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Book List

Here's a list of my upcoming and current books...

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Jane Austen Ruined My Life
Guideposts Books

Emma Grant has always done everything just the way her minister father said she should -- a respectable marriage, a teaching job, and plans for the requisite two children. Life was prodigiously good, as her favorite author might say, until the day Emma finds her husband with another woman. Suddenly, all her romantic notions a la Austen are exposed for the foolish dreams they are.

Denied tenure in the wake of the scandal, Emma packs what few worldly possessions she has left and heads to England to find the missing letters of Jane Austen. A reclusive widow claims to have the author's correspondence, but she allows Emma to see the letters only if she promises never to tell anyone about them. Emma reluctantly agrees and sets off across Austen's England -- from Steventon to Bath to Lyme Regis -- to complete a series of tasks that bring her closer and closer to the secret Jane Austen hoped to bury. And the reappearance of Emma's old friend Adam doesn't make her quest any easier.

As Emma uncovers the legendary author's innermost thoughts, she begins to understand the reasons for her idol's secrecy and Austen's own struggles as a woman of faith. Laced with excerpts from the missing letters, Jane Austen Ruined My Life is the story of a woman betrayed who discovers the true meaning of loyalty.

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The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
WaterBrook Press

On the third Friday of each month, Eugenie, Ruth, Esther, Merry, and Camille meet at the Sweetgum Christian Church to enjoy the two things that connect them: a love of knitting and a passion for books. Their camaraderie remains unthreatened until Eugenie, the town librarian, introduces an angry teenager into their midst. Eugenie also suggests a new reading list that includes classic novels of girlhood like Little Women, Pollyanna, and Heidi -- books that remind the women of hopes and dreams they've lost.

With each click of their needles, the ladies of the Knit Lit Society reveal themselves. A shadow from Eugenie's past haunts the order of her life. Merry's perfect little family is growing again, but will she continue to feel her identity slip away? Camille dreams of leaving town, but is bound by ties of love. And sisters Ruth and Esther must confront a lie they've lived with for over thirty years.

As Hannah is reluctantly stitched into their lives, the women discover that even in sleepy Sweetgum, Tennessee, they can still be the heroines of their own stories.

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Where There's A Will
Guideposts Books

From the Mystery & the Minister's Wife Series...

When Kate Hanlon enrolls in an art course at a community college, she discovers that her teacher Ellen Carruthers her husband Paul's college sweetheart. Kate is wary of the woman, but soon Ellen has enlisted Kate's help to solve an old family squabble. Ellen's family owns an abandoned mining town on High Hoot Ridge, but unless she can prove her claim on the land, it will be sold to a paper company, and the region's rich history -- along with her family memories -- will be lost.

A series of old paintings holds clues to Ellen's grandfather's missing will, but can Kate track down the paintings and decipher the clues in time? As Kate wrestles with these mysteries, Ellen's relationship with Paul raises questions of a whole different kind. Meanwhile Paul has been invited to join the Chamber of Commerce, but his plans to revitalize the local economy only lead to frustration. Can he find a way to preserve the town's history and still make sure it has a future? Can they all find a way to make sense of the past?

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Beauty Shop Tales
Guideposts Books

From the Mystery & the Minister's Wife series...

When the empty house next to Faith Briar Church goes up for sale, Kate's inquiries at Betty's Beauty Parlor lead to questions about the house's former owner, the reclusive Mavis Bixby. Mavis disappeared just over a year ago, and no one knows where she went. The suspicious circumstances surrounding her departure make Kate fearful that something bad happened to her. While Paul is occupied tracking down his mother' ssecret recipe for the big chili cook-off, Kate looks for answers. Missing documents, a suspicious stranger, and a dnagerous secret lead to a life-and-death chase after the missing Mavis. As Kate gets closer, she begins to understand how secrets can hurt, but the truth can set you free.

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Earth To Betsy
WaterBrook Press

Can you have your (wedding) cake and eat it, too?

Betsy Blessing is about to have it all;the chance to be senior minister of Church of the Shepherd and a long-awaited first date with her best-friend-turned-love-interest, David Swenson. But David's unexpected marriage proposal and a developer's surprise offer to buy the dying downtown church building thrust Betsy into a whirlwind of decisions. Betsy's future mother-in-law, editor of Budget Bride magazine, plans to feature the nuptials in an upcoming issue, but is Betsy ready to buy her wedding gown at Goodwill and register for china at Chips-n-Dings? And not everyone at Church of the Shepherd thinks relocating to the suburbs is a great idea. Can Betsy persuade the naysayers that she can lead them to the Promised Land?

Factor in a homeless man named Booger, a demanding parishioner with a broken hip, and David's clandestine meetings with his former fiancée, and Betsy has more than she can handle. Is happily ever after out of reach for the fabulous Reverend Blessing?



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Heavens To Betsy
WaterBrook Press

Blessed Are the Fabulous.

Life would be perfect for Reverend Betsy Blessing if it weren't for parishioners who keel over during her sermons, steal money from the collection box, and set her up with ex-cons. Not to mention the very inconvenient feelings she is suddenly having for her long-time friend, fellow seminarian, and verbal sparring partner, David Swenson. It isn't until Betsy is thrust into the position of senior minister for her church, however, that she discovers the real cause of her discontent: her fear of failing has become stronger than her faith in herself.

Is it really possible to keep a good woman down? Can Betsy reclaim her confidence while reconciling her clerical robe with high heels and the right shade of lipstick? A fun-loving look at a single girl's life on the other side of the altar, Heavens to Betsy is also a hilarious and joyful celebration of strong, stylish, and faithful womanhood.



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Her Perfect Earl
Signet Regency
Writing as Bethany Brooks

Picture of Perfection...

Esmerelda Fortune would never have accepted the position of governess to the Earl of Ashforth's infamous brood of five children were it not for the lure of 'Life of Corinna' - the ancient manuscript in the widower's possession, which Esmie desperatley needs to complete her studies. Besides, her employer will need her only until his wedding...

Five years after his wife's death, Julian Armstrong, the proud Earl of Ashforth, has decided to remarry. And, like his wardrobe, estate, and everything else (save the children, who have run off three governesses since Christmas), this new wife must be flawless. The heiress Miss Lambton is just that. In Julian she arouses no passion, but no one ever has. That is, until he comes face-to-face iwth a certain intelligent nymph tiptoeing through his private library...


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Princess Charming
Leisure Books

A Distressing Damsel...

Once upon a time, a duke's daughter lived with her evil stepmother and her two evil stepsisters. Betrayed by her father in death, Lucy Charming had sworn to never again depend on any man. She didn't need a champion, even one as strong and daring as the handsome gentleman who repeatedly rescued her from danger.

A Knight in Need of Armor...

The Crown Prince of Santadorra hd sworn off acts of heroism and fair maidens. But Lucy, who knocked him unconscious at their first meeting and spurned his gallant assistance at every turn, proved an irresistible lure on both counts. Head over heels in love with the spirited hoyden, Nicholas vowed to wed the enchantress.

A Royal Match...

No matter her feelings for the future ruler, Lucy had no intention of trading in her rags for riches. Marrying nobility just wasn't her idea of happily ever after... until Nicholas proved that the magic of their love would endure well beyond the stroke of midnight - it promised to cast its spell for a lifetime.

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