I often think of what a privilege it is to be able to create stories for a living. The word fiction, according to Merriam Webster, means “something invented by the imagination”. So, as an author, I literally make money by making stuff up. Sounds cool, right? LOL. It is cool! Writing is a huge blessing […]
My Regards to Elvis
My Regards to Elvis Sometimes an author will add an element to book one in a series and then decide to carry the theme through to the end of the series. For example, Vivian Emerson in Irresistibly Yours liked to collect seashells and make stuff with them which she sold in The Clever Mermaid. Both […]
Birth Order & Relationships (+ #Freebook)
In case you didn’t know, I have a background in psychology, which explains why I love to write and read character-driven stories. I enjoy figuring out what makes people tick and how their backgrounds and life experiences help shape who they are. One area I especially like delving into is birth order. Here are some […]
Real Life Novel Settings: Oxford, Mississippi #Giveaway
Hello Inspy Readers! I’d thought I’d spend a few of my post talking about my real-life novel settings, starting with my first novel Leaving Oxford. Oxford, Mississippi, is a small college town in Northern Mississippi hills about three hours from where I live. I spent time going to school there way back in the 80s. […]
Behind the scenes: #authormomlife
Many of the InspyRomance bloggers are mothers, either to grown children (some with grandchildren to enjoy!) or to children still at home. Some, like myself, are still in the exciting (but exhausting) phase of toddlerhood! One of the most common comments I get when I talk to people about my books is “I don’t know […]
Are You Good Enough?
Happy 2021! I’ve been carrying on the romance vibe by continuing to watch the Hallmark Channel movies. They’re coming up with some good, fun, winter movies that are keeping romance alive on television! My first 3 books were published by Belle Books. A great small press publisher. They were wonderful to work with and very […]
Wandering
by: Staci Stallings Let’s start with this: I am not a Lord of the Rings fan. I apologize to those of you who love it, but I must confess that I am not among that number. My children once had the movies on our television in the living room, and I didn’t leave my office […]
The Twelve Edits of Christmas
I know better than to schedule deadlines in December. The holidays have enough stress without trying to finish a book. But this year I’m actually having fun with it. My editor Christina and I met at our first writer’s conference almost fifteen years ago. She’s taught me as much about life as she has about […]
Creating a Collaboration
Since becoming an author, one of my biggest desires had been to be invited to a collaborative project with other authors in my genre. Last year, God kept challenging me to BE BOLD with my writing career. That meant investing money in marketing efforts where I’d been hesitant to do so before. And, it turns […]
Layer by Layer
Layer by layer. When we think of layering many things come to mind. Clothes—let’s layer–cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon. Brick homes, one layer of bricks on top of another and so on until the home is complete. Cakes! Layer upon layer of yumminess! Writing a story involves many layers as well. At […]