I had the absolute pleasure of being the guest speaker at my church’s ladies brunch on Saturday, May 2. This is an annual event where the women of the congregation gather for brunch, fellowship, and prayer. As an author, I communicate best through the written word, so I wrote an essay to share with the group. Here’s the full text of that essay: Our story starts in everyone's favorite place: the Department of Motor Vehicles. For the past couple years, my little sister-in-law h

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