Hi friends! It’s been awhile since we’ve discussed travels. In February of last year, I decided to take advantage of the booming real estate market in Tennessee and sell my house. I had been hoping to move closer to work anyway, so the timing felt right. My parents were kind enough to play along and offered to let me stay with them until I found a place. That took a while, because the downside to a booming market is that everyone is looking for a house. I am now finally in my new house, so I have a little time to tell you about a trip we took to Virginia.
Continue reading “Travel Tuesday: Virginia Edition”Some Notes on the History of Secrets of an Old Virginia House
Spoiler Alert: If you have not read Secrets of an Old Virginia House, you probably will not want to read any further, for there will be spoilers regarding the historical mystery.
Okay, here we go!
Continue reading “Some Notes on the History of Secrets of an Old Virginia House”Hello Beautiful Review
I got outside my comfort zone recently with reading a beautiful book by Ann Napolitano called Hello Beautiful. I walked into my local massage therapist/spa and saw it sitting on the coffee table with some other books. The owner explained that she was in a book club that read it and that the books on the table were free to be borrowed.
Continue reading “Hello Beautiful Review”Secrets of an Old Virginia House – Releases Today!
I am so excited to share my new book with you. I loved writing it and hope you enjoy reading it. Without further ado:
Secrets of an Old Virginia House Q&A
Q: What can you tell us about Maddie, the main female character?
A: She stands her ground, is persistently persevering and can even be a bit pushy, but she also has a lot of vulnerability. She’s been through a lot and is a survivor. She has a dark sense of humor but is a Christian and carries threads of hope in her personality. She’s classy. And in the words of her best friend, she’s just about the smartest chick she’s ever met.
Continue reading “Secrets of an Old Virginia House Q&A”Secrets of an Old Virginia House Playlist
Today I’m sharing the playlist I prepared and listened to while I was writing my lastest book, Secrets of an Old Virginia House. I love this playlist for all of the unique, enjoyable, emotive songs on the list. I also like that when you listen to it all together, it evokes exactly the mood of the book. I can picture songs playing during several scenes if the book were instead a movie. I hope you enjoy it.
Continue reading “Secrets of an Old Virginia House Playlist”Interview!
I was grateful to be interviewed recently by Jonathan Frank, the News and Publications Director at Tennessee Tech University, my alma mater. I thought readers might enjoy it, so I am going to link it here.
https://www.tntech.edu/news/releases/22-23/tech-alumna-finds-success-as-fiction-writer.php
Cover Reveal!
I’m so excited to share the cover of my new book, Secrets of an Old Virginia House. I will be revealing the release date soon. Until then, here is the cover:

Madeleine Apkarian has been cancelled. On the heels of a raucous public spectacle, she is terminated from professorship at a top tier university. Maddie flees Boston, determined to save her career. Traveling to Hayden’s Ridge, she hopes to gain access to one of America’s most private colonial homes and its unseen archives, much to the chagrin of the current owner, Samuel Hayden.
He agrees to let her catalogue historic documents—nothing more. But when they stumble across a long-forgotten portrait of an eighteenth-century lady who may have had ties to Thomas Jefferson, he finally shares more. As secrets of the Hayden family’s past are revealed, the enigma of Samuel’s ancestry grows. Their historical journey takes them to old letters, to the Virginia of the distant past—to Monticello—and just when Maddie thinks she has escaped the present into history, she finds the two worlds are deeply entwined. Resolved to unravel the secrets of the house, both Maddie and Samuel may get more than they ever expected—from the past and the present.
New Book
Secrets of an Old Virginia House is just around the corner, so I thought we would talk a little about the book and who will like it.
Continue reading “New Book”New Book – Title and Synopsis Revealed
I am thrilled to share the title and synopsis of my next book. This has been a project that was a couple of years in the making. It combines my love of contemporary fiction with that of writing stories of the past. The book also contains a love story that I truly enjoyed writing. So, without further ado, the title is:
Continue reading “New Book – Title and Synopsis Revealed”