Where's Cara? Mackinac Island

 This weekend my family made the drive to Mackinac Island. We made the trip so that I could sign A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island at the Island Bookstore.

The last time we visited the island, it was so I could do some research for A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island. That time, while my family visited the Fort, I spent time with the police chief. My kids were just grateful he didn't throw me in jail for asking the questions I did!

I absolutely love the island. It is a place that the moment we step on the ferry to transport us across the lake, I begin to relax. And then we arrive! It's truly like stepping back in time. Quaint. Slow-paced. Relaxing. Love it!

Can you name the long building?

After returning, it's easy to remember the charm of Mackinac Island and why I set a book there. Look for more photos later this week. But until then, where do you like to get away? Is there a place that is a peaceful escape?

My oldest posed this photo :-)

HUGE Booksigning

Last week evaporated.

What has captured my attention, you ask?

A huge booksigning that for some odd reason, I'm in charge of.

You see on September 20, over 100 (107 as of tonight) Christian authors will be at the Mall of America signing books as part of the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference.

At least 3 of the lovely ladies from this blog will be signing: Me, Margaret Daley, and Debby Giusti.

So mark your calendars. It's going to be a huge event! We'd love to have you join us if you can.

Stepping back in time

Thursday I had the opportunity to speak to the Home Economics Guild in Indianapolis for their Christmas program. It was a blast! The event was held at the beautiful Meridian Hills Country Club in North Indianapolis. That place knows how to decorate for Christmas. It was amazing!! If I didn't already have my Christmas decorations up, I would have been inspired.

Roseanna Grayson invited me months ago after learning about Canteen Dreams via my husband -- he's an amazing marketer for me. :-)

I was delighted to have my mother-in-law accompany me. She has been an amazing support to me as I write. It was wonderful to get to thank her for all she does in a public way.

I focused on the and the early days of World War Two. I guess my passion came out as I started talking about what happened and contrasted it to Thursday's events in Omaha. While I love speaking -- I got an A in college speech, even after only preparing one speech and ad-libbing the rest --, I honestly had the most fun as some of the attendees began to share their World War Two memories.

It was wonderful to hear one woman share about the shoe rationing, another delighted to know where her family dog had likely been sent for War Dog training, another tell about delivering tomatoes with her father to a plant here in Indiana that had prisoners of wars working. That was one of her earliest memories since she accompanied him as a 3 and 4 year old.

To hear their delight in sharing those stories was wonderful. And best yet, I have a few leads on Indiana World War Two stories now. Anyone know any from Ohio?

Booksigning Photos

Saturday was my very first book-signing. Yeah! I was so tickled as so many friends made the effort to come by. Here I am signing a book for my friend Heather Corbin. She was one of the gals in a Bible study two years ago that I dared to risk this dream, too. That group of gals prayed for me and supported me. I am still amazed that nobody laughed at this dream of getting a book published. God is so good. Colleen is sitting next to me, and Denise Hunter is next to her.

God is so good. Colleen and I kept marveling about how quickly this dream has come to fruition. And I have no doubt in my mind, that she has played a pivotal role in that. I was so THRILLED that she made the effort to be part of this signing. She has literally served as the midwife to this dream, and what I love is that she's not done yet. We've got a wonderful friendship in addition to the mentoring she pours into me. What can I say....God is so good!


One thing that Eric and I have commented on is how non-competitive this field is. That has been one of the biggest surprises and blessings. Denise has been a huge part of making it feel non-competitive. She has such a delightful smile and sweet spirit. And if you love romance and haven't purchased Surrender Bay yet, do it! It's wonderful. As Colleen likes to say, it's on par with Francine Rivers Redeeming Love.

This last picture is with Vicky G. She's the book manager at Carpenter's Son and one of my biggest cheerleaders. She believes in me even on the days I begin to doubt. And she loves to hear the progress reports on the doors God is opening. We have talked about this book-signing for months. And did I mention we sold out! 100 books bought and signed. Woohoo!

It was also a delight to meet Jamie Carie for the first time. What a gorgeous, classy lady. And my good friend Brandt Dodson also made the long drive up from Evansville even with questionable weather in the forecast. It was so fun to be able to point people to his great PI stories while he's standing there.

Finally, here's a photo of the recommendation tags I've blogged about in the past. Vicky says they are as good as hand-selling a book.