If you’ve raced through Jessie Gussman’s books and you’re standing at the end of the shelf wondering who could possibly fill the gap, come sit by me. I’ve read a great many of her novels myself, so this isn’t a list I pulled off the internet. These are the authors I reach for when I want that same warm, funny, faith-tinged feeling: sweet small-town romance, big loving families, and a happily-ever-after you never have to worry about handing to your mother. Here are the best au

If you love a romance you can read on the porch with a cup of coffee and hand to your mother without a second thought, you’re in exactly the right place. This is a reader’s guide to the most-loved clean, faith-filled beach and coastal Christian romance series — small-town stories, salt air, second chances, and a quiet thread of faith running through every book. A quick, honest note before we start: the two series here I’ve read cover to cover myself are both Jessie Gussman’s

The Answer Was You Recently, I was given the privilege of sharing my thoughts on communion at church, the words spoken over the bread and the cup as we remember the body and the blood of Jesus. It is a holy thing to stand and turn people’s hearts toward that table, and I did not want to rush past the wonder of it. I also had the joy of singing a worship song that I have written. Our Worthy King. As I prepared, I kept thinking about how easily we grow familiar with a story we

Some people learn early how to stay ready to leave. Nora Santos is one of them. She runs the marine supply shop in Seacliff Shores, lives aboard a boat she rescued from a mud berth, and can spot trouble in a hull before most people have finished asking the question. Salt, rope, waterlines, weak seals, hidden rot, these are things she understands. Trust is harder. Nora knows where the water gathers. She knows what salt gets into. She also knows exactly where the nearest exit i

Come and see it for yourself Come down the sandy path from the bluff with me for a minute. There is a curve where the wild lupine and the poppies spill over the fence posts, and then the whole town opens up below you: a scatter of shingled cottages, a white church on the hill, a harbor full of masts, and the Pacific going gold at the edge of it all. That is Seacliff Shores. I built it board by board in my imagination, a small coastal town a little way up the coast from Los An

elizabethmarieromance.com My husband has lived in the Richmond area all his life, so wherever we go, he seems to know someone, and he can often be found chatting at the supermarket while I wait at home for some needed ingredient. After over thirty years here, I know many people too, partly through church and community life and partly because I spent so many years working as a dentist. Living on a 150-acre farm in the Tasman region means there is very little chance of remainin

If you love a clean Christian romance that feels like a warm cup of coffee on a porch overlooking the water, Seacliff Shores might be just the place for you. Seacliff Shores is a small fictional coastal town just up the coast from LA. I built it from the ground up, complete with a Spanish-style church on the hill, a cozy café called the Seabean, a busy harbor full of fishing boats and sailboats, and a community of people who show up for each other when life gets hard. Every b

Mother’s Day is a beautiful day for many people. It is a chance to honour the women who loved us, nurtured us, prayed for us, and helped shape who we became. It can also be a chance to celebrate the mothers we are, and to receive the love and gratitude of the children we have poured our hearts into. But for others, Mother’s Day can feel complicated. It can hold gratitude and grief in the same breath. It can remind us of what we received, but also of what we longed for and nev

Paul Foulds playing at Living Waters Festival This weekend, I had a wonderful time for the second year in a row at the Living...

Last month I turned 60, and I wanted to celebrate. I had already planned a trip to spend time with family and friends in the North...

Has anyone seen the challenge on Instagram where people are shuffle dancing to the song What is Love by Haddaway. It is fun to watch and...

All my life I have struggled with a low mood. At times, I have suffered the depths of despair and darkness. Now, however, I am finding...

I think I may have learned a lesson yesterday. I certainly hope I have. The next time I am in a similar situation, I will remember and...

A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of joining in with a group of ladies to travel to Hokitika, a special town on the West Coast of...

It's the people you meet along the way, that really make adventures special. Yesterday was a day of exploring the beautiful area of...

It doesn’t take much effort to see the mess, the brokenness, and the chaos in this world, and earlier this week as I thought about my...

The word that is reverberating around my head this week is possibility. I serve an incredible God, a God who has done, does, and will...

As summer arrives in New Zealand, I am reminded of fresh growth as the paddock around our little container house grows into chaos. I...

Have you ever looked at a beautiful view, or walked along a stunning beach yet have been so distressed that you haven’t been able to...

I don’t know about you, but I believe I am full of good ideas. Great ideas even. And over the years I have done many things and had many...