Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

A Boxful of Love

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This year, our church was one of the drop-off points for “Operation Christmas Child,” which is run by the international relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse. Every year at this time, volunteers from all over the United States pack special shoe boxes with simple children’s gifts, which will then be used around the world as powerful evangelism tools with children and their families. Sometimes one … [Read more...]

The Good and the Bad of Writing Fast

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Like thousands of other writers around the world, I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). During NaNoWriMo, writers commit to writing 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. The bottom line for NaNoWriMo is that you have to concentrate and write fast. But I've always wondered if forcing yourself to write fast is helpful. Can any good come from a novel … [Read more...]

Thankful for Readers! (And a giveaway)

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One week from today, I'll be at my mom's house, surrounded by family, enjoying turkey, dressing, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and all the other wonderful dinner trimmings that go along with Thanksgiving. Besides all the usual things that I am thankful for, I wanted to take a moment to extend a special thank you to readers. Whether you read my books or not, I thank you for being a lover of the … [Read more...]

The building of a table–board by board

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Hello! Thanksgiving is next week and I'm ready to celebrate. We won't have a large crowd. Our daughter and husband are in Japan. (Air Force) And our son is at college and probably won't make it here until Christmas. So it might be just the two of us. But ... my husband built a new dining table so at least we can eat "up front" and not in the breakfast room. Since I helped him stain and paint … [Read more...]

Chat with a cover model

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I always enjoy chatting with the cover models for my books, and my conversation with Brit—who is on the cover of A Note Yet Unsung (February 2017)—was a delight. I asked her ten questions, and she has ten insightful and entertaining responses. Enjoy! Thanks, Brit, for joining us—and welcome!  1.      How did you become the cover model for A Note Yet Unsung, a Belmont Mansion novel (book … [Read more...]

A Granddaughter’s Tribute

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My precious mom went to Heaven late last month. She would have turned 84 next month. I wanted to post a tribute to her on today's blog, but despite the surprising lightheartedness I feel thinking of my mom whole and happy in Heaven, our loss is still too fresh. I'm still having a little trouble imagining a world without my mom in it...and for once, words fail me. Instead, I'd like to share the … [Read more...]

Fall Pinterest War

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If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you already know that my friend Katie Ganshert and I are embroiled in a hard-fought 'Fall Pinterest War'.  We're currently 3 weeks into a 4 week long war.  Each Monday, we find an enticing pin on Pinterest.  (Typically either a craft, a photo, a beauty tip, or a recipe.)  Then we both attempt the challenge.  We post our results on Fridays and invite … [Read more...]

There is Always Peace

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As I write this I am exhausted from watching election night returns into the wee hours of the morning Tuesday/Wednesday. My jaw was on the ground most of the night as the election returns rolled in from across the country. [Tweet "Our hope isn't restrained by who won or lost the election. @Cara_Putman encourages #hope. "]This morning there are people who are devastated, there are those who are … [Read more...]

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