It’s October and there are many things I’m missing as the pandemic drags on. These may be limited to Indiana, but maybe you can relate. I miss having some of my Purdue students to our home for cookouts or taco bar. I miss being able to worship at church without a mask. I miss wild hugs and even simple handshakes. …
Y’all, I had so much fun watching the votes come in. We had over 530! Woot! Y’all are amazing. The best part was not only did you vote on what the next town should be named, you also gave me ideas for businesses. You. Are. The. Best. As a thank you, I’ll be mailing books to ten randomly selected people. …
I’m in the midst of planning and scheming my next book series. In fact that’s what I spent time on yesterday and will spend more hours on tomorrow.
There is so much that goes into that process. I create characters. Heroes. Heroines. Supporting characters. Pets. Churches. Jobs. Places they work. And towns.
Sometimes I use real places. Other times I’ve used fictional. Both work and can be fun. But for this new series I want to create a new small, bedroom community outside Washington, D.C. Think of it as a commuter community. That means I need a name, and a couple weeks ago on Facebook I got my readers involved in generating ideas. It was so much fun reading their 80+ ideas. Now I wanted to give you a chance to join the fun! I wanted to invite you to be part of my brainstorming process on this series.
Romance is hard work. Does romance have a place? @Cara_putman blogs about why romance and love is important. Click To Tweet In our novels, we often stop at the point that a couple is discovering and leaning into their new love — unless it’s a marriage of convenience, and then they have to learn to love each other as newly …
I think because classes started this week at Purdue, I’ve been in a race to read some good books. The above are just a few of them that I’ve inhaled and recommended. Here’s why I loved them: @cara_putman shares 5 books she loved in August as well as a #giveaway. #FictionFriday Click To Tweet The Price of Valor is Susan May …
In our hourse we’re preparing for the kids to return to school and for me to return to face-to-face classes at Purdue. We all came home in mid-March, and I’d say we’re largely ready to see what the fall has in store. This year has been the year of Flexible Chaos, and I’m certain it’s not over yet! How are …
Every book I write is special for one reason or another. I wouldn’t invest the time in creating if I didn’t love the characters or the hook. A Promise Kept is special for several reasons: @Cara_putman A Promise Kept, the story inspired by London’s @I-W-M is #free this weekend on #Kindle. https://amzn.to/319T1KA Click To Tweet While written as a Heartsong Presents originally, …
Welcome back to Fiction Friday (a day early LOL)! I’ve been doing a lot of reading and listening to books this year…I’ve recorded more than 80 books completed over at Goodreads (you can see what I’ve read so far this year here). If you haven’t friended me on Goodreads, pop on over. It’s a great way to learn about my …
This is an opportunity to press in. Life often goes very fast for our family. We’ve had years of taking the kids somewhere every night of the week. That hasn’t been our life since about March 15th. Instead we’ve had a chance to slow down. Spend time together. And press into our walk with God through the gift of time to read, journal, and process. I’ve been reading Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen and None Like Him by Jen Wilkin. Get Out of Your Head has been the kick I needed to push out of my thoughts. If your mind is anything like mine has been lately, it is so easy to spiral in our thoughts and this book has been what I needed to stop some of the craziness between my ears. None Like Him has helped me remember all the ways God is bigger and oh so different from me. It’s led me to focus on who He is and helped me lift my eyes from me. The combination of the two is a powerful one-two punch.
For years, I’ve written hard. In the chaos of life, while working other jobs, traveling, and so much more. I love all of my books, and writing them has pushed me in unique ways. Sometimes the pressure has removed the joy from writing. Have you ever had that happen? Something you love becomes a job rather than a joy? It’s …