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Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Saying Goodbye

November 16, 2022 By D'Ann Mateer

As you read this, we are on our way home from the East Coast, where we’ve traveled twice in the past two weeks.  On Oct. 31 we got word that Jeff’s mother had passed away. While she hadn’t been in great health, the conversation the prior week was about moving her to assisted living, not end of life issues. She lived in Pennsylvania, in a small town a 3 hour drive from any major airport. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Death, Family

The Berkshires

November 2, 2022 By D'Ann Mateer

While I miss my daughter living near us, one of the advantages of her living in Boston is getting to explore different areas when we visit. This fall, we went to the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts, near the New York border. We hoped to see some fall color and get in a bit of walking and relaxing. We didn’t expect to love this area as much as we did! Although we were a bit late for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, History Tagged With: book stores, Boston, Louisa May Alcott, massachusetts, The Bershires, The Orchard House

The Joy of Learning New Things

October 19, 2022 By D'Ann Mateer

Do you remember the joy of finally leaning to ride a bike without training wheels? Or swimming across the pool for the first time? Or learning to read and finding a whole new world of books?  We get to experience the joy of learning new things when we are young. But the older we get, the fewer things there are that drive us to master them.  Of course we often hear the call to “never … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: learning, social media, Video

Where do your ideas come from?

October 5, 2022 By D'Ann Mateer

This is a common question for writers. I often have this question myself when reading a historical novel, especially ones by author Elizabeth Camden, who tends to find the most unique historical backdrops for her stories! But I’ve been thinking about it in terms of my own work again as I stand at the beginning of a new project. And so as I look back to see where my stories have come from, I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: History, Writing

Three One-Year Anniversaries–and a Giveaway!

September 21, 2022 By D'Ann Mateer

It’s hard to believe, but it has been one year since I launched my new website and republished my first novel, both using my real name! But perhaps the thing I’m most proud of is that this past Saturday I hit the 52nd edition of my weekly newsletter. Yep, one whole year. This was a huge leap of faith for me! I never liked sending out newsletters. I never felt like I had anything to say and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Anniversary, newsletter, website

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