My Scribbler’s Heart

Seven Quick Takes Friday

/ CAstfalk / 8 Comments

Seven Quick Takes Friday

Stay With Me Launch Edition

Until two weeks ago, I’d never launched a model rocket, much less a book. But since then, my debut novel Stay With Me has been released. Here are my seven take-aways from the experience.
–1–

Stalking the Amish Baby

My release day leisure-time fun consisted solely of clicking the refresh icon in my browser and watching as my ebook ratings bobbed up and down. To make it interesting, I set my sights on overcoming a variety of Amish romances blocking my path to the top. My Facebook status that day said it best:

“My goal for the day: To catch and surpass Amish Baby Surprise in the Inspirational Religious Fiction category. Maybe even catch The Amish Nanny. My Harley-riding hero and his girlfriend are being smothered by 50 Shades of Hay.”

Continue reading →

Stay With Me Virtual Book Tour Wrap-Up

/ CAstfalk / 3 Comments

It’s been a whirlwind eleven days since Stay With Me’s release!

For me, one of the most satisfying things is that characters that have lived for years in my imagination now live on in the imaginations of other people as well.

Stay With Me - Fissure

The 10-DayVirtual Book Tour wrapped up a couple of days ago. I’m gratified and humbled at all the lovely things people had to say about the book.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to peruse the stops. It’s a lineup filled with talented and hard-working writers: bloggers, nonfiction authors, fiction authors, and even a radio show host! Please take a moment to explore their sites and writing as well. Continue reading →

Stay With Me Available Today!

/ CAstfalk / 4 Comments

Today is the long-awaited day! Stay With Me is now available!

Buy it on Kindle at Amazon!

Buy it in paperback from createspace (and “like” the page) using the $2 off coupon code at checkout: B3E4E622

Buy it in paperback from Amazon!

A Book Is A Dream

A statement that is as true for the writer as it is for the reader.

If my memory serves me well, which it often does not, Stay With Me was written largely in 2012, when my youngest daughter was still a tiny baby who enjoyed long naps in her swing. Stay With Me : brought to you by the Graco infant swing. Continue reading →

T Minus 63 Hours to Launch: Speak Now

/ CAstfalk / 7 Comments

As the final hours click by, marking the hours until book launch, I’m reminded of that classic cinematic tension-builder, the one that catapults the story into action – the wedding scene.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

In other words, this is it. My name will hereafter be linked to Stay With Me, for better or for worse, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.

That prospect fills me with a range of emotions: excitement, pride, nervousness, embarrassment.

Rocket launch

Blast off!

Continue reading →

#5Faves: The County Fair

/ CAstfalk / 1 Comment

Five Favorites

We recently took our kids to the York Fair. Having grown up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, I did not frequent such fairs as a child. While I recall my family talking about a park fair that sounded akin to a traditional county fair, I’d never experienced one until I moved farther east, where sprawling farmland abounds. Here are my 5 Favorites from our experience:

–1–

The Animals

We strode up and down aisles of cows and goats. We marveled at the hours-old piglets. And my three youngest lapped up the soft, furry cuddles at the kids’ petting zoo, where they held kittens, rabbits, and guinea pigs for the first time in their lives.

(As a side note, am I the only (formerly) nursing mama whose heart pangs with empathy when I see a sow conked out while a dozen babies clamor for her teats? Or whose chest aches when I notice a cow’s udder dripping milk? I wanted to scream for someone to relieve the poor bovine posthaste.)

newborn piglets

Newborn piglets

Continue reading →

Interview with Modern Christian Romance Author Tammy L. Gray

/ CAstfalk / 9 Comments

I’m happy to share this interview with one of my favorite authors, Tammy L. Gray. I’ve had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of her new book Sell Out, and it’s a fantastic read. I highly recommend it.

In conjunction with the interview, Tammy is giving away an electronic copy of Sell Out. To enter the giveaway, click on the book cover for Sell Out on the side bar or simply click here. [Giveaway over.]

I read Shattered Rose (which is now permanently free on ebook!) more than two years ago and quickly became hooked on the Winsor Series. Avery’s college experience struck me as authentic. What inspired you to share her story, one I think many young women can relate to?

Tammy L. Gray

Tammy L. Gray

Shattered Rose is honestly a love story to anyone who has struggled with an addiction. It’s about allowing yourself to experience the love of Christ despite mistakes that you make.

For me, I became a Christian as an adult, so much of the college experience I put in there was my own. I think so often, the Christian community wants to close their eyes to the challenges that face our youth. They want to believe their kids would never do such things. But they do. And there’s a reason our teenagers are leaving the faith in droves. They want authenticity. They crave it.

My goal in every book I write is to show God’s incredible glory by showcasing what He can do with flawed people. And despite the masks that we wear, all of us can relate to flawed characters. Continue reading →

Small Success Thursday

/ CAstfalk / 6 Comments

Small Success Thursday

Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week:

  1. Back-to-School Paperwork Conquered – I survived the beginning-of-the-school-year-paperwork flurry. After filling out umpteen forms replete with multiple emergency contacts with multiple contact phone numbers for multiple children and a range of other forms requiring my signature, I thought my work was done. Then a second round of papers hit at back-to-school night. I think I’ve completed every necessary form and attached every necessary payment without letting things fall through the cracks. I think.  Continue reading →

Beneath the Cover of Your Kindle, How Hot Is Too Hot?

/ CAstfalk / 1 Comment

Sometime during high school, I read Nathaniel by John Saul. Roughly twenty-five years later, I can tell you nothing about the plot. Nothing. Not. A. Thing. However, the book contained a single sex scene, observed by a teen from a barn with a bedroom view. I can recall that scene in detail.

Woman Reading

I’ve heard of people who can skim and skip explicit scenes in novels. The vast majority of times, such details can be passed over without diminishing the reader’s knowledge of the plot. In other words, they are gratuitous. Continue reading →