Being married to a police officer wasn't nearly as sexy as Isabella had been led to believe. If the book covers in her mom's Kindle library were any indicator, she would be swept off her feet daily by a six-foot-five bodybuilder who knew his way around a pair of handcuffs. Instead, she was alone in her queen-size bed, wrists unbound, and dressed in a very modest pair of flannel pajamas. Her husband, Carver, just started night shift, and it was Isabella's first night alone in

Every year, I’m excited for Advent, but I always get caught up in the busyness of the holidays, and by the time I catch my breath, the season has come and gone. I want to do something a little different this year that forces me to meditate on the four themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. I'm thrilled to announce I will be writing and publishing a series of short stories during Advent, focusing on these key themes. What Is Advent? Advent is a season observed by most C

Despite having been an avid reader for most of my life, it has only been recently that I've joined a formal book club.  Last year, I was talking with one of my closest friends, who is also a bibliophile, and she mentioned she would like to form a book club. So we each invited a few friends, picked a book to read, and met at a brewery on Main Street. We read a book called Big Stone Gap  by Adriana Trigiani. It's based on the real town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, which isn't to

I’ve always prided myself on being a safe driver. The only time I’d gotten into a car accident was when I had my learner’s permit. I backed Nana’s Grand Marquee into something in her garage and busted out one of the taillights. With some elbow grease and a few hours on a Saturday afternoon, it was as good as new. No one was more surprised than I when my 2002 Honda Civic, Florence, was sideswiped by an 18-wheeler on US-29 South in Danville, barely an hour into a five-hour road

Since early in our marriage, my husband and I considered getting a dog, but we couldn’t agree on what kind we wanted. My husband has a soft spot for Golden Retrievers, but I prefer German Shepherds. In the spring of 2021, I learned that a friend of my sister-in-law was expecting a litter of Golden Shepherd puppies—the mother dog was a Golden Retriever, and the father was a German Shepherd. A mix between the two seemed like the ideal compromise.  Unfortunately, our living situ