Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Sanditon Season 2: Brighter Than Ever

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Sanditon is back and it's brighter and more colorful than before. Season 2 (now based even more loosely on Jane Austen's unfinished novel) became available for US viewers  on March 20th. I watched episode one and was impressed and delighted with the new production. The set and costumes have been much-improved and taken to a whole new level with far more color and detail. The producers … [Read more...]

Life is Filled with Surprises

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A couple of weeks ago I shared an assortment of facts about chickens. Today I'm going to share a few things only a chicken person would know. A hen's egg-laying apparatus--it's officially called the oviduct--is like an assembly line. Before I had hens, I knew nothing about this sort of thing, so I'm happy to share what I've learned. It's FASCINATING. Like a woman, a hen is born with all … [Read more...]

How Important Is Talent in Reaching Writing Success?

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How important is talent to a writer? Is talent required in order to become successful? Is talent necessary to rise above the competition? I'd be remiss to throw out talent altogether and say that it doesn't matter in the least. The truth is a bit of natural talent can probably help to a degree. Some people are born with wild imaginations. Some have the ability to embellish a story. Others have … [Read more...]

Books & Tea (+Giveaway)

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One of my favorite ways to relax is with a hot cup of tea and a good book. A comfy chair and some fuzzy socks add to the coziness. In 2019, my daughter and I visited Victoria, BC and while there, I fell in love with Murchie's Tea, a shop that has been in operation since 1894. My history-loving soul adores the idea of sipping a brew my characters could have enjoyed! I found this wonderful … [Read more...]

My Very First Book Trailer!

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I consider myself fairly tech savvy. But when it comes to social media and promoting my books? Not so much.  Recently I watched a webinar on some of the more advanced things you can do on Canva. I’ve been using Canva for awhile and love it. It’s easy to make graphics for social media and my website. But I’d hadn’t ventured beyond that.  Until now.  Being with my husband on … [Read more...]

$20 Bill from Heaven

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Ever had one of those moments when the veil between this world and the next seems to lift ever so slightly, and you feel a "hug" from Eternity?  That happened to me in November 2014 with a $20 bill, of all things. And God kindly reminded me of that gift again when I ran across that $20 bill in my drawer this weekend. I was out running errands that Monday over seven years ago now. … [Read more...]

A Coffeebar Evolution

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About thirty years ago, I spent $100 on this antique cubby that was originally the in-house mailbox at a small-town bank in Kansas. One hundred dollars was a lot of money for us back then, but I had Christmas money from my parents so I went for it! I have never been sorry! I don't know if the alphabet letters are original to the piece, but they were cut out and pasted over each cubby space. … [Read more...]

Long Ago and Far Away

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In March 1981, I took a yellow legal pad and wrote the opening line of what would become my first published novel. While I had toyed with writing both in high school and as a young adult, I hadn’t given serious thought to writing a novel until the fall of 1980. A number of things played into this growing desire inside of me, but the final straw was reading a book with an ending that didn’t satisfy … [Read more...]

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