Giving alms is another one of the hallmarks of Lent. Almsgiving has been a longstanding practice in the Judeo-Christian tradition, offering our money, time, and service to those who are poor and suffering as an expression of our desire to love God and neighbor.

Catholicism is Truth, and therefore it does not need to erase or wipe out everything in its path. It need only replace the bad with what is good, true, and beautiful.

Lent, with its 40-day design, is an ideal time to grow in virtue, especially the virtue of self-sacrifice.  Through each year’s Lenten journey, we’re called to grow closer to Christ and to increase in virtue.

Lent in the 17th century was observed more strictly than it is today. Learning about these ancient practices and how Catholics lived out their faith, despite living under the threat of persecution for being “papists,” inspires modern readers to appreciate the faith we share and the sacrifices made over the centuries to hand the faith down to us from our ancestors.

In my short story “A Big Ask,” I considered a very large sacrifice, one so great that I think many of us would dismiss it out of hand.

So I wrote “Take Up Your Cross” in case anyone out there shares my particular cross and needs help carrying it. To tell them that even if they have trouble feeling like God even exists, they can still reach out to him in that darkness and say: “I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief.” ~Mark 9:24

When the idea for this anthology was first presented, I immediately knew I wanted to write a story about someone converting to the Church.

Are all of your friends hung up on having a boyfriend or girlfriend and you're still single? Well, stop pining and start taking advantage of being single!

Just like the holy saints and those Olympic athletes, we need to train and develop our skills so that we can also give glory to God.

How can we justify sinking hours into reading about people who never existed doing stuff that never even happened? 

I knew I had a vocation to marriage and children when I was about 12 years old. Later, as a teen, I prayed to God to send me a husband....

Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins—and often even grandparents—don't appear to have expiration dates. It’s easy to think they'll always be around. Just like they are now. 

The month of November is an ideal time to consider the role of saints in our lives.

At Catholic Teen Books, we authors understand that our teens encounter the real world and all its worldly challenges and temptations.

It offers me great consolation to think of how many heavenly beings are with us in the world.

Today is the “book birthday” of a new edition of my young-adult novel, Playing by Heart, set in 18th-century Milan.

The Fourth of July is more than just barbeques and fireworks!

People have a way of appearing at the right moment—some we never would have expected—to show us that all is not lost.

Someone once asked me if all my novels are set in travel locations. I thought it an odd question at first, since many of my books are set...

I found out my newest book, A Summer to Treasure, was scheduled to be released while I was away.