Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

The Things That Inspire Readers to Try a New Author

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A while back, I asked this question on my Facebook page. "What inspires you to try a new author?" I received so many fascinating responses, that I decided to count them and create a pie chart. #1 (with 27% of the vote) - Recommendation from a fellow reader There is still no substitute for readers recommending books to fellow readers. "Word of mouth" will always be the very best form … [Read more...]

Travel in a Book Giveaway

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Can I be honest? It's always a little stunning to me when authors and publishers ask me to consider endorsing a book. Two of the above books I was asked to do that. Yep. I'm even on the back cover of Lynette Eason's Life Flight. Say what?!?! [Tweet "@Cara_Putman is sharing reviews of @lynetteeason @tonieshilohwrite @reginajennings with #giveaway"] I also love to preorder books to support my … [Read more...]

Encouragement for the Dull Days

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Hi friends! Happy Wednesday. I'm excited to have the fabulous Jaime Jo Wright sharing with us today. I love her encouragement, and really, who can't use a little encouragement for those dull days! Hope you enjoy her thoughtful post. It’s that time of year again. It rolls around once every six months. That moment I stare at a blank screen, cursor blinking, and a new story trolling around in my … [Read more...]

New Books to Start the Year off Right

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There’s nothing quite like book mail, is there? I thought I’d start 2022 off right by ordering some new-to-me books (from Baker Books and Christian Books). Here’s what I ordered and why: Jesus Always by Sarah Young:  I kept seeing a woman I follow on Instagram posting pages from this book with many meaningful phrases highlighted—phrases that struck me so hard I found myself taking screen … [Read more...]

A “typical” week in the life of a novelist

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One of the things I love most about my job is that there is really no such thing as a typical week. My work tasks and workload change from week to week, depending on where I am in the deadline process, and I love the variety and the fact that—unless I’m on a tight deadline—I’m able to choose my hours and rearrange my schedule to fit in lunch with a friend, babysitting our grandkids, or an … [Read more...]

What’s New in 2022

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With as busy as I am, sometimes I know I’m confusing my readers with everything I have going on! (I honestly confuse myself sometimes too!) So in an effort to give the bigger picture, I thought I’d take today’s post to outline what to expect from me over the coming year. As you know, in this month of JANUARY, my second Waters of Time book, NEVER LEAVE ME, hit shelves. If you haven't yet gotten … [Read more...]

Favorites from Under the Tree

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I know, I know. Christmas is so last year. 2022 has arrived. We should be looking forward, not back. Perhaps we should, but I have a few new items around my house that are still making me smile every time I see them, so the Christmas joy is living on in the New Year. Besides, I'm still a little giddy over them, and I've just got to share with people who will understand my bookish … [Read more...]

The Stories in Old Books

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As you know, I’ve been cataloguing the books in my library. I got about half done via barcode, but the other half? Too old for barcodes! So I’ve been inputting them manually, little by little. The other day I did a shelf of Grace Livingston Hill novels. I have a ton of them! Most are reprints from the 1970s-1990s, but a few are the old, hardbound books with fragile pages. As I carefully flipped to … [Read more...]

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