Author: remaininhislove

I would be remiss if I didn’t showcase some of the awesome books coming out this month and there are quite a few! Here’s some that stick out in my mind:

Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.

When Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he’d thought he’d lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

A beautiful maiden who poaches to feed the poor.

A handsome forester on a mission to catch her.

Danger and love are about to unite in Thornbeck Forest.

The margrave owns the finest hunting grounds for miles around—and who teaches children to read, but by night this young beauty has become the secret lifeline to the poorest of the poor.

For Jorgen Hartman, the margrave’s forester, tracking down a poacher is a duty he is all too willing to perform. Jorgen inherited his post from the man who raised him . . . a man who was murdered at the hands of a poacher.

When Jorgen and Odette meet at the Midsummer festival and share a connection during a dance, neither has any idea that they are already adversaries.

The one man she wants is bound by duty to capture her; the one woman he loves is his cunning target . . . What becomes of a forester who protects a notorious poacher? What becomes of a poacher when she is finally discovered?

Special Forces operator Salvatore “Falcon” Russo vowed to never again speak to or trust Lieutenant Cassandra Walker after a tragedy four years ago. But as Raptor closes in on the cyber terrorists responsible for killing two of their own, Sal must put his life—and the lives of his teammates—in her hands. Despite his anger, Cassie is ill-prepared for his resistance and the fallout when she must protect the one asset who can end the attacks. As allies become enemies and hostiles become unlikely partners, Raptor fights for its very existence.

A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever.
 
An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He’s come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he’d wagered, especially when Maggie Linden’s father makes him an offer he shouldn’t accept yet cannot possibly refuse.

Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance–and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder–Maggie’s father, aging, yet wily as ever, makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail–Maggie must marry a man she’s never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Shannon Wilde is the middle sister–and the one who loves animals. She’s established her own homestead and is raising sheep for their wool. Things are going fine…until Shannon gets swept over a cliff by Matthew Tucker!

Tucker seizes every opportunity to get away from civilization, but one particular walk in the woods ends with him sprinting away from an angry grizzly and plunging into a raging river, accidentally taking Shannon Wilde with him. Their adventure in the wilderness results in the solitary mountain man finding himself hitched to a young woman with a passel of relatives, a homestead, and a flock of sheep to care for.

As Tucker and Shannon learn to live with each other, strange things begin to happen on Shannon’s land. Someone clearly wants to drive her off, but whoever it is apparently didn’t count on Tucker. Trying to scare Matthew Tucker just makes him mad–and trying to hurt the woman he’s falling in love with sets off something even he never expected.

A teacher on the run. A bounty hunter in pursuit. Can two enemies learn to trust each other before they both lose what they hold most dear?

Stone Hammond is the best tracker in Texas. He never comes home empty-handed. So when a wealthy railroad investor hires him to find his abducted granddaughter, Stone eagerly accepts.

Charlotte Atherton, former headmistress of Sullivan’s Academy for Exceptional Youths, will do anything to keep her charges safe, especially the orphaned girl entrusted to her care. Charlotte promised Lily’s mother she’d keep the girl away from her unscrupulous grandfather, and nothing will stop Charlotte from fulfilling that pledge. Not even the handsome bounty hunter with surprisingly honest eyes who comes looking for them.

When Miss Atherton produces documentation that shows her to be Lily’s legal guardian, Stone must reevaluate everything he’s been led to believe. Is she villain or victim?

Then a new danger forces Charlotte to trust the man sent to destroy her. Stone vows to protect what he once sought to tear apart. Besides, he’s ready to start a new pursuit: winning Charlotte’s heart.

1865
Windmill Point, Michigan

Can She Forgive the Hurting Man Who Costs Her the Role She Loves?

After her father’s death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren’t supposed to have such roles, so it’s only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper–even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her.

Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He’s secured the position of lighthouse keeper mostly for the isolation–the chance to hide from his past is appealing. He’s not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who’s angry with him for taking her job and for his inability to properly run the light. When his failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he’s unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Caroline feels drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope…and possibly love?

May is going to be a busy month!

Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.

When Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he’d thought he’d lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

Review

Becky Wade is one of my top five favorite contemporary romance authors. Here’s why:

What I liked:

Ironically enough, the setting. I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again: horses do nothing for me. Why anyone would on purpose live on a ranch is confusing to me. Which means, that rarely do I get excited when I see that horses and ranches and things of that nature are the setting for a book. But, Ms. Wade approaches it a bit differently by making Lyndie a jockey. A female jockey? How cool is that? I was sold.

The characters. This is the third book in a series. I loved seeing all the old familiar faces: Bo, Meg, Ty, etc., but Amber (who was in the first book) also gets screen time and I just loved Amber. She read to so true to me. I love that she gets the idea that she and Lyndie should go on three dates and then proceeds to go to these weird singles meetings that resulted in activities (and people) that, as a single woman, I found to be both humorous and slightly horrifying. But even though Amber was not the main heroine, I was so happy that she got her happy ending. She deserved it.

The romance. First you have Lyndie, who comes across as generally happy and excited about life and God. And then you have Jake, who was introduced to us in the first couple of books and is fairly depressed, struggles with PTSD, and on a mental road to nowwhere. I love that Jake and Lyndie have a shared past of friendship, but I particularly love the way that Jake loves Lyndie. It’s not through words, its almost all action. Ms. Wade writes the best heroes.

Spiritually, the theme of the novel is grace and it rests on the fact that God is good….all the time. Loved it.

What I didn’t like:

(spoilery).Missionary dating. Lyndie definitely starts dating Jake fully aware that he’s not committed to the things of God and then prays that she won’t fall in love. Well, for one that’s not logical and two, did that mean that it would be okay for him to fall in love with her? This bothered me so much that I put the book down for a minute. BUT, it actually fails to be a problem so go figure.

Romance Scale: 9.5

Overall, this book is well worth reading, very romantic, and many times hilarious.

**I received a copy from BethanyHouse. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”—Daniel 3:17

1866 – Oberlin, Ohio
Devastated by her father’s death days after her triumphant graduation from Oberlin College, Amanda Stewart is all alone in the world. Her father’s unscrupulous business partner offers her an indecent proposal to earn a living. Instead, to fulfill a promise she made to her father, she resolves to start a school to educate and uplift their race. Sorting through her father’s papers, she discovers he had carried on a mysterious correspondence with a plantation in Milford, Georgia. She determines to start her teaching work with the formerly enslaved. However, when she arrives, the mayor tells her to leave. There’s no where for her to go.

Virgil Smithson, Milford’s mayor, blacksmith and sometimes preacher man with a gift for fiery oratory, doesn’t want anything to do with a snobby schoolteacher from up North. On top of everything else, the schoolteacher lady has a will hard enough to match the iron he forges. He must organize his fellow formerly enslaved citizens into a new town and raise his young daughter alone. Still, his troubled past haunts him. He cannot forget the promise he made to his daughter’s mother as she died—that their child would learn to read and write. If only he didn’t have secrets that the new schoolteacher seems determined to uncover.

To keep THE PREACHER’S PROMISE, Amanda and Virgil must put aside their enmity, unite for the sake of a newly-created community in a troubling age, and do things they never imagined. In the aftermath of the flood that was the Civil War, God set his bow upon the earth to show love and understanding for humankind. To reflect God’s promise, these combatants must put aside their differences and come together–somehow.

Review

I stumbled across this book due to the wonders of Twitter. And since I love, love, love to read diverse books, so glad I did. My thoughts:

What I liked:

The time period. The novel takes place in 1866 which is strange time in America for black Americans. Not all black Americans were ex-slaves at that time as Amanda embodies. Amanda represents the lives of blacks who had been free for generations and went to college and generally speaking, lived like the majority. And then’s there’s Virgil, who was a slave for most of his life. I loved the way the author was able to show the difference in their lifestyles and their way of thinking when they came across various challenges.

Virgil. He was my favorite character in the book. I loved everything about him. I loved that he bought himself out of slavery and rose above his situation. And yet still had to deal with the fact that there was slavery. He’s a mayor of his community and looked up to even though he is still very much learning what freedom for ex slaves means now.

Romance. The romance surprised me a bit but in a good way. Amanda and Virgil have nothing in common except that they have the same color of skin. Watching them being forced to interact was very entertaining.

Spiritually, the novel has a beautiful theme of forgiveness and how if you don’t forgive, you create a prison of your own.

What I didn’t like:

Amanda makes a decision about 80% into the novel that I didn’t care for, but it only last for about a chapter.

Romantic Scale: 8

Overall, I am so glad I stumbled across this novel. It’s so different than what is usually out there and I look forward to reading more books by Piper Huguley.

Guys! Can you believe it? It’s my 3rd year blog Anniversary! Here’s to many more!

The disturbing visions that helped Daniel Byers solve a deadly mystery have finally quieted, and the sixteen-year-old basketball star is looking forward to things settling back to normal. But when his father mysteriously disappears, Daniel realizes that the key to finding his dad rests in deciphering his chilling hallucinations.

Soon, long-buried secrets begin to surface, revealing clues that could help him locate his father. But as the past collides with the present and reality begins to blur around him, Daniel faces a race against time to save his dad before it’s too late.

Filled with pulse-pounding suspense, Fury continues the thrilling young adult Blur Trilogy from bestselling author Steven James.

Review

Once upon a time, I devoured mysteries (I’m looking at you Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys). Then I got tired of mysteries. But there is one author I buy for his mysteries no matter what: Steven James. So naturally I picked up Fury (which is YA). But I would almost argue that this book is more or less Christian horror (yes, that’s right, you heard me). My thoughts:

What I liked

The horror part. Oh my goodness did this book have me jumpy. My sister opened my bedroom door and I almost threw something at her. This book ranks high on the creepy factor. And I loved every moment of it. Dead people? yes. Hallucinations? Yes. Unreliable narrator? Yes.

Daniel. Poor Daniel. He is simultaneously smart and crazy. He is completely unreliable as a narrator because he’s never sure what is real and what is not real. While this was introduced in the first novel, it was really taken to the extreme in this novel. I completely admired his friends for staying with him…even though they came across as often not trusting a word he said. I know what you’re thinking, how does this work for a main character? It just does. And it plays with your mind too.

The mystery. I love mysteries that pull on the past and reference the future. Thinking about the book a day later, though, I’m still not entirely sure what the old mystery had to do with the new mystery. But. That in no way detracts from the fun. Dead girl from 80 years ago, creepy lighthouses where people committed suicide, homicidal sleep-walking. Yes.

Spiritually, Daniel begins asking questions about demons and their influence on people. His girlfriend, who is a believer (why is she dating an unbeliever???), assures him that God’s power is stronger than any demonic influence.

What I didn’t like

The only thing that had me shaking my head was just how smart Daniel’s friends were. I can deal with Daniel being smart. Anomalies are one thing. But I have a teenage sister and I know her teenage friends….and while I won’t say that they’re not smart, I will say that they are interested in “teenage” things and not research and…stuff….

Romantic scale: 5 (Dan has a gf)

Overall, I had so much fun with this book! It’s not often I read books that give me the creeps, but I so enjoyed the suspense of this one and I had to know what had happened!

“I live in the in between. Between holding on and letting go. Hurt clings to me. Hope teases me. Home. I can’t explain it, but sometimes, I just want to go home.”

Talia and Jesse Vanderbilt have escaped a childhood full of abuse, and when they have a chance to put their father behind bars, setbacks arise from every direction. The siblings can’t help but consider the option to walk away and move on with their lives.

Then someone unexpected brings his own secrets, forcing the Vanderbilt teens to revisit their pasts and rethink their plans. Through it all, Lagan and Talia’s Post-it love story blossoms, while Jesse and Summer hit roadblocks.

From the award-winning author of Swimming Through Clouds and Seeing Through Stones comes a powerful story of freedom and belonging in this final book of the young adult trilogy that began with an invitation on a little Post-it note.

Review

I had the privilege of reading the previous novels in this trilogy and I actually didn’t realize that a third one was coming out. The second one was good, but it definitely felt like the story wasn’t over. So I was thrilled when the author told me about the third book!

My thoughts:

What I liked

The dual pov of Talia and Jesse. For some people this can be irritating, but I appreciated being able to see events from both of their povs. And frankly, Jesse was so secretive that if I didn’t have his thoughts I wouldn’t know what he was up to.

The diversity. Again, I love that Talia and Jesse are Indian and South African. I love that their friends are equally diverse. And I’m even glad that one of the new secondary characters is fully South African. It allows you to learn about different cultures and different people.

The suspense. I don’t want to give it away, but in book two you think the danger is over, but it’s not completely over. You are definitely on your toes, just as much as Talia and Jesse are.

Father-son relationship. I will say that there isn’t much romance in this novel because Talia and Jesse have pretty much found their significant others in the previous books, thus the novel focuses more on other things. One of those things is Jesse finding a father figure. And I didn’t mind the lack of romance at all because Jesse needed that father figure and watching him discover that relationship had me flipping the pages just as much as if it were a romance novel.

Spiritually, the novel is like the others in the sense that it’s a bit vague and often refers to God as the gardener (for Talia) but I would say the theme is to trust that God will work it out.

What I didn’t like

Okay, this may be because I didn’t remember something accurately from the second novel, but I couldn’t understand why Jesse was doing everything he could to get a job and a place for him and Talia to live while Talia stayed home and journaled.

The other thing though, is that as much as Jesse needed a father figure, I would have liked to see him meet the Gardner as well. He had such a tough row to hoe that I wished he could learn to depend on someone other than people.

Romantic scale: 7

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It took me a couple chapters to get involved, but once I got into it, I read it quickly and when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it. I wouldn’t call it a “fun” series (due to the topic), but it is definitely worth reading.

** I received a copy of this book from the author. My opinion was not affected in any way.**

Recently, I reviewed a book, which for me, had a pretty big cliffhanger and I was not happy. Once upon a time, I liked cliffhangers, I thought they added a bit of pizzaz to the novel. But either I’ve just gotten older or I read too many books, because I can’t stand cliffhangers. Here’s why:

1. Generally speaking, book two or three won’t come out for a whole year. That’s a long time for me to remember characters and plots and…care. I cannot tell you how many “book ones” I’ve enjoyed and how many “book twos” I have not read because time and distance has made me ambivalent.

2. You lose the magic of book one. Unless, the novel is just life-changing, or hands down your favorite book of the year, by the time you read book two, you usually spend the first couple of chapters remembering what you liked about the book in the first place. I’ve gotten to the place folks, where now I don’t buy a book if there is a cliffhanger. I wait until the whole series is completed first.

When Cliffhangers work:

1. When book two is coming out in a couple of months.

2. When the major plot has been tied up and book two continues with someone or something that does not feel major (it can become major in book two, but otherwise the novel feels wrapped up).

And so I ask you, how do you feel about cliffhangers?

From the bestselling author of It Happened at the Fair and Fair Play comes a compelling historical novel about a progressive “New Woman”—the girl behind Tiffany’s chapel—and the love that threatens it all.

As preparations for the 1893 World’s Fair set Chicago and the nation on fire, Louis Tiffany—heir to the exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry empire—seizes the opportunity to unveil his state-of-the-art, stained glass, mosaic chapel, the likes of which the world has never seen.

But when Louis’s dream is threatened by a glassworkers’ strike months before the Fair opens, he turns to an unforeseen source for help: the female students at the Art Students League of New York. Eager for adventure, the young women pick up their skirts, move to boarding houses, take up steel cutters, and assume new identities as the “Tiffany Girls.”

Tiffany Girl is the heartwarming story of the impetuous Flossie Jayne, a beautiful, budding artist who is handpicked by Louis to help complete the Tiffany chapel. Though excited to live in a boarding house when most women stayed home, she quickly finds the world is less welcoming than anticipated. From a Casanova male, to an unconventional married couple, and a condescending singing master, she takes on a colorful cast of characters to transform the boarding house into a home while racing to complete the Tiffany chapel and make a name for herself in the art world.

As challenges mount, her ambitions become threatened from an unexpected quarter: her own heart. Who will claim victory? Her dreams or the captivating boarder next door?

Review

Deeanne Gist is one of my auto-buy authors and so naturally, I was excited to get my hands on her new novel. My thoughts:

What I liked:

Tiffany Girl. I had never heard of Tiffany Girls. Ms. Gist seems to be on a Chicago Fair kick and with each book, I learn more and more about that time era. I must say, she incorporates her research flawlessly in a work of fiction, so much so, that I never feel like I’m “learning” anything.

Flossie. I liked Flossie. I liked her idealism and her ambition. I liked the fact that she impacted people around her. And I like that you really see her character grow and develop. I found that I really cared about Flossie and it’s not often that I care about heroines or feel as emotionally invested in them as I did with Flossie.

Reeve. I liked Reeve because I like heroes who are not cookie cutter and Reeve is not cookie cutter. He is lonely, yet opinionated, and very rough around the edges. And every time he appeared on the pages, I looked forward to Flossie upending his careful life.

The romance. It was my kind of romance. It was the slow kind that developed over time making it something that you knew would stand the test of time. I loved the way Reeve’s action showed he loved her more than just his words.

Spiritually, I will say that someone mentions a Bible. Maybe someone prays. I would have to say that this novel is more or less a clean romance novel.

What I didn’t like:

I will say there is a certain point where Reeve and Flossie are separated and while it makes sense for them to grow, I was just skimming the pages where they were apart.

Romantic Scale: 9

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It was a lovely look at a different aspect of the Chicago Fair and the romance was really the star here.

**I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

At the wood’s edge cultures collide. Can two families survive the impact?

The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths.

On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife. When Reginald comes across an Oneida mother with newborn twins, one white, one brown, he makes a choice that will haunt the lives of all involved. He steals the white baby and leaves his own child behind. Reginald’s wife and foundling daughter, Anna, never suspect the truth about the boy they call William, but Reginald is wracked by regret that only intensifies with time, as his secret spreads its devastating ripples.

When the long buried truth comes to light, can an unlikely friendship forged at the wood’s edge provide a way forward? For a father tormented by fear of judgment, another by lust for vengeance. For a mother still grieving her lost child. For a brother who feels his twin’s absence, another unaware of his twin’s existence. And for Anna, who loves them both—Two Hawks, the mysterious Oneida boy she meets in secret, and William, her brother. As paths long divided collide, how will God direct the feet of those who follow Him?

Review

I’m a huge fan of everything that Lori Benton writes, mainly because she writes excellent historical fiction about a time period that is not often utilized (except by maybe Laura Frantz). I also love that usually one of her main characters is American Indian (yay diversity!). But, I will say that the “back of the book” though accurate wasn’t exactly what I thought. I assumed the novel would mainly be from Anna’s pov, but it wasn’t. There were about four other povs and Anna’s didn’t jump in until about 40%. This didn’t bother me, except that I expected something different. My thoughts:

What I liked:

The story. I love the idea of switching babies (ok, not really, but it works well as a plot device). I was completely invested in the storyline from the start.

The setting. The novel starts during the French Indian War and ends just at the start of the American Revolution. There is so much going on and yet you don’t get lost in the details.

The characters. All of them. I wanted good things for all of them.

The romance. I loved watching Anna fall in love. When she was with her guy, time stood still. They were friends first and when it became love, I was just so happy for them.

Spiritually, the novel dealt with having a relationship with Christ and how the grace of God can change lives. Also, it dealt with forgiveness and grace and how there is no sin you can commit that Christ has not already died for.

What I didn’t like:

I saw that this book was a series, but that fact registered like a blip on my radar…until I reached the 80% of the novel and realized that things were not going to conclude. While that was kind of annoying to me, I could deal with it because I like the characters. But, I really wanted a specific “thing” to come to a resolution and it didn’t. And that didn’t exactly make me want to read the next book, it made me angry (though I will definitely be reading the next book).

Romantic Scale: 9

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t want to put it down. I don’t mind that there is a second one in the sense that I really liked the characters and look forward to being put in their heads again. I’m just kind of irritated it will be another year before that happens.

So, it looks like things are on schedule and my next book will be coming out in June. Yay! That said, I thought it would be fun to spend a few Mondays sharing some things about my next book, how it came together, and finding out from you today what inspires you to be creative.

What inspires me? A lot of different things. I’ve mentioned before that The Eyes of the Heart came out of my love for a children’s book and a history class I was taking in college. But this book was a bit different.

For this novel, there were two distinct things that jump started my novel: an article in a newspaper I read and a song. Some time ago, I read in a newspaper an article about a man who was a well-known photographer of the Civil Rights Movement. Like, that is what he was known for. But then he died. And his family went through all his papers and discovered that the man was, in fact, an undercover FBI agent during the Civil Rights Era. Instead of being impressed or wowed, they were extremely upset, and concluded that his legacy was a joke (paraphrase). And I remember reading that article and thinking just because the man was an FBI agent (which seemed pretty cool to me) did not mean that he was in any way anti-Civil Rights. Why couldn’t he be both? And so I try to reconcile those two identities in my new book, Unfailing Love with my hero Truitt Tate.

I was also inspired by a song called “Deep Blood Red” by Mali Music. Music definitely inspires me as a writer, but rarely as much as it did with this song. It actually wasn’t the lyrics so much as the feel of the music. I heard the song, and I saw two people dancing, in the American south, at someone’s farm, and I knew the man was the law, and the woman was a native, that he loved her, and that they had a history there (yes, this scene is actually in the book).

I’m currently working on another book, and I can tell you now that I was inspired by the life of a man who was introduced to me in a legal class I took in law school. It’s never the same for me (though often similar). Lightening rarely strikes twice.

And so I ask you, if you paint, if you write, if you sing, if you dance, if you cook, what inspires you or has inspired you in the past? Is it music? Movies? TV shows? Other books? Actual people? Let me know!