Last week, on Tuesday evening, the ladies at Greenwood Church of Christ in Bowling Green, KY, blessed me with encouragement when I visited their book club to discuss Every Day Filled with Hope. It was a lively and thoughtful discussion. It relieved me that they loved the second Weldon book maybe even more than the first.

I love visiting book clubs and I am happy to drive to your club if it’s less than 100 miles from my home. Still, perhaps I can Zoom in if you live far away.

The Selah Awards Gala at Ridgecrest was a night to remember last Wednesday evening. Every Window Filled with Light placed third in the First Novel category. My novel was also a finalist in the Contemporary Women’s category, but it didn’t place. Still, it was an honor to have my name listed with best-selling authors Deborah Raney, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Cynthia Ruchti, and Suzanne Woods Fisher. I was reminded in my devotional this morning that Christians have no room for pride. God has a way of keeping me humble. While unpacking my suitcase, I turned my back for two seconds, and my baby Schnauzers, Bailey and Scout, added their signatures to my award.  I’m sure I could get a replacement, however, I think I’ll frame it as is.

What a blessing to be able to attend the awards gala with my daughter, Evan Leslie. The next day we toured the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina. We also had the chance to visit my friend’s Bookshop, Sassafrass on Sutton, in Black Mountain, NC.

Evan is a busy mom and wife, and she works long hours at the hospital. She’s a respiratory therapist and in my eyes, is a hero. We haven’t taken a trip with just the two of us since we spent a week in Rome, Italy twelve years ago. On Thursday of this week, we will celebrate her thirtieth birthday. Our time together will always be a sweet memory.

On Friday, we returned to Kentucky and The Gallery on the Square in my hometown of Franklin, hosted a book signing event. Thank you to the director, Elizabeth Martin-Villalobos for organizing everything. It touched my heart to see old high school friends.  A few members of my church family from my childhood church drove from Auburn, KY to hug me. Also, members of my current church family took time out of their busy schedules to drop by the party. What a blessing.

If you’ve read my book, please take the time to leave an Amazon or Goodreads review. It’s easy to scroll all the way to the bottom of the book’s Amazon page until you find “Write a Customer Review.”  One word will be enough. All reviews help authors.

Thank you for your prayers for safe travels last week as I drove to North Carolina and returned home safely. This week, I’ll be traveling to the Grant County Public Library in Williamsburg, KY. It’s a three-hour drive, so I’d appreciate your prayers again. Please let me know if you have a prayer request. It’s an honor for me to be asked to do so.

And now, back to the writing life as many of you are waiting for the third Weldon novel. You bless me with your love of Weldon and the people who live there. To God be the glory!

Warm regards,

Shelia