I don’t know about you, but I’ve been struggling a bit lately. Not only does the pandemic continue to make life stressful, but here in Texas we’ve now added 100+ degree days into the mix. My condo is feeling more confining than usual these days, and I’ve found myself wallowing in “I wish” and “If only.” So lately I’ve been trying to notice the things around me that make me smile. Perhaps they … [Read more...]
How Do Authors Create Characters?
To generate blog post ideas, I asked readers what topics they’d like me to address. One question raised was: What is your process for creating your characters? How do they then become real to you? Something must happen, because they seem alive to your readers.” Honestly, creating characters doesn't come easily to me, but it's something I've learned to do better. In fact, it's one of the … [Read more...]
The Life of a Desk
Last time I blogged, I told you the story of the farmhouse dining table that became my writing desk and is now at home in my oldest grandson’s bedroom. Today, as promised, I want to tell you the story of my “new” (but actually very old) writing desk. The first history we know of this desk is when it was owned by Maude Berquist, wife of Arthur Berquist, who owned and operated Berquist … [Read more...]
Inspired by Scripture
This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashEntertainment.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online. … [Read more...]
POPPING IN ON A SATURDAY (and a giveaway)
Hi, friends. Remember me? Last year, when I took a step back from writing bi-weekly blog posts for Inspired by Life and Fiction, I never dreamed I would let so much time pass before I took advantage of my “Bonus Days” status. Because 2019 was a rough year for me personally, I was looking forward to turning the calendar to a new year and a fresh leaf. My word for 2020 is “Revelation” and … [Read more...]
Road Trip Photos (and a giveaway!)
I schedule my writing year so that my deadline always lands on June 1st. This makes April and May crazy for me, but there's a method to my madness. Namely, a June 1 deadline puts me in sync with my kids' summer vacation. I'm able to enjoy time off from writing during the entire month of June (glorious!) followed by a very relaxed, part-time writing schedule in July. This June, we'd planned … [Read more...]
A Quick Escape and Rediscovering the Fun in Writing
For years, I've written hard. In the chaos of life, while working other jobs, traveling, and so much more. I love all of my books, and writing them has pushed me in unique ways. Sometimes the pressure has removed the joy from writing. Have you ever had that happen? Something you love becomes a job rather than a joy? It's not wrong or bad, just reality. I'd set myself the goal of rediscovering the … [Read more...]
Writing Cave
Hi friends, Always happy to spend this time with you. I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. We had family time early on and then I spent the remainder of the three-day weekend writing. Yep. It’s that time again. My eleventh novel, The Crushing Depths, released on June 30th and my deadline for book 3 is in two weeks. This equates to crazy time. Literally. Trying to juggle the two is an art … [Read more...]
When something old is made new again . . .
A month ago I shared pictures of some older pieces of furniture that I wanted to paint. Well, I managed to get one of those pieces finished and want to share the results. But why on earth I chose a massive king-size bed as my first chalk painting project, I'll never know. LOL. Ah well, live and learn. Here's the king bed in the guest bedroom before I painted it. . . I inherited this … [Read more...]
Celebrating Independence Day
What I’ve missed the most during this virus quarantine, is being with family and friends—especially for holiday celebrations. We could invite some fearless souls for a get-together this Fourth of July and wear masks, use hand-sanitizer, and stand six feet apart. We could still have a picnic and play horseshoes on the lawn. Unfortunately, the fireworks that we usually watch from our beach on Lake … [Read more...]
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