FEATURED BOOK:  Letters With Love

AUTHOR:  Erma M. Ullrey

PUBLISHER:  MerryHeartInk.com

GENRE:  Historical Romance

SERIES OR STAND ALONE:  With Love Series

TARGET AGE:  16-116

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR ERMA ULLREY TO THE OVER FIFTY WRITER. ERMA TALKS ABOUT HOW DEEPLY HER MAIN CHARACTER IN HER LATEST NOVEL TOUCHED HER HEART.

BEFORE LETTERS WITH LOVE

by

Erma M. Ullrey

Have you ever met someone whose impact so greatly affected your life that it continues on today?

When Lila Concord first came to life in my imagination, her love for the Lord and her wisdom inspired me. From the moment she uttered her first words, I knew she’d change me. How, exactly, I didn’t know. After all, she began as a minor character in my rom-com, Journaled With Love. But she hinted at something larger, igniting her scenes with her undeniable presence. Lila had heart and grit and a stick-to-it strength that commanded a story beyond her sub-character role.

As a writer, you pray and hope your character(s) will share their stories with you. …thankfully, Lila opened up like a beautiful, fragrant flower.

She and I talked throughout the dreary Winter of 2025. By the Spring of 2026, I understood the passion and pain that pumped through Lila James Lane Concord’s veins enough to flood the pages of Letters With Love.

While Lila joyously remained conversant, she put me to work, demanding I do my research. I learned, for example, that 1940s car radiators forbade distance driving. Painted gray, the retired Queen Mary safely crossed the Atlantic 1001 times during WWII, transporting people and soldiers back and forth between N.Y. and England. Mixed race couples could legally marry only in a handful of states in the early 1940s. Black pilots were used as decoys for fighter planes piloted by whites. Inhumane experiments were performed on base in Tuskegee, Alabama.

On a happier note, Mrs. Spinnler* became the catalyst for good in Lila’s life, encouraging her to learn Latin, which opened the door for her WWII codebreaker position. These behind-the-scenes heroes translated intercepted messages, giving the Allies an incredible edge over the Third Reich.

Much like her parents, Lila’s life didn’t begin as one of ease. But even when she didn’t see it, she trusted the Lord, choosing to walk beside Him come what may. As a young Negro woman, she experienced merciless prejudice, moments of joy, heartbreaking disappointments, and victorious miracles. Her darkest nights eventually yielded to brightest, golden days.

As only the Lord can, He placed other inspirational people in Lila’s life. Her best friend Dotty revealed the heart of a true friend. Joseph Lane believed love was colorless and proved that in undeniable ways. Anna Lane and Thurston Bunkard III taught Lila to fight for herself. The risks Bessie Smith and Dannetta Applegate took pushed Lila to find God’s purpose for her life. Duncan healed her heart with the love God meant for her to enjoy.

I’m not sure what more the Lord will say through Lila to me, but I know the adventure He began hasn’t come to an end. He reminded me of that through His word in Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (NKJV)

Lila, you, and me … we’ve still got more races to run. And thanks to people the Lord brings into our lives, we’ll find His purpose.

By the way, Mrs. Spinnler taught eighth grade history at Memorial School, West Paterson, N.J. From 1926 to 1970, she took the stage daily, delivering unforgettable scenes from the Civil War. But it was what she did beyond the classroom—giving up her lunch hour to help struggling students—that brought her and Lila together in this WWII historical romance.

Letters With Love

Available on Amazon June 25, 2026.

Back cover blurb for Letters With Love:

An encrypted message shatters Lila James’ forbidden marriage, but a twist of fate reveals the only love that can heal her.

Lila James wants the world to see her, not her skin color. She marries Army Aircorps Flyboy Joe Lane, believing his promise that together they can change the world. An encrypted message shatters her marriage. Crushed, pregnant, and alone, Lila retreats home to Boise carrying wounds she never asked for. There, she discovers her wartime pen pal’s identity. The only love meant to heal her was never lost but simply waiting for acceptance.

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Erma Ullrey is a follower of Jesus Christ. Married for forty-five years she enjoys four wonderful children, three outlaws, and five precious grandchildren. She worked in the medical field for over twenty-five years. After completing her B.S.H.S., she became a health educator and received international credentials in childbirth education (I.C.E.A.) and lactation consulting (I.B.C.L.C.). She serves as a women’s Bible study leader, and participates in a local book club as well as local and national writer’s groups.

Erma posts encouraging blogs at https://merryheartink.substack.com/ and https://onceuponaromance.substack.com and enjoys chatting with her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram friends. 

Connect with Erma

https://merryheartink.substack.com/
https://onceuponaromance.substack.com/

FEATURED BOOK:  God Must Love

AUTHOR:  Tori Higa

PUBLISHER:  Fusion Hybrid Publishing, an Imprint of End Game Press

GENRE:  Children’s Picture Book

SERIES OR STAND ALONE:  Stand Alone

TARGET AGE:  0-5

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR TORI HIGA TO PATTI’S PORCH. TORI TALKS ABOUT SHARING THE WONDERS OF GOD’S CREATION AND HOW IT INSPIRES HER CRAFTING OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS.

GOD MUST LOVE

by

Tori Higa

My two kids are now teenagers, but especially when they were little, God was always giving me ideas for faith-based children’s books. Sometimes in Costco, sometimes playing with my toddler in the afternoon, and sometimes while sitting in a church service.

One time in particular, I was driving with my two little ones quietly sitting in the back seat and had Christian talk radio playing in the background. The host shared inspiration from a Puritan writer. He shared that the writer was noticing how the same God who created the huge and vast universe also took the time to create the tiniest of insects. Picture the same God who made the sun and the moon, also making the ant and ladybug. At that moment, I was struck by the thought and believed it was a children’s book in the making.

To stop and think that the all-powerful Creator God created such different things in size, color, shape, species, and so on, was awe inspiring. And if He created all these things, surely He must love them. He even made His greatest creation, human beings, to all be completely different and unique from one another. Even identical twins have their own personality and unique finger prints – completely one of a kind.

Noticing God’s vast and intricate creation is something that draws me closer to Him. I believe that we as parents, grandparents, teachers, and caregivers should point these things out to young children so they can hopefully have a lifetime of experiencing God’s creativity, love, and goodness. After all, God’s creation is wrapped in love. He didn’t create anything that He doesn’t love, especially every single person He ever made.

And that goes for you, too, dear reader. God created you on purpose and with a purpose and He loves you more than you can ever understand.

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased”   – Revelation 4:11 (NLT)

“God has two textbooks - Scripture and Creation - we would do well to listen to both.”

 – Francis Bacon

Book Blurb for God Must Love:

Have you ever marveled at God’s creation and wondered why he created the things He did?

God Must Love has the answer to that question – if God created it, He must love it.

From the vast universe to the tiniest insects to colorful flowers and more, God Must Love explores all of God’s creation and the love He has for the things He makes. He especially loves what He has created in His own image – the very child for whom this book is intended!

God Must Love is a delightful rhyming book with original illustrations for children ages 0-5.

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Tori Higa is inspired by God’s creation, family & friends, coffee shops, people-watching, and all things vintage. She has always loved making art and recently began pairing her art with the stories she writes to share with young kids. She considers it a high honor to make books to inspire kids and encourage their faith journey. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband, two teenage kids, and a playful little mutt named Edie.   

Links:

ToriHiga.com

Instagram