As a mom, I love it when my daughter picks up some of my interests. Just as I learned to sew and cook from my mom, there are certain skills I want to pass along to my daughter. But beyond the necessary skills of keeping house, what truly gives me joy is being able to share some of my hobbies or passions with her. My daughter Bethany is 16, and she and I are blessed to share a number of … [Read more...]
Why I Love Writing About World War II
Growing up my favorite uncle was my Uncle Joe. He was a bachelor and lived in a small house in the mountain town of Weed, California. Uncle Joe had a beautiful garden and a house plant with vines so long that they wrapped around his kitchen. He bought us kids mini cans of 7-up, and he always had records with Mexican music playing. He had so many records that they were stacked from floor to ceiling … [Read more...]
Finding Inspiration | Guest blogger Laura Frantz
Nothing like a summer ride up into the woods and mountains of Washington State. Here's my dear friend, Linda, and I preparing to go. Since my next hero is a horseman, among other things, I'm rehearsing the role, so to speak :) The woods were so cool despite the 80 degree day and so lovely with the sunlight filtering through the trees... My favorite summer flower here is the wild rose but the … [Read more...]
Into the Past
A huge part of a writer’s job is to create word pictures. We try to describe a room or a house or a village in such vivid detail that readers can see them, too. We transport you there, so you can smell the dirty socks in the bedroom or the aroma of bread baking inside the house; you’re tempted to sneeze as you inhale the dirt on the dusty village street. Whenever I research a story I take plenty … [Read more...]
The Plot Thickens|Donna Fletcher Crow
Each Sunday "Inspired by Life...and Fiction" shares with our readers a Christian novelist's newest book and the garden spots where they find inspiration. Donna Fletcher Crow lives in Idaho with her husband of more than 50 years. She is the mother of four adult children, grandmother of more than a dozen, and author of more than 45 books. Her best known work is the epic historical novel … [Read more...]
Belmont Mansion as Adelicia knew it
The Belmont Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee, the setting for A Lasting Impression and A Beauty So Rare, is a special place to me. Not only because of its significance in Southern history, but because of the love and care the Belmont Mansion staff and curators continue to give the Italianate summer villa that Joseph and Adelicia Acklen constructed in 1853. Belmont Mansion, Nashville, … [Read more...]
Birth of a Book with Giveaway
As an author there is something magical about that moment when one of my favorite people (the UPS man) drops off boxes. Regardless of what's in the box, it feels like Christmas. What did I order and forget about? What new treasure awaits wrapped inside a nest of bubble wrap? Then there's the time when he drops off a couple boxes and I note a label that suggest it's more than just another box. … [Read more...]
10 Things I’ve Learned After 30+ Years & 70+ Books
Do you love to make lists? I do. I write all kinds of lists. Bucket Lists. Grocery Lists. Deadline Lists. Although the following list was written from the perspective of author talking to author, I think many of these lessons learned as a published author apply to life in general and will be of interest to readers too. So here's my list of things I've learned after over thirty years in … [Read more...]
Rewarded for the Risk: My Fun Summer Internship with Julie Klassen|Guest Blogger, Anna Paulson
Ever since I met Julie Klassen as a fourteen-year-old, holding out my copy of The Apothecary’s Daughter for her to sign, I have admired her elegant professionalism and, of course, her wonderful way with words. Over the past five years, I have frequented her book signings (promptly devouring each new novel), chatted with her at a church Christmas dinner, and attended her lecture at a Minnesota … [Read more...]
King on the Mountain
I grew up on the Rice County, Kansas farmstead established by my mother's grandparents. My dad bought the farm from my great-grandparents when I was about three years old and I lived there till the day I went off to college. It's the only childhood home I remember and it was the best childhood possible. I didn't attend kindergarten, but when it was time to go to elementary school, I only had to … [Read more...]
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