Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Five Decades! Wow!

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Yesterday marked fifty years of marriage for Ken and me. It's hard to wrap my mind around that fact, but it's true. We were so blessed to celebrate the occasion a little early last month with all our kids and grandkids on a family vacation in Divide, Colorado. There were 23 of us in all and it was a wonderful time of hiking, swimming, mini-golf, board games, and s'mores around a nightly … [Read more...]

Put on Your (Imaginary) Dancing Shoes + a Giveaway!

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Wonderful Australian author Carolyn Miller is joining us today! The heroine of her new book is a ballet dancer, which I love. When I entered Kindergarten, I clearly remember the teacher doing a "What do you want to be when you grow up?" unit. My answer: "I want to be a ballerina." Books like Carolyn's give me a chance to live out that childhood dream vicariously! Details on the giveaway she's … [Read more...]

Traveling back in time and books

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This weekend we're back in DC while I attend a conference. We arrived yesterday, and it has felt like a homecoming, y'all. I haven't been back since an incredibly quick 12 hours in 2015 on my way to a study abroad in Brazil, and it's a bit scary how much I settled back into knowing how to walk around and find things. We left in 2002 to move to Indiana, and I've always said this area is one of the … [Read more...]

Research Mode

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I’m currently researching the possibility of a project so I thought I'd pull back the curtain and let you see a bit of my process. I say possibility because as interesting as the history is, I’m not sure yet if I can make it into a compelling novel. Which, honestly, is often the way a book project starts for me.  Research mode, for me, entails several different things.  First, … [Read more...]

Ready for fall, anyone?

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I'm so ready for fall, I can taste it. First, another book is due September 2nd and I'm racing to finish. It's been a difficult one to write. Mostly because it's been inside me for a long time and those are always hardest to get onto the page. But also because we've recently moved. Still in Nashville, just a different house. It's been a long and frustrating process—is moving ever fun, though, … [Read more...]

My chicken, O my chicken . . .

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I have a little black frizzle (her feathers curl upward) who's been with me several years. Blackie is sprightly and actually a little mean to the other hens, but she's healthy. But last week I let the chickens out and noticed that the rooster, who's always the first one out of the coop, had flattened her on the ground. I just assumed he was being a little over-eager, but once he moved away, … [Read more...]

A Knight Without Armor by James Scott Bell

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Robin here: Because I'm busy brainstorming another book while retreating with some of my favorite people in the world, I asked my good friend—and one of my favorite writers—James Scott Bell to be my guest today. If you haven't read Jim's books, you really should. James Scott Bell is the winner of the International Thriller Writers Award, The Christy Award (Suspense), and the ACFW Lifetime … [Read more...]

Fan Fiction Story + A Party Invite

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Back in May, I posted about a fan fiction contest I was running in conjunction with my western Cinderella retelling - If the Boot Fits. Fergus Ellis, the hero's youngest brother, never goes anywhere without his pencil and tablet. He names the animals around the house and dreams up adventures for them that he jots down in his tablet. He has dubbed the family milk cow Mrs. Merriweather and has … [Read more...]

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