Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

by Andrea Renee Cox

Have you ever been whisked to a far-off land by reading fiction?

I certainly have, many times. But this time was different. Five Days in Skye was written so exquisitely that I could smell the briny air and taste the scrumptious meals James created for the fictional Andrea. If this book was a debut for Carla Laureano, there are no boundaries to where her writing journey may take her. "Master storyteller" comes to mind, but I'm not sure it's a strong enough phrase.

Be My Guest: Vannetta Chapman

by Andrea Renee Cox

I'm excited to host Vannetta Chapman today. Recently I enjoyed one of her books (see my review of Murder Freshly Baked) so much I invited her to write a little something for you today. Hope you find inspiration in these tips she shares!

4 Tips to Find Inspiration

by Vannetta Chapman

I’m so happy to visit Writing to Inspire today and talk about what inspires me to write. My upcoming release is Joshua’s Mission. There were a lot of different things that inspired me to write this book, but I’m going to focus on the big one, the reason that I write—to spread hope and confidence in God’s grace. Stephen King said that “Art should be a place of  hope.” I love that, and I think it’s particularly true in our modern world.  So what inspires me to sit down in front of my Mac every day and hammer out another 10 pages?

NaNoWriMo... in January?

by Andrea Renee Cox

Hey, friends! How are you settling in to the new year?

One of my work schedules has begun again, but the other one has been delayed. Instead of seeing this in a negative light, I'm choosing to see the positives. For one thing, it frees up some much-needed time to finish the novel I started back in November for NaNoWriMo. Is it possible to have a miniature National Novel Writing Month in January? I'm sure going to try! I'm hoping and praying to be able to finish this first draft by the end of this month.

New Year, Busy Schedule

by Andrea Renee Cox

Have you changed your calendars yet? Have you written the correct date today, or is that 5 sticking around?

As much as I would love to tell you that life will slow down in this new year, I am not seeing any proof of that in my schedule. My day job of tutoring begins again this afternoon, and as the state assessment tests are in spring, the work will be fast and furious this semester.

I'm continuing to study my memory verses, as the Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) conference is coming up this month. So excited for this bit of busyness! The Lord is working in interesting ways through my memory work, and I can hardly wait to see what He's got in store for that incredible conference weekend.

Copyediting jobs promise to keep my busy throughout 2016, for which I'm grateful. (Have you read any of Ashberry Lane's books yet? Check out ashberrylane.com for more information.) It's such a joy for me when I have the opportunity to work on other writers' manuscripts. The challenge to retain their voice while correcting typos, inconsistencies, and factual errors is one I meet gladly every day when I turn on my computer. They say writing is a lonely journey, but I beg to differ. There is such camaraderie and teamwork that take place through the process of publishing that there is a sense of support and encouragement even when you're facing the keyboard on your own. Gives me chills just thinking about it.