Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Reading With Jane Austen

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Every now and again, I need a little dose of culture. So recently, I left the comforts of my suburban home and drove down to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to see their new exhibit, Jane Austen’s Reading Room (its curator is a fellow member of my local chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America). This room, along with the Georgian Drawing Room, are part of the museum's "living … [Read more...]

Things Aren’t Always As They Seem

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A few years ago, I was speaking at a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) in a small Midwestern town. As I learned to do from the wonderful speaker and writer Liz Curtis Higgs, I had picked out my “balcony people" in each quadrant of the room—those women who were nodding and smiling and giving me positive feedback with their body language. Speaking to just those four people would keep me … [Read more...]

Why I love writing about K9 police and their canine partners

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I write a lot of books about K9 police officers and their four-legged partners. My first such book was a stand-alone for Love Inspired titled A Tender Touch. I became fascinated with the dogs that are trained to protect and serve. They go through intensive methods to teach them to search and rescue, find drugs and bombs and to track down dangerous criminals. They can pick up scents from twenty … [Read more...]

What have you been reading?

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This is what I've been reading, along with the first sentence in each book. I just LOVE reading first sentences, do you? Me Before You by JoJo Moyes First sentence: "There are 158 footsteps between the bus stop and home, but it can stretch to 180 if you aren't in a hurry." I just finished this Sunday night. This was my first of JoJo's books, but it will by no means be my last. I loved it … [Read more...]

Dexter – A Love Story

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I’ve written about Dexter my “grand-cat” before. How he was rescued from the streets of Chicago and adopted by my daughter and her husband. How their patience and love transformed him from an aggressive, nearly-wild cat that couldn’t get along with any of the other cats in the Red Door Animal Shelter, into a much-loved family member. I’ve written about some of his quirks—how he likes to play kitty … [Read more...]

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