Becky Wade's Blog, page 19

Patterns of Life

My brother-in-law, Jeff, asked my husband and me a question when they were in Missouri for a visit a few years ago, and I haven’t quit thinking about this topic since. I’ve found it so fascinating and such a great conversation starter that I thought I’d ask you, our wonderful blog readers, to share your answers!

[image error]

Jeff asked us what “patterns” we’ve seen in our lives—numbers or dates or seeming coincidences—that form patterns. As an example, Jeff is a second-born, married to my second-born sister. Each of the children in Jeff’s family had 1 boy and 1 girl, meaning his parents had 3 grandsons and 3 granddaughters.

My own parents had a dozen grandchildren, 6 boys and 6 girls. I am the oldest of 4 girls and 1 boy, and I’m married to the oldest of 4 boys and 1 girl. Now, of our 4 children, one of them has 2 kids, one has 3 kids, one has 4 kids, and one has 5 kids.

[image error]

Our newest grandson was born on my mom’s birthday and our first granddaughter was born on Ken’s mom’s birthday. (Even more notable—and sad—is that Ken’s mom lost her only brother on her birthday and five years later, Ken’s dad also died on her birthday. So it was a very joyous day when our granddaughter was born on her Great-Nana’s birthday!)

This sweet girl was born on her great-nana’s birthday and they had a very special bond.This little guy was born on my mom’s birthday!

These are the kinds of details that were I to put them in a novel for one of my characters, people might think it was very unrealistic. And yet they are true in my real life!

There are other, less notable patterns in my life. For instance, our oldest and youngest grandkids were both born in December. In fact, 4 of our 14 grandkids were born in December. Our oldest son and his wife both have October birthdays and they also got married in October. Both of our sons-in-law were born in February and two of our grandkids were born on the same day in February.

[image error]These two cousins share a February 10 birthday!

Two of my kids share May birthdays with me, and in any given year, our birthdays always fall on the same day of the week. This year they will all fall on a Friday. I’m sure the chances are greater in large families for things like this to happen, but still, I think these patterns are pretty rare.

[image error]

Our granddaughter being born on my mother-in-law’s birthday was redemptive and sweet, but other than that, these patterns, for the most part, have no deep meaning or serve no life-changing purpose. But still, I think they are fascinating and fun to think about.

I’m curious if you have discovered any “patterns” in your own life? I’d love to hear about them in the comments—and especially whether you’ve found any meaning and purpose attached to those patterns of your life?

Julie’s Favorites

[image error]

The authors of Inspired by Life…and Fiction are offering a new weekly post featuring some of our favorite things. We hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about us—and we’d love to hear your answers to these “favorites” questions in the comments below.

Favorite Holiday: I suppose like many others, my favorite is Christmas. Although Christmas is not what it used to be, now that my Mom is gone (she made Christmas magical for all) and my sons are grown. But I still love the lights, winter majesty, and holiness of the season.

Julie’s dad and mom, Christmas 2006

Favorite Vacation Spot: This one is easy! My husband and I love to travel to England together.

Julie and her husband in Bath, EnglandRaspberry-Rhubarb Crunch Pie

Favorite Dessert: I have a sweet tooth, and love desserts far too much for my waistline! Hard to pick one, but I definitely prefer pie over cake, and two of my favorite pies are banoffee pie and raspberry-rhubarb crunch from Betty’s Pies.

So Exciting!

In all my years of writing and publishing books, I’ve never been invited to give a TV interview. Until now!

Texas Today is a local lifestyle show that airs on NBC here in Dallas/Fort Worth. One of their producers reached out and asked me to visit and chat about the topic of balancing motherhood and writing. It was clear that he’d found inspiration for the segment in this post that I shared on Inspired by Life back in June. I told him I’d love to come on their show. That was followed by two thoughts. 1) I need to get my roots colored! 2) What am I going to wear?

He’d let me know that “bright, solid colors” look best on camera. So I opened my closet and realized that I have plenty of solid colored items that aren’t bright. And plenty of bright colored items that aren’t solid. Clearly, this situation called for some shopping!

I have never owned or worn anything this color before. Let alone this color in faux leather. But I really like this dress and had a great time wearing it to the station. Every one of the three people I chatted with there mentioned my dress. So did the girl at the coffee shop I stopped at afterward. I guess it’s hard to have a conversation with someone wearing this shade of green and NOT remark upon it.

I took the above photo at home and it’s the only one I have because the station does not allow guests to take photos. The producer took a photo on her phone that they’ll send to me.They’ll air the interview at some point over the next 1-2 weeks. After that, the interview will be viewable online.I stumbled over my words once and repeated myself once but, overall, I think (hope) I did okay?It was FASCINATING to visit a real life TV station which looked very much like what I was expecting based on TV shows and movies.One thing that wasn’t what I expected–the fact that it felt as though the host and I were the only two people in the studio. There were lots of cameras and lots of lights but no other people that I could see or hear. So I assume they operate the cameras remotely from a separate area. Everyone at the studio was very friendly, welcoming, and amazingly efficient. They got me in, mic’d up, and through the interview in no time.

Today, I’m back to working at home alone in yoga pants, but I’m still smiling from yesterday’s adventure. That was so exciting. New. Different. A challenge. A little nervewracking. But ultimately, a lot of fun. I’m glad I did it!

Have you ever been on TV? (The last time I was on TV I was 5, celebrating with my mom and dad when they won episodes of Family Feud.)

Favorite Book-to-Movie Adaptations

Hi friends!
Happy Wednesday. I’m excited to spend a little bit of today with you. One thing you might not know about me is how much I love movies. Love. Love. Love. But I love them all the more when they are based on my favorite books. Today, I thought I’d share a few of my favorites, and I hope you’ll share some of your favorites in the comments.

Jane Eyre

Starring Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska

I am wowed at the job Michael Fassbender did. He and Mia worked so well together, and their gentle and loving chemistry worked. The costume design is lovely, as is the beautiful moors on which it was filmed.

Sense and Sensibility

Starring Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman

I can’t help but love the movie nearly as much as I love the book. Alan Rickman (who I adored) and Kate Winslet displayed so well what true love is. The sisterly bond is portrayed with heart, and all of the relationships throughout the film convey the deep emotions weaving through the characters so well.

Pride and Prejudice

I know I’m going to take a lot of flak over this choice, and I understand why. I first saw and fell in love with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Who couldn’t? But my favorite adaptation has become the one starring Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.

I love the dynamic between Elizabeth and Darcy portrayed by Keira and Matthew. Their banter is so witty and balanced just right, whether they are fighting or flirting. The set design is amazing. I felt like I was back in Regency England. But it’s the longing Darcy shows at the end of the film when he’s crossing the grounds with the fog swirling about this open coat and the simple words Elizabeth uses to give him his “yes” answer.

Persuasion

Starring Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis

Last but not least, this is my new favorite despite the fact that it was filmed in 2022. I just discovered it on Netflix and have watched it so much that I’m driving my family crazy. I love the way they tweaked the adaptation to have Anne speaking to the camera and her fun, strong, and quirky personality. They did a wonderful job. And, Cosmo Jarvis…the way he responds at the end, it was like he was Wentworth. I haven’t seen a scene as emotion-filled and well-acted when he’s hugging her near the end. If you haven’t seen it, proceed directly to Netflix and enjoy! And the score is lovely, too.

I hope you enjoyed my list and maybe found a new movie to try. Can you tell I’m a classic literature fan? I’d love to know your favorite book-to-movie adaptations. Thanks for spending part of your day with me.

Blessings,
Dani

Welcome to Cold and Flu Season

I don’t look nearly as glamorous as this AI lady (but at least she has the right number of hands and fingers!), but I spent the month of December with a terrible cold. Woke up with a sore throat on Dec. 12th–I caught the bug from my hubby, I think. But he is always affected differently. His version of being sick is to come in and announce, “I’m not feeling too pure,” then he might cough once. But when I catch the same bug, I get fever and chills, then it goes to my nose and my lungs. I’m writing this on December 30, and though I’m over the feeling bad and exhaustion, I’m still coughing and blowing my nose. Why do colds linger so long?

But you know, God was good to let me have a cold in December. My book was handed in, the shopping was done, we didn’t plan a big dinner this year, and things were definitely low key. If I had to tick the box for a seasonal cold, December was a good time to do it.

So as we enter another month of winter, I hope you are staying healthy. Stay warm, drink lots of fluids, and get lots of rest! Once life slows down, it’s a great time to stay in and read!

What’s your favorite cold remedy? I need to make notes in case my husband brings home another bug!

Angie

Angie’s Favorites

[image error][image error]

The authors of Inspired by Life…and Fiction are offering a new weekly post featuring some of our favorite things. We hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about us—and we’d love to hear your answers to these “favorites” questions in the comments below.

Favorite Holiday: Easter. I can’t think of anything more important to celebrate than the resurrection!

Angie’s piano room.

Favorite Vacation Spot: Home. I have traveled all over the world, and my favorite place is still home. At our house-in-the-jungle, there is always something repair, trim, plant, or uproot. I’m never bored! (Frequently tired, but not bored.)

Favorite Dessert: Carrot Cake. Because I can feel a teeny bit virtuous while eating it. Carrots are good for us, right?

Another Beginning

writing, writing, writing

On Monday of this week, I began writing the fourth book in The British Are Coming series. After a great brainstorming session with a writer friend which helped me work through some fuzzy details, I’m excited to write this book.

With the new story in mind, I prepared to write this week’s blog post. And all of a sudden I wondered about my writing over the last year. Since I track my writing in a digital diary, it was fairly easy for me to look up the stats. I loved what I found.

In the past 14 months (mid-November 2023 to mid-January 2025), I wrote from beginning to end three novels, one novella, and one short story. Those five stories included one contemporary romance (novel), one biblical novel (set in New Testament era), two historical romances (one novel set in 1895 and one novella set in 1932), and one historical fiction short story (set during World War One).

The Jeweler’s Heart, a wonderful short story collection, released in September 2024. Wishing for Mistletoe released in November 2024. To Capture a Mountain Man will release in less than a month. The novella (title not yet announced) will release this spring. Finally, Star of Wonder will release in July 2025.

I have no idea what I’ll write this year beyond the one I’m working on now. Readers have asked for a story about William Overstreet so that may end up being another British Are Coming novel if the right heroine waltzes into my imagination. Both the short story and novella that I wrote in 2024 came out of left field, so that could happen again. All I know for sure is that I am loving the writing road I’m on, and I hope you are along with me for the ride.

What book are you most looking forward to reading this winter?

~robin

2025 Reading Challenges

One of my favorite things about starting a new year is selecting the reading challenge categories I will use in my annual Posse Reading Challenge. When I first started the challenges back in 2020, I hoped it would be a fun way to engage my fans in my Posse Facebook Group. I never expected that I would come to love it so much just for myself.

As a book lover, you would think that making time to read is never a challenge for me. But you’d be wrong. With a day job, a writing career, family and church activites, and all the normal business of life, reading often ends up taking a back seat in my schedule. Which is terrible! I love books. That’s the whole reason I got into writing. These reading challenges have held me accountable to read at least one novel every month and have helped me fall in love with reading all over again!

At first, I resisted reading challenges. I am a notoriously picky reader, and I worried that I’d be stuck reading books I didn’t like, and with so little reading time, I worried that would make reading a chore and suck the joy out of it. But then I realized that if the challenge was broad enough, any number of books/genres/authors could fulfill the monthly challenge if one showed a little creativity. Surely, I could make this work.

Hence, every reading challenge we tackle in my Posse contains broad categories or themes that readers should be able to achieve easily, no matter their reading preferences.

Now I adore reading challenges because they give me an excuse to dig through my TBR piles and Kindle folders to find the perfect book for the month. Books that have languished unread for weeks or months are suddenly prized possessions moved to the top of the pile! For example, this month I’m reading The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham, a book I’ve been wanting to read for quite some time. It has an elephant on the cover (an elephant! don’t you love that?) which makes it the perfect fit for our January challenge, and it is a delightful read!

If you are interested in joining our Posse Reading Challenge, click here to join the Posse. At the end of each month, I create a post where everyone can share what they read. Also, we send out reminders at the first of each month about that month’s challenge. And if it is one that might be a little tricky, we ask for recommendations and get tons of wonderful book suggestions.

Other groups do reading challenges as well. The Avid Readers of Christian Fiction Facebook group is doing one too.

You can find more details in their post here.

Each of their themes have a more specific challenge attached. Here are a few samples:

January – Celebrate Winter = Read a CF book that has winter sports in it.Februrary – By the Fire = Read a CF book with a fireplace, bonfire, or wood stove featured in the story or on the cover.March – Royalty Rules = Read a CF book with royalty featured in the story.April – Small Potatoes = Read a CF book published by a small press or indie author.

I’m taking notes for a future Posse challenge!

Baker Book House offers a free reading guide with 52 categories for weekly book inspiration all year long. Learn more here. I’ve seen people make Reading Challenge Bingo boards which look fun too. Your local library might be another place to find reading challenge ideas.

Have you ever participated in a reading challenge?
What challenge categories are most interesting to you?

A Different First Draft

I’ve written many, many first drafts of novels, most of them “by the seat of my pants.” This means I have a story idea but don’t know exactly how it plays out until I write it. However, I have written a few (very few) first drafts from a synopsis. These drafts tend to have a little more structure when the story first goes down on paper (or screen). 

I’m now beginning different kind of first draft, a new one for me because this is a type of novel I’ve not written before and that has led to quite a different drafting process. What to hear about it?

This historical (not romance) novel will be my first attempt at one based on real people and a real situation. I’ve mashed up historical facts, people, and situations to create other works of fiction, but never have I tried to fictionalize a true story in its entirety. This is a form of fiction I enjoy reading and have long wanted to write. And now is the time. 

Why does this type of story crash my normal writing process? Simple. It comes with a built-in outline! 

Because this story is based on a specific history of people and places, I have the bones of the story mapped out by the real timeline. And the characters already have names and situations within the story. I was able to do an intricate timeline of all the major events of the story and who is involved in them. (I used a great app called Aeon Timeline!) Suddenly, this non-outliner has an outline!

What I love about this particular story is that there are a lot of facts but not much about the true personalities of the people. This means I can look at their actions in light of the era in which they lived and draw my own conclusions as to their motivations, feelings, and conversations. I have just enough research through scholarly works–historians who pulled their facts from letters and other primary sources–to have the historical foundation, but the rest will be created by my imagination. 

Now, when I write, I open up my document and know what happens next in the timeline of history—who is involved and where. Then I get to “pants out” how things might have looked in the nitty-gritty of living in that moment. 

No, I’m not sticking entirely to the history. Some things have been added or changed to make a better story. But I am following it as closely as possible to still create a compelling novel. 

It’s been fun, actually, to be forced into a new kind of draft. I like shaking things up every now and again. And it also bodes well for some other “based on history” story ideas I want to write since I’m enjoying this process. We’ll see where this goes once it is all out of my head and on the page!

Have you ever taken on a new project—writing, work, house—that required tweaking your normal process? Does that energize you or make you anxious? 

Who Stirs Up the Sea

This new year is the beginning of a new book for me, and I am having so much fun with the research and writing. Who Stirs Up the Sea will be the second novel in The God Who series and in case you missed it, the first book is now available in print and e-book formats (and we hope to have it available as an audiobook soon.)

I want to share this early glimpse of the cover my husband, Ken Raney, designed. All four of the books I’ve planned for this series have beautiful book covers, and I can’t express how much it helps me in the writing to have that book cover as inspiration!

The most exciting thing for me is that we just planned a research trip to Saint Simons Island where the story is set. We’re doing a lot of traveling this year and I wasn’t sure we’d be able to find the time to go there again. We visited the island in Georgia four years ago and I’ve wanted to set a novel there ever since! But we carved out a little slice of time later this spring and I know it will help me get the details right when I’m describing the beach and the sea air and the various things that grow on the island. This is important since my heroine is a flower farmer and not everything that grows here in Missouri grows in that very different clime.

[image error]

One of the things I like to do as I’m beginning a novel is collect images of how I picture my characters and setting on a Pinterest board. Here are my hero and heroine, created in the AI program, Midjourney. It took me at least a dozen prompts each before the characters looked the way I imagined them. (If you click on the images, you’ll link to the entire Pinterest board for my inspiration.)

[image error]

One fun thing I’m doing in this new series is using a rather uncommon name for one of my characters in each book. I love coming up with character names, and having written over forty books, I’ve used up a lot of my favorites. But it’s always fun to find new favorites.

The heroine in Who Touches the Mountains, above, is named Liesl (some of you are thinking of Liesl from The Sound of Music, right?) I don’t mind unusual names in novels as long as the author lets me know exactly how to pronounce it early in the book! My hero in Who Stirs Up the Sea is named Tadhg McKay. Have you ever heard that name? When I first saw it and learned that it’s Irish and is pronounced Tige (like Tiger without the R), I knew I had to have a character with that name. And it turns out that my Tadhg’s Irish heritage and his pride in it will be important to Emma, my heroine, as she goes through a crisis of identity. Oh, I can’t wait for this story to be out!

P.S. This is a day of hundred mileposts. This is my 800th post for Inspired by Life and Fiction! (Don’t be too impressed, since many of those were the Sunday Scripture posts.) And also today, I received my 100th rating/review for Who Touches the Mountains. I love mileposts like that! And thank you SO much to those of you who have read or reviewed my books. You’ll never know how much that means to an author!