Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & 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...]

Something Old, Something New

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Out of all the books I've written, one particular family has proven to be most popular with my readers. You guessed it - the Archer brothers. These four reclusive brothers who raised themselves on the wild Texas frontier are not only named after heroes from the Alamo, but they are each rather heroic in their own right. As are the women who win their hearts. Now you might notice in the … [Read more...]

The Hats We Wear

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When I was young and dreaming of being a writer, I thought that meant I would spend my days, well, writing. As in spinning stories one after another after another—with the rest of my time spent reading of course! Clearly my child, and even teenaged, view of reality didn’t quite match the experience. But in case there are some of you out there who imagine that writers have idyllic careers in … [Read more...]

My Eulogy to Dad, Part 2

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Two weeks ago—after receiving requests from several of you—I shared the eulogy I gave at Dad's funeral on August 21 in which I shared seven lessons I learned from my precious Dad, who truly modeled what it was like to be a man after God's own heart. But I shared an abridged version. Because, well, like my books the eulogy was a little long. #majorshocker #notapithywriter Anyway... I posted … [Read more...]

Numbering Our Days

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I’ve been working from breakfast until bedtime this past week, juggling three important writing projects. This blog is project #4. I feel like a circus performer spinning plates, trying not to let any of them fall. Besides my writing deadlines, I also spoke at a women’s retreat last Saturday. And I have a husband and children who I love spending time with. And grandchildren who are growing up much … [Read more...]

Dorm Room Move-in Day

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Our family reached a huge milestone a few weeks ago. We moved our oldest daughter into her freshman dorm room at college! If you've been following my blog posts for awhile, you might know that I grew up in Riverside, California, then raised my own children in Dallas, Texas. Our family has taken frequent trips to California to visit my relatives. Thus, I wasn't surprised when my daughter … [Read more...]

Dani’s Reader Day

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Hi friends,  Always happy to spend time with you! I hope you’re having a wonderful week. Right now, my husband and I are in North Carolina celebrating our 27th anniversary at our favorite spot—the beach!  Not too long ago we were in Baltimore. In the quaint, waterfront neighborhood of Fells Point. It’s steeped in maritime history and has the air of a sea-fearing town. My family and I … [Read more...]

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