Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

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Summer = Travels & Reading

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Saturday night my family returned from a four week adventure in Europe. It is so good to be home, but it was also really good to have this experience. If you’ve been reading my blog or newsletter for awhile, you may know that one of my deepest desires was for my children to get to experience how big the world is and how big God’s heart is for the people in the world. My husband spent time overseas as a child, but I always joke I grew up in the foreign country of Nebraska. My first real trip overseas came a couple weeks after I graduated from the University of Nebraska. That trip solidified my wonder for the world, culture, history, and learning about as many different people as I can. One of the amazing gifts of my day job has been the opportunity to take students on study abroad. Prior to COVID, I’d spent parts of four summers in different parts of Italy. Then it took a few years to really get study abroad going again, and last summer we spent a couple weeks in London. This summer I got to spend two and a half weeks with thirteen wonderful students in Prague. The Czech Republic has been on my bucket list, but I didn’t know if/when I’d get to go. It was truly an amazing experience.The country is beautiful, and I quickly fell in love with Prague.
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Exploring…As I travel, I’m always looking for story ideas. There may be one burbling from the trips this spring and summer. I’m in the middle of copyedits for next year’s The Targeted. As soon as those are in, I hope to turn back to this idea that’s been percolating in my mind since February. There’s something about travel that is creative – but I’ll admit that while I was in Prague, I worked a lot. I taught three hours a day and often had excursions to businesses or museums with the students in the afternoon. I’d catch up with my family in the late afternoon, and then turn to grading in the evening. It was worth it to invest in these students AND experience a new city in a way that’s hard to do as a tourist who bounces in and out in a couple days. 
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Vacation in Italy…This year we did something different after the study abroad. Instead of hopping on a plane and immediately coming home as we usually do, we flew to Rome where we met my parents and one of my brothers and his family. For a little over a week our oldest also joined us. Then for three days my cousin and her kids joined us from Albania where they are living. If you count noses, you’ll see there were more of us on this vacation than on the study abroad – and this is only half my family!
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This started as a trip for two…My originial idea had been to have a small trip with my mom, but after she selected Italy as the destination, the list of people coming quickly grew. We had a great two weeks exploring central Italy. I loved introducing parts of my family to a country I love, art, food, and so much more. I also got to see da Vinci’s Last Supper for the first time when we took a day trip to Milan. The pictures of it are good, but seeing it in context was awe-inspiring. It really felt like Jesus and the disciples were ready to step off the wall and join the monks in their dining. That’s the value of traveling and seeing great art in person. I see the nuance and details that are so easy to miss otherwise. If you’re headed somewhere this summer, I’d love to know. And keep reading for book recommendations and a couple giveaways that allow you to travel without leaving home. 
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I’m delighted that The Accused has a 4.7 rating on Amazon with 102 reviews 4.6 on Goodreads with 133. I had to smile over the Amazon AI summary of the reviews. I love seeing what you think of my books!

With The English Masterpiece by my friend Katherine Reay, escape into the world of art and museums in this novel that steps into the world of forgeries and intrigue. Lily is thrilled to have a job at the Tate Museum in London where she is surrounded by some of the world’s best works of art, and she is in awe of her boss Diana. As the pages of the book turn you realize both women are frustrated artists who use their time at the Tate in different ways. But when Lily speaks outloud that a Picasso is a fake, she launches a series of events that the Museum, Diana, and she may never recover from. Along the way, Lily has to decide to become the truest version of herself or settle for being a thin impression of someone’s else Elisa Doolittle. This is a gripping story of intrigue that I loved.

I have an extra copy of The English Masterpiece that I want to giveaway. All you have to do is use this form for the opportunity to receive it or Austen at Sea.

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Cara Putman

An award-winning author of more than 40 books, Cara is a Clinical Associate Professor in business law and ehtics to graduate and undergraduate students at Purdue University. She lives with her husband, four children, a perfect cat, and a sweet yet rambunctious shelter puppy in Indiana.

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Comments

  1. What an amazing opportunity! I always enjoy hearing about your travels and study abroad trips. I’m excited to visit Prague for the first time next year on a family trip. Although we will only be there for a couple of days before moving on. But the entire trip will be full of new places for me so that’s fun. And I will likely wind up with a list of places I want to return to. ha! I’d love to go back to Italy for sure. I’ve only been there once but it was lovely!

  2. What a wonderful trip, Cara! I had the honor of spending a day or two in Prague during a choir trip in the late 90’s and I tagged along with my daughter’s high school group in Italy. Two AMAZING places. The architecture is Europe is awe-inspiring. Especially the churches. I love seeing art inspired by God. I’ll never forget seeing Sistine Chapel or the Michaelangelo’s Pieta in St. Peter’s Bascilica.

  3. What a great experience! I hope to get to both Italy and Prague one day. I’m reading The English Masterpiece now and loving it!

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