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The Lacemaker: A Novel of St. Zelie Martin is now available!

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 I don't know if all authors feel this way, but I find releasing a new book into the world to be terrifying, but here it is: The Lacemaker . Those of you who have been following along with the process will notice that the cover has changed since my last post. Once I received the proof copy, I decided the cover needed a little more contrast. I'm happy with how this version came out! Here is the official book description: St. Zélie Martin (1831-1877) is best known as the mother of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the most-loved saints of modern times, but she is also a saint in her own right. In this work of historical fiction based largely on St. Zélie’s letters, a compelling portrait of a working mother who always put God first comes to life. St. Zélie is a saint many women can relate to. She suffered from anxiety, struggled with work-life balance, grieved the loss of children, cared for aging parents, had a child with special needs, and dealt with personal illness. Above all...
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The 50th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

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  September 14, 2025, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Born August 28, 1774, in New York City, she grew up during the formative years of the United States. She knew many of the Founding Fathers and lived on the same street as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. She worshiped at the Episcopalian Trinity Church, which many of the influential members of the U.S. government also attended, as New York City was the capital of the country from 1785 to 1790. She and her husband helped host George Washington’s sixty-fifth birthday ball. Of course, none of those notable things are the reasons why she is a Catholic saint. She received that honor because she was a woman of deep faith who converted to Catholicism after the death of her husband, despite the social cost; helped establish the first American order of religious sisters; and contributed to the foundation of Catholic education. She was the first person born on what would be United Sta...
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The First Draft of The Lacemaker is Done!

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  I was surprised to see it had been a year since I last wrote in this blog! That post was about how I wanted to write a novel about St. Zelie Martin. I spent much of the first portion of 2020 doing research. The writing began in earnest over the summer and I fully committed to it in the fall, trying to write every day.  I prefer to write my first drafts in longhand in simple notebooks. It is easy for me to carry them when I am going places or to pull them out for a quick few minutes of writing when I have a chance. I finished the first draft last night! I ended up filling up one-and-a-half notebooks. There is still a lot of work to be done. I need to type it up. I write my second draft as I do that, making changes as I go. I'm not sure how that is going to happen. It is much easier for me to pull out a notebook and scribble down a couple of paragraphs than it is for me to set up my laptop and type. I'm going to try to take 10 minutes out of my computer time each day (I usuall...
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