You may have noticed that here on Inspired by Fiction & Life we're all about community. Community with you. Community with each other. Life can be pretty dull without other people. As I've seen the posts from my friends who had a brainstorming retreat this past weekend, I had to smile. They were living in the community they created years ago, and we are all the beneficiaries as we read the … [Read more...]
The Spiritual Life of a Reader
I remember the first Christian novel I ever read. It was Love Comes Softly by Jeanette Oke. I was in high school, and my spiritual life was a mess. Around this time I was also reading things like The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough and Pet Cemetery by Steven King—books that truly vexed my soul. Reading Love Comes Softly was like finding a cool spring of fresh water in a blazing hot desert. I … [Read more...]
Let’s Talk Books!
The first Christian novel I ever read was Love Comes Softly by Jeanette Oke. My mother had borrowed the book from a friend, and I asked to read it when she was done. I was fifteen-years-old, and I fell in love with Marty, Clark and little Missy. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of other Christian fiction. During that stage in my life, most of my reading included books like The Thornbirds or … [Read more...]
Why I Love Writing About World War II
Growing up my favorite uncle was my Uncle Joe. He was a bachelor and lived in a small house in the mountain town of Weed, California. Uncle Joe had a beautiful garden and a house plant with vines so long that they wrapped around his kitchen. He bought us kids mini cans of 7-up, and he always had records with Mexican music playing. He had so many records that they were stacked from floor to ceiling … [Read more...]
Books to Movies: With God All Things Are Possible!
When I became a novelist there was a comment that I received often, but one I hadn't expected. "Wow," readers would tell me. "This novel would make a great movie!" That's something a novelist likes to hear, but it carries about as much weight as when your son hits a home run for the first time. "Wow, your boy's going to be in the Big Leagues," spectators say. It's a nice dream, but the … [Read more...]