Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

The One and Only U.S. Tea Plantation

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When I write about tea-drinking in my novels, I am thinking of tea grown in China or India, but last week I visited the only tea plantation in North America. The Charleston Tea Plantation is located on Wadmalaw Island about 20 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. I was in Charleston for a retreat with my Literary Agency (Books & Such) and enjoyed spending time with agents and … [Read more...]

Get a Move On

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My husband's nephew who is a pitcher for a college baseball team in North Carolina, just happened to be playing in a series here in Wichita over Mother's Day weekend. Thanks to Zach, we had a little Raney family reunion at our house and it was a blast! We talked several times about how MUCH fun we managed to pack into a few short days. There was a lot of eating … [Read more...]

Spreading the Love of Reading

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A couple of weeks ago I had the fun privilege of speaking at the Rauchholz Library in Hemlock not too far from where I live. Though it’s a small building set in a small town, there’s nothing small about the heart of this particular library. In fact, I’d say the Rauchholz Library, its librarians, and the many patrons who frequent the library have very BIG hearts for reading and are taking BIG … [Read more...]

Get Your Coastal Guardian Swag On

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Hi friends,  So happy to be back with you this week. I’ve got some really exciting stuff going on in anticipation of The Killing Tide’s release this summer (August 2019). I’ve partnered with the Coast Guard Foundation for a fun pre-order bonus giveaway.  The first 200 people to pre-order The Killing Tide and submit their information via the application page will receive: A … [Read more...]

Incredible Blessings . . .

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This past week has been a full one, and it was filled with some wonderful—and not-so-wonderful—moments. I was reminded at nearly every turn of the brevity of life and of how incredibly blessed I am! Last weekend we had to take Joe to ER (he felt his body "shutting down," was nauseated, weak...), and while I felt a very real sense of peace as we waited to find out what was wrong, there was also … [Read more...]

Unfailing Love

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I knew the visit to the nursing home would be difficult. I wasn’t prepared for a miracle. I went there with my friend Cathy, whose older sister suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. I knew Muriel in years past as a vibrant, happy woman who enjoyed life and dearly loved her family and her Lord. It was painful to see the empty shell she has become. She sat slumped in a wheelchair with a blank … [Read more...]

Behind the Scenes of My Cover Shoot

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My new book, Sweet on You, released this past Tuesday! I've been so excited for you to have a chance to read this friends-who-fall-in-love story. Today, I have the pleasure of bringing you behind the scenes photos from Sweet on You's cover shoot! The cover shoot took place back in mid-August. My editor, Raela Schoenherr, was kind enough to snap these photos for us so that we could get a … [Read more...]

Character Inspiration

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When I first started writing, I never looked for inspiration images for my characters. I simply let them form in my mind and worked from there. However, when it came time to design my covers, my publishers kept asking for images of what my hero and heroine looked like as a starting point for selecting models for the photo shoots. I quickly learned that having images handy saved me time and effort … [Read more...]

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