Each Sunday “Inspired by Life…and Fiction” shares a Christian novelist’s newest book and the garden spots where they find inspiration.
Maureen Lang wrote her first novel longhand as a child, and passed it around the neighborhood to rave reviews. It was so much fun she’s been writing ever since! Maureen is the author of many novels, including Pieces of Silver — a 2007 Christy Award finalist — and the Great War series. Among numerous other awards, she is the recipient of a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. Maureen lives and gardens in the Midwest with her husband, two sons, and a much-loved dog, Susie. Visit her website at www.maureenlang.com.
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Maureen’s daughter created the book cover art that hangs above the doorway to her book-filled study.
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For more “novel gardens” like this, visit The Plot Thickens.
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DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.
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Need Maureen to come and plant a garden for me, please! I also like that her daughter does Maureen’s book overs . Love to read your books.
Thanks, Sharon, for noticing the great job my daughter did with the book covers – They look even better on my wall than in the picture!
Hi Maureen. I see you like irises . A favorite of mine also. Such a beautiful flower that comes up year after year and only gets more beautiful with each passing year.
Maureen, I read your Great War series and enjoyed it very much. Also read your series about the x factor in children . I thought it was beautifully woven together to span many generations and different countries.
Keep up your good work. Glad to visit with you this Sunday.
God Bless you.
Shirley
I love irises! They’re such bold, vibrant flowers, and such a pretty start to the flowering season. I even have an oil painting that my niece gave me which was inspired by one of the many Van Gogh irises.
But I have to share a little story – years ago, the first spring after I’d planted my iris patch, my mom was visiting and I bragged about how beautiful they were, how glad I was they’d come up every year without any more work on my part, etc. – and all she did was sort of shrug. As if she didn’t like them! I was dismayed, and asked her what’s up? She finally admitted she never liked irises because when she was a child a girl named Iris was mean to her. She didn’t go into more detail, but my goodness it must have been traumatic to have her remember that seventy years later!
So I still do love irises, but there’s just this tiny hint of a cloud over them because I can’t forget that someone named after these lovely flowers was mean to my wonderful mom.
I really enjoy reading your books. What a nice giveaway you are having. Susan
Thanks, Susan!
I have read several of Maureen’s books in the past and never been disappointed. I know this new one will be wonderful too.
I love the garden. I highly suspect it looks a bit different these days.
Thank you both for the post.
Thanks, Shirley! I hope you’ll look for my newer titles, too. 🙂 I have my very first independent title coming out at the end of March, The Cranbury Papermaker, and I have a couple of romance novellas coming out in July — two in the same month! I’m not sure how that happened, but it promises to be a busy summer. On July 1st, Bonnets and Bees will release, which is part of a Brides of Convenience series that was so much fun to write. I absolutely love marriage-of-convenience stories, and this one was just as much fun to write as I hope it’ll b to read. Later in July I’m doing another 12-Brides novella with the same group of authors who got together this past Christmas for the 12 Brides of Christmas, only this time our stories feature the 12 Brides of Summer. It’s so much fun to be part of a team with other authors so we can brag about all the other stories.
Hey . . . that’s twice tonight I’ve mentioned how I like to brag. Oh, dear . . .
Your garden is gorgeous, Maureen, and SO is your study/office! Both are so inviting, they could grace the pages of a magazine. Thanks for this little peek inside your home and garden!
Well, I have to brag again – this time about my hubby, who put up all those lovely bookshelves. His newest project is adding a small reading loft at the top of our stairs. Where there was once some open air – wasted space from a two-story foyer – he’s adding a whole new corner to our upstairs so we can store more books. Believe it or not, it’s harder for both of us to get rid of books than it is for my husband to take on another remodeling project.
But oh, do I dread the idea of ever moving! There’s nothing heavier than a book box.
Thank you for sharing your garden. I especially love that you have before and after pictures. That gives me hope!
Believe me, Sharon, if these flowers will grow for me, they’ll grow for anyone!
Maureen,
Your garden is lovely.
I can picture myself in a chair reading one of your novels.
We have your books in the church library.