Favorite Quote:

"Keep listening for that still small voice if you are weary on life's road; the Lord will make your heart rejoice if you will let him take your load."  —Hess

Life Verse:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." —Matthew 11:28-30

Personal Testimony:

I was blessed to have been born into a God-fearing Christian home. My mom and dad were both "preacher's kids" and my sister, brother and I were brought up in a fundamental, evangelical environment. All three of us were dedicated to the Lord at an early age and were very active in the church growing up.

But when I reached the point when I felt ready to begin a family of my own, I made some wrong choices, and gradually moved away from the church, though not my faith. That pull away from church and Christian fellowship resulted in my failure to ground my own children in the fundamentals I'd been taught. So it should have come as no surprise when my marriage failed after twenty-one years. But it did. And not just the marriage, the whole family fell apart, though that erosion had begun long years before.

I have paid a dear price for that failure and am still struggling to mend some broken fences—one of which I'm afraid has been demolished. Yet I know that my Lord and Savior can accomplish much more than we can think or imagine, and that is a promise I'm depending upon.

With heart-breaking regret and few options, I left northern Wisconsin for the warmer climes of the desert southwest, and it was here I reconnected with my faith and began a new life, centered in Christ.

My new life began with an excellent job - even though I hadn't worked in over twenty years, and then God sent me an excellent man - a seeker whose search brought me back to the Bible and a strengthening and renewal of my fractured faith.

Being raised in a strong Christian home comes with tightly-woven strings that may fray, but never break. I thank God every day for my upbringing and the Godly parents He gave me. They're both Home now, having earned their Eternal reward. I miss them.

Professional Bio:

Peggy Blann Phifer is an author and columnist, book reviewer and author interviewer who's work has appeared on various Web sites and writer periodicals both in print and online. She is also an avid reader and loves to escape by diving between the covers of a good book. Peg enjoys handcrafts of all kinds and her home shows off some of her work, though most end up as gifts for friends and family. A retired executive assistant, Peg now makes her home in southern Nevada with husband Jim.

Credits and Other Notables:

• A Wife's Appreciation, a prayer, published in Guideposts Books Prayers for Every Need, Volume I, 2000.

• Winner, Writer of the Year Award, 2004 Colorado Christian Writers Conference, as editor/publisher of The Wordsmith Shoppe News/Gazette, an e-mail newsletter with over 1,000 readers.

• Web site wordsmithshoppe.com chosen in Writer's Digest "101 Best Sites for Writers" for 2004

• ACFW Noble Theme Contest: top ten in Women's Fiction for "A New Sunrise," 2005

• Served as Literature Coordinator for the local chapter of Christian Women's Club (Stonecroft Ministries) 2004-2006.

• Served on the ACFW Conference Planning Committee for the 2007 conference year.

Professional Memberships:

• Christian Writers Fellowship International: active member since 1995

• American Christian Fiction Writers: active member since 2001; Board member 2005 to mid-2007; judged Noble Theme Contest 2004; attended the 2005 and 2006 conferences.

• American Christian Writers

• Wisconsin Historical Society

• Nevada Historical Society

• Smithsonian Institute