#letters

The Power of Letters

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There is something so deeply and profoundly personal about a handwritten letter.

Long before text messages, emails, and quick comments on social media, people poured their hearts onto paper. They wrote of ordinary days and extraordinary hopes. They shared news, whispered dreams, confessed fears, and carried love across miles, months, and sometimes even years.

A letter could be a promise, or a confession, a lifeline, or part of a legacy.

The power of letters has been on my mind as I’ve worked on the Petticoats & Patriots series, especially with For Liberty and Love and Declaration of Love. Though the stories are set 250 years apart, they are connected by more than history. They are tied together by courage, devotion, sacrifice, and letters.

In For Liberty and Love, Lucy Carlson lives in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776, a time when every spoken word could carry danger and every written message might change a life. Secrets mattered. Loyalty mattered. Love mattered. For Lucy and Branch, words were not casual things. They held meaning, risk, longing, and hope.

I imagined what Lucy might write to Branch. What she would say to the man who had changed her life in the middle of such uncertain times? Or what Branch might write to Lucy. How he would put into words the ache of missing her, and the fragile hope of a future neither of them could yet see?

There is something that feels almost magical about a written letter, especially when we write from the heart, preserving what we might not say aloud.

Letters give our feelings a place to rest, and allow love to linger long after the last word is read.

That same emotional thread carries into Declaration of Love, the final book in the series. This time, the story unfolds in Holiday, Oregon, as America prepares to celebrate her 250th birthday. Kate Barton (a descendant of Lucy and Branch) arrives in town for what she believes will be a temporary stop for the summer.

As part of the celebration surrounding Declaration of Love, I’ve been creating a series of postcards from Holiday. Each one offers a little glimpse of the town, the story, and the heart of Kate’s journey.

Postcards are such small things. Just a picture on one side and a few lines on the other. But they can carry so much.

Postcards remind us that even the briefest message can create connection, like a simple note of “I’m thinking of you.” A few handwritten lines can bridge distance, spark memory, and let someone know they matter.

From Lucy’s letter in 1776 to Kate’s postcards in 2026, the heart of these stories is the same: love leaves traces, whether they are found in silver lockets or faded ink.

 

One of the things I love most about the Petticoats & Patriots series are the traces of love left behind with each story. The locket passes from one heroine to the next, but it carries more than metal and history. It carries memory, choices, and the courage of women who loved deeply, stood bravely, and left pieces of their hearts for the next generation to discover.

Letters do that, too.

They become little time capsules of emotion. They tell us who we were, what we cherished, what we feared, and who mattered most. They remind us that ordinary lives are filled with extraordinary moments of dreams, hope, and love.

I think that is why old letters are so precious.

In a world that moves so quickly, handwritten words feel especially meaningful because they ask us to slow down. To think. To choose each word with care. To leave behind something tangible, something that can become part of a legacy.

As America celebrates 250 years, I find myself thinking about all the letters that must have been written across those many generations. Letters from soldiers and sweethearts, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, friends and neighbors. Letters filled with longing, courage, worry, faith, humor, hope, and love.

Those words helped carry people through uncertain days. In many ways, the letters that remain still do.

So perhaps today is a good day to write a note. Send a card. Tuck a letter into the mail that offers encouragement.

Because love written down has a way of lasting.

And sometimes, the smallest message becomes the sweetest legacy.

Do you have a handwritten letter, card, or postcard you’ve saved because it meant something special to you?

Share your comment for a chance to win a copy of Lucy’s letter to Branch, a handwritten note from me, and some other fun swag!

 

Art of Letter Writing

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Did you know January 23 is National Handwriting Day? It’s true! The celebration began back in 1977 when the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association established the day to promote the use of pens, pencils, and paper. It also happens to be the birthday of John Hancock, a man remembered for his stylish signature on the Declaration of Independence. In fact, in the U.S., his name became a synonym for one’s signature.

As technology pervades (invades!) more and more of our daily life, it seems we write things by hand less and less.

There’s just something about writing something by hand that is almost therapeutic. And it’s an art that is quickly becoming lost. 

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love getting something handwritten in the mail, whether it’s a card or a letter. Even a sticky note with a message written in Captain Cavedweller’s chicken scratch handwriting brightens my day. 

Writing a letter is an art – from choosing the card or paper to the writing utensil, to the words that are expressed. 

Writing a letter does require a little more effort than sending a quick text, but think about how personal a letter can be. How special it is to the recipient. How meaningful and appreciated even the simplest message of “I’m thinking of you” is to someone who loves you. 

Letters build relationships in a way, a personal caring way, that text messages and emails never will. It’s something tangible that can be held in the recipient’s hand. Whether it’s a card full of glittery sparkles or a formal piece of heavy parchment, what really matters is the message conveyed from your hand to the heart of the reader. 

 

In my sweet historical romance, The Christmas Wish, the heroine, Brynn, writes anonymous letters to people in the town of Hardman. Her only goal is to offer encouragement and cheer to the recipients.

Here’s a little excerpt from the book:

Percy had heard about someone writing letters full of positivity and hope to people in town. His parents had been the recipients of one a year ago, and his mother proudly kept the letter in the desk in the apartment. It was one of the first things she showed him when he returned home.

The handwriting was sometimes shaky, which made Percy wonder if it was an elderly person, but the turns of phrase the writer used hinted at someone younger.

Regardless, the wisher’s identity remained a mystery that Percy rather hoped continued. It gave the people in Hardman something happy to focus on and look forward to since a letter popped up once a week and no one could guess who would be the next recipient.

He glanced at Brynn as the conversation shifted to the holiday season and noticed her looking quite pleased. He wondered if it had something to do with the wisher or the way her grandfather continued to cast adoring glances at Dora Granger.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if  there were more Brynn’s in the world? 

I’m going to try to be more like her, and write by hand more personal notes this year. 

What about you?

Do you write notes for friends and loved ones? Do you enjoy receiving them?

Do you have a favorite note or card that you’ve kept as a keepsake? 

Post your answer for a chance to win a handwritten note from me! 

 

Petticoats & Pistols