Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Suspense Writer in Action

By

Hi friends, I'm often asked what life as a suspense author looks like. Many people have this glamorous idea of an author’s life.  They envision romance authors lying around on a chaise lounge penning away their stories and eating bon-bons. While suspense authors are fighting off danger and getting in the trenches to uncover a great story. While I’d love to say I got to live either life, … [Read more...]

Tea Time in Jane Austen’s Time

By

But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea.” —Jane Austen, Mansfield Park On Saturday, I attended another great meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Minnesota Region. This month's topic was "An Exploration of Teas," followed by an afternoon-tea-inspired lunch. Since my friend Kristine has hosted me for many a tea party, I took her along as my guest. Our speaker was … [Read more...]

A Free e-book Offer!

By

Many authors are reluctant to name their favorite book they've written—it's akin to naming our favorite child!—but now that I've written over thirty-five books, a few have risen to the top. One of those in my top five...maybe top three...is my novel A Nest of Sparrows. That book also now wears my favorite all-time book cover, designed by my talented husband Ken Raney. I wanted to let our … [Read more...]

Fantastic Ebook Deals

By

I love a sale! I know that many of you love them, too. Which is why I thought I'd use today's post to spread the word about some current deals on my friends' books and on my own. Whenever a full length novel is priced at $4 or less, that's a great opportunity to try a new-to-you author, stock up on a title by a favorite author that you may have missed, or purchase a copy for your e-reader to … [Read more...]

From Generation to Generation

By

One of the joys of having children attend your alma mater, is seeing them participate in traditions that you remember fondly from your own college days. A couple weeks ago was what we at Abilene Christian University call Sing Song Weekend. This is a unique annual event that has been around since 1957. Sing Song is an a cappella singing competition in which students prepare rewritten medleys of … [Read more...]

A Must See Film for History Nerds

By

You know I am an all-out history nerd. So when I heard about the movie They Shall Not Grow Old, I knew I had to see it. Not only is it a documentary about World War I, the time period during which my full-length novels are set, but it was put together solely with actual footage from WWI and narration by WWI vets recorded up to sixty years ago! How cool is that? Add in a stellar director—Peter … [Read more...]

Instagram LOVE

By

I love Instagram. I'm not a huge poster (I'm working to do better). But I love to scroll and get glimpses into people's lives—and into who they are. What someone posts says a lot about a person. This is by no means an exhaustive list. But maybe you'll "click" with one of these people, too, and choose to follow them. So without further adieu... So what … [Read more...]

What a Privilege!

By

The lyrics of an old, treasured hymn remind me “what a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer.” And it’s an even greater privilege for me to join in prayer every month with a trusted group of friends and fellow authors. The six of us have been praying together through the magic of Skype for some time, now. We live thousands of miles apart—Elizabeth Musser is in France, Susan Meissner … [Read more...]

Recent Posts