Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Is Your TBR Pile Groaning?

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There are so many good books coming out this year. There are already so many wonderful choices for your reading pleasure. Last time I was on here, I posted about my friend Sarah Sundin's latest novel Until Leaves Fall in Paris. Today I thought I'd share four more I'm excited about. Three I've already read, and one is waiting patiently on my to be read pile. Let's dig in! I wanted to start … [Read more...]

Reading Challenge Accepted

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Hi friends, I recently shared that I’m starting a Reading Challenge for 2022. I’m going to read one book a month—all recommended by my lovely readers. I was floored with all the fabulous suggestions. Thank you all so very much! It was super hard to keep the titles to just 12 but here are the ones I chose. All the rest of the awesome suggestions are in my TBR pile, and I’ll be excited for the … [Read more...]

Baking in Regency England

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In the novel I'm currently working on, one of my genteel heroines, finding herself in reduced circumstances, is trying her hand at baking to help make ends meet. To write these scenes, I perused a few cookery books from previous centuries, looking for some relative easy recipes for her to try. Here is the easiest cake recipe I could find in the 1780 edition of The Art of Cookery Made Plain … [Read more...]

Chickens 101

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I am a writer, sure. But I have many other interests, including my grandchildren, my dogs, and my chickens. The chickens are a relatively new fascination, as I got my first flock in 2018. I quickly learned the following things about them: Chicken facts you didn't know you NEEDED to know. There are more chickens than people in the world. There are in fact 3 chickens per every man, woman … [Read more...]

What does “really liked” mean?

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As a reader, I love Goodreads. I especially love seeing the reviews by my friends because that often means I discover books I wouldn’t have read otherwise. But I am also an author, and I have struggled with putting ratings on books. So for a long time, I only rated my 5 star reads. All other books, many of which I loved, got a review but no rating. The problem with that is, I don’t get an … [Read more...]

The Top 7 Reasons I Stop Reading a Novel

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I've noticed over the past couple of years that I've developed an especially bad habit–I'm having a harder and harder time finishing novels that I pick up.I wasn't always so hard to please! There once was a time when I finished almost every book I started.But these days, my shelves (both real and virtual) are overflowing. I have plenty to read. But not enough time.And to be perfectly honest, the … [Read more...]

Karen Recommends . . .

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A couple weeks ago, I was asked to put together five book recommendations based on a theme of my choice. Since I love historical romance flavored with humor, it seemed like the logical choice for my recommendation list. There was a catch, however. I couldn't list more than one book by any author. I accepted the challenge. I even got my Posse to weigh in with their favorites. Since I would be … [Read more...]

A Quick Trip to Charleston

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Months ago we made plans for me to accompany Jeff on a business trip to South Carolina—and to stay a couple of extra days in Charleston. We've been there a couple of times before, always on business. And, I confess, since spraining my ankle very badly in Charleston in 2017, I always go back with a bit of fear and trepidation!  But this time would be a different trip. Unlike the previous ones, … [Read more...]

Be careful what you wish for

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Meet Gary Garrison, a good friend, who once asked me to put him in one of my books. Since we're such good friends, of course, I said YES! Gary’s first preference, he stated, was to be a cover model, shirt ripped opened and chest bared. Hairy chest or not, was negotiable. He said we could Photoshop that as desired. And he wanted his long, thick mane flowing behind him in the wind. I told him … [Read more...]

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