Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Writer Quirks

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We all have our quirks, don't we?  I'd love to hear some of your quirks in the comments!  Full disclosure: I may even give some of your quirks to future characters. It seems to me that those of us who are writers may have received more than our fair share of quirks.  For example, I still write my books in Microsoft Word.  I don't even use a recent version of Word.  No, indeed.  I'm using Word … [Read more...]

Prayer Prompts

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Last time I was here, I talked about how a trip to Jordan brought a perspective change. I'd never been to the Middle East, and now I can't wait to go back. I have something of wanderlust, where once I've been somewhere, I usually leave part of my heart there. As a result, as my plane is taking off, I often start asking God when I can return. [Tweet "Do you have a #prayer #prompt? @cara_putman … [Read more...]

Fun Research

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As a horse lover with a horse loving family (daughters and granddaughters), it's no surprise that horses have played important secondary roles in my books through the years. But in my WIP (work in progress), horses are very much front and center. They play an important role in both the hero's and heroine's lives, but in ways I haven't written about before. Over the past couple of weeks, I made … [Read more...]

Follow Up: How to Write Historical Christian Fiction Class

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As I blogged about last time, I was asked to teach a 2-hour class on “How to Write Historical Christian Fiction” by a public library in northern Minnesota. I asked if I could share the challenge with local author-friend, Michelle Griep, and they (and thankfully, Michelle) agreed. That turned out to be a good decision. The class was this past weekend, and we received positive feedback from the ~20 … [Read more...]

Have You Tried airbnb? Pros and Cons from a Fan.

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Have you heard of airbnb (or its cousin, vrbo—vacation rental by owner)? My husband and I used vrbo for a big family vacation a couple of years ago and it worked out great! We stayed at an airbnb for two nights in Hawaii last month, and we just got back from our second airbnb stay in Missouri. We are huge fans! If you're not familiar with the concept, airbnb  (pronounced air B 'n' B, as in air … [Read more...]

The Real Meaning of “Write What You Know”

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My youngest daughter (age 12) loves to read. She’s enjoyed all of my medieval YA books, most recently A Loyal Heart which released in March. I also allowed her a taste of one of my novellas, An Awakened Heart (which just came out in print in a collection called All My Tomorrows). When she finished, she asked if she could read the first full length book, With You Always. I hesitated. … [Read more...]

Help Inspire a Writers Retreat

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I have been blessed to participate in a handful of writing retreats over the years, but one of my favorites is with a group of writers known as the Inkettes. This fun group was started by Dani Pettrey a few years ago, and we've had an annual retreat that meets in a different location each year. Our first year (2016), we went to Hershey, PA. All writers need chocolate, right? Well, not only did … [Read more...]

Waco bound!

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This past fall, I asked for "must sees, must dos, and must eats" while in Waco, TX because my daughter Kelsey and I were planning a trip to Magnolia Farm. Well... THE TIME HAS COME! We're headed to Waco on Friday!     So for all of you who've been and lived to tell about it, I'd still love to get your two cents about "must dos," if you're willing to share. So far, … [Read more...]

The Bus Tour

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     I’ve done some unusual things during the course of my writing life, but my upcoming bus tour next month will be a first. The idea came from my friend Paul, who thought readers would enjoy touring some of the interesting sites from my novel, “Waves of Mercy.” The novel is set in the town of Holland, Michigan where Paul has lived most of his life, and it tells the story of the Dutch immigrants … [Read more...]

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