When I wrote Prelude for a Lord , I admit I put Lord Dommick’s home in there deliberately. I had visited Newstead Abbey in Nottingham, England, and fell in LOVE, and I knew I wanted to have that house and grounds in my book somehow. So when coming up with Dommick’s character and family, I modeled his family seat, Terralton Abbey, after Newstead Abbey, which was the home of the poet Lord Byron. This is the front of the house, including the circular driveway that Dommick drives up to. I placed the front door a little differently but essentially Terralton Abbey looks the same. Here is what the front of the house looked like in 1880: This is the back of the house with one of its lovely gardens: Here is the square pool and woody lawn area where Alethea plays with Margaret: And here is the lovely river bank and grotto where Alethea and Dommick kiss: Sigh! I wish I could go back there again! Stay tuned for a big PRELUDE FOR A LORD giveaway sometime in mid to late Septe...

It seems like every year I realize I’ve filled my time with things that take up too much of my time! As I’ve been praying over 2013 during the month of January, I’ve been feeling I need to (once again) simplify my life. So I’m stepping back from a blog I contribute to. I’m also aiming for less participation in some of my Goodreads groups (that is truly a time suck! Fun, but time suck.) My book writing schedule is still very busy, so I’ll be doing no more critiques with my Story Sensei business in the first half of the year so that I can focus on my books, on writing what God wants me to write. I’m going to focus my energy on my own blog --I’m aiming to post 3-4 times a week, as well as posting contests more regularly. I’m also going to be more active on my Goodreads group and my Facebook page , posting contests there as well. And I absolutely DEPEND on those three outlets for help when naming characters, since many of you know how pathetic challenged I am in coming up wit...

One of my favorite places on my trip was wandering the grounds of Lord Byron’s estate, Newstead Abbey. It was amazing! The grounds are very extensive but also there’s a real sense of peace there. I would love to live on the grounds and wander around with my laptop to write in various places of the estate. I’m so glad my friend, author Liz Babbs , took me here. The grounds aren’t as extensive as Chatsworth, but Newstead Abbey had by far my favorite grounds and gardens on my trip. I couldn’t go inside the abbey because the house wasn’t open on the day I visited--it’s only open one day a week to visitors. I’d love to go back to England to go inside the abbey, too, and also revisit the grounds. There’s a little information about Newstead Abbey here on wikipedia and here’s the official website of Newstead Abbey , which is owned by the city of Nottingham. If I ever become a famous New York Times bestselling author, I am totally buying a flat or condo on the Newstead Abbey grounds! ...