Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Word Nerd

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I'm not enough of a word nerd to sit around reading the dictionary in my spare time, but I do love learning the stories behind how certain words came about. As a historical author, there are many times when I will stop in order to look up a word I want to use to ensure it existed in the 1800s. I've learned that there are many words that sound vintage that didn't come into existence until the 1920s … [Read more...]

Crazy Days of Summer — with a giveaway!

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Forget the “lazy” days of summer. It feels like it’s been crazy in my little corner of the world ever since I returned from California. First I had a book signing at a cute little bookstore in Kuna, a town outside of Boise. In fact, my mother went to school in Kuna and graduated from the high school there in 1933. She wouldn’t recognize it anymore as it is no longer a small farming … [Read more...]

Turning Research into a Story

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My second book in Guidepost’s Secrets from Grandma’s Attic series came out this month. I had so much fun researching and writing this story.  For the historical mystery in this book, I latched on to a fact from a previous book—that Grandma’s brother died in the Korean War.  How did I turn that into a story? Research!  But I thought I’d peel back the curtain a bit so you … [Read more...]

Our Words Matter, Book News & Giveaway

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Earlier this week I gave a keynote at a plenary session to approximately 350 court staff from across the state of Indiana on customer service and why they matter. As I left, I thought back to 12-year-old me who sat in a hearing room at the Nebraska Unicameral and was so impacted watching attorneys with a national advocacy organization testify on behalf of families like mine. Even at 12 I noted the … [Read more...]

Since we last met…

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Soon after writing my last post, the revisions for my biblical novel about the Queen of Sheba arrived in my inbox. To my delight, the editors love the book. That doesn't mean there wasn't work for me to do, but it is always a relief to get a thumbs-up from editors. I'm still working through the manuscript, making changes and polishing, but I'm on schedule which also feels good. I'm waiting to … [Read more...]

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