Last week, I attended a New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's performance of two works based on the Stabat Mater, a thirteenth-century poem/hymn based on the suffering of Mary as she watched Jesus's death on the cross. The first Stabat Mater was by Rossini, a nineteenth-century Italian composer, with the orchestra backed by a choir and featuring …
Tuesday Book Chat | 7 October 2025
Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week. As we are a faith-based group the questions refer mainly to Christian fiction or non-fiction. Today’s question is: Have you been to a book signing at a bookshop? We look forward to hearing your thoughts. …
Devotional | No Fear!
In my previous devotional “Two Truths” I mentioned how I had some really intense chest pains and then 2 days later I had heart palpitations, my heart was racing and it felt like it was booming out of my chest. I also noticed that my heart would boom, boom, boom and then take a pause. …
Fiction Friday | Down In The Dumpster
Today I am reviewing Down in the Dumpster by Page M. Davis & Susan Page Davis. Book Description: You never know what you’ll find in a Dumpster. If Cassie had known the misadventures she’d get into on her stopgap job, she would have kept checking the help wanted ads. With her crabby dispatcher hounding her, …
Twenty Years of Words: Then, Now, and Next
Twenty years ago I drafted in notebooks; today, digital tools abound. Yet through every change, the love of words and the call to create remain.
Book Spotlight | The Stories We Carry by Robin W. Pearson
Narelle here. I’m delighted to welcome Robin W. Pearson to our blog today and share an interview for her new book, The Stories We Carry, that’s releasing on October 7, 2025. What inspired this story? When my peeps and I read The Count of Monte Cristo, I became fascinated with the idea of righteous vengeance. Here was …
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Tuesday Book Chat | 30 September 2025
Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week. As we are a faith-based group the questions refer mainly to Christian fiction or non-fiction. Today’s question is: Have you ever been to a book launch? We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join …
Devotional | Framed
Next to my writing desk is a filing cabinet. It’s nothing interesting – a plain, matte grey industrial-looking piece of functional furniture. If I twist my neck at just the right angle, I can sometimes make out a slight shimmer that I’m sure is completely unintentional for such a utilitarian object. But I do love …
Fiction Friday | A Winter of Sweet Secrets by Heidi McCahan
Today for Fiction Friday I'm sharing my book recommendation for A Winter of Sweet Secrets by Heidi McCahan that's releasing on September 30, 2025. Here's the Book Description: What will it take to save her family’s candy company…and end a decades-long feud?For generations, the Evergreen Candy Company has been a beloved small-town Alaskan tradition run …
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Author Interview and Book Recommendation | Creating a Writing Life: Encouragement and Advice for Authors by Jill Kemerer
Today I’m sharing an author interview with Jill Kemerer and my recommendation for her new writing resource book - Creating a Writing Life: Encouragement and Advice for Authors. What inspired you to write this book? My journey to publication was long and filled with potholes. I felt like I learned everything the hard way. I …