Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

How Many Hours A Day Do Writers Write?

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Today I thought I’d address one of the common questions authors receive: “How many hours a day do you write?” What do you think? Do authors spend eight hours a day writing as in most other professions? Or do they stay up all night burning the midnight oil? Or do they sit down and dash off chapters in no time flat? Before you read the following answers, make a guess in your own mind, or share in … [Read more...]

An Anniversary Trip

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As you read this, we are headed out on a little trip in our trusty 1998 Chinook camper. We're celebrating our anniversary (a few days late) with a few days of camping in beautiful Tennessee. Now that we've had the Chinook for a year and a half, we've outfitted it with most everything we need. We've found an extra toaster, pots and pans, mugs, etc. at garage sales, and these stay in the camper … [Read more...]

A Busy Life … and I love it!

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Recently a friend and I were commiserating about our crazy fall schedules. And this autumn seems especially busy-busy-busy to me. I’ve got lots of friends and family who have retired or are planning to retire soon. While I am certainly old enough to retire, that word doesn’t seem to be in my vocabulary. And I’m good with that. I'm loving my full life. Writing My fall writing schedule … [Read more...]

Favorite Tropes

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There are certain plots that readers love. Those common plots are known as tropes. While we writers don’t always use tropes in our stories, sometimes we do use a trope, or four. Yes, in my latest release, ENFLAMED, which released on Tuesday, I used four tropes. Somehow the book ended up with these: Friends to Lovers. Sir Espen has always kept Lady Sylvi at arm’s length all throughout their … [Read more...]

What’s Your Reading Sweet Spot?

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In my Facebook group, The Posse, we have monthly reading challenges. We purposely make these easy to complete, and open to a wide range of book genres and styles. For example, the challenge might be to a read a book with no people on the cover or a book where the heroine is a mom. Sometimes, though, the challenge theme aims to gently push readers out of their comfort zone. I don't know about … [Read more...]

My Office Space

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Back at the beginning of 2022—yes, eight months ago!—I realized no one had slept in the dedicated nursery room upstairs for the entire year we'd lived in the house. What would be better, I surmised, was a playroom for when the kids came over. And it made more sense for the playroom to multipurpose with the large extra guest/exercise room and to move my office to space just for me. The upstairs … [Read more...]

Favorite new recipes—and game night!

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I love finding new recipes! Especially quick-to-prep recipes that taste delicious. Here are three recipes our family has quickly grown to love. The first is from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman herself . . . Fresh Corn Casserole with Red Bell Peppers and Jalapenos Since I was crunched for time, I used frozen corn and it was still delicious! It comes together so quickly. The jalapenos … [Read more...]

Another Q&A

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After reading a historical novel, lots of readers (including me) want to know how much of the story is true and how much is fiction. I always try to answer those questions in the back of my historical stories. This one is from DAUGHTER OF CANA, the first book in the Jerusalem Road series. The book is about Tasmin, the twin sister of disciple Thomas. In the story, Tasmin does not immediately … [Read more...]

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