Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Let’s Talk About Lambs

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Remember the old game of gossip, where you whispered something in someone's ear, and by the time the words got all the way around the circle, it was so convoluted it made no sense?  For the last two or three years, at Christmastime I’ve received copies of an essay about newborn lambs—the perfect lambs intended for sacrifice—that were swaddled and placed in a manger. The essay says … [Read more...]

Grace Changes Everything with Pepper Basham

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I'm so delighted to welcome Pepper Basham today. I just finished reading her marvelous book, The Mistletoe Countess, and I was so captivated by her delightful heroine, that this book has climbed to the top of my list for Best Reads of 2021. Such a fun story! The heroine is a sun-shiny book nerd and absolutely adorable. This story has is all: whimsy, humor, mystery, and lots of romance. All at … [Read more...]

Feeding our History-loving Hearts

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Jeff and I went to Boston to visit our daughter a couple of weekends ago. Which was so fun. But in spite of all the history in and around Boston, that is not the focus of today’s post! Instead, I want to tell you about the few days we tacked on to the end of our trip just for us.  It’s been a crazy almost 11 months and we were exhausted. (Well, really it was crazy for 5 years, bu the last … [Read more...]

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

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Many of us are watching the TV series The Chosen about the life of Jesus, which just ended its second season. If you're enjoying The Chosen, I think you're going to absolutely devour Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverberg. If you haven't read Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus yet, let me give you a quick preview beginning with the section below entitled Walking in His … [Read more...]

Canton, MO

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I love research trips. They are one of my favorite parts of the research process. Visiting a place always enhances the writing, whether because I’ve gotten a “feel” for the area (even if I later fictionalize it) or because of all the great people who help me along the way. On every trip I have had a providential meeting with someone who knew, or knew where to find, exactly the information I was … [Read more...]

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