Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

When private love letters…aren’t so private anymore

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My Darling Wife… On his thirty-third birthday in 1868, General William Hicks Jackson proposed marriage to Selene Harding, granddaughter of the founder of Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville (the setting of my Belle Meade Plantation novels). The General had his eye on Selene for quite some time. But he wasn't part of Nashville’s social circle, and Selene had the attentions of many eligible … [Read more...]

Dime Novels – The Birth of the Paperback

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Right around the start of the Civil War, Erastus and Irwin Beadle published a new series of cheap paperbacks entitled Beadle's Dime Novels. Thanks to increased literacy rates among the American people during this time, and the inexpensive price (yes, they truly did cost a dime), these thin, paper-bound books met with huge success. Their debut novel - Malaeska, the Indian Wife of the White Hunter, … [Read more...]

If only graves could speak…

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This past Sunday, Joe and I took a quick day trip to see some friends in Winchester, Tennessee. While there, the four of us went on a long walk, and we strolled all around the neighborhood. Curt and Dana had mentioned that there were some "old graves" back in the woods. So, of course, I made a beeline for the woods! These graves were originally located by a church that stood in Winchester … [Read more...]

Is On-Location Research Necessary for Creating an Authentic Book?

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This month I’m celebrating the release of my third lighthouse book, UNDAUNTED HOPE! While UNDAUNTED HOPE is connected to the first two books in the series, it’s also very easy to read as a stand-alone novel (at least that’s what readers who haven’t read any of the other books are telling me!). I’m super excited about this particular book because when I was in the process of writing it, I was … [Read more...]

Thanks to the Veterans

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According to the Office of Public Affairs, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day in November 1919 with the following words: To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed … [Read more...]

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