Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

What I’ve Learned From Writers Who Enter Contests

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Over the past couple of months, I’ve had the privilege of reading numerous writing samples from unpublished writers. The samples were from those who entered Sunrise Publishing’s audition for a chance to co-write with me as I publish three more books in my Bride Ship series. First of all, I want to thank ALL the many writers who entered the competition for Season 7, Bride Ships: New Voyages. It … [Read more...]

Celebration Time

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Hi friends and happy Wednesday! I am so excited we’re heading closer and closer to Spring. Have any of you seen signs of Spring out and about? I know we’re heading to Rita’s on the 20th for free Italian ice. They do that every year on the first day of Spring. They’re awesome that way. So far, I haven’t seen any buds or blooms in my yard, but I’ll be hitting the nursery as soon as it’s a bit … [Read more...]

How Important Is Talent in Reaching Writing Success?

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How important is talent to a writer? Is talent required in order to become successful? Is talent necessary to rise above the competition? I'd be remiss to throw out talent altogether and say that it doesn't matter in the least. The truth is a bit of natural talent can probably help to a degree. Some people are born with wild imaginations. Some have the ability to embellish a story. Others have … [Read more...]

Long Ago and Far Away

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In March 1981, I took a yellow legal pad and wrote the opening line of what would become my first published novel. While I had toyed with writing both in high school and as a young adult, I hadn’t given serious thought to writing a novel until the fall of 1980. A number of things played into this growing desire inside of me, but the final straw was reading a book with an ending that didn’t satisfy … [Read more...]

What Makes a Great Villain? 

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I’m happy to say I officially signed off on The Deadly Shallows a few weeks ago. It’s finished with editorial and on to paging. Phew. That book was literally the hardest I’ve ever written. I couldn’t tell you why. Well…five surgeries between the end of May and the end of August didn’t help, but well before that, this book was wrestling inside of me. It ended up causing me to have two years between … [Read more...]

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