God Gives First So We Can Give Our Best

When I set aside working on the next book in my Roman-era Light in the Empire series to write this ACW blog post, I found myself thinking about the gifts God gives us so we can serve Him well. Like many Christian writers, I know in my heart that this is a calling from God, …

Writers Life: Scotland on My Mind, the Influence of Heritage

Stan and Donna Crow 1963 This year my husband and I celebrate our sixtieth wedding anniversary. Yes—that’s 60! We are observing this milestone with a family reunion in Scotland this summer. Our whole family romping for a week on the shores of the Firth of Forth. With such jolly times in the offing I have …

Writers Life | Close Encounters of the Written Kind

To legitimise his very existence, 17th Century philosopher, Rene Descartes said, ‘I think, therefore I am’. It’s indisputable that books make us think, and applying Descartes philosophy makes reading more than a pastime. We ‘are’, by our encounters with words, existing in the worlds of the texts, and so are our audience. From this perspective, …

2022 survey of our published authors

Every year various survey results are published about ‘authors’.  Prompted by this one, I thought it would be great to start surveying our own Australasian Christian authors (Australia/New Zealand and the Pacific). I came up with the list of questions and then in consultation with other authors, we tweaked them to make them more useful. …

How to make your story’s setting feel real

Characters, setting, plot―these are the three main building blocks of a great story. In my last blog post here, I shared how I find the characters for my next story. Today, I’d like to share some things I do to create memorable settings for my historical novels. Some of these tips could work just as …

Introducing Her Cowboy Blind Date

Narelle here. I’m excited to introduce my upcoming release – Her Cowboy Blind Date – in the Easter in Gilead contemporary Christian romance (CCR) series. I’ve always wanted to write a romance story with a cowboy hero. The opportunity to join a group project with a few of my American author friends included a small …

#ThrowbackThursday | The Symbolism of the Colour Purple

One of my Facebook friends recently posted a video of Blackadder actor Tony Robinson in his series, The Worst Jobs in History. I somehow missed the TV series, but the videos are awesome. Anyway, the video I watched was about the makers of purple—the dye. Purple is often mentioned in the Bible. Exodus tells us …

The Value of Writing Retreats

Have you ever been on a writer’s retreat? I’ve been on eight, so there must be something that keeps bringing me back. Is it the time to write? The networking? The input and mentoring? The fun and fellowship? The pool? Well, it’s all of those and more. What is a Writer’s Retreat? A writer’s retreat …

New Releases | April New Releases and Giveaway Winners

Today we have 5 new release this month. Congratulations. Check at the end to see if you were one of our winners for March Across the Shores by Angella K Crouch, Kelly J. Goshorn, Carolyn Miller, Cara Putman Publisher: Barbour (Date Released: 1 April 2023) Blurb: Sometimes love finds you where you are, and other …