Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Cover Reveal, a Giant Giveaway, and Witemeyer Bargains

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Seeing a new cover for the first time is one of the biggest thrills an author can have. Or one of the biggest disappointments. Thankfully, I have never had a truly awful cover. There have been one or two I wasn't particularly ready to do handstands over, but for the most part, I've loved the covers Bethany House has created for my books. And the latest is one of my favorites. My heroine is a … [Read more...]

Fall Flavors

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I love October. The pumpkins are out. Football season is in full swing. The air is finally cooling off here in Texas, so I can think about chili and soups. One of my local coffee shops has busted out a maple pecan latte (which is fabulous!), and Trader Joe’s is a flurry of fall flavors. Since we’ve been in Austin, we’ve always had a Trader Joe’s grocery store nearby. In fact, from the front door … [Read more...]

Current Favorites

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What are some things you're currently loving? Main dishes that make you smile? Desserts that tickle your fancy? What books are you currently loving? Here are some of my current favorites! Current Favorite Gadget Milk Frother I love this little gadget. Love it!! This may sound strange, but it's turned my morning coffee into something I really look forward to. I pour some heavy cream (one of … [Read more...]

Balancing Act

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I haven’t always done well in the balancing act between work and play. I’ve learned over the years that when I work too hard, my creativity shrivels up and the work I love becomes a chore. When I play too much when I should discipline myself to work, I end up at my computer bleary-eyed, late into night. Neither option is a good one. When my children were small, the words of Psalm 90 inspired me to … [Read more...]

The Inside Scoop (and a giveaway!)

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My novella, Because of You, just released as part of The Christmas Heirloom novella collection!  Thus, I thought I'd share with you the inside scoop on how the collection came to be.  Oh, and offer a giveaway -- which you'll find at the end of this post. :) In August of 2016, I attended the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Nashville alongside numerous writing friends.  Sarah … [Read more...]

Delayed Justice Arrives Next Week & Giveaway!

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Any time a book baby launches, I get nervous. Not a little bit. A lot. There's a huge part of my heart and soul that goes into the books I write. The characters become real to me -- and that means I cry with them and laugh with them. I feel what they feel so that hopefully you will feel it, too. Delayed Justice, releases next week so that means I'm getting all the nerves. Will people like my … [Read more...]

The C’s of Creativity – Part 2 Comfort

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  Hi Friends, I’m so happy to be back with you this week. Today I’m sharing another C of Creativity—this week that C is comfort. Yep, comfort. For me, as a writer and a reader, I like to have certain things around me while I write. Rather like Maya Angelou needed to have a deck of cards, legal pads, and the Bible with her (among other things) or James Joyce needed crayons, a white coat … [Read more...]

Finding Middlemarch

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I don't believe I've ever read Middlemarch, a novel by author George Eliot (pseudonym used by Mary Anne Evans) but I certainly enjoyed the beautifully-made 1994 BBC/Masterpiece series starring many wonderful British actors like Robert Hardy, Patrick Malahide, Douglas Hodge, Pam Ferris, Jonathan Firth, Juliet Aubrey, and a young Rufus Sewell ("Lord M" of recent Victoria fame, though I have been a … [Read more...]

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