Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

The Hardest Book I’ve Ever Written (Plus a Giveaway!)

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I’m super excited about the release of my next book, Newton and Polly, which hits shelves Sept. 20, next Tuesday!! This is another historical fiction in the same vein as Luther and Katharina. And this one is about another hero of the faith, the writer of Amazing Grace, John Newton the atheist slave trader, and his beloved bride Polly Catlett. One of the things I really enjoy doing with my … [Read more...]

True Love = Waterfalls

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Every so often, my husband surprises me with a romantic gesture that steals my heart. He's a clever fellow, so he saves them up and only disperses them on rare occasions, ensuring that I will always be surprised and wowed because he has gone above and beyond. This time he surprised me with a special two day getaway tacked on to the end of the ACFW conference in Nashville. I flew one-way to … [Read more...]

How’s Your Reading Year Going?

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Confession: I have never been very good about keeping track of the books that I read. Maybe it didn't matter years ago, but as I grow older, I would really like to remember the year that I read THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. And if I rated and wrote a review, all the better. Enter Goodreads. For several years now, Goodreads has helped me keep track of the books I read. It's easy to rate, review, and … [Read more...]

Enjoying the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England

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This year, for the first time, I attended the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England. The festival, held every September, draws hundreds of Jane Austen fans (like me) to one of the biggest gatherings of Regency reenactors in the world. On Saturday, my husband and I participated in the “Grand Regency Costumed Promenade.” As I mentioned in a previous post, the Bath Jane Austen Festival … [Read more...]

ACFW 2016

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It seems like it's been ages since the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Nashville, but as promised, here are some photos from that wonderful conference—in my eyes, truly one of the best in ACFW's 15-year history. It's always a surprise to see how quickly the time has flown and the conference is over for another year. But without fail, I … [Read more...]

Weddings!

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My novella, Love in the Details, released as a stand alone e-book last fall.  It's now enjoying a second lease on life as part of a print collection entitled To Have and To Hold!  The collection includes three Autumn-set contemporary romances.  Each of the novellas features a heroine who's involved in the wedding industry.  The heroine of Betsy St. Amant's story is a cake baker.  In Katie … [Read more...]

Finding Wonder Woman Bracelets in My Sweat Invoking House…or Something Like That

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I want all of my days to go beautifully and smoothly. I'd love for y'all to think that's how I roll. But here's the truth. Yesterday was not a Wonder Woman day. It was a hang on by your fingernails as sweat rolls down your face kind of day. Think I'm kidding about the sweat? Just look at the thermostat. That's inside my house at 8:30 p.m. Yes, you read it correctly. It says 87 degrees. Seriously! … [Read more...]

Recipes–I have a few

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I've been thinking about cooking all week. That's because my husband and I both wound up sick with wicked colds when we got home from ACFW. He actually had it bad when we left but he still insisted on driving me there. He rested in our room between outings to museums (where the air-conditioning was nice). But when we got home, he still felt horrible and then I started with an annoying dry cough … [Read more...]

The Molitor Stradivarius comes to Belmont Mansion

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Music is an important part of our lives and comes in many forms. Most definitely, the term "one size fits all" does not apply when discussing the vast number of styles in this time-treasured art form. As can be said pretty much across the board when comparing the mores of current society to those of times past, what was taboo then—be it for better, or worse—has now become the norm. In … [Read more...]

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