olivia, wants to remain a teacher her whole life. But God, the one-room schoolhouse, and Bert the rooster, all have a different plan for her.

It will be interesting to see how long she lasts, and who else might come to teach at this match-making one-room schoolhouse.

Quote from Blog by Denise M. Colby - Who else might come to teach at my match-making one-room schoolhouse

To find out more about the story I’m writing, go to the Going West Series page of my website. Or click on this link if you’d like to see the photos of One-Room Schoolhouses I’ve posted. I’ve also created a Pinterest board about One-Room Schoolhouses which has been fun to build.

Writing

When “The Plan” Does Not Go According to Plan

September 15, 2019September 15, 2019 Denise M. Colby

I think this title says it all! When “The Plan” does not go according to plan. Have you ever felt this way? I have. I’m a planner at heart, so I run into this, A Lot! So here’s my story right now.

I have had many “plans” over the past year for my website, my blog, and my writing and most of it has NOT gone according to plan.

I had plans to update my website

I had plans to have more blog posts each month

I had plans to have my newsletter completed and emailed out to a list of willing readers

Don’t get me wrong. I still have those plans. And that’s the thing. For me, right now, it’s not necessarily the plans I wrote down, but the timing of those plans that changed. And honestly, I’m okay with that. Now. But I wasn’t at the time. I’ve been frustrated with myself for not being able to get them done when I wanted to get them done.

Recently, I have realized that those were “my plans” and in hindsight, I can now see the way things have unfolded may not have been my plan, but very much “God’s Plan” for me.

Recently, I have realized that those were “My Plans”.
Denise M. colby

Several reasons, that I only can see now, include all the other “things” that needed to fall into place before I got to the things on my list. (And also the fact that I had too much on my plate, and my health and my family needed to come first.) For a long time I couldn’t see that. But now…

That’s what hindsight is all about

Something we can learn from.

So, what’s the lesson?

Something I’m still learning (and will continue to do so because it is one of the hardest things for me to do) is to let go and trust God when things don’t go the way I want them to.

Let go and let God be in charge, quote by Denise M. Colby with old wooden fence background

Ironically, this is actually one of the themes in my book I’m working on. We all make plans. And we think we are on the right track with those plans. But we sometimes run into road blocks or challenges that prevent us from making progress or change the outcome of some of those plans.

That’s what my heroine, Olivia, runs into over and over.

She has a lot of stuff happen to her. So much so, she has to let go of her past and reinvent herself and plan out a new future. And she’s doing it all without any help from God. At least, that’s what she believes.

But just like in our own lives, God is behind the scenes orchestrating something so much bigger and beautiful for Olivia. Something she would never be able to do on her own.

Sometimes we have to learn to get out of the way and trust God. We may not know what the future holds but by trusting in Him we can have faith to take things one day at a time and know we are where He wants us to be at that moment.

God's way of going about it is so much better than our own, quote by Denise M. Colby, text over wooden fence background

Sure it’s good to have goals and plans of the things we want to work toward. I think that part is important. But I also think that sometimes God’s way of going about it is so much better than our own.

And we don’t know that until our plans have to change

So here I am, many many many months later finally posting a blog post. And I have plans. Big plans. To write more. To post more. And to share with you more. Words of encouragement to help inspire and give you hope. Words of enrichment to learn new things. And words that we can engage in so that we can support, uplift and show love to one another.

If you are interested in signing up for my nonexistent newsletter to receive in the near future (hopefully) go here to sign up. You will receive a free poem I wrote, titled When God Calls, Go.

And for the novel I’m still editing? It has had several different titles over the past few years all related to plans changing, so I’ll leave you with a few verses from the Bible on the topic:

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29: 11

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 10:36 36

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 text on background

I am part of a writers blog called A Slice Of Orange. I have been writing blog posts monthly now for over a year. My particular blog posts on the 12th of every month. You can find links to those posts here, or for all my archived posts click here. In my August post, I wrote about real life turning points and how big ones have impacted me this year. The topic dives into the “why” my plans didn’t quite happen the way I planned and a first-hand view as to what plans are emerging now. It’s titled Tracking Real Life Turning Points

Writing

Writing Words That Encourage, Enrich, and Engage

February 18, 2019March 24, 2024 Denise M. Colby

A part of this post was first posted on the Sliceoforange.net blog on April 12, 2018 (The Purpose of Words)

I love quotes, phrases, and how words are used to communicate. It’s fitting that at dictionary.com, the verb ‘word’ is defined as: to choose and use particular words in order to say or write something.

Yes, as writers that is what we do. We have a lot to say and we choose our words for a reason.

I’m always amazed at how people put together their words the way they do. Many times, in my head I find I articulate well. But when I write the words down, they don’t always sound the same way they did in my head. Does anyone else struggle with this? I’m thinking I’m not the only one. Or so I hope. But, I digress.

This post is about words and writing words

Definitions. Synonyms. Words by themselves. Words strung together. I love words. Go figure that Words of Affirmation is my love language (if you don’t know what that means — check out the book Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Interesting insight into why and how people show love differently) and that I got my BA in Communications.

Words are a curious thing. How you say them, spell them, and use them can change what they mean. We have rules for these words and we take classes our entire school career to learn what those rules are. And yet, there’s still a variety of ways people string words together.

What makes us each use words differently in our writing?

I don’t think it’s a new phenomenon. Diary’s and journals have been around since the beginning of time. But most of those private musings never saw the light of day. However, with the internet explosion and the plethora of blogs out there, not to mention the ease of self-publishing, anyone can express themselves however they want and post it for others to read.

Some writers use big words that I have to mull over and think about before I can continue on, while others write in a way young kids can follow. Some use clever prose, others are straightforward. Some write very long sentences, while others write less. All. The. Time. I find I enjoy reading it all.

There are several types of books out there that play with words.

One book series titled, Short & Sweet, is a compilation of one page poems and stories all written in one syllable words. Each book has had a different theme.

Denise M. Colby's Poem Titled, "When God Calls", is on page 77 In this book, The Short and Sweet of It

I submitted a piece titled “When God Calls” to the third compilation, titled The Short & Sweet of It. When the Right Word is a Short Word.

The focus of this compilation were things that matter deeply to the authors and my piece is based on the Bible verse Matthew 11:28-30 —“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I wrote a short poem from my heart and I couldn’t be more excited as it’s my first published work.

The book launched in April 2018, and my piece is on page 77. It’s being sold on Amazonand Barnes and Noble .

Specialized books to help with writing our words

Besides one syllable word books, there are more specialized books on words. If you are anything like me, you own more than one dictionary and thesaurus. At used book stores I like to look for unique and different types of dictionaries to use for references. Recently I learned about a new word. You may have heard it before, but it’s new to me. It’s called ‘Etymology’. At first I thought it was about body parts or an animal species. It’s not!

Etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

Isn’t that awesome?!

Apparently, this has been a thing for quite some time. I looked on Amazon and there are numerous books on the subject (some of which are now on my wish list). As I researched further on the internet, I found a website dedicated to the topic, https://www.etymonline.com/.

For those of us who write historical, this might give us an entire new source of understanding how or why a character would use a word. My favorite part in the few words I tried out, is the listing of slang words.

For instance, I looked up the word farm. Besides an overview on the definition it lists two slang phrases:

Fetch the farm: prisoner slang for “get sent to the infirmary”

Buy the farm: world war II slang for “die in battle”.

Now, if I was writing a World War II piece or a Civil War piece, I might use one of these. But alas, I’m not. But, the next time I’m looking for a something more on a word, I’ll use this as a resource and see where it leads.

All in all, words are wonderful.

Especially when we use them to communicate to others. Whether it’s in a private letter, an article, a novel or a blog post, words are put together to read and enjoy.

Just like you read and enjoyed this post, right?

Blessings,

Denise

Writing

Time Flies When You Are Writing!

September 27, 2017December 8, 2019 Denise M. Colby

writers journey blog

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last posted on this blog. Of course I haven’t been stagnant. Life keeps moving, or as the phrase suggests…time flies when you’re having fun. And I have been having fun. Both in my personal and professional life.

I’m still writing…

…I’m now writing a monthly blog over at www.sliceoforange.net. You can see my posts on the 12^th of every month. If you are interested you can sign up to receive the daily posts from a large group of authors. Here’s my September post: http://www.asliceoforange.net/face-your-fear/

…I attended the SoCal Christian Writers Conference in June and met some wonderful people within the industry. I also picked up new tips and information to help me on my journey, including some blogging lessons.

…I’ve taken two online classes over the past few months, both on editing and revisions, since that is what I am currently working on. I’ve learned a lot and am now applying those lessons to my manuscript.

…I rewrote the entire beginning of my book. I’ve learned so much since when I started that it was easier to rewrite it with new words and phrasing rather then continue to change what I had originally.

…I have a title for my first book that I’m completely happy with. I had been going round and round with a handful of them, but one stuck out I really liked and after asking a few publishers and agents, I’ve decided it’s the one (I’ll have to reveal it in another post).

…I have met a wonderful new author friend who is now my critique partner and together we’ve exchanged a few scenes and gotten to know each other. I’m really looking forward to working with her. I’ll have to introduce her in a future post.

…I’ve been revising and editing my first book and adding words to book number two. I can see my writing has improved tremendously, but it’s not quite where it needs to be. So I keep working at it.

…I have a logo my middle son designed and created for me. I need to finalize the last bit of detail before I put it on my website, but it’s been great working on it with him. I’m super excited to share it with you.

Wow….I really haven’t been stagnant. It feels good to write out what I’ve been doing. I can see the progress. Daily I don’t feel like I’ve done much because sometimes the progress is itty bitty, but all in all I can see the progression in my writing journey.

Looking ahead…

…I’m considering renaming this blog ‘my journal’ since that’s the style I have chosen to write in. I guess an official “blog” post is more instructive and has a call to action. Here I share my thoughts, feelings and encouragement as if I’m writing a diary entry.

Do you like this approach? I would love to hear your opinion.

…I hope to have revisions done by the end of the year for my first book. The process is slow, but as I apply things from my new tool box, I can see it taking shape.

And My Family Keeps Me Busy…

With three teenage boys in my house, there is never a dull moment. This year we have celebrated a high school graduation, an Eagle Scout, lead roles in musicals and plays, choir performances, track meets, dances, backpacking trips, college classes and lots of pizza movie nights (our weekly tradition) and so much more (including my 22^nd Anniversary to my amazing hubby). It seems daily I’m running somewhere, but I wouldn’t change any of it. I love my family dearly and enjoy watching them get to do what they love and cheering them on.

So there’s the fun I’ve had while my time has flown by. I encourage you to write out some of the things you’ve accomplished this year so far. I bet it’s more than you think.

And hopefully I won’t take as long before I post something again.

Blessings,

Denise