Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Seeing the World, Finding God Heartbeat

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Earlier this month my husband and I joined a small group that traveled to Istanbul, Turkey. We had a week there, exploring the city, interacting with locals, and learning about the culture while also encouraging and living life with a team there. I can't say that Istanbul had necessarily been at the top of my list of places to visit, but that changed pretty much the moment we landed. The city had … [Read more...]

Sneak Peek at The Killing Tide

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Hi friends,  I’m beyond thrilled to share a sneak peek of the first book in my Coastal Guardian series. The Killing Tide releases this summer and it’s available for pre-order now.  Pre-Order the Killing Tide: Amazon | Christian Books | Barnes and Noble The entire series focuses on the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Wilmington, North Carolina team.  Last … [Read more...]

Most Commented Upon Historical Fact From All My Novels?

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I have to do a lot of research to write novels set in England in the early 19th century. Some books have been more difficult to research than others (The most challenging: The Apothecary's Daughter. The most fun: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall.) But after thirteen novels, there is still one historical tidbit in a novel of mine that stirs more discussion and raises more questions than any other. … [Read more...]

A Belated Birthday Outing

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It's rare that my sisters and I get to treat our generous dad—we are usually the "treatees"—but this past weekend, we got to treat him to a getaway at the beautiful Clover Cliff Ranch Bed & Breakfast near the charming little town of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. We'd planned the trip for last month to celebrate Daddy's 86th birthday but got snowed out. We couldn't have picked a nicer weekend … [Read more...]

Spring Break Album (and a giveaway!)

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Our family recently returned from spring break! We took an epic road trip from Dallas all the way to western North Carolina. Not only is that area of the country beautiful, but because I'm setting my next series in the Blue Ridge mountains, it's also creatively inspirational for me. Until this trip, I'd only visited NC one other time. Back when I was in college. It had been too … [Read more...]

Series or Stand Alone?

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An age-old question. No, I'm not talking about chickens and eggs, though that could inspire an interesting historical romance . . . a wounded philosopher is nursed back to health by a female chicken farmer who refuses to let him leave until he admits chickens came first; since he's an egg man, the debate lasts for months, allowing romance to bloom. Where was I??? Oh yes. Age-old questions. … [Read more...]

A Hodgepodge

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Life has been a little crazy since my last post. We have been on the road a good bit, mostly business for my husband with me tagging along. But I’ve been busy working as well in the pockets of time I have free. Working and reading, actually. But lest I give the impression our life is all work lately, I thought I’d share a hodgepodge of other things we’ve been doing lately. A couple of … [Read more...]

“You’re reading that? Really?!”

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Have you ever had someone pick up a book you're reading and comment, "You're reading that? Really?" This happened to me recently, although I can't say I actually blame the person. It is a different sort of book. Holiness to the LORD: A Guide to the Expositions of the Book of Leviticus by Allen P. Ross, which was recommended to me by a preacher friend (waving to you, Dr. E). And I quickly … [Read more...]

Nourishing Your Dream

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Last week, I had the pleasure and honor of teaching at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, hosted by an organization called Word Weavers. Writers from several states and even Canada came to hear speakers, meet with editors and literary agents, get inspired, and learn how to get published. As I talked with other writers about their hopes and dreams, I remembered my very first conference and … [Read more...]

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