Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Nashville and the Christy Awards

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I'm currently in Nashville! For the third year in a row, I've journeyed to The Athens of the South aka Nashvegas aka The Buckle of the Bible Belt aka Music City USA in November in order to participate in the Art of Writing Conference and the Christy Awards. His Highness and I arrived on Tuesday and that night I attended a dinner for Bethany House employees, authors, and authors' spouses. … [Read more...]

The Harvey Girls Are Here!

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Ever since I watched Judy Garland in The Harvey Girls as a teenager, I've been enamored with the idea of the Harvey Girls and the significant role these women played in civilizing the West. Women worked as Harvey Girls for a myriad of reasons. Good pay, adventure, travel, and some, like my heroine, to escape trouble at home. Rosalind Kemp becomes a Harvey Girl to flee Texas and the … [Read more...]

Texas Book Festival 2019

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When people think of Austin, Texas, they often think of our big music and film festivals—ACL and SXSW. But for Jeff and me, those are simply weekends to stay at home. Our favorite festival weekend in Austin is—no surprise here!—the Texas Book Festival. This was our third year to attend and it seems to get better each time. Every year I discover authors I haven’t read before and end up reading not … [Read more...]

Fabulous First Sentences (from 2019 Christy Award Finalists)

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You already know I love reading first sentences of novels, and here are some really good ones! From a few of the 2019 Christy Award finalists, no less. Not all of them, mind you, just a few chosen at random. I love the varieties in style and hope you do, too! And GET READY TO VOTE because I'd like to know your favorite! #1"I discovered a secret."Falling for You by Becky Wade Christy Award … [Read more...]

A Sneak Peek!

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After several years of debuting my novels in the fall each year, I’m sorry to say that changes in my publishing schedule mean you’ll have to wait until next spring to read my latest book. In the meantime, I’m excited to show you what the gorgeous cover looks like, and to tell you a little bit about the story. “If I Were You” takes place in London during World War II and is a story of friendship … [Read more...]

Why NO ONE Should Object to ‘Clean Teen’ Fiction

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Just this week I stumbled across a trending article called: “SJW YA Authors Object to 'Clean Teen' Fiction.”  Obviously the title caught my attention because my clean teen Lost Princesses series just recently released. So I was rather intrigued to discover that other YA authors are opposed to the kind of YA fiction that I write. To be honest, I had to google the meaning of SJW. I know … [Read more...]

Raney Day Trippin’ 2

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As I sorted through photos to prepare this second installment, there are just too many things I want to show you to put in one post! So this time, I'll share a couple of our favorite outings while we've been here in the Seattle area at our oldest son's house. (We've been house- and dog-sitting while he's in Europe for work.) The first place I want to tell you about is our trip to the stunning … [Read more...]

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