Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Hands that Shaped the Face of Texas History

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The new series I'm working on centers around a fictional women's colony in Texas. My banker heroine, Emma Shaw, was raised by suffragette aunts to believe that women could accomplish anything men could as long as they worked together. She believed this truth in theory, but grew discouraged when few people saw fit to let the equality play out in real life. So created her own haven of independence. … [Read more...]

To Francke, with Love

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I recently received copies of the German edition of To Win Her Favor (roughly translated Who is Struggling to Love) from Francke, my wonderful German publisher, and seeing this book brought back so many great memories of the trip Lynn Austin, Elizabeth Musser, my daughter Kelsey, and I took to Germany in June 2014. Here are a few glimpses:     I promise you, … [Read more...]

Underwater Explorers

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Last Saturday I attended a wonderful program by the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association—a group of divers who search for sunken ships in the Great Lakes. I attended their presentation last year and it inspired me to include a shipwreck in my upcoming novel. This is exciting stuff! These shipwreck experts start their adventures the same way I start a novel—by doing research. They comb … [Read more...]

Chicory Inn Novels series + a giveaway!

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I'm rejoicing because on Friday, I turned in my manuscript for the final Chicory Inn Novel, Home at Last! I also got to see the final cover for the series, and I'm so pleased! I've really liked the covers from the beginning, but seeing the progression from day to night with the covers all lined up, it feels just short of brilliant to me. :)   The final book feels aptly titled: HOME AT … [Read more...]

Author Confession: A Strange Reading Quirk

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A popular question I’m asked in interviews and when I go to speaking engagement is: What do you like to read? (Or who are your favorite authors?) As a matter of fact, I recently had the chance to meet with a book group who’d chosen to read my Luther and Katharina book (waves at all the lovely ladies!), and they asked me that very question. “As a historical writer, do you read a lot of other … [Read more...]

From Steeple to Steeple, guest blog & *giveaway* by Carrie Fancett Pagels

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Thank you, gals of Inspired by Life and Fiction, for allowing me to guest post about my recent release, The Steeplechase, which is part of Forget Me Not Romances “Love’s Sporting Chance” collection! Living in a large catchment area referred to as Hampton Roads, Virginia, and sometimes Tidewater Virginia, I’m surrounded by history. In fact Yorktown (where I live), Williamsburg, and Jamestown … [Read more...]

White as snow!

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"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." Isaiah 1:18 Our Easter Sunday morning yesterday brought the most incredibly beautiful snow! It made me think of this Scripture that holds the essence of Easter. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow (to borrow the words from an old Easter anthem.) I hope each of you had a … [Read more...]

Where Do You Find Your Recipes?

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At best, I'm an adequate cook.  I can follow a recipe proficiently.  But I can't improvise and definitely can't create recipes of my own.  Also, I only enjoy making things like chocolate chip cookies.  Dinner preparation is not bliss for me.  Nor is eating what I cook.  I rarely eat one of my dinners and think, Yummy!  It's usually more like, Well, here's more healthy sustenance.  Since I cooked, … [Read more...]

Behind the Scenes: Tools that Help Me Remember Book Details

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I have a book due April 15th that is squarely in the legal, romantic suspense genre. As I'm racing to finish the book, we're squarely in the middle of titling the book and series. I wrote 75K words for this book before January, and then paused to write another book, and have been back at this one since around February 15th. [Tweet "Take a step behind the scenes w/ @Cara_Putman on her next book. … [Read more...]

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