Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

I STILL Brake for Garage Sales

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Today I’m reviving a post from eight years ago but giving it a total overhaul. If you’ve followed Inspired by Life…and Fiction very long, you’ll recognize the topic as one dear to my heart (and you'll know a big reason that I'm longing for spring). As many of you know, my husband and I have made garage sales into a destination date over the past decade. It all started when Ken wanted to find … [Read more...]

Singing Through the “Off” Days (and a free book!)

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I'm so happy to welcome Jill Lynn back to the blog today! I love how authentic she is in this post about something we all deal with -- those "off" days that can get us down. Jill will be giving a copy of her brand new book to one of you who comments, so be sure to scroll down and check out the details!-Becky I have always been one of those people with all the feels. If you’re experiencing … [Read more...]

Is Your TBR Pile Groaning?

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There are so many good books coming out this year. There are already so many wonderful choices for your reading pleasure. Last time I was on here, I posted about my friend Sarah Sundin's latest novel Until Leaves Fall in Paris. Today I thought I'd share four more I'm excited about. Three I've already read, and one is waiting patiently on my to be read pile. Let's dig in! I wanted to start … [Read more...]

Reading Challenge Accepted

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Hi friends, I recently shared that I’m starting a Reading Challenge for 2022. I’m going to read one book a month—all recommended by my lovely readers. I was floored with all the fabulous suggestions. Thank you all so very much! It was super hard to keep the titles to just 12 but here are the ones I chose. All the rest of the awesome suggestions are in my TBR pile, and I’ll be excited for the … [Read more...]

Baking in Regency England

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In the novel I'm currently working on, one of my genteel heroines, finding herself in reduced circumstances, is trying her hand at baking to help make ends meet. To write these scenes, I perused a few cookery books from previous centuries, looking for some relative easy recipes for her to try. Here is the easiest cake recipe I could find in the 1780 edition of The Art of Cookery Made Plain … [Read more...]

Chickens 101

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I am a writer, sure. But I have many other interests, including my grandchildren, my dogs, and my chickens. The chickens are a relatively new fascination, as I got my first flock in 2018. I quickly learned the following things about them: Chicken facts you didn't know you NEEDED to know. There are more chickens than people in the world. There are in fact 3 chickens per every man, woman … [Read more...]

What does “really liked” mean?

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As a reader, I love Goodreads. I especially love seeing the reviews by my friends because that often means I discover books I wouldn’t have read otherwise. But I am also an author, and I have struggled with putting ratings on books. So for a long time, I only rated my 5 star reads. All other books, many of which I loved, got a review but no rating. The problem with that is, I don’t get an … [Read more...]

The Top 7 Reasons I Stop Reading a Novel

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I've noticed over the past couple of years that I've developed an especially bad habit–I'm having a harder and harder time finishing novels that I pick up.I wasn't always so hard to please! There once was a time when I finished almost every book I started.But these days, my shelves (both real and virtual) are overflowing. I have plenty to read. But not enough time.And to be perfectly honest, the … [Read more...]

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