Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

How to Achieve an Empty Inbox With Emails & Life

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This past week it dawned on me that I had a huge email problem. I realized that every day I was having to spend valuable time weeding through dozens of emails from retailers, magazines, radios, conferences, etc. Even deleting them or marking them as spam was taking time. Time I wanted to protect. Some of them were good places that I’d subscribed to—for example Twitter notifications and even … [Read more...]

The Courage to Chase Dreams

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I'm in the middle of a dream. Hard work, but a dream. For ten years, I worked toward the dream of writing for one editor at one house. I've had the great privilege of writing many books for many wonderful editors, but there was a special click when I met this particular editor at our first ACFW. Last week I turned in the macro edits for the book we are working on together. You can get a sneak … [Read more...]

Does Writing Ever Get Easier?

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Three weeks ago, I hit the Send key on my computer, and away went my latest manuscript to my editor (as well as to my agent). Trust me, sending in a manuscript is a fearful moment for me. I am too aware that I haven't achieved all that I'd hoped to achieve when I first began writing the story. My agent and I just celebrated our 27th "anniversary," and if there is one thing I know about this … [Read more...]

A Vacation to the Past | Guest Post By Michelle Griep

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Sometimes a writer’s journey is more than just staring out a coffee shop window, daydreaming. Sometimes those dreams take on reality . . . like when I skipped across the pond in May to roam the wilds of England. I know what you’re thinking. England—Wild? Sheesh. The only thing dangerous over there are the roundabouts. To which I reply, Ahh, perhaps, but only if you’re looking through the … [Read more...]

Living a charmed life . . .

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Let’s talk about romance. No, I don't mean the boy-meets-girl-and-they-fall-in-love-and-live-happily-ever-after kind of romance (although that is nice, too). I'm talking about "romance" as a way of life. Romance the way the Victorians thought of it—art for art's sake. Beauty for beauty's sake. Webster has a definition of romance that is this: A quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and … [Read more...]

Life Cycle of a Novel

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I sent the manuscript for my next book to my publisher one week ago.  What a feeling!  The I-survived-my-deadline moment is one of my favorite writer moments of the year. Upon learning that I'd submitted my book, some of my readers asked me when it would release.  It seems like a book should become available a few months after an author sends it in, doesn't it?  It actually takes far longer … [Read more...]

No Other Will Do – Giveaway

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One month ago today, my newest book released, but because of my trip to Germany and my excitement over sharing some of that experience with you, I haven't had a chance to do my usual new release giveaway here on Inspired by Life and Fiction. Time to rectify that oversight. In No Other Will Do, my heroine Emma Chandler is a strong-minded female raised by spinster aunts to believe that women can … [Read more...]

Why I broke things off with Louis Vuitton

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I love shoes and purses. That's a fact. So when I realized I'd be in Las Vegas when I turned sixty last spring, I decided I might just treat myself to a new purse. But not just any purse. A Louie. I've adored Louis Vuitton purses since I was a little girl turning the pages of Glamour and Vogue magazines. I had always dreamed of owning a real Louis Vuitton purse. So what better place to buy one … [Read more...]

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