Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

The Spiritual Side of a Writing Retreat

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Writing retreats are a wonderful way for authors to feed their creative mind. Discussing ideas, brainstorming plots, sharing marketing tips - the fellowship is invaluable. Yet when you get together with Christian authors, there's an extra element that feeds the soul. This past weekend was the 3rd annual Inkette Retreat. The Inkettes were started by Dani Pettrey, and this wonderful group of … [Read more...]

Life-Changing Books

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I’ve been thinking about my spiritual journey lately, along with my journey as a writer. The two are closely entwined. And I realized what a powerful, life-changing effect books have had on those journeys. Space doesn’t allow me to list all the books that have influenced me, but four stand out. The first is “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie and her family lived uneventful lives in … [Read more...]

Fun Research

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As a horse lover with a horse loving family (daughters and granddaughters), it's no surprise that horses have played important secondary roles in my books through the years. But in my WIP (work in progress), horses are very much front and center. They play an important role in both the hero's and heroine's lives, but in ways I haven't written about before. Over the past couple of weeks, I made … [Read more...]

Follow Up: How to Write Historical Christian Fiction Class

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As I blogged about last time, I was asked to teach a 2-hour class on “How to Write Historical Christian Fiction” by a public library in northern Minnesota. I asked if I could share the challenge with local author-friend, Michelle Griep, and they (and thankfully, Michelle) agreed. That turned out to be a good decision. The class was this past weekend, and we received positive feedback from the ~20 … [Read more...]

The Real Meaning of “Write What You Know”

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My youngest daughter (age 12) loves to read. She’s enjoyed all of my medieval YA books, most recently A Loyal Heart which released in March. I also allowed her a taste of one of my novellas, An Awakened Heart (which just came out in print in a collection called All My Tomorrows). When she finished, she asked if she could read the first full length book, With You Always. I hesitated. … [Read more...]

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