(Peeking Out) from Beneath the Pages

Since our last brush of cyber wings, I've been buried -- almost literally -- in BLINDSIGHTED. Release date is fast approaching, y'all! The last day of this month will be D-day. I'm so, so excited about this one, but at the same time...well, time flies faster than I write. So pray for me! I need clarity of mind, good health, determination of spirit, and wonderful, solid ideas. Actually, the last item is mostly covered...at least for this project. It's getting those ideas on the page "just right" that sometimes creates a bit of a dilemma.

But I refuse to worry. God has never once brought me to a single thing He didn't bring me through. I trust my Savior to keep me on track.

For the record, I've made a few little changes to the BLINDSIGHTED cover, for boring reasons I won't go into. They're good reasons, trust me...and they didn't make a huge visible difference. If I kept my lip zipped, most folks probably wouldn't even notice. But I feel honor bound to mention it to my newsletter subscribers, since I made such an issue of my beautiful cover. I'll show you the new one below.

I will tell you one change that I absolutely love. The young lady on the original cover, while certainly attractive, was not "real." She was AI-generated. Well, I invited a young lady from my church to "model" for this cover, and she graciously accepted! (Thank you, Lindsey Moore!) I actually LOVE these cover changes, largely because of Lindsey. And while I'm gushing praise here, may I just add that Lindsey's younger brother, Josh, is an up-and-coming photographer. He offered to handle his sister's photo shoot, and both of them did such an incredible job. I couldn't be happier and can't thank the Moore siblings enough!

Be sure you read all the way through because I'm starting a new "column" in the newsletter. From the Porch revolves around a couple of special friends of mine. I'll introduce you to them after you observe them for a while. But I think you're going to love Haven & Jimmy.

Also, do follow the link and read the rest of our guest author's post! First, you'll enjoy Kimberly Keagan's story--I sure did. But she's also going to be choosing a winner from those who leave comments. Someone will get a FREE ebook version of her new book.

Now, I really must burrow back under the pages and keep getting this book ready to print. Until next time, Dear Readers...thanks for brushing wings with me!

FROM MY WRITING DESK

BLINDSIGHTED is available for pre-order on Amazon NOW (eBook format only). Get your copy while it's at pre-order price ($1.99). That price will rise like a balloon within a short time after release.

For those of you who prefer print books...I've gotcha covered. Amazon does not offer pre-order for print books, but...I DO. I've recently set up my online store (check it out on my website), and I've made this book available for pre-order. You can order now, and I will sign your book and send it to you.

FULL DISCLOSURE: If you order on Amazon, you'll likely have the book in hand within a few days. If you order through me, your delivery will be delayed because I have to wait for my initial author order to arrive on MY doorstep before I can send it to YOURS. The whole process could eat up a month or so (hopefully not, but worst-case scenario). So delivery for pre-orders in print will be slower than ordering from Amazon, but you'll received a SIGNED COPY and maybe even another little goodie or two, as well. 

BLINDSIGHTED Bookplate,
 ready for signature.

Another option is to go ahead and order your print copy on Amazon on release date. Let me know when you've ordered, and I'll send you a signed bookplate (a label, designed with a Blindsighted theme, that you can affix to the front cover of the book...or anywhere you choose).

Okay, so I'm excited about all of this, and really look forward to being able to sign books for those of you who like to have the author's autograph. Choice is entirely yours, but at least you have the option. That definitely gets my vote! :)

From Our Guest Author: Kimberly Keagan

Note to readers: Our guest author this month, Kimberly Keagan, has a FREE copy of her book, Perfect, for one of you this month. She'll be choosing a recipient from the comments on this post within the next two weeks, so be sure to make her feel welcome on Brushing Wings. 

The Book War and a Family Tree

Kimberly Keagan

My friends and family all know that I’m an avid genealogist. Over the years, I’ve not only worked extensively on mine and my husband’s trees but also close to a hundred others as well as a volunteer. One thing I’ve learned: old newspapers are the best resource for genealogical research and writing research. 

About six years ago, I was researching a friend’s family tree when  I came across a New York Times article about booksellers who’d gathered in Brooklyn in 1895 to protest department stores. This had nothing to do with my friend’s family, but if you’ve ever spent an afternoon reading old newspapers, you know how easy it is to get sidetracked. I kept reading. Eventually, that detour led to my first novel.

The booksellers had good reason to complain. Department stores were selling books at deep discounts to bring shoppers through the doors. A woman might come in for a bargain on a novel and spot a length of silk on her way to the book counter. If she bought both, the store didn’t need to make much on the book. The bookseller down the street couldn’t afford to do the same.

I found more about similar disputes in The Philadelphia Times and the Buffalo Evening News. My favorite suggestion came from the Philadelphia paper: if department stores sold cheap books to get ladies to buy silk, why shouldn’t a bookseller sell silk below cost to get them to buy books? I could almost hear the fellow who came up with that idea, and I rather liked him.

This is what I enjoy about old newspapers. A census record might tell me someone’s great-grandfather was a bookseller. The newspaper gives me a better idea of what he was dealing with. I can imagine him coming home from the shop and telling his wife about the customer who’d gone down the street to save a few pennies. The family records tell me what he did for a living; the newspaper helps me imagine his day.

As I read, I began to picture Ivy King, a young woman watching a grand department store go up down the street from her bookshop. Suppose she recommended a novel to a customer who’d trusted her judgment for years. How would she feel if that customer thanked her, then went to the department store to buy it for less? I didn’t think she’d take it well.

Of course, I write historical romance, so I also wanted to know what sort of man might change Ivy’s mind about the people behind that store. His name turned out to be William Walraven, and I had a lot of fun figuring out how they might handle their seemingly insurmountable obstacle to love.

Their story became Perfect, the first book in my Hearts on Display series. I’m still tickled that a search on behalf of a friend turned up a book war, of all things, and that I got a Christian historical romance out of it.

If you find a relative’s name in an old newspaper, try reading the rest of the page before you move on. See what the neighbors were arguing about or what the corner shop had on sale. Those things were part of your relative’s life, too. And if a search through your own family history has taken an unexpected turn, I’d love to hear what you found.

Kimberly Keagan is a former investor relations analyst and corporate financial writer (not very romantic) who now crafts Gilded Age historical romances filled with strong heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, faith, and a touch of humor.

A spreadsheet enthusiast, she approaches her author business with both creativity and data, proving that numbers and novels can coexist quite happily.

Kimberly lives in Arizona and enjoys baking, vegetable gardening, watching sports, and researching her family tree.

 

Links:

Website:

 https://www.kimberlykeagan.com/

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kimberly-Keagan/author/B0DDJNNK62

BookBub:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kimberly-keagan

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51478492.Kimberly_Keagan

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kimberlykeaganwrites

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/kimberlykeagan

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/kimberlykeagan

X:

https://x.com/kimberly_keagan

FROM THE PORCH with Haven & Jimmy

Every writer needs a place to escape the chaos of deadlines, tangled plots, and characters who refuse to behave.

My "place" happens to be a cozy imaginary porch shared with two rather unusual companions: Haven, my endlessly patient brainstorm partner and all-round creative genius; and Jimmy, a coffee-loving, marshmallow-hoarding gentleman who claims to know absolutely nothing about anything suspicious.

I don't believe him for a minute.

These two have become part of my writing adventures, offering encouragement, laughter, occasional wisdom, and enough mischief to keep things interesting.

So, beginning this month, I'm inviting you to pull up a rocking chair and join us for a little feature called From the Porch. We'll talk books, writing, life, faith, and whatever else happens to wander up the porch steps.

And here's our first question for you: If you joined us on the porch, what would you bring to share? Coffee? Cookies? Chocolate? Perhaps a suspiciously large bag of marshmallows? Or something totally unexpected and impossible to guess?

Tell us in the comments. Just don't leave your marshmallows unattended near Jimmy's chair.

You've been warned. 😉

FROM MY WRITING DESK

With vacation over, it's time to finish the book (I'm almost there!) and share it with all of you. It will be available for pre-order soon, and of course I'll let you all know immediately. I hope you're excited too! (Keep an eye on Delia Latham Readers' Room in Facebook for the FULL cover reveal, coming very soon.)

Have you been enjoying the little snippets of deleted scenes I've shared here? Only Brushing Wings subscribers will see these pieces that were...and then were not part of the book.

And now, since there'll only be one more newsletter before Blindsighted releases, I'm sharing a little sneak peek from the actual first chapter. I hope it grabs you by the heartstrings and leaves you excited about the storyline, and eager for release day.

Time to see inside, though what she really wanted was to run away and hide.

Closing her eyes, she murmured. “I will be…somewhere else…for a moment. Please stay. I promise I won’t be long.”

She focused. Shut out the gentle shuffle of feet, the polite movement of the city’s elite as they roamed the gallery, taking in her clay sculptures. Kyla simply quieted her own thoughts and opened herself to whatever Daddy God chose to reveal.

Her empty gaze fixed on the stranger’s face as if she could see him, though her eyes had known nothing but darkness since her twelfth birthday. Unable to find a normal voice, she whispered again. “You hide your scars beneath a mask to guard others from the sight, but most–” Her voice caught on a hard knot in her throat. “But mostly, you hide them from yourself. Because…” Now her voice actually broke, choked with tears. “Seeing them forces you to remember something you want to forget.”

And that's your introduction to Blindsighted. What do you think?

Be it ever so humble...

...there's no place like home!

We are almost home as I write this post...less than a half hour from our driveway. Our trip to Phoenix, and then to California, made for a long, tiring, wonderful, beautiful three weeks. I'm exhausted and exhilarated. I'm ready to write, but really, really tired. Anxious too, because my deadline to have Blindsighted ready for publication is rapidly approaching, and this trip took a big chunk out of my writing time. Still, I know God will make a way, stretch the hours, and multiply my productivity in the time that remains. He always does. What a great God and loving Father He is!

Tanya Stowe (l), LeAnne Bristow (c), Me (r)

The Faith, Hope & Love Writers' Conference was such an incredible blessing! It's always a joy to be in the midst of a group of like-minded individuals. There's something incredibly reviving about the special dynamics woven into such a setting. The energy alone is enough to get everyone fired up and ready to write, write, write! It worked exactly that miracle on me.

As I get older, I seem to get more and more emotional. Saying goodbye to my siblings was so hard this time. But I'm very grateful God made it possible for me to see them again. I needed that physical connection with family and very old, very dear friends. Sometimes our souls just need a good dose of time spent in a familial atmosphere, and contact with friends who feel like family. It was refreshing and encouraging in a million different ways.

I treasure my "blood ties," and I also deeply love and honor my spiritual family...the family of God. So yes, I have family galore, and I love them every one.

Please know, Dear Reader, that I love my reader family, as well. You are my reason, and my inspiration, for every book I write...because it is you God wants the words I write to reach. It is your hearts I hope to touch, and your lives I hope to change in some small way. So thank you for reading. Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter, for following me on social media, for reaching out with words of encouragement, for praying for me, and for making me want to write one more book...and then another, and another...

Guest Author: Kathleen Rouser

Thank you, Delia, for allowing me to share about my writing journey this month.

In my bio, I always say that I wanted to be a writer before I could even read, which is true. I loved it when my mom read books to me and became captivated with the idea of telling stories. My patient mother used to listen to my endless ramblings. I had also hoped to illustrate the books I was going to write someday, but while I enjoyed drawing and painting, I never developed my artistic ability that far.

Fast forward to being grown-up. I had my first magazine article published at nineteen. My much older brother, John, encouraged me to write and took me along to writers’ conferences. He loved to write as well. Sadly, he passed away in a car accident when I was twenty-four. It was like my biggest cheerleader and mentor were gone, and I lost a wonderful brother and friend.

Grieving prompted me to write a short story that included a character inspired by John. I would also try to write articles from time to time, but I was shy about submitting and still needed to grow a thicker skin toward rejection.

At twenty-one, after a five-month courtship, I married the love of my life. Less than a year later, we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. A month before Matthew was born, Jack and I each accepted Jesus as our Savior, which would change so many things—including my purpose for writing. Motherhood and homeschooling took priority for many years. I wasn’t one of those energetic moms who could burn the candle at both ends.

Still, I took some time for writing, occasionally attending a local conference and taking a correspondence course in writing for children. As my kids got older, I began writing more seriously again, trying my hand at a few different genres.

In 2002 I wrote my first faith-based romance, a story from my heart. After several incarnations and rabbit trails to write other stories, Rumors and Promises was first published in 2016. A second Stone Creek Brides story came out in 2017. After I wrote the third book, my publisher had changed hands, and they were no longer interested in it. I received my rights back for the first two.

I wasn’t quite ready to go completely indie, and God provided another way. I queried Scandals and Mercies to Wild Heart Books in 2023. After I sent a proposal, they wanted to republish the first two books as well! I was so thankful to find such a wonderful home for my Stone Creek Brides series. I was going through a dark time right then, and it felt like the Lord was giving me a hug when He provided that contract.

Book Four, Wounds and Rescues, just released on October 6th. I am soon turning in rewrites for Betrayals and Hopes. (Yes, book five!) Though I began my writing journey when publishing and writing were much different, I can attest to the fact that sometimes the tortoise will cross the finish line—provided she doesn’t give up.

About Kathleen:

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest. 

About Wounds and Rescues:

A nurse with a wounded heart. A former lawman haunted by loss. An attraction neither can afford.

Rose Sinclair has built a careful new life in Stone Creek, hiding her painful past beneath a high lace collar. When private investigator Caleb Ellis arrives claiming he's found a grandfather for two orphans she's grown to love, she's determined not to trust him—or let him take the children she's come to cherish.

Caleb needs Rose's cooperation to reunite the children with their family. But as questions begin to surface and shadows from Rose's past reappear, it becomes clear someone is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the truth buried.

Forced to travel west posing as husband and wife, Rose and Caleb must protect the children while outrunning a past determined to destroy them. As danger closes in, Caleb must confront the faith he abandoned, and Rose must decide if she can risk her heart again.

Because this time, trusting the wrong person won't just break them—it could cost them everything.

Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer and Mary Connealy, this faith-filled historical romance features a forced-proximity journey, blending danger, redemption, and a road that leads two wounded hearts toward love.