Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Story Shift

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There are two kinds of writers in this world. Well, perhaps three.  Plotters Pantsers Hybrids Plotters plan the story before writing. They know where it’s going and what comes next.  Pantsers are those who write "by the seat of their pants." They have an idea, sometimes very detailed, but they simply start writing and let the story play out on the page.  Hybrids are … [Read more...]

Another Celebration — A Big 4-0!

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On Monday, Deb shared that she began writing 30 years ago this month. So many great books by Deborah Raney have found their way to my shelves because of her decision to write. So I am definitely celebrating this milestone with her. I have an anniversary of my own this month. Actually a couple of them. First, a little history. In March 1981 (I don’t know the exact date), I sat down with a … [Read more...]

Happy New Year = Deadline Met!

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Are you a list maker? I am. I love the satisfaction of checking things off of my to-do list. So I had a special thrill this week by being able to check off a big item from my 2024 list. I had a book deadline on January 2, and I emailed the manuscript to my publisher on January 1. Boom! Done! Such a satisfying feeling. Though, things looked dicey for a while. The book refused to be wrapped up in … [Read more...]

The Precipice of 2024

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I’ve always been a lists and goals girl. My excitement in every “new” start, whether the beginning of summer, a new school year, or a new calendar year, is the movement toward my goals for those segments of time.  So a few days ago, as I stood on the precipice of 2024 looking ahead, it was a bit unnerving to me to realize that I had no goals for the new year. None.  Oh, I have … [Read more...]

As 2023 Races toward the End

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BOOK STUFF A few days after I wrote my last IBL post, I received the finished edits of To Marry an English Lord from my sainted editor. That sent me into a flurry of production activities, including but not limited to: Later in the week, I received my first endorsement for the book which included the line “I literally could not put this book down and was up much of the night delighting in … [Read more...]

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