Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

What’s In A Name?

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I recently had a question come up in my Posse Facebook group about how I come up with names for my characters. Selecting my character names is one of my favorite parts of the brainstorming process. It's amazing how much a name helps me imagine who the character is. Not only do I want the names I select for my characters to sound good and roll easily off the reader's tongue, but I love to … [Read more...]

More than I could ask or think

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I confess, I didn’t know until yesterday what I would post today. I’m not usually that late in deciding my topic. (Actually writing the post? Well, that might be a different story!) Anyway, I had no idea what to write about. But, strangely, I wasn’t stressed. I figured the Lord would come through with an idea just in the nick of time. However, I didn’t expect Him to do it in such a big … [Read more...]

To listen…or not to listen

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HAPPY MARCH! Spring is almost here and not a minute too soon, right? Are you an audio book lover? I am. I usually have 3 or 4 (or more) audiobooks going at the same time. Well, not literally. But you know what I mean. I love having the freedom to take a walk, to clean, to drive from one place to another while also "reading." Either being whisked away to a distant story world with … [Read more...]

A Milestone

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I reached a milestone last week. As you can see from my odometer, I have now biked 1,000 miles on my new bicycle.  Ken and I purchased the new bikes in late August—a present to ourselves to make up for all the restrictions and disappointments in 2020. We have a lovely bike trail right outside our front door, so we put on 600 miles before the weather grew too cold. But this past … [Read more...]

How to Encourage Christians to Try Christian Fiction

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On my Facebook author page I recently asked, "Why do you think only some Christian readers read Christian fiction?" These are the top three answers I received.... 1) They don't know that such a thing as Christian fiction exists. Or their knowledge of it begins and ends with Redeeming Love, Karen Kingsbury, and Amish stories. 2) They perceive Christian fiction as low quality. … [Read more...]

Bingeing all the Books

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Last week, Indiana got enough snow that Purdue closed for a day. That may not seem significant, but I've lived near Purdue for twenty years, and this is only the third day that I remember the campus being closed. Needless to say, I was grateful to not do a snow dance to campus in my car, and it allowed me a bit of time to read. I adore reading. Y'all know that, and one of the books I read was … [Read more...]

Research on the Road

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Hi friends, Happy to be back with you this week. With all the information available at our fingertips for research, it’s easy for me to research from the comfort of my home. I can call and talk with experts via Zoom or on the phone, I can order research books online, and use search engines to find practically everything I need to write a strongly researched book. However, I love to take my … [Read more...]

Uplifting Reading & Viewing Suggestions

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Ever buy a book that disappointed you? Or sit down in the evening to scroll through the shows and movies available only to struggle to find something good to watch? In general, I try not to watch too much tv, but when I do, I don’t want to watch something I’ll regret. So, I thought I’d share a few of the books and shows I’ve been reading or watching lately that have been positive and uplifting … [Read more...]

When Grief Mingles with Joy

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First off, I want to say a huge thank you to Robin and the rest of the Inspired by Life… team who stepped in for me this past month when I wasn’t able to blog. I’m still reeling a bit, and trying to process two great losses in my life that happened within a 12-hour span. On February 1, Shirley Ann Turner Raney, my precious mother-in-law, passed away after a valiant battle with … [Read more...]

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