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It all started with a question: What happens when believers disagree about what the Christian life should look like?

Hannah Richards believes she is being a good steward of the talents the Lord has blessed her with by turning her needle to creating dresses that are pleasing to look upon. She is imitating the Creator God who designed wildflowers, rainbows, and sunsets.

Jericho Tucker, on the other hand, believes that fancy dress goods encourage women to focus their attention on vain, superficial beauty instead of the inner attributes of a gentle and quiet spirit that Scripture promotes as true loveliness.

Both are right. Yet both see the other as wrong. By throwing Jericho's sister Cordelia into the mix, I forced these two characters to face their differences and learn from each other, to mend those tears of condemnation with threads of grace
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You must be committed to mastering the craft, tenacious in submitting your work, flexible enough to move when the industry moves, and grounded enough in who you are as a person and as a child of God not to lose heart when rejection comes. Accept the lessons of humility you learn now, for you will need them later when you find success.

Being right is less important than living right. In John 17, Jesus prayed that his followers would all be one, so that the world might believe that he was indeed sent by the Father. Many times, we as Christians are quick to condemn other believers because they do not adhere to a doctrine identical to our own. However, if we wish to foster the spirit of unity that Christ desires, we must be less concerned with proving our arguments and more focused on loving our neighbor and extending grace in times of disagreement. Only then will we be a light to the world

My second release, Head in the Clouds, will be hitting the shelves in October. Since I enjoy Regency romances as well as those set in the American West, I thought it would be fun to blend the two by bringing an English nobleman to Texas. In Head in the Clouds, a recovering romantic takes a job as governess for the mute daughter of a sheep rancher and soon learns her heart is not the only thing in danger.

My current work in progress is a story set in the late 1880s that asks the question – what happens after the prodigal son returns? So many times, we focus on the wonderful homecoming the lost son received from his father, but have you ever asked what life was like for him after the celebration was over? How did he relate to his bitter older brother or the servants and townspeople who were only too aware of his past arrogance and wild living?

In my third book, I play on those very questions. My hero is a man recently released from prison who has returned to his faith roots and rededicated his life to the Lord. The heroine is a woman who has been disappointed by men in the past and has little tolerance for those who don't meet her high standards. In an effort to make a clean start, Levi hides his past and Eden believes she has finally found a man of honor and integrity. But when his secret is revealed will both their futures be shattered?

A Tailor-Made Bride is a fun-filled romp in which a feisty seamstress tangles with a set-in-his-ways livery owner in 1880s Texas. Hannah sees beauty as a gift to be shared while Jericho judges her fancy goods as nothing but vanity. However, when his sister befriends Hannah and solicits her help in catching a beau, Jericho discovers that Coventry's new dressmaker is far from the shallow creature he expected. But gaining her favor would require exposing his wounded heart. Can two stubborn people learn to stop judging and instead choose love?

I've been most surprised at the amount of juggling a multiple-book contract entails. Right now I am marketing book 1, finishing up edits on book 2, and still trying to write book 3. Add that to my normal schedule of work, church activities, soccer and baseball practices for my boys, a daughter competing in Math tournaments, and a husband who insists on seeing me every once in a while—the sheer busyness can be overwhelming at times. It's crazy, but wonderful, too.

Hannah Richards is a 19th century fitness maven. Oh, and an incredibly talented seamstress. She is a woman who sees beauty in everything from a knothole in a floorboard to fall leaves forming colorful patches on a hillside, to a gnarled walking stick. God speaks to her and restores her unsettled soul through this gift.

But back to the fitness maven. I had so much fun researching this element of Hannah's character. I wanted her to be able to perform a 19th century makeover on Jericho's sister. However, I wanted this makeover to include more than just clothes. So I looked into fitness. As it turns out, the mid 1800s were a time of great social reform, and one such movement included the promotion of physical exercise for women and children.

Hannah models her calisthenic regimen after a book entitled The New Gymnastics for Men, Women, and Children written by Dio Lewis in 1862. She also uses equipment he recommends in his book including Indian Clubs (which look a lot like bowling pins), small wooden dumbbells, and exercise rings. There's even a scene in the book where she challenges Jericho to try her routine. What starts as a friendly competition, ends in a place neither character anticipated

Even though I relate most to my heroine, what I enjoyed most was creating the perfect hero for her. Jericho is a hard-headed guy full of preconceived notions and arrogance that comes from thinking he has everything figured out. However, beneath this tough exterior is a tender heart that longs to honor his God, his family, and his community. No one works harder, gives more, or protects more fiercely than Jericho Tucker. His words might rile, but his actions speak with a deep eloquence that reflects the compassionate nature hidden in his soul. He is truly a man of contrasts.

What did I enjoy least? I guess the same thing I always enjoy least—the sheer amount of time it takes to write the thing. I am a slow writer, being one of those odd ducks that insists on editing as I go. The reward is that when I reach "The End," it really is the end since I've already edited and layered along the way. The downside is that it takes a loooong time to get there.