Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

An Old-Fashioned Texas Christmas

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The Archer Brothers Are Back! I'm so excited to share An Archer Family Christmas with you! Travis, Crockett, Jim, and Neill are back with their families for an adventured-filled holiday family reunion. Meet the next generation of little Archers, be swept up in the romance of 4 Archer happily-ever-afters, and best of all, find yourself caught up in an all-new Archer adventure filled with … [Read more...]

When You Pass Through the Waters . . .

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It started out as the perfect storm—in a good sense. We were bringing Jeff’s dad and stepmom to Louisiana to meet their first great-grandchild, but we also wanted to do a little extra, considering that Jeff’s dad turned 75 in August. So when we learned Jeff would have a speaking engagement in Houston in late September, it appeared the perfect segue between the two things. We bought their plane … [Read more...]

Satisfying Your Sweet Tooth

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"A great liking for sweet tasting foods." That's the definition for "sweet tooth." And I definitely have a sweet tooth! Do you? This past Sunday, I spoke to the fabulous women at Brentwood Church of Christ here in Nashville on the topic of Writing Real History, and they had the most adorable—and that doesn't even begin to describe them—cookies! See for yourself... Aren't these … [Read more...]

Residence Refresh

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After our oldest daughter moved out last month to attend college, my teenage son lobbied to move into her old bedroom. (That bedroom is the most popular kid real estate in the house because it has its own bathroom and he'd long been sharing a bathroom with little sister.) Little sister had her eye on brother's old bedroom. And I had my eye on little sister's old bedroom as a guest bedroom and … [Read more...]

Transitions

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 Hi friends,  Excited to spend my Wednesday with you. Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to drop by and say hi. Please know how much I appreciate it.  This time of year is a time of transition. The days grow cooler and shorter. The leaves begin to turn and fall. Starbucks brings out their Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yum!  Back to School This fall is a … [Read more...]

Book Titles: Do Authors Choose?

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I am often asked this question: Do you get to choose your own book titles? The answer is Yes, and sometimes, No. My editorial team always asks me for several alternate title ideas. Sometimes they choose my preferred working title, sometimes they do not. It is a collaborative, back and forth effort. Just for fun, here are some of my early working titles that did not make it to the … [Read more...]

A Loyal Fan & an Inheritance

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I got such a fun note in my inbox a couple of weeks ago. Let me start at the beginning. When our kids were growing up, we lived in the small town of Hesston, Kansas. One of our favorite families there was the King family. Like us, they had four kids, except their oldest was in the same class as our youngest. Still, Mike and Peggy let us oldsters be friends with them, and we spent many fun hours … [Read more...]

5 Ways to Get Teens to Put Down Their Phones and Pick Up a Book

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1. Model a Love of Reading First, if we want our teens to read, then they need to see us as adults doing it. We have to make a conscious effort to limit our own time on Netflix or Hulu and spend time reading instead. If we don’t do it (and love it!), how can we expect them to?  2. Make Reading Cool Point out the many cool people who are already reading for the fun of it. Give them … [Read more...]

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