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
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “Why doesn’t God do something!” Have you ever heard (or asked) that question? I have, and most of the time it’s related to what I can see, which is a very limited perception. For example, when it comes to critters, if I don’t see evidence
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Isaiah 40:31 is a familiar verse to me, beautifully poetic about soaring on wings like eagles. It was an underlying theme in one of my novels, The Miracle Tree, and I’ve also written about it for Guideposts publications. But last week I saw the verse
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Grief breaks into our lives whether we are ready or not. Usually, we are not. But with God’s help, the broken pieces can be fit back together and made stronger. For Part 1 and Part 2 of this series on grief, see July 17, 2022,
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer We all meet grief at some point in our lives. There is no right, better, or perfect way to grieve, but sharing our experiences with others can help us in our own journey. For Part 1 of this 3-part series, click here. Part 2 During
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Everyone faces grief at some point in their life. There is no right, better, or perfect way to deal with it. We just deal with it. In our own way. But there are many little broken bits we have in common with others, and we
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Life speaks to us metaphorically all the time. Consider the word “sidetracked.” The Online Etymology Dictionary (not the bug book) says the word is from the old railroad days (1874) when a “side-track” or railway siding allowed train cars to move onto a sidetrack. The
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It is right to celebrate freedom. It is right to celebrate independence from tyranny. And it is right to remember those who paid the greatest price for that freedom and independence. Therefore, on this Independence Day for our nation, let us also remember the freedom