Aunt Gertie’s Margaritas (from Summer in the Moon Garden)
A 4th of July pitcher, salt-rimmed and stronger than it needs to be — straight from the Criss Creek kitchen. There's a 4th of July scene in Summer in the Moon Garden that I love because nothing...
Rose’s Old-Fashioned Strawberry Jam (from Summer in the Moon Garden)
The strawberry jam that runs all the way through Criss Creek — and the recipe that started it. In Summer in the Moon Garden, there's a small moment I think about more than some of the big ones....
Red, White & Blue Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes
A Recipe From Blooming Into Life There’s a moment in Blooming Into Life when Mary Ann watches her niece and granddaughters frost cupcakes for the Criss Creek Fourth of July celebration, and realizes...
Mary Ann’s Buttermilk Drop Biscuits: A Family Recipe Worth Keeping
There's a moment in Blooming Into Life when I knew Colleen's story needed something soft to land on. She's deep into a detox diet, all green juices and rigid rules, and the page felt a little cold....
10 Cozy Women’s Fiction Novels That Feel Like a Warm Hug
There's a particular kind of comfort in small-town women's fiction. The familiar faces on Main Street, the porches where people actually sit and talk, the way a whole community shows up when one of...
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Jam (The Jam From My Novels)
There's a jar of strawberry jam that keeps finding its way into my fiction. Readers of Blooming Into Life may remember it making an appearance there. In Summer in the Moon Garden, Danny brings a jar...
The Song That Inspired Summer in the Moon Garden
Readers often ask about the inspiration behind my stories. Sometimes it's a place. Sometimes it's a character who appears out of nowhere. And sometimes, it's a song. The song that inspired Summer in...
Meet Jess Dalton: A Fierce and Tender Heroine in Small-Town Women’s Fiction | Summer in the Moon Garden
If Kat is learning how to move forward, Jess Dalton is learning how to stand her ground. In Summer in the Moon Garden, Jess is the woman you want in your corner—fiercely loyal, quietly determined,...
Sweet Mama Jane’s Cinnamon Rolls
The Story Behind Sweet Mama Jane's If the name sounds like it belongs in a story, that's because it does. Sweet Mama Jane's is the little bakery at the heart of my novel Summer in the Moon Garden,...