Love Inspired Historicals discussion
Monthly Author Q&A
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Q&A with December 2012 Authors!
Have a safe trip Deborah I can't wait to talk with all our authors!!
great Deb looks like a good lineup...safe traveling-see ya tomorrow
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Starting off our December 2012 Q&A week is Rachelle McCalla. Although her December book A Royal Marriage is her debut with Love Inspired Historical, Rachelle has written quite a number for the Love Inspired Suspense line.
Welcome, Rachelle and thanks for joining us this week! Can you tell us how you came to branch out from inspirational romantic suspense to historicals? This book is the first of a series, correct? Can you tell us how you got interested in this historical period and a bit about the series?
First off since I won in last month's Q&A don't enter me in this month's.I love your Reclaiming the Crown series. I am waiting for my order to come in from eharlequin and it includes A Royal Marriage!! I have also seen the cover for your next book for LIS coming out in March and I can't wait. How many more books do you plan for these series??
Thanks everyone! I hope you enjoy A Royal Marriage, Laura! My new series, Protecting the Crown, is a spin-off of my Reclaiming the Crown books, which is made up of four suspense romances set in the fictional kingdom of Lydia on the Mediterranean. The kingdom of Lydia has a long history, dating back to the woman, Lydia, from the Bible (Acts 16:14 & 40).In the course of the Reclaiming the Crown series, readers saw glimpses of this long history, so in the new series, I'm expanding on those and telling the full story of the romances of Lydia's past. This first book, A Royal Marriage, takes a real historical figure, one of Charlemagne's daughters, Gisela. History records her name and dates of birth and death, but little else about her. Based on what we know of Charlemagne and some of the other members of the family, as well as the culture and other historical incidents of the time period, I've recreated her life, interweaving it with that story of the kingdom of Lydia.
Whew! That's a rather long explanantion for a simple question. I hope that was clear!
Rachelle, Hello good to see ya again. I have not read this series but royalty I think holds interest in most folks. I am sure your book is an interesting story just from reading these tidbits here.Deb mentions historical for you and I am wondering if you will have any pioneer type historical ones in your future?
thanks for sharing with us today
Paula,Thanks for your question! I live in Nebraska and this summer we took our four kids all over the state for vacation. We visited a lot of historical pioneer sites, so that era certainly holds interest for me. I don't have any pioneer stories in the works as yet, but who knows? The future is wide open (and so is the past...)
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Yes, Deborah, I love royalty watching! I'm following the news about Will and Kate's baby quite closely. Personally I'm hoping they have a girl, but really either would be delightful.One of the fun things I've done with this series is to layer in lots of allegory to Biblical concepts of royalty. For those who've read the Reclaiming the Crown series, did you spot any of these ideas? Did any of them touch your hearts in a particular way?
A warm welcome to you, Rachelle! I rarely read suspense, as I'm more into relationship drama, so I didn't realize you had an earlier series that ties into Protecting the Crown. Now I might have to read the original series.I also confess to being a fan of royalty when it comes to William and Kate. After Charles and Diana's sad story, it is so refreshing to see their son in what seems to be a truly happy marriage. I'd love to see them have a daughter to eventually follow in Queen Elizabeth's footsteps.
Thanks Carole! I agree--Will and Kate seem to be sincerely happy together, and that is so refreshing.I'd be delighted if you found time to read the Reclaiming the Crown books! The series starts with Princess in Peril, followed by Protecting the Princess, Prince Incognito, and finally, The Missing Monarch. The stories follow four royal siblings in the wake of an ambush on the royal motorcade, as insurgent forces try to take over their father's government. While the story is certainly set in the world of today, it ties in to many historical ideas and themes (hence the historical books!) and has a fair share of relationship drama as well. The first story probably has the most action, with more of the relationships building through the latter books once the stage has been set.
Thanks for your comment!
Hi Rachelle how did you find writing the historical book after the suspense books? Was it difficult or an easy change of direction. I guess having the same location would help. yes it is exciting about the royal baby.
Thanks for your question, Ausjenny! I tend to do a LOT of research for my suspense books--things I don't know much about, like explosives, weapons, international flight schedules, that sort of thing...that in comparison, my historicals don't require much research. So even though the historicals are longer, they take about the same time to write. It helps that I studied that period of Christian history in both college and seminary--I have a pretty good idea of the major trends and way of life, so I don't have to stop and look things up as much. It makes a big difference. And you're completely right--it helps a LOT using the same location--I already have the geography figured out. Thanks for stopping by!
Now I'm hooked on your suspense series, Rachelle.I would have thought historicals took more research, but once you mentioned explosives, weapons, etc. - that makes more sense.
Where did you go to seminary? My daughter is about to graduate from a seminary in Johnson City, TN, Emmanuel School of Religion. She's currently serving as a campus minister at a university in Germany.
That's so exciting, Carole! I have not been to Germany (it's on my list of places to visit) but I was just across the Elbe in the Czech Republic this summer. Gorgeous area of creation! Does she enjoy it there? Tell her to make sure she brings home some chocolate--I missed the European chocolates so much when I got home!My husband and I both graduated from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA. We had a fabulous experience there. My advisor was the Christian History professor, so I ended up taking several history courses (I also had a minor in history in college). It turns out those classes were quite helpful after all! It's funny. One class I took was called "Women in Church History," and we focused on all the female leaders of the church--women were especially active in the earlier centuries--something a lot of people don't realize anymore. Some of my reviews for A Royal Marriage have accused me of creating a character who's not realistic to her time period. She's actually extremely accurate--in fact I've stolen attributes from real historical figures! Ah, but they always say truth is stranger than fiction....
Hey Rachelle,Tell us a little about your writerly process ... are you a plotter or a pantser? I know you're a busy mom and help your husband in his ministry ... how do you fit your writing in, do you stick to a regular schedule or just catch a break when you can? Do you have a daily word count you aim for?
Hi Caroline! Thanks for stopping by! Great questions. I think I'm a plantser--I do a little plotting, a little panting, and somehow it all comes together. For example, I frequently have a pretty good idea of where I want to go with things, but then I fill in more of the details as I discover them. Sometimes that means the story veers off on a detour I wasn't expecting, or I find a better way to get to my destination. In my current WIP, I realized when I reached what I thought would be The End, that the characters weren't ready yet. They couldn't let go of their issues yet. It wasn't The End. There was another stage to the journey, and the story is better for it (and I really hope my editor agrees, since she approved the storyline before my pants overthrew my plot!)As far as word count goals, I'm not like Stephen King (in many ways, really, but that's another Q&A) who claimed to sit down every morning to write 2,000, then called it a day whenever he reached that point. As you quite perfectly noted, my life is full of crazy hectic schedule-busting distractions. I try to catch a "writing day" when I can, and on those days I do my best to make up for all the other days when writing isn't possible. Maybe someday I'll fall into a routine...but it's going to be a long time from now.
I will say I'm tremendously grateful that I get to do something I love, that fits around my life, instead of trying to fit my life the other way around.
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I really enjoyed A Proper Companion and am looking forward to A Suitable Wife. What are you working on right now and when does your next book come out?
Hello Louise and Deb, looking back at this book "A Suitable Wife" it strikes me as a Cinderella story which are kinds I love. I have not read A Proper Companion yet but these books and the era are type I like to read. Are there bits of your personal life in this story? thanks for sharing today...
Hi Rachelle, sorry I couldn't be here yesterday. Looking forward to this series as well as picking up your Reclaiming the Crown series - haven't got them yet but they've been on my "to-get" list for a while! I've really enjoyed your "Survival" & "Holyoake Heroes" Series! It's nice to have you here with LIH authors! :)On a royal front - I'm very pleased about our Duke & Duchess' baby news. It's VERY big news over here in the UK!
You mentioned you've added Biblical allegories to your stories - was that part of the original plan, or did they develop as you wrote the story?
Hi Louise, I see this is another book set in UK, your 1st 1 being in Shropshire - I believe we had a lovely discussion about that lovely county back in June! Back then we were in the midst of the Queen's Jubilee, now we're talking about your next book set in England here in the UK we're all talking about the Royal Heir-to-be! So when are you planning your next release? - in about 7 mths time when the baby is born? :)
I'm glad you made it, Wendy! I do hope you get a chance to read the Reclaiming the Crown books. The allegories were, for the most part, planned. I had in mind Kierkegaard's famous allegorical story of the prince and the peasant girl. I wanted to do something like that--but at the same time, to make the story a romance that could stand on its own. So it's not straight up allegory. Don't read more into it than is there! But there are some particularly resonant images that I hope will speak to readers' hearts. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hi, everyone. I'm a little late getting started today because I was fixing my dear hubby his usual Wednesday pancakes. It's a tradition that goes back to our child-rearing days, and he's my biggest "kid" of all. LOL!My Ladies in Waiting series has been great fun to write, but also a challenge. There are so many unique things about the Regency era, and I tried to get them right. I do hope any errors will be forgiven by diehard Regency fans.
I finished the third book in the series on October 1 and sent it off to my editor. It's title is A LADY OF QUALITY, and it will be released in July. Wendy, I think that's about when Will and Kate's baby will be born, right? So I feel right in sybnc with the royals.
Just another note about our Wednesday pancakes. When our four children were growing up and going to school, I wanted to do something in the middle of the week to get them over the midweek hump. They always looked forward to pancakes. Although I haven't used that particular idea in one of my novels, I may consider doing it in the appropriate setting.
Oops! I almost missed Deborah's question. First, let me say what a privilege it was to be in the anthology with you. That was my first foray into the Regency era, and I was overjoyed at being paired with you!\As to the other question about how I came to write my Ladies in Waiting series, the idea came to me when I was reading another author's delightful romance. In her story, a minor character caught my attention: the hero's mother's companion. This poor older woman had no life of her own! I wondered about the lives of these ladies' companions and began to read about them.
Of course my companions would have to be heroine material: young, beautiful, and financially destitute, but also of high enough social rank to be permitted in the drawing rooms of Society. So I created three different girls and named them ABC, for lack of something more creative: Anna, Beatrice, and Catherine. Naturally, one would think my next step would be to decide on my heroes, but I chose to create three very different older ladies who needed companions. That was lots of fun. The thing that ties the three books together is that the three ladies are best friends from childhood, and they all appear in all three books. One in particular loves to meddle in other people's lives, so she's the one to watch.
It's always so much fun to create these "worlds" and people them with fun and interesting characters.
Hi, Paula-O. Thanks for the question about bits of my own life being in these books. If there are, it's not done consciously, but I think we author's frequently give our characters something of ourselves without realizing it.
Wendy, in my earlier reply, I misspelled sync. I think I created a new word! LOL! Anyway, I'm praying that Kate's morning sickness will go away soon.BTW, I enjoyed our chat about Shropshire. I wish I could just move over to England for a year or so and write about the country of my ancestors, one branch, that is. That way I could take in all the lovely things about England that I admire from afar.
:) England will be pleased to have you. Praying Kate will be feeling better soon too!
Does anyone have another question about my series or about Love Inspired Historicals in general? Maybe I'll throw out a question: what do you like to read? Do you like westerns, Regencys, swashbuckling, Amish? What do you want your favorite author to writer next?
Hey, Rachelle, you rock! Great work, and thanks for the shout-out about the "Women in Church History" class at UDTS. So proud that you were my student. (Now I'm learning all kinds of things from you about being a writer.)
Thanks for stopping by, Dr. Hansen! That was the Best Class Ever! Who'd have guessed I'd have more books out by now than you do? Ah, but I suspect yours involve considerably more research...
Louise I love all kinds of romance from contempary to suspense and historical of course. My favorite period for historical is the Regency period and I am so glad to see that LIH is putting more of them out. What are you currently working on??
Hi Louise, I am looking forward to reading A Suitable Wife and am glad to know there is another one from the same series coming out next year!I really enjoy the Regency setting but also enjoy historical romances.
Are you still planning to stick with the Regency period for your future books?
i miss all the fun now days I got to bed before most of you are up and get up and the day for you is half gone!On what do I like I have to say I like the Westerns best. I love the American west but also the prairies. I am not a huge fan of regencies mainly cos of the pompous people I dont like the class system and tend to like the books that dont feature all the extravagance etc like the ones set more in the low classes or the navel ones. Its the same with the American ones set in high society. But thats just me. I like ones also during the wars to show how they survived. Loved Naomi's book set in the french revolution. While I say I am not mad on regency's after reading a couple where I wanted to reach in and hit the hero something shocking I have read a few I really enjoyed like Deborahs.
I am patiently waiting for an aussie historical to come out.
Have you written historicals in other settings besides england (I have a feeling you have and that I may have some but not sure).
Hi, again, Laura. I just finished writing the third book in this series. A LADY OF QUALITY will come out in July 2013. Right now I'm considering several ideas. I know the right story will surface soon from among the many in my head. I may try a western just for a change because I used to live in Colorado and love the West. But England is a big favorite, too.
Hi, Jane and Ausjenny. I think our posts crossed in cyberspace! So you know I'm considering other settings, although I'm pretty sure I'll stick to historicals. I've written a series about the family of Captain Ahab of Moby Dick fame. You can check them out on my Web site: http://blog.Louisemgouge.com.
I also wrote two post-Civil War books. My first Love Inspired Historical series was set in Florida during the American Revolution. Then I moved on to Regencies.
It's lots of fun to jump in my imaginary time machine and travel all over time and space to write about different settings.
Ausjenny, I wouldn't begin to know how to write about Australia. But as you and I have talked about before, the American West is very much like your great country. We're siblings, children of England.
I also like stories about the mid- and lower classes more than ones about the wealthy. But sometimes a story demands to be told, as this Regency series did. LOL!
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Ladies, can you tell us a bit about how you came to collaborate on these anthologies? Did you plan on doing more than one when you wrote the first?
I love mail order brides and you can't go wrong with Janet or Jillian's books! What are each of you working on now??
Hi Deborah, thanks for having us here!Hi Laura ::waving:: you're awesome, btw. : ) Thanks for your wonderfully kind words.
Laura, to answer your question, I'm finishing up the first book in my new historical series, the McPhee Clan. Montana Hearts will be out later this month, a story of sisters, true love and family ties in Montana Territory.
Deborah, I'll let Janet answer your question. Let me just say Montana was involved
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We have a blast meeting in Montana for lunch so we can talk and plan our next stories. Missoula hasn't been the same since!!
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Janet, this sounds like such a fun story. Cannot wait to read it!
*Waving back to Jillian & Janet* I am very excited to meet your new characters Janet. Since you mentioned self-published will the books have a more secular tone that the ones you write for LIH & LI?
Jillian I look forward to your new series as well.
Now if only my mail carrier would corperate and bring me my harlequin order so I could read
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Love Inspired Historicals
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Lacy Williams (other topics)Janet Tronstad (other topics)
Jillian Hart (other topics)
Louise M. Gouge (other topics)
Rachelle McCalla (other topics)
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Our December authors are - Louise M. Gouge, Rachelle McCalla, JanetTronstad, Jillian Hart, and Lacy Williams!
So get your questions ready for tomorrow...