Summer Fun, France And Family!

How did it get to be July already? And I haven’t blogged since my book came out in May! Well. To be honest, I’m still on the fence with the blog, as it doesn’t seem to be the best way to connect anymore. But anyway, here we are, so until I decide to close it down altogether, I will try and post when I can!

In June, my husband and I traveled to France for an amazing holiday that was everything we hoped for and more. We were in the Bordeaux area, and then spent a week in Provence. Seeing the countryside and the castles and the winding roads, it was all breathtaking. The history surrounding us was also something that really struck me, considering how old some of the places were that we visited. I have far too many photographs to share here, but these are a few of my favorite shots!

I found it funny that most of the poppies we came across, just growing wild everywhere, were more of an orange than red, but still beautiful. My dream was to see Provence during lavender season, and I was not disappointed! And to make me even happier, we also came across an area of field after field of sunflowers! It was truly incredible!

We spent a day on the Mediterranean, drove through many small towns and villages where the roads were so narrow you had to pray you never met a car coming the other way, and we visited the Pont du Guard, outside, Avignon, which is an ancient Roman aqueduct that was built in around the first century AD, absolutely mind blowing that it still stands today!

We returned home relaxed and recharged, and now it’s on to the rest of summer!

Book News –

Where Hope Begins has been out a couple of months now, and I couldn’t be more pleased by all the support and encouragement I’ve received so far. Readers seem to be loving the story! I’m particularly happy that so far the book has been well received in the general market as well. It has always been my hope that my books will appeal to all readers, not just within the Christian market. There are so many reviews I could share, but this one in particular gave me a big smile the other day – “I’ve never read Ms. West’s work before and despite my discomfort and tendency to eschew religious themes, I was quickly immersed and fully invested in her superbly written tale” –  you can find the full review over at BooksandBindings.

I’m extremely grateful for each and every review, and every email I receive from a reader who takes the time to reach out. It really means a lot to know that my words have touched someone. And if you’re new around here, come find me on Facebook – I do a lot more posting there, and hang out more in my Readers Group. We’ll be starting a discussion of Where Hope Begins in that group in the fall! Can’t wait for that! So if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, I hope you do!

We’ve also been enjoying lots of family time, a visit from my son and his fiancee, and of course hanging out with sweet Annabel, who is now WALKING and getting cuter by the day!! We’re heading up to Canada for the rest of the summer soon, where I will be writing, writing, writing, my next book. I’m looking forward to really diving into this one with uninterrupted writing time.

So that’s about all from my desk today, I’d love to hear how your summer is going so far!

Until next time!