Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Karen’s Big Christmas Giveaway

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The Christmas season is here, and if you're anything like me, you're directly in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. Shopping, baking, decorating the house, wrapping gifts, getting packages in the mail . . . It seems like every time I scratch one thing off the to-do list, three more appear to take its place. Wouldn't it be nice if someone sent you a big care package to help you relax and … [Read more...]

Reader Resources

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Hi friends! Happy Wednesday. I hope your Christmas season is going wonderfully. We've got our tree up, the house all decorated, and presents bought. I'm also looking forward to continuing my tradition of taking the last two weeks of the month off social media. Don't get me wrong I love chatting with readers and sharing with them but taking those two weeks off helps me enjoy the stillness and being … [Read more...]

December with Jane Austen

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Since Jane Austen was born in December (December 16, 1775), my local chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North American (Minnesota) celebrates with an annual Christmas party at which we honor her memory on or near her birthday. We always have a toast to Jane, with words taken from something her brother Henry wrote after Jane’s death. He describes her as: [having] the most lively … [Read more...]

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

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Would it shock you to know that I took our Christmas tree down last night? I've always been one to take it down on December 26, but BEFORE Christmas? Unheard of! But this is an unusual year for us. The tree went up November 6 because we were going to Michigan for a book signing, but having guests for Thanksgiving just days after we got back and I wanted the house decorated for Thanksgiving. And … [Read more...]

A Wonderful Milestone

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In November of 2021, I attended the Christy Awards ceremony virtually. When they announced the winner of the contemporary romance category (!MY BOOK!) I knew that meant I was in for a big honor in November of 2022. Here's a little background about the Christy Awards from their website... "The Christys have been a focal point for the writers and publishers in our community, symbolizing the … [Read more...]

Writing, Swimming, and Giveaways, oh my!

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Last month I participated in NANOWRIMO, a race to write 50K words in the month of November. It gave me the competitive drive to write 44,000 while also macro and line-editing a novella that will release next year. But the result of writing that fast was a sequence of chapters and scenes that might -- or might not -- actually mesh together. This fast writing was an important part of the … [Read more...]

Hello, Dolly! (The puppy, not the musical.)

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It’s been a long time coming, but we finally brought our new puppy home the Thursday before Thanksgiving. You might know from some previous mentions here or on social media that this wasn’t my idea. In fact, on social media posts about our puppy, I always include the hashtag #hismidlifecrisis. Because that’s the truth. But he doesn’t ask for much. And he really wanted a dog. And I love him, so I … [Read more...]

Grieving . . . with hope

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This isn't the post I'd planned to share today. I consider it a blessing that I was able to write stories about Belle Meade Plantation here in Nashville, and today at Belle Meade we'll be celebrating the life of a man who was very instrumental in me writing those stories. Alton Kelley, the former President of the Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery, died December 2 after a brief illness at the … [Read more...]

The Day I Did Not Kill a Chicken

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In 2018, the year I began my flock, I lost half of them (about seven hens) to a terrible virus called Marek's. Even though they had been vaccinated, my birds began to exhibit signs of the disease--splayed legs, curled toes, drunken walk, etc. I took the first two victims to the vet, where I received the diagnosis and ended up paying about $100 each time to euthanize the birds. I cried, and the … [Read more...]

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