It’s hard to believe, but it has been one year since I launched my new website and republished my first novel, both using my real name! But perhaps the thing I’m most proud of is that this past Saturday I hit the 52nd edition …
My Office Space
Back at the beginning of 2022—yes, eight months ago!—I realized no one had slept in the dedicated nursery room upstairs for the entire year we'd lived in the house. What would be better, I surmised, was a playroom for when …
Immersed in Research
For the first time in many years I am excited about researching for a novel of my own design. It combines several of my loves of place and time period. It’s more a family relationship story (at least in my mind at this …
God Doesn’t Give Busy Work
I’m sure you are familiar with the concept of “busy work.” It’s the work given in an educational setting that keeps the students occupied for a period of time but doesn’t contribute much to the overall educational goals. …
A Writing Retreat
Way back in March of 2020 (which seems a hundred years ago, not two!), my long-time critique partners/friends and I planned to take a writing retreat. Then you-know-what sent us scurrying back to our homes, unsure what, …
Don’t Overlook the Big Picture
This post originally appeared on the Lawson Writers Academy teacher's blog. I’ve been writing historical fiction for a long time, so you’d think by now I would have learned. But when I am at the beginning of a new project …
My Very First Book Trailer!
I consider myself fairly tech savvy. But when it comes to social media and promoting my books? Not so much. Recently I watched a webinar on some of the more advanced things you can do on Canva. I’ve been using Canva …
Secrets from Grandma’s Attic Update
If you receive my newsletter (if you don’t, sign up on the sidebar!), you probably already know that I’ve signed a contract to write another book in Guideposts’ Secrets from Grandma’s Attic series. It was a joyful surprise at …
Cover Reveal x2!
As you know, I’m re-releasing my Anne Mateer books under my real name—D’Ann Mateer. Same books, new author name, new covers. I’m so excited to share the next two with you, both designed by author extraordinaire, …
My Favorite Year End Task
Some seventeen years ago, I was discouraged. After five years of writing, my motivation to continue was waning. I had written three complete novels, and while my rejections always came with good feedback, it wasn’t easy to …