Today, our journey takes us to the Near East to the ancient Nabatean city of Petra. We will be heading south from Amman, Jordan to an area below the Dead Sea. Petra had been on my bucket list for years, so I approached it with great enthusiasm. Nothing could have prepared me for the breath-taking awe of the 2.7-mile (4.3 …

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live underground?  Today in my History, Travel, and Adventure Blog, I switch directions back to Europe and take us to a lesser-known, but no less fascinating place in the Andalucían province of Granada, Spain.  Located on a plateau at almost 3,000 feet (913 meters) in the shadow of the Sierra …

Last week, I began a new blog series, focusing on historical and cultural sites around the world that have captivated my interest. I began with a two-part series “From Dingle, Ireland to Georgetown, Colorado,” exploring the Dingle Peninsula where my protagonist, Anna Katherine O’Sullivan had come from in my Singing Silver Mine Trilogy. Today, I’m exploring the glorious majesty of …

Do you enjoy an adventure? Are you fascinated by people, places, and history? When you travel, do you find yourself exploring every nook and cranny of a place, talking to locals and learning about the culture? When you read books, do find yourself gravitating towards non-fiction on times and eras and events that took place in the past? Or if …

As a writer, I’m a reader of various genres–from mystery, thriller, and suspense to historical fiction and romance and, on occasion, mainstream. Each genre gives me a taste of the craft of writing from a number of excellent authors.    One of my most recent favorite cozy mystery authors is friend and co-writer Marilyn Leach. At the age of nine, …

At various times in a writer’s life, we come across kindred spirits in surprising places. A kindred spirit is one who has the same view of life as you or with whom you share a common interest. I met such a couple at my church’s 4th of July festivities.     Hans and Lily Diehl are parents of a friend at church, and …

After my Christian suspense novel, Undaunted Valor, released in April this year, people asked me if I had actually visited the parts of Europe where Alessandro’s Grandmother Luciana was kidnapped and held for ransom. My response always feels humbling, because I consider having gone to the Savoy region of France to do research on the book an enormous privilege. Yet the …

     Writers are often asked how they feel about their writing. The answer seems obvious until you read what some prominent authors have said in response. Kurt Vonnegut told an interviewer for the London Times in 2007, “When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth.” C.S. Lewis once wrote on a …

      Last week, I shared a blog written by my friend Jane Choate titled Humbly Grateful or Grumbly Hateful. Her eloquently expressed thoughts roused in me a desire to write Bitter versus Better: Writing Stories that Touch the Human Spirit.     Like my friend Jane, I experienced bullying during my primary and secondary school years. Bullying happens for a …

Discover The Adventure: Have You Discovered the Treasure Beyond the Fuzzy …: Before LASIK surgery at age forty, severe nearsightedness blinded my vision without corrective lenses. I only saw an advantage to this cond…

Before LASIK surgery at age forty, severe nearsightedness blinded my vision without corrective lenses. I only saw an advantage to this condition at Christmas when the tree went up with its strings of colorful bulbs. Without vision aids at night, the lights on the tree appeared as fuzzy orbs, blending together in a dazzling display of color. To be honest, …