Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

How to Write a Book Review

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With two novels releasing within one week of each other (Like the Wind earlier this week and All She Ever Dreamed on Monday, Dec. 5), I’ve been reading a lot of reviews. I’ve become increasingly aware of what makes a good review and what doesn’t. I thought I’d share my opinion. First, let me say that I write reviews for all the books I read and I post them on Goodreads. I do not … [Read more...]

A Dream Come True

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The Christy Award is considered the most prestigious award for Christian fiction. Named in honor of Catherine Marshal's groundbreaking novel, Christy, this award was established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture. Christy was published in 1967. An historical novel set in the fictional Appalachian village of Cutter Gap, Tennessee in 1912, … [Read more...]

Christmas Blessings, Pay It Forward

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Last year, twelve authors joined together for a giveaway that asked only one thing of the entrants. To pay a blessing forward during the Christmas season. It was great fun reading all of the 1200+ comments that were left. A blessing to see how everyone loved the idea and were thinking of ways they could bless others. Well, we're back with another Christmas Blessing Giveaway. Twelve authors … [Read more...]

Grateful

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I hope you all had a wonderful week of Thanksgiving with those you love. Until we moved to Missouri three years ago, we were rarely able to be with our kids for Thanksgiving, since they all lived far away and planned to come home for Christmas. And if we had to choose, we would rather have them for Christmas. But we're grateful that this year we got to spend the holiday with all but one of our … [Read more...]

Thankful for Readers + Giveaway

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Every year I get the privilege of posting on Thanksgiving. This year I'm on an incredibly tight deadline...and I'm actually quite grateful for that, because last year at this time, I thought my writing career might be over. That was actually a gift because it allowed me (aka required me) to make sure I was actually okay with writing being a good gift who's time had passed. I'm also very … [Read more...]

Writer & Reader Retreats

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Hi friends, Happy Wednesday! I can’t believe it’s nearly Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend ahead. Last weekend, I hosted a writing retreat for aspiring and newly published writers. It was so much fun. I knew three of the participants ahead of time, but everyone else was new to me, and most were new to each other. When you have a brand-new group, most who don’t … [Read more...]

Attending the Christy Awards

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I recently had the privilege of attending the Christy Awards in Nashville, TN. The Christy Awards honor excellence in Christian Fiction and were named after Catherine Marshall’s classic book, Christy. (Have you read it or seen the television series?) My recent book, Shadows of Swanford Abbey was a finalist in the Historical Romance category. I have won in the past, but it has been several … [Read more...]

First Century Foods

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I have discovered a wonderful book: Food at the Time of the Bible, by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh. I use it as I write, of course, because I can't have my first-century characters sit down to eat something that didn't exist in their part of the world . . . or I can't have observant Jewish characters eating something that was forbidden. (I was once taken to task for having Samson eat wild rabbits, but … [Read more...]

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