Becky Wade's Blog, page 14

What do you call a group of writers?

Last week I saw this question on X:

“A group of cats is a clowder. A group of dogs is a pack. A group people is a crowd. What is a group of writers?”

I then posed the question to my writer friends. I started with “a procrastination of writers,” and then they sent in a lot of other great suggestions. Lacking the poetic gene, I decided to ask Grok for some help turning those answers into something to share in a blog post, and the following is what I got.

A Gathering of Scribes: What Do You Call a Group of Writers?

They say a group of cats is a clowder,
A pack for dogs, a crowd for the louder,
But what of writers, those curious souls,
Who fill blank pages with dreams and goals?

My writer friends, a clever bunch,
Tossed out ideas over coffee and lunch,
A list unfurled, wild and bright,
A tapestry of words taking flight.

A procrastination of writers, they muse,
Delaying the tale they’re loath to lose.
A fictionary of writers, weaving lore,
Worlds uncharted, tales galore.

A pen of writers, ink in hand,
A shelf of writers, spines so grand.
A library of writers, hushed and wise,
A clack of writers, keys that rise.

A padded room of writers, lost in thought,
A scribble of writers, lines overwrought.
A scrabble of writers, words in play,
A story of writers, spun each day.

An introversion of writers, quiet and deep,
An imagination of writers, secrets to keep.
A plot of writers, twists to share,
A brainstorm of writers, sparks in the air.

A mystery of writers, shadows cast,
A thesaurus of writers, synonyms vast.
An insecurity of writers, doubts that creep,
An inspiration of writers, muses leap.

A type of writers, tapping away,
A mess of writers, chaos in sway.
A ream of writers, pages abound,
A co-conspirator of writers, schemes profound.

A clickety-clack of writers, rhythm and hum,
A rejection of writers, yet still they come.
A draft of writers, rough and raw,
A kindle of writers, igniting awe.

A quill of writers, feathers in flight,
A conference of writers, words ignite.

So what’s the name for this wondrous crew?
A chorus of voices, old and new?
Perhaps it’s all, or none, or one—
A group of writers, simply begun.

Next time you see them, gathered near,
Whisper their name, loud and clear:
A marvel, a madness, a creative stream,
A collective of writers, living the dream.

What would you call a group of writers?

~robin

The Mathematics of Dancing

A Sneak Peak of Proclaimer by Megan Schaulis

When you live in a relatively small town, you don’t expect to meet other published Christian Fiction authors, but Abilene, TX now has at least two of us! Funny enough, I didn’t actually meet Megan until she introduced herself to me at an ACFW conference. Last year we met up again at a local public library event, and I eagerly invited her to do a guest blog with us the next time she had a book coming out. The time has come! I give you, the lovely, Megan Schaulis.

When people hear I write dystopian fiction, they probably form a very gray, dismal picture in their mind. Gas masks, crumbling buildings, post-apocalyptic struggles.

Yeah, not for me.

The Susa Chronicles is actually based on the book of Esther…plus some nanotechnology and royal romance. A high-tech yet Persian-inspired palace serves as backdrop for a gritty physical competition featuring biologically enhanced young women. Bright colors, political intrigue, stolen kisses. Whispers from God in my heroine’s heart.

But even though my duology is inspired by a woman of faith who lived roughly 2,500 years ago and is set in a future world, the books are full of real-life inspiration as well.

In fact, my very favorite scene of Proclaimer, book two in the duology which releases in just a few days, comes from a real-life hobby that was my obsession for years—ballroom dancing.

Would you like a sneak peek?

This scene is a breath amidst a very stressful series of events. You know the one. The characters get a moment alone to forget their worries and stare into each other’s eyes before the world falls apart on top of them.

Astra (main character who competes to become the king’s bodyguard) and King Zadien are flirting in an empty ballroom (yes, flirting, it’s a whole thing with them) when he offers to teach her to dance…

The king shifts a foot to the left and I move with him. He steps to the right and, again, I follow. “You’re light on your feet, Protector. You’ll be fine.”

I focus on his chest, letting his center of mass guide me as we move to a song unheard. We shuffle in a square, neither of us talking until he pivots in a wide arc and I trip over myself, laughing at my lack of grace.

“My fault.” I raise my palms. “We need to create a single axis if you’re going to do that.”

He stares at me with raised eyebrows and a half-grin.

I move forward until the leather strips of my chest plate brush his shirt. “We need to be closer—one point of rotation, not two.”

Goose bumps dot his neck. He coughs. “Right. Again then.”

We whirl around the floor and the colors cast by the stained glass dance across Zadien’s face with each turn. When our steps tangle, he wraps his arms around my torso and lifts me off my feet. The laugh I release is pure joy. I’m weightless in every sense. Nothing burdens me. Dex and Hatch and the Protectors and Hayden—they blur in my mind as Zadien spins me in the air.

So why is this my favorite scene? The math!

Once upon a time, between 2006 and 2011, I was a ballroom dancer. Truly. I took classes at Arizona State University, traveled the country to compete, and won a whole bunch of trophies. Here’s some proof…

One unique element of my ballroom dancing days is that my coach was both a former professional dancer AND a chemical engineer. He didn’t explain dance positions in artistic or flowery language. No, he explained the steps in mathematical terms.

“Your side should be convex not concave.” Or maybe “He’s on the X-axis and you’re on the Y-axis.” Or even “Arms at a 45-degree angle.” That’s what I still think about when I remember all those years of dance classes.

Astra’s comments about following Zadien’s center of mass and creating a single axis of rotation are exactly how I learned to do those moves. So when I wrote a chemistry-loving, math-mind heroine, I had to let her dance.

About The Susa Chronicles

Nanotechnology and royal romance combine with a heartfelt quest to make a difference in this dystopian retelling of the book of Esther.

As the orphaned daughter of a traitor, Novalise grew up in hiding with an outlawed religious group hated by the crown. She dreams of aiding her people as a scientist and begs her overprotective brother for a chance to assist in his schemes against the government. All her hopes of making a difference implode when she’s kidnapped and forced to compete against the Enhanced—a group of highly trained, biologically upgraded young women—for a position as the king’s Protector.

As the clock counts down for her people, Novalise must choose between manipulating the king’s affection and trusting the voice in her heart to lead her. When all her plans crumble, will she hide behind her new identity as a Protector or find a way to rise in such a time as this?

Find book one, Protector, at your favorite online retailers.
Book two, Proclaimer, releases on April 8, 2025.
Signed copies of both books are available at MeganSchaulis.com

Giveaway!

One person who comments today will win a great collection of swag.

.

About Megan Schaulis

After a year of traveling the country in a 100-square-foot camper with her husband, daughter, and dog, Megan Schaulis was bursting with wonder and inspiration—and she poured it all into her writing. Her debut series, The Susa Chronicles, a dystopian reimagining of Esther, released with WhiteCrown Publishing. Megan lives in Abilene, Texas, where you’ll find her staying up way too late reading or hiking with her family. Connect with her at her website: MeganSchaulis.com

Are you ready for some baseball?

I enjoy Major League Baseball. I’ve followed the Texas Rangers since around the time the franchise began in the spring of 1972. I was five. So many memories surround outings to games—from my younger years sweating in the bleachers with our cooler of food and drinks brought from home (you could do that then!) to listening to games on the radio during elementary school to celebrating my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary in a suite with our whole family nearly three years ago. 

I like baseball—but my husband loves it! He loved playing it. He loves watching it—in person or on TV. He loves listening to a game on the radio. He enjoys scoring the game when he watches in person on a paper program, although many ballparks have quit doing these. He loves spring training and the postseason. The All-Star Game. And the World Series. He even loves minor-league baseball games! 

As a child, he was a Dodgers fan. No real reason why. He lived in central Pennsylvania and didn’t want to root for the Pittsburgh Pirates like his dad. But once he moved to Texas–almost 38 years ago now!–he became a Rangers fan. He’s softened toward the PIrates as well. And he will root for the Red Sox when they aren’t playing the Rangers because he loves his daughter. (More on that below!)

He also loves visiting other ballparks—especially the historic ones. I love when baseball and history collide! We’ve enjoyed games at the old Yankee Stadium in New York, Dodger Stadium in LA, and, of course, Fenway Park in Boston. In May. we plan to attend our first-ever game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Being at the old ballparks is kind of like hanging out in a historic home for a few hours!

Keeping scoreSeeing the Rangers in Toronto!Toronto Blue Jays fieldFenway in the rainFenway ParkDodger stadium

All that to say, this past weekend was opening weekend for Major League Baseball. We don’t always attend on opening day or opening weekend, but we did this year, courtesy of our daughter! She bought family tickets for her dad for Christmas and then flew down for us all to go together! (All except the grandgirls, who would have been up too late, and their mom, my sweet daughter-in-law, who stayed home with them.) This was a special series, too, because our Rangers played the Boston Red Sox. Over her five years in Boston, our daughter has switched her loyalty to the Red Sox, even though the Rangers come in a close second. 

Now we’ll settle in for most of the rest of the season on TV. Which is fine by me. One of the reasons I enjoy baseball is that it is a slower game and allows for lots of reading time between major happenings. At least when it’s on TV. When I’m at a game in person I’m too afraid of foul balls to not pay attention throughout!

Are you a baseball fan? Who do you root for? 

Amazing Women in God’s Word

This weekend I had the amazing privilege of teaching at the Perinton Community Church’s Womens Retreat (Rochester, NY). What a fabulous group of women…

We laughed, we cried, we shared our stories. But mostly, we feasted on God’s Word and immersed ourselves in what Jesus says about forgiveness in Luke 15—all while looking at these three parables through a middle eastern lens, which is life-changing.

They all read A Million Little Choices before the retreat, so we did a deep dive into that dual timeline story, too—the characters, the setting, the themes of marriage and infidelity, and I shared where God met me on the page as I wrote and rewrote that story.

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I’m so grateful to my dear friend Polly Alexander (no relation, we just happened to both marry boys with the last name Alexander) for inviting me to lead the study time. Polly and I go way back to high school. We roomed together at Harding University, too…

College (1981)

Then were each other’s maid of honor at our weddings…

19831984

Gracious, how the years have flown. I’m so grateful for our friendship—and for all of our laughter this past weekend…

A little tired from a weekend of too little sleep, but still happy gals

And if that wasn’t enough, the week before that I got to see Karen Schurrer, my former editor from Bethany House, who was in Nashville. But we forgot to take a picture together! Ugh. So when I realized that, I texted her and said, “Quick, take a pic, and I’ll put them together.”

So here we are last week…

2025

And here we are in 2007 at the RITA Award when Revealed won in the historical romance category. Again, how the years have flown…

[image error]2007

Karen and I worked on nine books together. She really is so incredibly gifted, and I’m grateful to have benefited from her talent (and to still be benefiting from it).

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My cup overflows with fabulous sisters in Christ, and I’m still thanking God for all the time together in recent days. But now I’m back at my desk, razor-focused, working to finish this current novel that will release next year. I’m eager to make it the best it can be and am almost to the finish line!

Have you had some special sister time lately? Any special gatherings? retreats? Are you still connected with high school and college friends? It’s an incredible blessing to do life with women in the Kingdom of God, isn’t it? And that includes our fabulous community here at IBL&F.

Much love from Nashville—and that’s no foolin’!

Tammy

Angie’s Favorites

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We hope you are enjoying these weekly feature posts from the authors of Inspired by Life…and Fiction. We’re sharing some of our favorite things to help you get to know us a little better—and we’d love to hear your answers to these “favorites” questions in the comments below.

Favorite Beverage (whether hot or cold): Chai Tea Latte. (Hot). Since I don’t drink coffee, whenever I’m in a place where everyone’s heading to Starbucks, I go for the chai tea latte. The first time I had one, I was convinced it was pumpkin pie in a cup! Tea, milk, froth, and sometimes whipped cream—what’s not to love?

 

Favorite color:  Periwinkle blue. I don’t have any periwinkle blue in my house, but it’s the perfect blend of blue and purple—both, and yet neither. I’d give all my heroines periwinkle blue eyes, but I’m not sure the color exists in nature! 

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Favorite Thing You Collect: Chickens! Have you ever heard of chicken math? I started with four and added a couple, then had eight, and added a couple, then had thirty . . . They don’t free range and their coops are hidden behind bushes as not to freak out the neighbors, but my neighbors do love those eggs! We do, too! And I like pretty, unique chickens. They don’t lay as often, but they are certainly fun to watch! 

P.S. to the county chicken-counters: I no longer have thirty chickens. I do not know how many I have, but the number is nowhere near thirty.

California Dreamin’ (and a sale!)

Earlier this month, I spent 13 days in California! I was born and raised in southern California. Riverside, to be exact. And though I’ve lived in Dallas for twenty-eight years, I return to CA frequently spend time with my family there.

This trip had a dual purpose. I went to celebrate my mom’s birthday and to enjoy my daughter’s spring break.

The birthday party came first. To mark my mom’s big occasion, our original family of 5 (which has now grown to 18 when you count our husbands and kids) gathered in the picturesque winery town of Temecula for an overnight hotel stay followed by lunch with additional family members.

That’s me on the right with my sisters and parentsThe restaurant was lovely and the food was delicious!My mom, the guest of honor

My 15 year old’s spring break began just a few days after my mom’s lunch. So I remained in California and then flew her out so that we could both spend time with my oldest daughter in San Diego, where she lives.

Visiting the Sunset Cliffs area of San Diego with my oldest.

Then my daughters and I headed to Disneyland. Two of my nieces joined us there!

My girls are on the left, my nieces on the rightThe Star Wars area was new to me this trip and it was AMAZING.With Captain Jack We stayed at the Villas at Disneyland Hotel (which I highly recommend) for 4 nights and spent 3 days in the parksWe had a wonderful time! So many good memories.

After finishing my Sons of Scandal series with the release of Uneasy Street, I’ve been taking a breather from writing new pages to take this California trip and attend to other areas of my life. Which has been a luxury. Now that I publish my books myself, I no longer have deadlines. That’s enabled me to bring more ease and space to my work–which I find I really value at this stage of my life and career. Less pressure! More freedom.

Before I go, two things to note! One, the audiobooks for Memory Lane and Rocky Road are currently on sale HERE. You can snag both audiobooks for less than $6. Amazing sale for a limited time! If you haven’t listened to these books yet, I recommend giving yourself the gift of my male narrator’s voice. Two, I will soon be setting out on a “Books and Boots Tour” of Texas. I’d love to see you at one of the bookish stops. You can find information on the tour HERE.

Happy spring, everyone!

Learning to Relax

I have a confession to make. I‘m really good at working. Like world class at it. I am the queen of going from one task right to the next, barely with a break to celebrate that the one has ended. I tightly calendar everything, and most of the time it works out fine… until someone gets sick, or an extra task gets assigned or a miscommunication occurs. Then the cascade can be brutal, but I ALWAYS hit deadlines. ALWAYS.

Being on time is my currency with publishers.

But there are little places where I need better systems. Groups on Facebook where Saturdays sneak up on me for posting. Or I’m not sure what I really have to contribute. The edges where I feel frayed and wonder if continuing to do all the things matters.

This semester God gave me the gift of a semester without teaching. That doesn’t happen at my level of teaching at a major, world-class university. There’s a long story behind it, but what matters is I got it before I flamed out. I’ve still had to work, but for the most part, my evenings haven’t involved work for the University — no grading! And I’ve had time to do some trips I don’t usually get to take. Next time I’ll write about the current adventure, but last week, during the university’s spring break, my husband and I slipped away for five days with two sets of our dearest friends from church to the Dominican Republic.

First off, this is not my usual vacation. I don’t stay in one place for five days. I don’t put my toes in the beach and just lounge. It’s not me.

But for those four days, it was (Why four days? Because our travel day got extended thanks to a delay in our connecting flight.)

Second, would I do this every vacation? No. But for an every once in awhile? Maybe. There was value in the forced relaxation. Remember I don’t know how to do this. I truly have been working in some capacity since I was ten or eleven. Essentially, I needed the detox. And I took it a step further by leaving my phone behind in the room on most days.

Third, what made it work for me was that we did it with friends. And these are some of our absolute best friends in the world. It was easy to hang out poolside, but also to do our own thing. We could learn a dance on the pool deck and essentially be the entertainment for everyone else, but also to lay and consume a book a day. I read some good ones, y’all.

Fourth, four days was my limit. Then it was time to get home for a day of intense work before the next adventure, but it was good. And it was beautiful. And maybe I am learning — later than many — that it’s good and right to learn to exhale and be.

And maybe in the next couple years we’ll bring our kids so they can learn 25-30 years before I did.

If you were on the beach, what book would you read? I read One Last Shot by Susan May Warren, Serial Burn by Lynette Eason, and An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon. All three were good in very different ways. You can see my reviews for these and all the books I read on Good reads. And if you’re looking for a romantic suspense novel, then be sure to add The Accused to your TBR pile. It releases April 15th, and is inspired loosely by the Amanda Knox situation of a foreign exchange student being accused of murder and the romance is inspired by Demi Moore and Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men. I am so excited to see what you think of this book. I love it so much!

And now for one last beach photo!

A Sneak Peek into a Retreat & Giveaway

Hi friends! 

I just got back from my writer’s retreat. I lead two a year, but this year, it will be three. I thought as writers and readers both, you might enjoy seeing behind the scenes. 

The retreat was hosted in Hedgesville, WV. It’s a beautiful neighborhood of lovely cabins spread out over the entire landscape. Trees fill the space, providing privacy and places for the wildlife to climb or nestle under. 

Here’s a picture of the sunrise one morning while the woodlands were waking up.

We had a lovely group of five ladies plus two helpers and me, bringing us to a quaint total of eight. I LOVE running smaller groups, so we all get to know each other on a personal basis. 

This year I had a writer who’d finished her first manuscript through published authors. A big range, but the classes really seemed to hit home on different levels—based on attendee feedback. 

So, what do we do at a retreat? We have workshops I give on craft topics, author friends who Zoom in to lead workshops, writing time, one-on-one meetings with each attendee, and my favorite time—fellowship time. Friendships were bonded, and I look forward to us all staying in touch.  

We watched movies for story structure application and just for fun, and we laughed a lot. My favorite part is always the unstructured fireside chats. I was very proud of the fire I made. 

I also loved seeing wildlife. My favorite was this woodpecker right off our porch. 

If you have any questions about writer retreats, be sure to comment below. I’ll be sharing on reader retreats soon, but there are two things I want to share before I wrap up. 

First, I’m headed on a book tour to Arizona, Texas, and Iowa. You can check out the majority of my book tour schedule here: https://danipettrey.com/tour-dates/

Would love to see you there! 

Last but not least, I’m kicking off a pre-order giveaway. Simply pre-order a copy of Two Seconds Too Late and fill out this Rafflecopter by April 15th. I’ll announce the winner on April 17th. I wish you the best with it! 

Forge Your Own Adventure Giveaway!

A Journal

A Photo Album

A Flashlight Pen

A Reading Spoon Bookmark With Quote

*Items may differ in size, color, and verbiage

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4605e8019/

Thanks so much for dropping by. I’d love to know if you’ve ever been to a writer or reader retreat before, or if you have any coming up this year? Would love to meet up with you if we’re at the same event. 

Blessings,

Dani

What a Regency Lady Carried in her Reticule

I have said it before, but if you ever have the opportunity to see a presentation by Candice Hern (in person or online) don’t miss it! Candice is an award-winning author and passionate collector of Georgian and Regency era antiques. As she and I are both members of the Minnesota chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America, I have been able to hear her with some regularity, and always learn a lot!

Recently I attended one of her talks (along with author-friend Erica Vetsch). Candice talked about the history of the reticule and its evolution to the modern purse (first known as “indispensables,” and then “ridicules” before becoming known as “reticules”), and what Regency ladies would have kept in them. We also had the privilege of viewing items from Candice’s wonderful collection.

Here are some of the items Regency women likely carried inside their reticule:

Pins! Many dresses (bodices and skirts) were pinned together.Needle casesToothpick cases“Housewife” or “Hussif;” a folded fabric wallet containing needles, pins, thread, scissors etc.Etui (Eh-Twee) was a tiny case to hold a perfume bottle, a small sewing kit, writing or eating utensils, etc.Vinaigrettes. Often made of sterling silver with a pierced grating to hold an aromatic sponge. These could be used either as smelling salts or to hold to your nose to disguise foul smells.Coin purses (often netted, knitted, or beaded.)Cosmetic cases. These little cases had a mirror in the lid and often two compartments, one to hold rouge and the other lip tint.“The English Ladies Pocket Book” (Diary) and tiny almanacs were often carried by ladies and listed holidays, high holy days, phases of the moon, etc.Calling card case & calling cardsHandkerchief

Which of these items would you be most likely to carry in your purse today? (I have my eye on that charming little cosmetic case!)

Treasures on Earth

We made a stop in Kansas at the end of our month-long trip earlier in March, and while there, we were going through some treasures at my dad’s house. As he often does, Daddy read from a devotional while we were all gathered that morning, and the theme of this particular reading was storing up treasures in heaven, not here on earth. I understand that concept very well, but I also do have some temporary treasures that I sure am enjoying here on earth.

I ended up bringing a few of those treasures home, including one of Daddy’s cowboy hats. (The poor guy was left hatless after his daughters each grabbed one! Just kidding…he has an ample supply of hats!)

One treasure I brought home is especially dear to me. Daddy moved to his farmhouse in the beautiful Flint Hills of Kansas shortly after my mom died, and this beautiful framed map of the Kansas Flint Hills has hung in his guest room for most of those years. Whenever we’ve stayed with him, I’ve studied and admired the map.

I love the way the map looks in our entryway in Missouri, and it’s a wonderful reminder of my dad’s beloved Kansas Flint Hills.

My dad bought this map in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas at the abstract office that was printing the maps and distributing to schools. He saved a newspaper clipping telling that this map was placed in 180 schools and colleges in the Flint Hills region around 2016.

Here’s the fun part: When he got ready to frame the map, the backing came from my coffee cubbies!

[image error]I “pretended” to help my dad, but the truth is, he did all the work. He was 86 at the time, and I remember being so impressed with how strong he still was! (That piece is heavy!)

In August 2017 I emptied all the mugs out of the cubbies and took the piece to my dad. I asked him to take off the back and add a wire screen across the back so I could add twinkle lights. I didn’t have any use for the backing board (leaning on the woodworking table behind my dad in the photo above) so Daddy tucked it away in his workshop. It turned out to be a perfect fit for the Flint Hills Map!

This was the finished, empty coffee cubby (back when I was using it turned the tall way). After we moved to Missouri, I turned the cubbies the “right” wide way. You might remember that I bought this piece at an antique store. It was originally the in-office mailbox for a small-town Kansas bank.

So the cubbies and the backing board are together again now in Missouri—just in a little different form. And I love that so much! Yes, I understand that, ultimately, “it’s all gonna burn” as the saying goes, but as long as God gives me breath on this side of heaven, I’m going to enjoy these earthly treasures to the fullest—and more importantly the memories they evoke—even as I look forward with great joy to the treasures stored up in heaven!

Daddy and me in those beautiful Kansas Flint Hills ten years ago. I hope heaven will look a little bit like this.

Is there a special earthly treasure that you are enjoying even as you store up true treasures in heaven?