Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

A Lost Love Found

By

Hi friends, Happy Wednesday! Hope you’re having a wonderful week. My family and I headed to the beach for a much-needed vacation. Everyone has been working hard and we all needed time to just soak up some sun and breathe in the sea air. But this vacation was different for me. As Cara Putman shared a few weeks back about an author who left her laptop at home, I did the same. I’ve worked every … [Read more...]

Always More to Learn

By

It has been a busy 10 days here, working on final galleys and participating in two writers conferences. Last weekend, I had the privilege of being on faculty for the fabulous Northwestern Christian Writers Conference at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. I taught a workshop on “Avoiding Common Mistakes on the Road to Publication,” met with up-and-coming writers, and participated on a … [Read more...]

Makin’ a list…in a brand new journal!

By

[DRUMROLL PLEASE…The winners of the two journals are: Jackie Tessnair and Amber Woodward. Congrats, gals! I put info for how to contact me in the comments below. And I want to thank all of you for the fabulous ideas for other journals! Some of the ones you suggested were already in the works and others we hadn't thought of yet. In the next day or two, watch for two Sermon Notes journals, a more … [Read more...]

Celebrating the People Who Introduced Us to Books! (Plus prizes)

By

Earlier this week, I asked readers via my Facebook page to fill in this blank... "I'm a reader today because of _________." It quickly became clear that anyone willing to spend time and care can pass along a love of reading to another. I received such a wide variety of heartwarming answers that I thought I'd share a few here. "My university Russian professor, Dr. Tatiana Karmanova. She saw … [Read more...]

Say Cheese!

By

I’m not a person who loves to get my picture taken, so when it comes to new headshots, I tend to wait far too long to update my look. However, with some exciting new things on the horizon this fall and into next year, it was time for some new photos. A few weeks ago, my niece-in-law, who has done some great wedding photography, agreed to be photographer for this go-round. And as I was smiling—and … [Read more...]

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

By

Many of us are watching the TV series The Chosen about the life of Jesus, which just ended its second season. If you're enjoying The Chosen, I think you're going to absolutely devour Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverberg. If you haven't read Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus yet, let me give you a quick preview beginning with the section below entitled Walking in His … [Read more...]

The Next Book

By

I’m in between novels at the moment, and searching for inspiration. After writing 29 books, I sometimes feel like I’ve used every storyline, every setting, and every plot device there is. I’m certainly not ready to retire, but what do I write about next? As I faced the blank computer screen, casting about for ideas—life happened. My life. This past month our family suffered a huge loss when … [Read more...]

How to Overcome Writer’s Block When All Else Fails

By

I recently got an email from Emma who asked for advice on how to overcome writer’s block. She said: “I get writers block a bit, and I can never work on just one book at a time... I have to have many so that when I do get a slump on one, I can work on another. But I'd like to change that... Yet, everything I've tried doesn't really work that well.” Let me just say this upfront, Emma, you are … [Read more...]

Recent Posts