We just got home from a fun week visiting my parents in southern Florida! It might sound dreamy, but I promise that eleven hours in a car with five kids equals something like fifty-five new gray hairs if my math prevails! Of course, I couldn’t help but think of Franklin Roosevelt and his visits to those warm ocean waters after he contracted polio. When Franklin was a child, he spent time in Germany with his parents as his father sought healing springs for his heart ailments. Naturally, Franklin followed a similar path. First, he found some friends to invest in a small ship. They named it the ..read more

Growing up, Christmas time brought much joy and more family than I often realized I had. Every year, I'd drive with my parents to one of my aunt's or uncle's houses for a special Christmas meal. My grandfather was always there, his voice echoing through every room, easily elevating above any other whenever a point needed to be made. After we'd exchanged gifts, ran around outside, and filled our stomachs to the brim, my mom would start talking about the traffic and the need to head home. Just those words signaled the forthcoming forty-five minutes of goodbye hugs.  As we were getting rea ..read more

     It's soup season in my house. I wish you could hear the complaints from all my kids. One doesn't like beans, one doesn't like onions, one doesn't like anything other than yogurt. Still, I will persevere and cycle through all my favorite fall soups!      Nothing accompanies a warm bowl of soup like a good book! This week, I'm delighted to share my five favorite pieces of historical fiction on the Roosevelts and their perfect soup pairing!  1. American Princess by Stephanie Marie Thornton ​One of the most fascinating Roosevelts undoubtedly was Alic ..read more

Here we go ..read more

No meal is complete without a special drink to accompany it! Sara Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt took a strong stance against alcohol. Considering Eleanor's tragic childhood, one can easily understand why.    Sara Roosevelt (or Mrs. James to her staff) did not permit drinking in her house- except for Franklin and his company within his office. Though joked about as "a coat closet," Franklin's office was right behind the stairs of Springwood in a room that had previously been the servant's hall (mentioned in chapter 19 of A Roosevelt Smile ). This photo is curtesy of NPS Spri ..read more

A Roosevelt Smile launch week is upon us. I'll admit, I had grandiose plans, which were quickly foiled by my five children coming down with some gunky end-of-summer cold! In lieu of a video celebration, we'll take the celebrating step by step with Roosevelt-inspired dishes.  ​In A Roosevelt Smile, readers will meet my great-grandmother, Frances, as she maneuvers her work in domestic service within the Roosevelt's world. Much of what went on in their kitchen came out of Sara Delano Roosevelt's household book. ​This gem houses everything you need to run a gilded age estat ..read more

So, I tried using BooksSprouts last month to organize my ARC campaign for A Roosevelt Smile- and it was a bust.  I found some great reviewers who loved the book, but none of the reviews transferred to Amazon. Something about if a tree falls in the forest and no one sees it?    I wanted to try distributing ARCs with  BookFunnel and BookSirens. ​If you're ready for a copy in exchange for an Amazon review, simply fill out the form below!    ARC Sign-ups * Indicates required field E-mail to send your copy to * I agree to review A Roosevelt Smile on Amazon by 7/31 ..read more

It felt like this day would never come! Alas, A Roosevelt Smile is officially up for pre-order!  I decided to "publish wide" this time- though you'll have to bear with me while I learn to market wide!  Or you can find it on good ol' Amazon! Save your receipts- pre-orders will gain access to some awesome behind-the-scenes content!  ..read more

AI is a pretty crazy thing. I keep hearing about how writers use it for everything from editing to writing entire books. This concerns me; what are the limits? College students using it for term papers? Blogs built solely on AI content? It seems to be where the future is leading.  With the old adage that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, I decided to see what AI software could offer me as I finish my novel, starting with marketing copy. This notoriously is more difficult for me to create, and my back-of-the-book cover summary has been notably bland. So, I fed Copy.ai the brief ..read more

     We are barreling through January (in case you needed a friendly reminder!), and I've been busy finishing up my manuscript and preparing for all things book launch! But I'm stuck! A cover needs to be designed and marketing material produced- all of which require a very important title!      I've used A Roosevelt Smile thus far, but I haven't convinced myself that this is in fact the title. Will you help lend me your opinion?      First, let me tell you some options and the background behind them- then cast your vote at the end and point me in th ..read more