Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

My last conference of the year but a good one–Novelists, Inc.

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By the time you read this I will be in beautiful St. Pete, Florida, attending the Novelists, Inc. Conference (NINC). This conference is different from most since it is all published authors and it focuses on business. Lots of business. NINC has become very relevant over the last few years, due to the Indie publishing explosion where authors publish their own books. Industry marketing and … [Read more...]

New bakeware (aka: cheap thrills)

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Y'all already know I love to bake. But I gotta tell ya… Since I moved to a low carb/gluten-free lifestyle, I am having a blast with baking with almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil, flax seed meal, Swerve, and other ingredients I'd not used much before. If at all! Here are some of my recent LCGF yummies… Zoodles! (Zucchini Noodles) They are delicious! Especially with spicy marina … [Read more...]

Waves of Mercy

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Have you ever prayed about a decision but when you followed through on where God was leading, everything went wrong? You probably asked, “Did I really hear from God? How could He allow this to happen?” My newest novel, “Waves of Mercy,” (which releases on October 4) tells the true story of the Dutch immigrants who settled the town of Holland, Michigan in 1846. These faithful Christian men and … [Read 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...]

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