Whether you’re heading for the beach, catching a flight out of town, or just spending a lot of slow time at home, grabbing an adventure novel is a perfect way to spend some of these lazy days of summer.

As a writer and a homeschooling mom to seven growing sons, I've learned to not only tolerate interruptions but to welcome them.

If I had to guess one period of the year that teens have the hardest time staying true to their faith, I'd guess it's summer break from school.

When I sit down to write a story, the first thing I contemplate isn’t plot, characters, or dialog—it’s theme. To me, themes are what makes a story breathe.

In this fast-paced age, can we convince ourselves that it’s okay to step away from constant connection?

As my teeth dig into the culinary delight, I realize that life is a slice of fresh, delicious avocado toast.

Who could’ve thought that something so simple could turn out to be something so profound and lead to deepening a person’s prayer life?

Did you go into Lent with good intentions, but then human weakness prevailed? Did you put off making any Lenten goals at all, and now we’re three days from Easter? Did the very thought of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving make you cling to worldliness and comfort? If somewhere inside you want to draw closer to God and you want to become the person He made you to be, then have no fear. As long as you draw breath, it is never too late to begin again to prepare for Jesus.

How do you get through the dark moments in your life? How do you draw closer to God during Lent?

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....