Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

The 2017 Christian Fiction Readers Retreat

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I had the pleasure of attending the second annual Christian Fiction Readers Retreat on August 12th!  The retreat is the brainchild of bloggers Carrie (Reading is my Superpower), Annie (Just Commonly), and Bonnie (Overcoming with God) and it's a day of fun, fellowship, and worship for Christian fiction writers, readers, bloggers, and publishing types. After journeying to Cincinnati for the … [Read more...]

Bookish Quotes and Images

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The last week and a half have been exciting at our house. Our 13 year-old started full time at the high school. He's my first full time, outside the home student. My 16 year-old and I have been finishing her college applications. Gulp! She's taking the SAT Saturday and would appreciate any prayers for peace and wisdom. Then it's school time with our youngest two, and I started teaching again this … [Read more...]

Eye Surgery and Eclipses

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My corneal eye surgery last week went really well. The day after surgery was rough. The day after that was better. I'm still trying to limit computer time, and I'm also trying to avoid bright sunlight. Both strain my eye and cause some pain. But all in all, I'm hopeful for a good and timely recovery. Since Idaho was in the path of the Great American Solar Eclipse, I had to make one exception to … [Read more...]

On the Trail of (Often Obscure) History

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You know I like to do research and am fascinated by the history and customs of England’s Regency Era. However, you may not know that my husband loves history even more than I do.   He has stacks of nonfiction books beside his bed and around the house and he can’t part with a single one of them. (That How to Make Money in Real Estate book from the 1980s will, however, be making a … [Read more...]

Returning Home

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I just returned from a wonderful visit with my mother and my sister Peggy and her family in the little village in New York State where I grew up. The town is nestled in the Shawangunk Mountains, and seeing the mountains again is like seeing old friends. I always forget how much I’ve missed them while living in the flat Midwest. Peggy and I had a chance to go on several hikes while I was home, … [Read more...]

One Way to Battle the Smartphone Obsession

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I read a disturbing article this week in The Atlantic by Jean M. Twenge called, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The article cites many problems that have arisen in what she calls the iGen (kids born between 1995 and 2012) as a result of their obsession with their smartphones: an increase in depression and loneliness, higher suicide rates, remaining more dependent upon parents, a … [Read more...]

My New Facebook Group – The Posse

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The trouble with going to writers' conferences is that you come home with a head full of ideas that if you don't take action on immediately are likely to dissolve into the mist of someday without ever being accomplished. Well, this year, I decided to take a couple of ideas and put them into action as soon as I returned home. My favorite, by far, has been starting up a private FB group for my fans … [Read more...]

How To Take Care of Yourself

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That fight or flight thing gets us in trouble. Stress leads to burn-out. When we crash and burn it is hard to get up and get going again. Writers share war stories. But writers also share something else—burn-out that is related to writing. This is a different kind of stress, because we think too much. We process, analyze, dissect, put back together, and come up with ten ways to worry over a … [Read more...]

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