Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

The Plot Thickens | Liz Tolsma

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Each Sunday "Inspired by Life...and Fiction" shares a Christian novelist's newest book and the garden spots where they find inspiration. Liz Tolsma has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and now resides next to a farm field with her husband, their son and two daughters. All of their children have been adopted internationally. Her novella, Under His Wings, appeared in the New York … [Read more...]

What I’ve Been Up to This Summer

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I can't believe summer is almost over! Here in central Michigan we treasure every single day of our warm summers because winters are SO long. From about mid-Oct. through mid-May (7 months!), our days are cold and the landscape is gray. Needless to say we pack a lot into our few months of sunny, warm weather. Most Michiganders head out to campgrounds or state parks for long weekends. Many … [Read more...]

Help Me Plot My Next Novella

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Last week I turned in my latest manuscript. Whew! Meeting a deadline is always stressful but feels so good after it's accomplished. This one was no different. Unfortunately, I can't take much time off to celebrate because I need to get started on a follow-up novella. You see, this book is the beginning of a new series that will encompass two novels alternating with two novellas. And since I … [Read more...]

Pitcher Plants–Part Two

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So ... I've had people asking about the infamous pitcher plants. (I had a recent post on trekking through the swamp with my husband to find this plant.) I did some digging in the vast wasteland of my computer and finally found my husband's photos! They were buried under several layers of files since I'm not the most technically amazing person on the planet. But I'm a busy technically-challenged … [Read more...]

The Creative Process

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  My family got this plaque for me recently, and I couldn't help but laugh when I read the last stage in the process. "Do all the work while crying." Oh so funny—even if a tad bit true. Writing a novel is a daunting process. I'm currently working on my thirteenth book and the process has only gotten harder with each project. Which doesn't make sense because you'd think that once … [Read more...]

The Half-way Point

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Yesterday I reached the half-way point in the novel I’m writing. I figured that called for a celebration, so I went out to lunch with my sister-in-law. Now I confess that I’m a “seat of the pants” author who doesn’t lay out her plots ahead of time but who makes up the story as she goes along. So how do I know that I’m half finished? Simple. I know how many typewritten pages my last dozen novels … [Read more...]

The Plot Thickens | Cindy Thomson

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Each Sunday "Inspired by Life...and Fiction" shares a Christian novelist's newest book and the garden spots where they find inspiration. Cindy Thomson's new Ellis Island Series follows the lives of new immigrants as they struggle to find their place in America. Cindy serves as a mentor for the Christian Writers Guild. She writes from her loft office in the Central Ohio home she shares with … [Read more...]

Romance Novel Hangover?

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I recently received a note from a sweet reader.  She complimented my books, then made the following thought-provoking comments.  I asked for her permission to share them here, which she gave [thank you!], so here goes... "I can't imagine that any woman married to the men in your books wouldn't be wildly happy in their relationships. Sometimes I wonder if books like yours are better suited for … [Read more...]

Looking for a Writer’s Conference? Come to ACFW

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In less than 40 days, one of my favorite times of the year happens. The ACFW conference! I'll never forget my first time at conference in 2005. I was coming with my dreams in my hands, scared that someone would tell me I was CRAZY to believe that I could write a book. Yet the dream hadn't died no matter how many times I'd tried to walk away from it. Still it was a dream I was scared to share … [Read more...]

Priorities in Life

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Three weeks ago, I wrote a blog post here on Inspired by Life about taking time to breathe. I'd hit a rare, strangely unfamiliar period where I actually had time to relax and simply enjoy the summer. But August rolled in and, as I shared on my Robin Lee Hatcher blog, I suddenly had a full calendar again. I'm proofing pages for my next release, I'm delighted to be working on a couple of big … [Read more...]

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