Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Celebrating a Friend’s Release with a Giveaway!

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It's always a pleasure to attend a sister-writer's book launch and help her celebrate a new release. I recently joined other friends and readers at the launch of Michelle Griep's new Dickens-inspired Christmas novella, A Tale of Two Hearts. She looked gorgeous in her new gown, spencer, and bonnet! Michelle is quite talented. She writes vivid, quirky characters, heartwarming romance, and … [Read more...]

Finding Middlemarch

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I don't believe I've ever read Middlemarch, a novel by author George Eliot (pseudonym used by Mary Anne Evans) but I certainly enjoyed the beautifully-made 1994 BBC/Masterpiece series starring many wonderful British actors like Robert Hardy, Patrick Malahide, Douglas Hodge, Pam Ferris, Jonathan Firth, Juliet Aubrey, and a young Rufus Sewell ("Lord M" of recent Victoria fame, though I have been a … [Read more...]

If These Walls Could Talk…

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I am in no way entering the modern debate about building walls, but I am interested in history. Since ancient times, walls have been built in many places around the world, to mark borders, protect kingdoms, or keep out enemies. Examples include: The Great Wall of China, The Berlin Wall, The Wall of Ston in Croatia, and others. More recently, walls have also been built as memorials, like the … [Read more...]

A Visit to Brontë Country

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My  husband and I recently took our first trip as empty-nesters. We traveled to Scotland, and then ventured down into England again. One of the highlights for me was visiting the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire. This is the house where the Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—lived and wrote most of their famous works while their father was parson at the adjacent … [Read more...]

Flying The Nest

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My family has "taken off" in recent days: After back-to-school shopping with his brother and me, our oldest son packed up a very full car and headed back for his 3rd year at university. A few days later, our youngest son also flew the nest for the first time, moving 4.5 hours away to begin his freshman year at college. I delivered him safely to his empty, rather bleak dorm room and was … [Read more...]

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