Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

The C’s of Creativity – Part 1 Curiosity

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Hi friends, I’m excited to be back with you this week, and today I’m going to share the first C of Creativity and in the coming weeks I’ll be sharing a couple more. As a writer finding ways to feed my creativity is really important. My mentor and friend, Dee Henderson, told me a long time ago that to write fully, you have to have a full life. That lesson was one of the best she ever imparted to … [Read more...]

If These Walls Could Talk…

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I am in no way entering the modern debate about building walls, but I am interested in history. Since ancient times, walls have been built in many places around the world, to mark borders, protect kingdoms, or keep out enemies. Examples include: The Great Wall of China, The Berlin Wall, The Wall of Ston in Croatia, and others. More recently, walls have also been built as memorials, like the … [Read more...]

ACFW 2018 Nashville

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Ken and I just returned late last night from the 17th annual American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Nashville. Maybe we say this almost every year, but this was truly one of the best ACFW conferences ever! Part of that was due to the gorgeous Gaylord Opryland Resort Hotel where the conference was held, and part of it was because I have so many dear writer friends in the organization, … [Read more...]

How Much Editing Does a Book Really Need?

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I just finished major edits on a book that’s releasing next summer (2019). It was a tough edit and took me a couple of weeks of full time work. Needless to say, when I got to the end, I was drained. However, even though I’m done, I’m still in the early stages of editing and will have a lot more to do before the book hits shelves. Here’s a brief overview of the editing process that most of my … [Read more...]

Gone Conferencing . . .

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Today, I'll be catching the red eye to Nashville, TN in order to attend the American Christian Fiction Writers conference. Wonderful learning opportunities, incredible networking, meetings with my publishing team and agent, giving back with volunteering and teaching as well as singing in the conference choir, and best of all, hanging out with wonderful Christian authors for a time of encouragement … [Read more...]

New Release–and a Giveaway!

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A new release always leaves me a bundle of nerves. Yes, there is excitement. And the pride of work completed. But there is also the nail-biting (literally!) suspense of how it will be received by those readers who have enjoyed your previous books, by those who are new to your work, by . . . anyone, really. And when you have been both author and publisher, those emotions rise to a whole new level … [Read more...]

Are you a series reader?

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Who among us is attending the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers conference here in Nashville this weekend? Click to learn more It's been several years since I've attended, and I'm really looking forward to seeing people I haven't seen in a while—and to soaking up workshops on writing, of course. Because there's always more to learn. But really? I just love being with everyone. … [Read more...]

Hidden Treasures

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Two of my favorite hobbies when I’m not writing are bicycling and hiking in the woods with my husband. Now we’ve added something new to these adventures—geocaching. It’s a treasure hunt, of sorts. Avid fans of this sport hide thousands (if not millions!) of “caches” all around the world in out-of-the way places, then give GPS coordinates and clever hints for how to find them. We searched for … [Read more...]

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