Hi! I write inspirational and sweet romance stories about ordinary people in challenging situations. In my romance thread, meeting those challenges brings my main characters closer to each other and to a lasting love. In my faith element, their challenges bring them closer to God.

Tense, romantic, uplifting, heart-warming, small-town.

The seed of this story was a comment both my parents made to me years ago. For a time, they both worked at Attica Correctional Facility — Mom in the school and Dad leading a maintenance crew. They said every inmate they worked with said they were innocent. Fast forward to a couple years ago when I got thinking what if I wrote about a man in prison who was innocent (or in Rhys’s case, partially innocent). I have a critique partner who’s involved in the foster parent program, so my thought went to the man having kids he wants to get back and make amends to. Then, my heroine breezed in. Renee, a social worker and member of the Delacroix family which is introduced in my earlier book Holiday Homecoming, was perfect for Rhys.

Apparently, as I’ve been told, my books’ themes are almost always “coming home.” At its core, Reuniting His Family is a happy story. What Rhys wants most in life is to be reunited with his two sons and to give them a happy family life to make up for him being away and their mother’s death in a car accident. As it turns out, meeting Renee adds to that happiness.

Rhys: Hard, determined, and loving. 

Renee: professional, sincere and warm-hearted.

6. I love story with kids. Can you tell us a little more about their presence in the story?   

Owen, 9, and Dylan, 6, are central to the story. Owen remembers his dad and is anxious to be with him. Dylan was a toddler when Rhys was incarcerated and doesn’t really know him, despite visits to the correctional facility with their mother before she died. There’s plenty of uncertainty on both the adult and the child sides to be worked out.

A glimpse of God’s power to love and guide us, despite our behavior in the past (or the future, for that matter) and the danger of making quick judgments. Also, an up, happily-ever-after feeling from the romance journey.

I don’t know if I’d say it’s my favorite part, but I think the book has a great opening: “Rhys Maddox looked across the small room at his broken dream. The dream he’d shattered. His boys stood in the doorway with a woman who wasn’t their mother. Owen was a miniature copy of himself. Dylan had so many of his mother’s features, it made his heart bleed.”

Definitely a planner. In fact, I was a professional financial planner (and financial writer) for many years before I became a full-time author. I do character analyses of my hero and heroine and write a synopsis of the story before I write past the first three chapters. I have a workshop on how to write your synopsis before you write your novel that I’ve presented to several writing groups. And I have to confess that in other parts of my life, I have to be careful not to over plan.

Not to make my life sound tremendously exciting, but I get my best inspiration driving and in the bathtub.

I have to have my two large cups of coffee before I start writing in the morning. When I’m writing, I usually have a large glass of water and my son’s cat Jester (which he can’t have in his current apartment) beside me.
  

Kay Correll, Lyn Cote, Ruth Logan Herne, Melissa McClone, Jolene Navarro, Missy Tippens, Lenora Worth.

13. What's currently on your nightstand?  

Second Chance Rancher, a Love Inspired by Brenda Minton

• I love to ride roller coasters.
• I was once the Wyoming County (NY) runner up Maple Syrup Princess.
• While I love to write, math and science were my strongest subjects in school.
• I’ve been known to pass out at the sight of my own blood.
• I (we) have three hens, one guinea fowl, a pair of turkeys, four dogs, and three cats at our house and twelve acres for then to romp on.