Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Giant Inspirational Christmas Book Giveaway

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If you popped in today expecting to read a post from the lovely Deb Raney, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until Thursday. She and I switched days this week so I could tell you about this fantastic giveaway before it closes on Wednesday. I'm participating in the BookSweeps Inspirational Romance for the Holidays promotion, and I'm thrilled to see 40 books included! Plenty of material to keep the … [Read more...]

Life Imitating Art (and a giveaway!)

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It's my pleasure to welcome my friend Susan Tuttle to Inspired by Life today!  Every writer works tremendously hard in the years that come between that initial [I'm going to follow my dream and write a book!] inspiration and the moment when their debut novel actually releases.  Susan's debut novel is now available and it's wonderful to see her effort and perseverance pay off.  Stay tuned for … [Read more...]

Favorite Quotes and Two Book Deals!

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Last weekend I keynoted a small writer's conference in Chicago. It was an honor to be asked, and after praying a lot, I spoke about how God fills us with the ability to understand and write literature. Then I talked about how walking in our creative gifts takes courage. I made the graphic on the left into square photos that I handed out to the attendees so they could have a reminder as they write … [Read more...]

Texas Book Festival

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A couple of weekends ago, my husband and I spent two giddy, glorious days standing in long lines, searching for each other through crowds of people, and spending money. No, we weren’t at Disney World. Or any amusement park for that matter. We attended the Texas Book Festival! Since moving to Austin almost three years ago, this has become our favorite weekend of the year. For two days … [Read more...]

What are you reading?

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What are you reading now? And what's next in your To-Be-Read (TBR) stack? Me? I recently finished reading Jolina Petersheim's March 2019 release for endorsement, and it was a real page-turner! Jolina's turn of phrase and descriptions are simply stellar. Click for more about How the Light Gets In   Joe and I are part of a community group, and this past weekend we began reading The … [Read more...]

Finishing Well

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I’ve been contemplating endings, lately, as I near the conclusion of my current work-in-progress. After 330 manuscript pages and more than 100,000 words, the end is in sight. I’m still not exactly sure how the book will end, since I’m one of those crazy writers who makes up the story as I go along, rather than plotting it ahead of time. I figure if I can’t guess what’s going to happen (and I’m … [Read more...]

Finishing One Series and Starting Another!

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Next month I’ll be winding down my orphan train series with the release of the third book, Searching For You (which involves the third and youngest Neumann sister). Look for the book on shelves Dec. 4. You may be asking (or at least I hope you are!): What are you working on next? I’m super excited to introduce you to a brand new series involving bride-ships! In the beginning stages of … [Read more...]

How Do You Come Up With Characters Names?

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This is one of the most common questions I get when interacting with readers. And to be honest, it's a fun question to answer, because naming characters is one of my favorite things about being an author. I only got to name three people in real life (my children), but I've been able to name DOZENS of fictional people! Names are important to a story. They help define a character in the reader's … [Read more...]

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