I thought it would be fun to share the original first couple of chapters of Providence. If you’ve read the novel, you’ll quickly recognize how different it is from its roots. Why did I change it? I was told that Melissa, the main character, wasn’t likeable by some very experienced acquisition’s editors. I was still slogging through my grief over …

I’m always a little on edge when reviews start coming in for a new release. Will the readers love it? Hate it? Not care one way or the other? Although Providence has only been out for two weeks, the reviews thus far have been very encouraging. More than anything, I want to touch my readers’ hearts and give them something …

I was asked by author Jennifer Sienes to be a guest blogger. I’m not much of a writer, and I don’t know that I have all that much to share, but I’ll give it a shot. My name is Melissa Bainbridge. I live in Placerville, California with my three kids—Emily (13), Joshua (9), and Eli (7). If you’re unfamiliar with …

Providence, Book 3 in the Apple Hill Series, released on April 13th. I received my batch of books over the weekend and got to see and feel the novel for the first time. It’s exciting to me whenever a new book releases, because it’s a fulfillment of a dream the Lord put on my heart years ago. In celebration of …

Yesterday was the last “official” day of A Journey of Hope Week. I hope you were able to take away some small nugget of hope and/or inspiration for your own life. We can never have enough. Amen? Five of the seven days, there was a chance to win either an ebook or Amazon Gift Card. In case you missed it, …

Do you know how many times the word hope shows up in the Bible? In the NIV, the answer is 158—almost a quarter of them in the book of Psalms. You gotta love David. I’m not sure anyone in history was better at praising the Lord. This is why he is described as a man after God’s own heart. Second …

Join me today as my husband Chris and I chat about the inspiration for Illusions (Book 2 in the Apple Hill Series), marriage, and what he believes makes ours a success. This is the first time he’s appeared with me in a video, and I hope it won’t be the last! I will also share how you can receive a …

“Hunt for the good,” is what one of my former pastors used to say on a regular basis. Sometimes we can get so bogged down by life, we forget that God is everywhere, even if we have to search a little to find Him. Have you ever been through a tragic event only to realize later that there were God …

We are halfway through Hope Week, and my prayer is that you have found some truth in this series to hold onto either in a video or blog post. Years ago, when I first delved into the Bible and read James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, I couldn’t imagine ever reaching …

I’ve discussed in blog posts before how our lives are analogous with a tapestry. We focus on the backside where the ends of the threads are knotted and tangled in an unrecognizable mess. Often, we’re so trapped in our circumstances, we can’t see beyond them. But it’s the front of the tapestry where God’s focus is—the outcome, when all is …