Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer When asked what advice I have for aspiring writers, I say, “Don’t quit.” Sometimes I say, “Never give up.” And often I add, “Keep writing.” My advice is boringly repetitive. However, that’s the kind of stick-to-itiveness required for most worthwhile endeavors. One of the easiest …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer About this time every year, an unusual looking fruit appears in the produce section of the supermarket, one that I first sampled at my grandparents’ farm in California: Pomegranates. The only attractive thing about a pomegranate is its exquisite garnet color. Beyond that, the round, …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last week we looked at what it means to “be still.” Quite a challenge for busy lives that don’t have much quiet time to reflect, listen, or simply breathe. Things always press in, demanding our attention, whether they are as fleeting as the news and …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer On a recent trip to Pennsylvania to visit my daughter, I toured the University of Pittsburgh where she works – right in the middle of the city. The campus is scattered among blocks of governmental buildings, high-rise apartments, and historical churches, and the sense of …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A child’s perspective can open our eyes to things we’ve forgotten about as adults. Like the vintage carnival-prize horse that belonged to my husband’s mother. My granddaughter discovered her great-grandmother’s prize a few years ago and let me know that she placed high value upon …
Please welcome friend and fellow author, Susan Mathis, as she shares today about brokenness and healing. Who Can Heal a Broken Heart? By Susan G. Mathis So many of us just cannot find a way to forgive, whether it’s ourselves or others. We hunker down in our …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Why do we think we should have things that are perfect? Things that always operate correctly and never breakdown or wear out? Is it a latent memory in our DNA left over from the Garden of Eden where everything really was perfect (except for a …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer October 13 is release day for Book 5 of The Cañon City Chronicles, Hope Is Built. As I wrote this story, continuing into the third generation of the Hutton family, I realized there was so much more going on than a romance. The second Hutton …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Do you ever wonder how book titles are chosen? I do. All the time. Because as a novelist, I’m always looking for a good one. So why would I title my upcoming Western romance Hope Is Built? Isn’t hope given? Or found? The phrase “hope …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Park rangers may have set the flat stones in a stairstep pattern that curved up the small rise, but whoever it was, I appreciated their efforts. The path led to a lonely juniper standing boldly against a piercingly blue sky. A picturesque pose just asking …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT These words from the biblical book of Lamentations were written by one who had seen the devastation of his country …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I have a friend who often says, “Words matter.” I couldn’t agree more. Words started this whole thing – divine words, when God said, “Let there be light.” And there it was. Words also perverted perfection when the tempter whispered to Eve, “Did God really …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer One morning several years ago, a dear family friend called, and we chatted about our respective families. The conversation quickly worked around to the Lord. It always does with Pat Day, Eclipse Award-winning jockey and proclaimer of the faith. My husband, Mike, and Pat became …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A doe and her spotted fawn make their rounds daily behind my house. They start out beneath the apple tree on the west side, skirt around my fenced backyard, jump over a low stack of firewood, and end up under the pear tree on the …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Did you know that August is Romance Awareness Month? Sounds good to me since I write Western romance. However, it’s also been six months since flaming-heart February, and it doesn’t hurt to be hit with a reminder of happily-ever-after. Literarily speaking, “romance” is a genre …