Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Becky’s Favorite Things

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Remember when Oprah would air an "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode each year?  The people who happened to be in the studio audience that day would leave with a fabulous haul of gifts. I was inspired by Black Friday to craft a list of my own favorite things from the past year.  Just... without the freebies. :)  If only! Perhaps one of these items will give you gift inspiration for yourself or … [Read more...]

Happy Thanksgiving!

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  The holidays can be really hard for some. This week my mother-in-law lost her brother and a friend. That is casting a shadow over Thanksgiving. This has been a good, yet very challenging year for me. So thankfulness is more days a choice than a feeling. [Tweet "Finding it hard to feel #thankful this year? @cara_putman shares some perspective shifting verses."] So today I wanted to … [Read more...]

A Thanksgiving Blessing

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Earlier this week, a friend shared a Dennis Prager video about The Key to Unhappiness. It's short, under 5 minutes, and very worth watching. But I'll give you the "key" in a nutshell. Ungrateful people are unhappy people. Grateful people are happy people. And I believe that is very, very true. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=xxmORnnP3WI A number of years ago, I heard a … [Read more...]

Magnolia Market or bust!

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Kelsey and I are planning a Waco Road Trip for 2018 to visit Magnolia Market, and I recently polled Facebook friends who've been to Waco for their "must sees, must dos, and must eats!" It was so helpful! This is what they shared: Arletta recommended seeing the Dr. Pepper Museum Julie-Nick said the Magnolia Farms bakery was "fantastic!" Perrianne advised that the least crowded … [Read more...]

Thanks a Lot!

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Two more chapters to write and I will be able to type those wonderful words—THE END. The novel I’ve been laboring on for nearly a year is almost finished. Maybe I’ll be able to enjoy the Christmas season with my family this year without stressing over my deadline. But when I tried to start my computer yesterday morning, eager to make the final sprint to the finish line, I discovered that it had … [Read more...]

Why the Traditional Publication Process Takes So Long

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One question that readers often ask me is: “How far in advance of publication do you work on your books?” A friend just asked me that question while I was working in my church’s Library Cafe on Sunday. Among the library books on display, she saw my first orphan train book, With You Always, and wondered when the second book in the series was releasing and if I’d written it yet. I told her … [Read more...]

It’s a Puzzling Giveaway

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With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to share some Witemeyer family traditions. Well, actually, this particular tradition is a Gaskin family tradition that married into the Witemeyer clan. (Gaskin is my maiden name, and yes, I thought it was really cool when I was a young girl to find it in the dictionary as part of a horse's leg! I was destined to write westerns, … [Read more...]

Roses and Christmas and a giveaway!

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Roses are associated with romance, right? Very few women turn down a dozen red roses on a birthday or anniversary. I prefer yellow roses, but red will do in a pinch. Roses represent love and that's why I'm so happy about the launch of a very special novella collection called Christmas Roses. And to help me celebrate, I'll be giving away a copy of Christmas Roses to one of you. But let me tell … [Read more...]

The Sign of a Dream Come True

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I’ve said it before, but I love libraries of all sorts. Not only because I am a book lover, but because one of the ways I supported myself during my college years was by working in the university library. I still vividly remember pushing my shelving cart through all those aisles of books, thinking, If only I could have a book I’ve written in a library someday! Well, God is good and that dream has … [Read more...]

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