Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

A Room with a View

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We're moving again. But only about five miles up the road. After growing up on a farm in South Georgia and living in the same house until I was an adult, I've moved a lot in my life. On the farm, we didn't own the old house we lived in but my daddy bought a cute little house in town and decided to retire and move my mama (and me, the last remaining child at home and the baby of seven children). … [Read more...]

If only graves could speak…

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This past Sunday, Joe and I took a quick day trip to see some friends in Winchester, Tennessee. While there, the four of us went on a long walk, and we strolled all around the neighborhood. Curt and Dana had mentioned that there were some "old graves" back in the woods. So, of course, I made a beeline for the woods! These graves were originally located by a church that stood in Winchester … [Read more...]

Comfort to Courage

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It's my pleasure to introduce you to today's guest blogger, author Nicole Deese.  Nicole and I met at the Dallas/Ft.Worth chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers.  She's down-to-earth and funny and smart and great to talk to and I pretty much decided that we were going to be friends whether she liked it or not.  She and her family moved from Texas to Idaho last spring, so I don't see her … [Read more...]

5 Ways Christian Fiction Builds Faith

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Every once in awhile you'll see articles that talk about how terrible Christian fiction is. As an avid reader (I read over 75 books a year) and writer (I've seen 20 books + 3 repackages in print in ten years) I avidly disagree. Christian fiction can fill a gaping hole in our world and communicate messages we desperately need. [Tweet "Can Christian fiction build #faith? @cara_putman thinks so. … [Read more...]

Who’s in Control?

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For those who read my personal blog, you'll recognize this post. I just couldn't stop thinking about it and so wanted to share with my Inspired by Life...and Fiction friends as well. I have always felt a great affection for Simon Peter. Who doesn't love a guy who jumps out of a boat without a second thought at the call of his Master? I know I'm going to love getting to meet Peter in … [Read more...]

Reading With Jane Austen

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Every now and again, I need a little dose of culture. So recently, I left the comforts of my suburban home and drove down to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to see their new exhibit, Jane Austen’s Reading Room (its curator is a fellow member of my local chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America). This room, along with the Georgian Drawing Room, are part of the museum's "living … [Read more...]

Things Aren’t Always As They Seem

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A few years ago, I was speaking at a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) in a small Midwestern town. As I learned to do from the wonderful speaker and writer Liz Curtis Higgs, I had picked out my “balcony people" in each quadrant of the room—those women who were nodding and smiling and giving me positive feedback with their body language. Speaking to just those four people would keep me … [Read more...]

Audio Books: The New Reading Experience (and why you should give them a try!)

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No doubt about it. Audio books are growing in popularity. The Wall Street Journal calls the popularity an “explosion.” An article in The Telegraph in 2015 said: “Sales of audio books have doubled in the last five years, thanks to the popularity of digital downloads.” In fact, according to the American Publishers Association, audio books saw a 19.5 percent rise in unit sales over just the past year … [Read more...]

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