A Reader Recently Said:

One thing you will always find in my books is a Happily-Ever-After. Yes, I know life does not always, or even often follow that trend. But as life in general can be pretty discouraging at times, I write to encourage, not discourage. And what's more encouraging than believing love WILL win out, I ask you? Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything. So HEAs all around from me, folks. One thing you will not find in my books is sex. Steam, yes. Sex, no. Let me explain. I come from a childhood wrought from pain and disfunction. My parents divorced when I was seven, almost eight. Courts decided where I would live, I was not given a choice. One parent, as I grew older, encouraged me to try sex out. To explore. To see for myself what I'd like and to be able to know enough to please my husband, should I ever get married. The other parent treated sex like a four-letter word. It was strictly for procreation and nothing more. Please, don't assume you know which parent did which. I love them both and have forgiven them both. Needless to say, I was quite confused and I rebelled, and made some poor decisions in my life. When I became pregnant with my first child, it occurred to me that there was life living inside me. A soul that I would either lead to hell, or to heaven, by my example. I decided if my child went to hell, it would not be because I'd led them there. So, I repented and changed course. In doing so, over the years, I came across a quote that really spoke to me and explained well attraction, sex, and the concept of purity. The concept of respect for self, and of a Higher Power. Of right and wrong. Purity, I learned was not the absence of sexual attraction, but the ordering of it. Now, here we are, and hopefully, you might understand my reasons for writing the way I do, at least in part.

In my last couple of posts, I've mentioned my book, Out of the Blue. It was my first novel, originally published in 2014 from Blue Tulip Publishing. I've revised it, just tightened it up some, and changed a couple minor scenes. And am now querying that once again.

Out of the Blue is the story of KatyBeth Reilly, a ranch owner and horse trainer who happens to bump into--literally--someone who turns her world upside down. A scene takes place in the book, where Katy is having a discussion with a teenage girl--a ranch guest--asking about relationship advice. The girl specifically asks Katy how old she was when Katy first had sex. A reader recently reached out, saying she loved that scene so much, that she read it to her own teenage daughter as a discussion opener for the topic.

As a mom, and a former youth leader, as well as being the writer of this scene, I don't know if I can properly express how touched I was to receive this news. It absolutely made my day. To that reader, humbly, I thank you.

Thanks for checking in today; I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Your Lady of Literature,