In our newest contemporary romance novel, Picture Imperfect, the female lead Caroline could be defined as a workaholic. But how can you tell if someone is a workaholic—including yourself? “Workaholism” doesn’t just mean that someone works a lot. We all have to work long hours sometimes. Instead, workaholism refers to a work addiction. Researchers from…
“Calling” is a buzzword, both inside and sometimes outside of Christian circles. People sometimes seem to be obsessed with “finding your calling,” whether life or career coaches promising to help you find it, those in ministry talking about following God’s call on their life, or the common phrase that someone “missed their calling.” But what…
Law enforcement in the old Wild West was spotty at best, and the line between lawman and outlaw often blurred. Peacekeepers were frequently paid very little or nothing and needed to have a regular (full-time) job to eat and put a roof over their heads. For this reason—and others—those in charge of upholding the law…
As working moms, it’s never easy juggling time between our children and work. But what is it like choosing our children first? Significantly, there are three essential factors to consider.
What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t? Maybe it’s learning a new language. Maybe it’s getting up on those tricky water skis. Or maybe it’s writing the novel that’s been brewing within you. For me, it was learning the violin. My small-town school didn’t have an orchestra, so the clarinet and piano were…
“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” (Psalm 92:14 NIV) Late last spring, like a lot of other people during the pandemic, I experimented with container gardening. Conditions were far from ideal when I took the last, wrinkled grape tomato from the basket and just stuck it in…
I never wanted to be a writer. The written word was for people whose brains operated differently than mine. Much of college was dodging professors who assigned papers in favor of those who leaned on exams. Grad school was an exercise in getting papers finished as efficiently and quickly as possible. Being an analytical thinker…
My husband and I live in an apartment across from a farmer’s field (it’s one of those situations where the city has inched outwards: parking lots and residential neighbourhoods on one side of the road, farmland on the other). I love looking out the window and seeing open space instead of traffic lights, and the…
[Alyssa Roat] Hold Fast to Dreams
I started my debut novel, Wraithwood, at sixteen. I finished the first draft at seventeen and brought that unpolished manuscript with me to college. I was pursuing a degree in Professional Writing. I’d been promised I’d be published within my first semester. I knew other graduates had gotten their books published in college. This was…
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