About the Book
In Picture Perfect, a photographer and a martial artist partnered for swing dance lessons also become unknowingly pitted against each other in a real estate tug-of-war. As romance heats up, secrets from the past close in. Agendas collide, and when the truth comes out, one wrong move could trip them up for good.
Here’s a sneak peek into the story setup of Picture Perfect:
Extending the right hand of fellowship to church visitors probably doesn’t include sucker-punching the cute guy from pew seventeen. But when Lily recovers from being startled by him late at night, she realizes who he is. And wishes she’d hit harder. It’s clear Micah doesn’t remember her—or breaking her heart ten years ago.
Avoiding him becomes her best option. Besides, she has more important things to worry about—namely renovating her newly leased storefront so she can quit her job and take her photography full-time.
Micah is back in his hometown with plans to open a martial arts school and make a fresh start. But he can’t dodge the guilt he feels over causing his best friend’s death. The past haunts him, and the present isn’t looking much better. The one girl he’s interested in hates his guts and he has no idea why.
When they get thrown together for swing dance lessons, romance heats up on—and off—the dance floor. As Lily gets to know Micah, she wants to believe he’s changed. But forgiveness isn’t easy, especially when she discovers they’ve both set their sights on the same piece of real estate. And a dark secret from Micah’s past is quickly catching up . . .
Behind
the Scenes
So many people
give writers the advice “write what you know,” and I think it’s
natural for our passions to flow into our stories in some form or
another. Tidbits of my own life and interests are woven into the
storyline of Picture Perfect.
A perfect example
is the scenes relating to martial arts. Micah, the hero in the story,
practices jujitsu. Lily, the heroine, studies boxing. One of the
underlying currents of the story is the concept of self-defense and
safety.
Having grown up
in a Christian “bubble,” I was anxious about heading off to
college. It didn’t help that the first college I attended was on
the outskirts of New York City. The summer before my freshman year, I
asked a family friend (a police detective) if he would teach me
self-defense. We got together and he showed me a few tactics, but I
remember at the end of the evening feeling more
worried, because as he showed me scenarios, my mind started to run. I
began to realize just how little I knew, and how many different ways
a person could attack another person. (To be clear, it wasn’t his
fault at all. He taught me some simple techniques to use in an
emergency. In retrospect what I wanted was training
and that’s not something that happens in one night!)
In college, I
took an 8-week course that was an intro to martial arts. Again,
nothing wrong with the instructor or the class. But it was about
precision of strikes, blocks, and kicks, and step-by-step
attack/defense sequences. It was not “down and dirty”
self-defense. (Of course it wasn’t designed to be! But in my
ignorance, I equated “martial arts” with “women’s
self-defense” and walked away feeling more vulnerable than when I
started.)
Fast forward a
few years. Not long after meeting my husband, I learned he studied
jujitsu. He asked if I wanted to learn. I said no. I wasn’t
interested in jujitsu. I wanted to learn self-defense. So he invited
me to meet his instructor, who was excited to teach me techniques
geared for women. I started coming early, before jujitsu class, to
learn. I learned about women’s areas of strength, about awareness
and alertness, and the physics of the human body. I practiced palm
strikes and knees to the groin until I developed muscle memory and
instinct and earned the nickname “Lethal Knees.”
Then my session
would end, and jujitsu class would begin. It didn’t take long
before I was joining them on the mat.
Over the years,
I’ve loved teaching women’s
self-defense because I've seen wonderful things happen when
a woman learns she really can protect herself physically. I think
every woman should realize she has a vested interest in her physical
and sexual safety and not leave it up to chance or assume it's
someone else's responsibility.
So
many women see themselves as "weak." I was once one of
them. Learning self-defense helps develop confidence, and that's
something that has far-reaching effects--many women discover inner
strengths they never knew they had and become "stronger" on
different playing fields of life, whether it be work, relationships,
communication, setting boundaries, the list goes on.
Thoughts
on Writing
Surround
yourself with people who support you. I am blessed to have a fantastic critique group that helps me hone my
stories, and a few brainstorming buddies who encourage me and help
strengthen my plots.
Join
writing groups. One of the best things I did for my professional development was
joining American Christian Fiction Writers. I got connected to other
writers, critique groups, and a storehouse of publishing information
that I soaked up, realizing how little I really knew. I also attended
ACFW conferences, which allowed me to network with other
professionals and learn more about the writing craft.
Be
kind to yourself! Remember that everyone’s first draft is downright awful, so don’t
let the ugly stop you. Keep going. Put the words down anyway, even if
they make you cringe. As people say, you can’t edit what’s not
there.
Accept
who you are as a writer. I’m not a particularly fast writer. The story doesn’t unfold in a
straightforward manner for me. I’m much more “seat of the pants”
than plotter. So I have to constantly remind myself that it’s okay
that the course is not charted; that’s part of the fun for me (I
get to be surprised when a character says or does something). Only
it’s not always fun. Sometimes it’s downright stressful. It means
the story doesn’t journey in a straight line from start to finish.
There will be detours and dead ends and “wasted” time. But that’s
just how it works for me. I can choose to get frustrated and think
I’m less of a “real writer” because of it, or I can choose to
accept that it’s just one of the weird ways I work.
Thanks
for letting me share a little about my writing journey! I hope you
enjoy a few giggles and sigh moments reading Picture
Perfect.
About the Author
I grew up in Maine as a Double PK (pastor’s kid and principal’s kid). My dad has been a pastor at the same church for more than 35 years, and my parents started a Christian school where my dad served as administrator for 30 years, and my mom regularly substituted.
I had a childhood that was wonderful in all the ways that matter. Since my parents were in full-time Christian ministry, we didn’t have a lot of “extras” growing up, but we saw firsthand what it means to invest in things of eternal significance. I’m so grateful that God gave me humble, loving, self-sacrificing parents who taught us to love God and put Him first, above all else.
I graduated from Gordon College in Massachusetts with degrees in English Language & Literature as well as Biblical Studies. I’ve earned my living as a professional wedding photographer, high school English teacher, newspaper copy editor, piano teacher, and women’s self-defense instructor. And now I can officially add author to that list! My first book, Picture Perfect, released March 2 from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. A dream come true!
The best thing that ever happened to me was walking into a coffee shop one morning and walking out, leaving my heart with the fine-looking barista working behind the counter. My husband Jason is the inspiration for my storybook heroes and my biggest cheerleader on this journey toward publication. We are blessed with a teenage son, two cats, and a dog named Boomer.
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Giveaway!
Emily has graciously provided an eBook copy of Picture Perfect for a giveaway. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
