• Home
  • Our Authors
  • Blog
  • Events & Giveaways
  • Privacy Policy

Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

How Important Is Talent in Reaching Writing Success?

March 18, 2022 By Jody Hedlund

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...]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Hardwork, Jody Hedlund, New Writers, Talent

Long Ago and Far Away

March 12, 2022 By Robin Lee Hatcher

41 and 87

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...]

Filed Under: Writing

What Makes a Great Villain? 

March 9, 2022 By Dani Pettrey

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...]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: storytelling, villain, writing

What Is the Difference Between a Historical and a Historical Romance?

February 4, 2022 By Jody Hedlund

I recently received an email from a student at Colorado Christian University in the Creative Writing program. She asked if I would define the difference between historicals and historical romances. If you’re a writer or reader, you might have wondered what the difference is at one time too. I’ll give you what I think are the top differences, then be sure to chime into the comments with your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Historical Romances, Historicals, Jody Hedlund

Cover Reveal x2

February 2, 2022 By D'Ann Mateer

As you know, I’m re-releasing my Anne Mateer books under my real name—D’Ann Mateer. Same books, new author name, new covers.  I’m so excited to share the next two with you, both designed by author extraordinaire, Roseanna White.  It’s funny, but reading these books back to back (and for the first time in over 10 years!) to get all the typos, etc, made me realize how similar the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: book covers, D’Ann Mateer, historical fiction

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • …
  • 112
  • Next Page »

Search Site

Monthly Archives

Blog Categories

Recent Posts

  • Why Isolation Raises the Stakes in Suspense March 11, 2026
  • Cover Reveal! March 10, 2026
  • Friends of the Library March 9, 2026

Disclosure

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the pages on this site may be "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, someone will receive an affiliate commission. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Copyright © 2026 Inspired by Life & Fiction | Website Design by Robin