Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Going Back to Caledonia

By

Going Back to Caledonia. Hmmm. That might make a lovely book title some day. But this past week, it was the "title" of our weekend. Many of you will remember that six years ago, my husband got the bug to get a camper. It did NOT sound like my idea of fun. But he talked me into a trial run, we rented a camper near St. Louis and made our way toward our daughters' homes in Southeast Missouri. (You … [Read more...]

FUNNY BOOK ERRORS

By

I recently did an interview after my book, To Enchant a Lady’s Heart, won the Heart Award in the novella category. The interviewer asked me to share my funniest typo. Sometimes I’m asked questions that leave me scratching my head for a while. It can take time to dredge up an answer. But I had a fast reply for that question. I thought I would share that story with you plus one other, the second … [Read more...]

My Morning Was Hijacked by a Mystery Novel!

By

Exactly one week ago today, I had the strangest morning. It all started with a thin glowing light emanating around the attic access panel in the hallway outside my bedroom. It hadn't been glowing the night before when we went to bed. Then a mysterious moisture covered our lawn, indicating the sprinklers had run but not on their assigned day. We'd not had any recent power outages to explain … [Read more...]

Mirror image?

By

Because I am always reading more than one novel at a time, I often notice book similarities. It is not unusual for me to discover that the main character in one current read is named the same as a supporting character in another! But recently I ran across a book similarity that initially took me aback, and I wanted to discuss it here.  The truth is, there are only so many stories to be … [Read more...]

Shhhh…. The “real” acceptance speech

By

In Deb's post last week, she shared the story behind her accepting the Carol Award for my novel A Million Little Choices at this year's ACFW Conference. But have you seen the video of her reading that acceptance speech? If you didn't read Deb's post, here's a quick recap of events:* Earlier this summer, I'm notified I'm a finalist for a Carol Award and ask Deb if she'll accept the award for … [Read more...]

Theology by Kids

By

I found this in a file and thought you might enjoy it as much as I did.   Judeo-Christian Theology As Explained By Children
  The following are answers given by students from Williamston
  Presbyterian Church, So. Carolina, to test questions on the Bible as
  printed in the 12/31/95 issue of "National Review":
 
   The first book of the Bible is Guinness’s, … [Read more...]

A Carol Award for Memory Lane (and a giveaway!)

By

This past Saturday night, my book Memory Lane received a Carol Award in the romance category! That particular award is organized by American Christian Fiction Writers and judged by writers. This recognition means a lot to me. Memory Lane is the first novel I independently published. I hired my editor, I collaborated on the cover, I hand-picked the audiobook narrators, I formatted the … [Read more...]

2024 ACFW Recap

By

The 2024 ACFW conference took place last week in New Orleans. It was my first time, and I really enjoyed connecting with my writing friends and getting a teeny-tiny glimpse of the city. I didn't make it to the French Quarter, because it rained four of the five days I was there, but I did slip out to the WWII Museum with my friend Tricia Goyer. I tend to be the person who attends everything when … [Read more...]

Recent Posts