I am thrilled to announce that Gifted, the sequel to Awakening, is now available in Paperback and will be available as an ebook on Saturday (6/12). I did not intend for these two formats to release at different times, but I guess after now seven novels and a children’s book/coloring book I still don’t have... Continue Reading →

“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This is one of my very favorite quotes from one of my very favorite Saints. Mother Teresa was not known in her early life for being particularly extraordinary. Our priest told a story this past Sunday about how even after Mother Teresa... Continue Reading →

When I started writing I made a deal with God—I would write the stories, but He would have to do everything else. I wonder sometimes what He thinks of us. Probably similar to how I look upon my own children with love and care and general amusement. As I have continued on this writing journey,... Continue Reading →

I'm moving! Here's is a picture of my new office. As you can tell, I am not moving tomorrow 😉 But I am moving soon, and I would love to get as many of my books out of my house before then as I can! Plus, Christmas is coming up (yes, it is we are... Continue Reading →

Four years ago, yesterday, I published The Light. Several years before I wrote it, I had visions of Bria and Jonah standing on the side of a frozen highway. They were not speaking, not moving. They were doing nothing except standing there. This is how my writing works. Until I write it, I have no... Continue Reading →

My newest novel, Awakening, is now available! Awakening is the start of a new series, with new characters, and new stories. It launched as a #1 New Release - thanks to all of you who pre-ordered your copy!! From the outside, seventeen-year-old Siena has the perfect life. She and her two younger sisters are adored... Continue Reading →

I'm thrilled to announce that my new novel, Awakening, is now available for pre-order! It releases June 30th, which is only 7 days away (envision nail-biting here - except I don't bite my nails 😉 I'm very proud of Awakening and completely nervous to hear what you all think of it. Awakening is set in... Continue Reading →

These last many months, I have been working on a few different writing projects. The main one is my new novel, Awakening—scheduled to be released in the next few weeks! While I was writing that book, I had an idea for a picture book for young kids. In part, because my children are always asking... Continue Reading →

Awakening is so close to being here!! It is in the very final stages of editing. How long does that take? I should be ready to release it in late June. Just in time for summer reading - yay!! I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you!!!!! I'll be sending you another exciting update... Continue Reading →

The fifth and final book in The Light Series, Out of the Darkness, is now available on Audio. Here is the link for Audible and the link for Chirp. If there is an audio site that it is not on, please let me know! And as always, you can listen to my books through your... Continue Reading →

Such a fantastic title for a fairy tale that until this weekend, I had never heard of. This almost 200-page story by George Macdonald is one that is perfect for almost all ages (I would say 7 and up), genders, religions, etc. It truly has it all: a beautiful great great great grandmother who is... Continue Reading →

I'm super excited to announce that I am a guest on Danielle Bean's hugely popular Girlfriends podcast! It was a treat to get to speak to such an incredible woman! If you have a few minutes take a listen. You will hear me talk about how I transitioned from psychologist to author (the cliff notes... Continue Reading →

One of the best parts about being a writer is that people very often tell me about wonderful books they think I would like. I love hearing about these books, but I feel guilty because I know I will read very few of them. I am a ridiculously slow reader and I have so many... Continue Reading →

About 18 months ago I received an email from a woman asking me if my books were available on audio. I told her I wished they were but that I probably wouldn’t be ready for that career step for at least 6 months. Her follow up email spoke of how one of her daughters had... Continue Reading →

Out of the Darkness, the 5th and final book in The Light series is now available! Here is the link for ebooks and the link for paperbacks. (If you are a bookseller you can get the books through Ingram or NewDay/Spiritus.) Thank you all so much for being my very faithful readers, the preorder sales... Continue Reading →

Out of the Darkness, the fifth and final book of The Light Series is now available for ebook preorder. If you are one of my many readers who prefer a physical book, then hold tight for a few more days. My plan is to release the paperback a few days before November 7th (the release... Continue Reading →

18 years ago (yesterday) I walked into a bar (the bar section of TGIFridays) and sat down beside a cute boy who was sweet and shy. This past summer we celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. This is a picture of us on a recent trip to Las Vegas. We were there for him to attend... Continue Reading →

A common question authors are asked is, what music do you listen to while writing? I have always found this question slightly odd, or perhaps the question simply highlights how odd I am. Very often authors have tons of playlists for their writing. For me, I have silence. When I write I try and stay... Continue Reading →

Summer is over and I have to say I’m not super sad about that. I absolutely loved having my kids home with me and already miss them, but as far as summers go 2019 was not one for the happy record book. We followed up the awfulness we experienced at the beginning of summer, with... Continue Reading →

It's been about six months since I released Into the Embers and I am hearing often from readers asking when the Fifth and Final Book of The Light series is going to be out. I love this question!! Here is the answer – I don’t know 😊 But here’s what I do know: I have... Continue Reading →

This past weekend my family and I went to Disney World. We live 2-3 hours away and are fortunate to go about twice a year. Every time we’ve gone for the last 2 years, we have tried to get fast passes for the Avatar Pandora ride, and every time we have failed. (For those who... Continue Reading →

Why are some lives valued more than others? You want to tell me, no you’re wrong all people are equally valued. That is what you want to tell me and what I want to hear, but we both know it isn’t true. In The Light Series I write of a world where only the young,... Continue Reading →

A few weeks ago, my family and I went skiing. While I was swooshing down the slopes, I was thinking a lot about a new, non-Light Series story. (You’ll hear more about that in future blog posts!) And I was thinking about how analogous skiing is for life. I found myself feeling very confident on... Continue Reading →

Bria, my lead character from The Light series, and I are very different. Where she always knew the right outfit to wear and her hair and makeup were always flawless, I am typically woefully dressed for any given situation with hair that likely needs to be brushed and makeup that may or may not make... Continue Reading →

One of the prayers my family and I say together every night is the Our Father, also known as The Lord’s Prayer. My kids have heard this prayer hundreds and hundreds of times. They are both amazing at memorizing random facts and can flawlessly repeat much longer and lesser known prayers, but they both consistently... Continue Reading →

I was privileged to be a guest on the Courageously Go! podcast. It can be found on all of the typical podcast sites, so if you have a favorite be sure to check it out there! If not, click here to start listening. It was a lot of fun and after the first few minutes... Continue Reading →

The kindle version of Into the Embers, accidentally, went live yesterday. It's tricky to get the timing right and I was about 8 hours off. Once that happened I quickly sent an email to those readers who are my biggest supporters. Here's the link to join that mailing list. And just from that small portion... Continue Reading →

When I was in high school, my American Government teacher, Mr. Wagner, stopped my friend Nina and me as we went into his class. I can’t remember what brought on this conversation, but he asked us how many friends we had. We responded, in true high school fashion, that we had at least fifty, maybe... Continue Reading →

Okay, so grownups don’t actually get summer vacation, but I thought I would answer the question anyway 😊 Here’s a quick rundown of the last two months: My boys and I did an amazing fossil dig in Gainesville, Florida. It just does not get any cooler than finding million-year-old sharks’ teeth in a spring fed... Continue Reading →

Those who know me, have read my bio, or have read my books probably know that I have worked with girls and young women who have been incarcerated. All of the women and girls I met through this work taught me something about myself and the world, and though there were some who clearly should... Continue Reading →

Book 3 of The Light Series is here! I totally hope you love it and then review it, so others will have the chance to love it too 🙂 You are all amazing and you are an incredible support to me - even those of you I have never met. Thank you! Truly, thank you... Continue Reading →

The Light is 99 cents for the next five days. If you haven't read it, here is your chance to get it super cheap. If you have read it, here is your chance to tell all your friends to read it 😉 Here's the link. Have an awesome day!! Jacqueline

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending my cousin’s wedding. Family from all over the country gathered in Missouri, where the cooler temperatures and lack of hurricane debris made for a lovely weekend escape. Seeing my extended family was, of course, the highlight, and it got me thinking about the value of family... Continue Reading →