I’ve been a bit behind. A bit irresponsible. I failed to tell you all about a new book that I was honored to write a novlla for. Coming this September … A Log Cabin Christmas Collection.

Back Cover Blurb: Experience Christmas through the eyes of adventuresome settlers who relied on log cabins built from trees on their own land to see them through the cruel forces of winter. Discover how rough-hewed shelters become a home in which faith, hope, and love can flourish. Marvel in the blessings of Christmas celebrations without the trappings of modern commercialism where the true meaning of the day shines through. And treasure this exclusive collection of nine Christmas romances penned by some of Christian fiction’s best-selling authors.

With 9 novellas in this collection, you’re bound to find a Christmas story you love–and it might even be mine. 🙂 But chances are you’ll enjoy all of them. I’m honored to join with eight extremely talented authors for this collection.

My contribution to the book is called A Star in the Night. (Isn’t that a perfectly wonderful Christmas title?) And this week on my blog, I’d like to share with you more about this sweet historical romance. I hope you’ll stick around and enjoy the ride.

So let’s get started. How did A Star in the Night come to be? I’m glad you asked.

It began at Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant in Franklin, TN. It was the weekend before my birthday last July, and a sweet friend of mine came to visit. We’d traipsed all over Nashville, and after church on Sunday, she asked where I wanted to go for lunch. We ended up at Puckett’s in downtown Franklin. Great BBQ. Great atmosphere. And as it turned out, a map of historic Franklin. I tucked one in my pocket as we walked out the door.

In the corner of the map, past downtown and the Carter House, was a little dot marking the Carnton Plantation. The map said it had been a field hospital during the Civil War Battle of Franklin, and my interest was piqued.

Just days later, my agent emailed me to ask if I might want to put together a proposal for a novella that would be considered for 2011 Christmas collection. I had 5 days to write a synopsis and 2 sample chapters if I was interested. So I thought about it for a day, and over and over my mind went back to that field hospital and those soldiers and the women who nursed them.

And that’s when I met Cora and Jed, two strangers whose lives were thrown together in the aftermath of this battle, and they just wouldn’t leave me alone. But I didn’t know much about the battle and even less about Carnton. So I started reading. I spent the weekend learning about the battle, the town, and the plantation.

I got the proposal finished just in time … and the rest is … well, I was going to say history. But actually there’s a lot more to the story. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.