Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Celebrating Christian Fiction in Nashville!

By

Hey friends! If you live in or near Nashville, then this invitation is for you! First, a conference for writers . . . If you're a writer—either published or hoping to be—this conference is for you! I've attended this gathering in the past (and hope to this year!) and it always offers excellent information and teaching. Plus encouragement! I always leave uplifted and rejuvenated. Second, … [Read more...]

Raney Day Trippin’

By

As many of you know, Ken and I have been traveling, and as I write this, we are halfway through our seven-week trip. I'm posting from our oldest son's house in Seattle where we are spending three full weeks while Tarl is traveling in Europe for work. We've set up offices here at his house to catch up on our work and dog-sit his sweet pup, Socks. We're thoroughly enjoying being temporary dog … [Read more...]

Cover Reveal!

By

It's cover reveal day for Stay with Me, book #1 in my upcoming Misty River Romance series! After I finished writing my Bradford Sisters series in June of 2018, I began casting around for inspiration for a new series. I'd just finished two family series in a row and I wanted to find a way to link the series characters in a new and different way. Around that time, a young soccer team was … [Read more...]

ACFW 2019 Recap

By

The end of September found me in San Antonio for the ACFW National Conference. It's one of my favorite weeks of the year, as I get to reconnect with many of my writing buddies including several of the women on this blog. It's such fun and then one way I give back to the writing world that has been so good to me. We also had board meetings where we started planning next year's conference in St. … [Read more...]

Research Road Trip

By

Hi friends,  Excited to be back with you all today! Happy Wednesday. I hope your week is going well so far. If you’re waiting for the weekend, you’re halfway there. Yay! Last weekend my hubby and I took a road trip. Not far. Just from Maryland to Pennsylvania. It’s a trip we take often. We have friends in Lancaster and my husband gets his tattoo work done there. Yes, he has many. And, each … [Read more...]

Research & Pleasure: Jane Austen-Style

By

I just returned from the 2019 Annual General Meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America.  The conference moves to different cities every year, but when I heard this year’s setting was Williamsburg, Virginia, I knew I wanted to attend. I was in good company, as the conference sold out almost immediately and was attended by over 800 people. I attended for several reasons: To learn … [Read more...]

Doing Battle

By

Last month, our town hosted a Civil War Muster in a local park. Re-enactors from all over the country came here to camp in canvas tents, wear authentic uniforms, and re-create famous Civil War battles. A friend and I sat on a hilltop to view the battles while our husbands performed period music in the brass band. As I watched the north and the south shoot rifles and cannons at each other, I … [Read more...]

To Those Who Stick Up Their Noses at Christian Fiction

By

Earlier in the week over on Twitter, a conversation came up in my feed that really took me by surprise. An avid promoter of Christian Fiction posted a #FollowFriday with a list of Christian authors (myself included) that she supports. In response to her post, someone said this: “Christian fiction has become Pablum for those who have little time for God's word. Part of the great god … [Read more...]

Recent Posts