A Cool Retreat by John William Godward, 1910

I have a writing retreat quickly approaching, and I am getting a little giddier at the thought with each passing day. =) But of course, I then have to pause and consider the word, because I’m just that kind of nerd, LOL.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that the typical definition of retreat is very old. The noun, meaning “act or retiring from action,” dates to the 13th century. The verb, oddly, took another 200 years to join English. But what I found really interesting is that my kind–“a place of seclusion”–dates from the 15th century! I had no idea it was that old. It had gained religious connotation by the 1750s.

To change the subject, I spent my weekend in VA Beach, celebrating with my critique partner, Dina Sleiman, her 3-book deal with Bethany House. And when hubby and I got home (after driving through a blizzard), I found these waiting for me!

The Dutch version of Ring of Secrets! This is my first Dutch-translated book, though many, many of my friends’ books have been translated, so it’s pretty cool. =) The title in Dutch translates as Mask of Innocence. I was hoping for a “mask” title in the series, so that’s awesome!!

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