Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Travel in Jane Austen’s Time II

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This past Saturday, I spoke (via Zoom) to the New York Metropolitan chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America. The topic was “The Pleasures and Perils of Travel in Jane Austen’s time.” I have not spoken on this topic in several years, so it was a good refresher to revisit all that research again. I originally researched travel and coaching inns to write my series, Tales From … [Read more...]

My Favorite Holiday

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I'm not sure why, but Valentine's Day has always—ever since I was a kid—been my favorite holiday. It seems odd that a holiday that has little build-up and only lasts one day would have become my favorite, but it has. Maybe it's those yummy Conversation Hearts candies that start showing up in the grocery stores right after Christmas. I've always been a fan of those! This year, to prolong the … [Read more...]

Audiobooks on Spotify (& a giveaway!)

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Spotify has long been a music streaming giant. It added podcasts to its listening platform back in 2015. And--joy of joys for bookworms everywhere!--it just added audiobooks, too. What does this mean? It means that Spotify's 236 million paid subscibers will now receive 15 hours of audiobook listening every month as part of their membership. This is a win/win for readers and authors! It's … [Read more...]

My Library and Book Buddy

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When we put our house back together in December, we saved our library for last. The reason was two-fold.  First, we had our bookshelves re-stained and they weren’t finished until late December. Second, we wanted to take our time re-shelving our books, including cataloging them.  This is the result! It’s almost completely done. We still need a round rug and a set of steps to allow us … [Read more...]

Alexander Family Addition

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On January 19, the Alexander family grew by one more very little precious one. Meet Ari Rose, our first granddaughter. . . Ari (pronounced Ari as in "safari") is little sister to Leo who is 13 months and a “chonk” as we call him… As we tell Kurt and Kellie, Ari and Leo's parents, they make cute kids! ;) Leo is the spitting image of Kurt as a baby, and Ari looks just like Kellie. … [Read more...]

Why I Attend a Messianic Synagogue

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Several readers have written to ask me if--since I'm Jewish--I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. So I thought I should write a post to explain all those pictures of pies and cakes I bake for my synagogue service every Friday night. First of all, I'm not Jewish. Not even a little. I'm Scot-Irish, British, and a wee bit of Congolese, according to Ancestry.com. But when I was … [Read more...]

Coming Soon and Binge Lists

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Hey, friends. Welcome to February.  Today is the 2nd which means it is just eleven more days until the release of To Marry an English Lord. I’m so excited for you to get to read Sebastian and Jocelyn’s story. Set on the western side of the Grand Tetons, this is a love story between the son of an earl and an independent woman who has little time for romance while she runs her family’s … [Read more...]

National Texas Day

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Did you know that today is National Texas Day? I didn't, and I live here. Ha! When I discovered the truth, I decided it would be fun to highlight Texas since all of my books are set in this diverse state. I wasn't born in Texas. I'm a native Californian. However, I came to college at Abilene Christian University, met my husband, and never left. All of my children are Texas born and bred, and all … [Read more...]

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