Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

10 Traits That Are More Important Than Talent

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Very few people are born as child prodigies or with such exceptional talent that everything comes easily to them. From time to time, we hear of some pianist or gymnast or mathematician who completely stands out from everyone else. But the large majority of people don’t land on the planet with extraordinary talent. In fact, some of us may have pretty slim pickings when it comes to natural … [Read more...]

Iron Sharpens Iron

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I've always loved the imagery of Proverbs 27:17. Iron sharpening iron . . . Both are equal in strength, yet instead of battling to prove which is greatest by attempting to subdue the other, they come together in a gentle manner, drawing close with a common purpose of edification. When swords clash in battle, they can become nicked, dull, or even broken. But when they are drawn together in humility … [Read more...]

Who loves a good rodeo story?

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In 2015 I took my first dip into the indie publishing pool. And promptly fell into the deep end. But I had two very good teachers--Lisa Mondello and Margaret Daley.  They invited me to join them and told me the idea they had. Scared but ready to learn, I said yes. We brainstormed in person and online until we had three novellas fleshed out. Then they took me step by step through how to write, … [Read more...]

An Afternoon at Belmont Mansion | ebooks specials!

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I LOVED seeing everyone at the Belmont Mansion booksigning this past Sunday. The connections I make with you are so precious to me, and I can't tell you what it means that some of you drove all the way from Memphis, Chattanooga, and Birmingham to be there! I'm so grateful God crossed our paths through the journeys of Sutton & Claire, Marcus & Eleanor, and Tate & Rebekah (in the … [Read more...]

From Small Beginnings

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I had the privilege last week of speaking to a wonderful group of women who volunteer for the International Bible League, an organization I love to support. I told them my story—how I sat down and started writing my first novel 31 years ago, even though I had no formal training, no clue how to get published, and three small children at home. I wanted my audience to know that they shouldn’t be … [Read more...]

Meet My Cover Model (and a giveaway!)

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True to You, Book #1 in my new Bradford Sisters Romance series, releases this coming Tuesday! I'm celebrating in several ways, including today's interview with cover model Joanna and a giveaway just for Inspired by Life and Fiction readers.  (More about that at the end of this post!) Many thanks to Joanna for graciously answering my questions.  I think she did a fantastic job on True to You's … [Read more...]

SOKY Bookfest Fun & a Giveaway

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So this weekend I had the pleasure of being in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for SOKY, a book festival. It was a great weekend on so many levels. My oldest traveled with me since she needed to be in Bloomington, Indiana, the day after the book festival. What did she want to do on the car ride? Listen to Beyond Justice on audio book. Go to the bottom to enter a giveaway for your copy of this audio … [Read more...]

Romantic Times Booklovers Convention—Atlanta, here we come!

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If you live in or near the Atlanta area, I, along with a slew of my author buddies, would love to see you! We're all attending the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention at the Atlanta Hilton (a ticketed event) and will be involved in several special events on May 4th (TH) and May 5th (FR). Including two big publisher-sponsored events! #RT17 I'm excited to be on an author panel with these … [Read more...]

The World’s Largest Library

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I love libraries. I’m guessing you do, too. And recently, I had a chance to visit the world’s largest library with two other Inspired by Life and Fiction authors. We were in Washington DC on a writers retreat. On Saturday we braved the rain and the crowds to do some sightseeing. We broke into two groups and Jody Hedlund, Karen Witemeyer, and I rode the metro downtown to visit the Library of … [Read more...]

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