It started with a scene I couldn’t get out of my head. 

I was sixteen when the idea first came to me—one vivid moment that refused to fade. Ten years ago, I finally sat down to write it, and that spark became the rough draft of An Angel for a Ranger. At the time, I was young, broke, and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. 

I laugh about it now, but back then, I published it in rough draft form under the title Angel Ranger and quickly followed it with two sequels—The Half-Breed’s Bride and Unconditional Suitor. All three… in rough draft form. Like I said, I had no idea what I was doing. 

Facing the Critics 

Once the books were out, the criticism came quickly. The “English police” hammered me on grammar and punctuation—completely justified, and honestly, quite embarrassing. But it was the critiques from fellow Christians—about how “vile” my villains were or how my characters experienced desire—that cut much deeper. 

At the time, I took it all personally. Now I understand they simply didn’t see the stories the way I did. 

Pulling Back and Letting Go 

Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, I pulled every book off the shelves. I knew the stories were good at their core, but I didn’t have the tools, resources, or connections to fix their flaws. So I hid my head in shame… and for years, I mourned the dream of being an author. 

During that time, I poured my heart into raising my family with my wonderful husband, Jerry. My children—stairsteps born just under a year apart—were my everything. I don’t regret a single moment of that season. 

But as they grew older and didn’t need me in the same way, I found myself grieving again. Who was I without them to mother? What was my purpose now? 

A Nudge from God 

It was in that season of questioning that I heard from my Father. 

He told me it was time—time to pick up the pen again. 

And so, I did. 

Returning to Riverview 

During my original series, I had fallen in love with Seth and Sophia (who I originally named Ruby—but that’s a story for another blog post 😉). A decade later, with more experience and wisdom, I knew I couldn’t go back to my rough drafts. 

Seth and Sophia’s story had to come first. They were the original Rollins of Riverview, the foundation of the entire series. And when I started writing, it felt like they’d been waiting years to tell me their story—they practically wrote themselves. 

The Book That Changed Everything 

A Georgia Princess for an Orphan became the most personal book I’ve ever written. It’s terrifying to share something so close to your heart, but I refused to let it go until I knew it was as perfect as I could humanly make it. 

I wanted readers to step fully into the world I’d created—to feel, smell, and see what my characters experienced. I wanted them to laugh when my characters laughed, get angry when they were angry, and cry when they mourned. And I did all of those things while writing it. 

Launch Day and Beyond 

Now, just four days after launch, I can say this: A Georgia Princess for an Orphan isn’t just a book I’m proud of—it’s my favorite I’ve ever written. If I’d read it from another author, it would have cemented her as one of my all-time favorites. 

There are so many people to thank for helping make this dream a reality. I’ll be sharing more about that in next week’s post. But for now, I’ll simply say how deeply grateful I am to my church family, my husband, my children, my parents, and my friends. They’ve cheered me on every step of the way, and I don’t know where I’d be without them. 

Some dreams fade. 

Others go quiet for a time… only to come back stronger. 

Which kind of dreamer are you — the one chasing a passion right now, or the one patiently waiting for God’s perfect timing?