Love Inspired Historicals discussion
Monthly Author Q&A
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Q&A with March 2014 authors!
These books all sound so good! Looking forward to the chat.
see ya tomorrow ladies, books and authors looks like we will have a good chat.
Can't believe it's that time again already! Where do the time go?
Wow, Feb went by fast! I am excited for another month of this. :)
Can't wait to get the conversation started in the morning ladies! Jo Ann is giving away a book (U.S. residents only) to one commenter. :)
Hi Christina cant wait to talk to you all.
Jo Ann Brown
Welcome, everyone, to the start of our March Q&A week! I’m really excited to be helping out with the monthly Q&A and look forward to getting to know our readers better. A huge thanks to Deborah Hale for guiding me through the process.
Our first March author, Jo Ann Brown, sold her first book in 1987. Since then, she’s sold 100 titles and has become a best-selling and award-winning author. She writes romance, mystery, and paranormal under a variety of pen names. She currently writes for Harlequin Love Inspired Historical and Guideposts mystery series. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages. A teacher of creative writing for over 20 years, she has established several popular fiction courses at Brown University.
Jo Ann’s March book is A Bride for the Baron, the third installment for her series Sanctuary Bay.
A Man Beyond Her Reach
Vera Fenwick is everything a vicar's sister should be—helpful, modest and sensible. She knows the perils of falling for a man above her station, but it does no harm to admire Edmund Herriott, Lord Meriweather—from afar. She's perfectly content to help him restore the local rectory…and she's much too reasonable to risk her heart.
Working alongside Vera to rebuild the church and foil a smuggling ring is restoring the confidence Edmund lost in battle. Vera may be sure she's not suited to be an aristocrat's wife, but Edmund is utterly confident of one thing—that this unexpected love was built to last.
Sanctuary Bay: Where three war heroes find the healing power of love
*Jo Ann has graciously offered to give away a copy to one lucky commenter (U.S. residents only). The winner will be announced at the end of the week.
Welcome, Jo Ann! This cover is so lush and beautiful, it makes me want to join your hero and heroine in that garden! Your story sounds wonderful. A Bride for the Baron the last book in this series? Do you have plans for other series after this one?
Hi Jo Ann! What a pleasure to be sharing this month's Q&A with another great group of ladies! I so look forward to getting to know you all and the LIH readers better.
I wholeheartedly agree with Karen that A BRIDE FOR THE BARON is beautifully packaged. I love the notion of a little mystery mixed in with the romance.
QUESTION: Is it hard coming up with "mystery/crime" subplots within a Christian context and is it hard to incorporate them in 70,000 words?
Can't wait to get to "big town" and a bookstore! It's definitely on my want to read list!
Hi Jo Ann! Such a lovely cover and definitely an intriguing blurb! Christian fiction is so rich these days and your story illustrates it perfectly--romance, mystery, history and suspense all rolled into one book.
What's your favorite part to write? The romance or the mystery? I'm reading a book about writing styles--pantsers, plotters and tweeners. Which one are you?
Stay warm!
Vicki
Hi Jo Ann,I agree with the other ladies. It is a beautiful cover. It also sounds like a great storyline. I guess I have two questions to start off with. How long does it take for you to write a book? Did you have much say in how the cover was designed?
Blessings,
Brittany
Good morning Jo Ann, gee you started writing the year I got married...good year huh? I must admit have not read your stories yet but looking forward to them. I like the Nobility and to see them have problems just like us common folks. What made you decide to write about these type of people -do you or your family descend from nobility? Is it hard to write about a different type of people like this?
Hi Jo Ann, Lovely book cover and the book sounds very interesting. I even like that they uncover a smuggling ring.
Did you learn any interesting historical tidbits when researching for the Sanctuary Bay series?
I have all 4 of these sitting in my to read pile. I'll get to them eventually.
Hi Jo Ann,I'll add my agreement with the other ladies, your book has a lovely cover, and the story sounds interesting.
Did you base your smuggling sub-plot on historical fact, or is it a product of your fertile imagination?
I have to go downtown today, but I'll drop by again when I get home. Meanwhile...Hi to all!It's a sunny 3 degrees here today. I hope it's warmer where you are. Brrrr....
Hi Jo Ann, Your exciting book has such a beautiful cover. I am reading it right now on kindle from the March 2014 Love Inspired Historical Bundle and I am enjoying it right now.How long did it take to research to do this series?
I hope this question makes sense because I have trouble putting my words into a good question.
Hi Jo An,Is this a stand alone or should one read the others first in the series? :)
It sounds interesting, Jo Ann. The plot is intriguing!
Hi Jo Ann, Welcome! I hope all is well and congratulations on writing so many books! What drew you to writing? And what drew you to historicals?
Wow! Lots of comments -- so let me try and catch up. I was working very late last night and slept in very late this morning...which answers Keli's question first -- so let me get to answering questions.Penny, thanks for your question about putting mystery elements in with a romance. I often have mystery/suspense elements in my romances. After all, what is a romance but a suspense anyhow? Will they fall in love in spite of what stands in their way? Will they overcome their fears that threaten to keep them from admitting their love for each other? Will they see that the way to happiness is through their love for each other and God's love for them?
After answering those questions, adding another couple of mystery/suspense elements questions seems easy...at least for me.
And everything about writing to 70-75k words is tough for me. My first drafts are usually around 80,000 words...and then it's whittle, whittle, whittle down from there.
Jo
Vicki, I used to be a pantser and now I'm a pantser who is forced to a be a plotter, because I have to write a synopsis to include with the first three chapters when I submit an idea to my editor. Even so, I never write a book (or even a synopsis) from page 1 to "the end". I write what I know about the story -- jumping from scene to scene until I have a collection of scenes which I put together (sometimes even having to toss one out -- which is always painful)into a completed manuscript. It's an odd way to write, but not unique. I know a few other authors who write this way.I love writing the romance part best. That first awareness of each other, the moment when a heart is touched...and when it opens to the possibility of that happy ever after ending. That never gets old, no matter how often I've taken that journey with characters.
And I love writing mystery elements. That's what makes it fun. I love complicating my characters' lives even more...and going on adventures with them!
Jo
Hi, Brittany!I'm a quick writer, and I usually write a first draft in a couple of weeks. Then I let it sit for another week to age...and give myself some perspective on it. Finally it takes 3-4 days for me to do a final draft. So usually about a month for the whole process. I can write more quickly than that (my record is 9 days), but this is the pace that seems to work best for me.
Harlequin authors get input on their covers via the dreaded "Author Fact Sheet". It's a form we fill out with information on the characters, their clothing, and three possible scenes for the cover. We send in pictures to illustrate what we've put in the form. After that, we just wait and hope for the best. I've been so lucky with the Sanctuary Bay trilogy's covers. All the characters are very similar to the pictures I submitted...and all three have been set in my favorite suggested settings.
Jo
Paula, I had to smile when I read your questions. A few months ago, I would have said that I descend from a long line of New England farmers (back to the Mayflower), but then one of my great-uncles shared the family tree he researched...and our family is descended from Charlemagne as well as a long line of Norse and Swedish kings. Now you would laugh if you saw that I'm barely 5 feet tall and definitely not Scandinavian in appearance. So we've had a lot of giggles about how far our family tree has spread.As far as writing about the English nobility, the earliest book I wrote for publication (not the first one published...actually #3) was about an English lord who was married to an American patriot at the time of the Revolutionary War. But I really came back to writing about the lords and ladies when my then-agent suggested that I write a Regency-set novel, and I fell in love with the language and manners of the time. I know I've been focusing on that time too much when the slang sneaks into my everyday talking. It's a good thing my husband is my first reader...otherwise he might not know what I'm talking about!
Jo
Jane, one of the things I love best about writing is the things I get to learn either by research or experiencing them firsthand. We visited Robin Hood's Bay, which is the inspiration for Sanctuary Bay, and walked the streets (there are only about 5), including the really steep one. We explored the real tunnel, at least as far as we could by the light of my camera's flash, where smugglers supposedly hid their wares.I've had some amazing experiences while researching, including being taught to use a quarterstaff by the man who choreographs movie and Broadway fights. I've flown hawks and dressed in period costumes. Believe me, walking in a hoop skirt is a challenge!
But I also love the book research part of it. Tidbits that I find delightful I can't wait to share with readers, especially the ones that astonished me. I was a history major in college and had planned to become a research librarian...until marriage and children put me on a different track. So now I get to enjoy those skills I learned and read about times and places that intrigue me.
Jo
Dorothy, the smugglers of Sanctuary Bay are based on real smugglers. There were rumors in more than one place along the English coast of churches being used to stash illegal goods. That was not ever proved in North Yorkshire, but what a delicious plot angle! I couldn't not put that in a book!But often I build a storyline on top of a historical period or a setting. In my next trilogy (presently called Precious Cargo and slated for 2015), my whole focus was to set the stories in Cornwall because I wanted to go and visit there!
Jo
Jo wrote: "Hi, Brittany!I'm a quick writer, and I usually write a first draft in a couple of weeks. Then I let it sit for another week to age...and give myself some perspective on it. Finally it takes 3-4 da..."
Wow, Jo Ann, that's impressive! I can only dream about writing that fast!
Rebecca, your question makes perfect sense. At least to me...before I have my first caffeine of the day. So that must mean it's very clear.I had 2 days of actual in the area of the book walking around time. Then I worked with a stack of local history books at my side to refer to. I can't do all my research before I start writing because then I want to put everything I learned into the story...and folks aren't reading them first and foremost for a history lesson. So I look up things as I go along. That means having to go back and rewrite at times, but that's okay.
I'm glad you're enjoying our books this month. I've already read them all because I belong to the book club and got them a few weeks back. I'm so pleased and proud to be part of this month's group of authors.
Jo
Melody, A Bride for the Baron is the third and final book in the Sanctuary Bay series. Like all books in a series (or at least for me when I'm reading other authors' series), it can be read alone. However, the experiences is much richer and definitely more clear if you read them in order. That way, you know who the other characters are and what they've experienced. In the case of Sanctuary Bay, the smuggling subplot is told from book 1 to book 3...so if you want to know what happened to bring the characters to this point, it's best to read them in order.Jo
Thanks, Valri! I had fun with the mystery elements as well as the romance ones in this series. Something about North Yorkshire just begs for suspense. The bleak moors and the craggy cliffs are perfect settings for a game of cat and mouse.Jo
Jennifer, I think what drew me to writing was that my grandmother was a storyteller. She always put us with us pleading for another story, so I grew up with stories. I wrote my first one when I was about 10, and I wrote my first novel in high school. Fortunately it will never see the light of day, but I had great fun writing it and I learned a lot about putting stories on paper by writing those 250,000 words. I've always liked to write long I think I came to historicals first because I'd studied history in college and I'm endlessly fascinated by how different and how alike people are throughout time. The fact that I can spend days with my nose in dusty books no one else has checked out of the library in years is an added bonus!
Also when I decided to write for publication back in 1984 (gasp! 30 years ago this fall!!), I was reading historical novels. My ideas just seemed to form in the past, so I went with it.
Jo
Keli, that brings me back to your question. If I don't get 8 hours of sleep a night, I'm a mama bear to live with. I just spend 8+ hours a day writing. And then there are days like today when I've worked until 3 am and sleep in. Fortunately the USAF Thunderbirds have just started their practice runs in the past few minutes. From my back porch, I can watch them do their maneuvers, and they're practicing this week (and last) for the upcoming NASCAR race here in Las Vegas...where we're "suffering" with temps in the mid-60's today.
I don't miss those single degree days back in New England!
So now that I'm caught up...I'll be checking in more. Sorry to be so late getting the day started. I really appreciate all your questions. They're great ones! Keep'em coming!
Jo
Jo wrote: "Jane, one of the things I love best about writing is the things I get to learn either by research or experiencing them firsthand. We visited Robin Hood's Bay, which is the inspiration for Sanctuary..."How exciting to have visited where smugglers once hid their goods and being able to incorporate your firsthand experiences into your books.
I have always enjoyed books with elements of mystery and/or danger.
Keli wrote: "So, Jo, you write and sleep and live the rest of your life in equal increments. Nicely balanced. What keeps you energized while you're writing? Music? Chocolate? A furry friend?"Ah, if only my life was truly that well balanced. Most of the time, like all of us, I feel like I'm running in place trying to catch up
My energizer of choice is Pepsi. I have one in the evening while spending time with hubby. I do a lot of my writing late at night, so it keeps me going. I always have music on -- country music and the oldies (both from the 60's and Sinatra and Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald) and anything else that strikes my fancy at the time.
I'm not a big fan of chocolate, but my cat -- Lilo -- a gray tiger always keeps me on track. Right now, she's reminding me that she hasn't been fed yet this morning...and she's about to fade away. Of course, she acts that way even after I feed her, especially if there's cheese around!
Jo
Hi, Jo Ann!This sounds like such a wonderful series and Sanctuary Bay sounds like quite an intriguing setting. I am always fascinated by story ideas and inspiration. Do you choose your setting and then begin working on a storyline or does the story come first and then the setting?
Britney
Britney wrote: "Hi, Jo Ann!This sounds like such a wonderful series and Sanctuary Bay sounds like quite an intriguing setting. I am always fascinated by story ideas and inspiration. Do you choose your setting ..."
Hi, Britney! To answer your question -- it depends on the book. In the case of Sanctuary Bay, the characters came first, which led to the setting and then the story. I wanted to do stories about warriors coming back from battle and the cost of the war on their personal lives. I'm former military, so it's a topic near and dear to my heart. So I had my three heroes, and I could set them anywhere I wanted in England.
North Yorkshire is one of my favorite places, so I decided on that location. I've been fascinated with Robin Hood's Bay since I first saw it on a map. Once I decided on that location, the idea of smugglers followed quickly because it was such a part of the local history.
For my next trilogy, Precious Cargo, the setting came first because I wanted to spend time (both literally and through books) in Cornwall. I decided to combine a couple of my favorite locations into "my" cove. Next came the story of 6 small children who are discovered floating in a boat in a protected cove. Finally the characters emerged -- the people whose lives would be changed by the children's arrival.
It's really not that linear, though. Things pop up like kernels of popcorn -- going in every direction and every possibility, until I narrow down what will work together. That's the part of writing I like best -- when everything is possible.
Jo
Love the sound of this storyline. I can't wait to get my hands on it!
Christina wrote: "Love the sound of this storyline. I can't wait to get my hands on it!"Oh, those are words that thrill an author's heart! Thanks, Christina! I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Jo
the book sounds interesting not just about the aristocracy. I like books better that focus more on the commoners. did you learn any interesting tibits when writing the book?
Jo wrote: "Jennifer, I think what drew me to writing was that my grandmother was a storyteller. She always put us with us pleading for another story, so I grew up with stories. I wrote my first one when I was..."That's so cool that your Grandma told you stories like she did. My Grandpa used to tell us stories from when he lived on a farm about his brothers and pranks they used to play on a neighboring farmer who in turn would get them back all in good fun.
I love history as well.
Ausjenny wrote: "the book sounds interesting not just about the aristocracy. I like books better that focus more on the commoners. did you learn any interesting tibits when writing the book?"
I think one of the most interesting tings I learned about with A Bride for the Baron was about church architecture in the early 19th century. One of the churches in Robin Hood's Bay has a strange trio of lecturns/pulpits. Each one set above the other with a single set of stairs connecting them. One was for reading announcements. The second for readings from the Bible and the third for the sermon. Oddest set-up, but obviously someone thought it made good sense. Also we went into some of the pews with the tall doors and walls around them to keep in the warmth. The pew with the crest on the door (meaning it belonged to nobility) had a great view of the pulpits, but was also set at the far end of the church. So the family could see and be seen? I'm not sure, but it's fun to think about.
Jo
Jennifer, I grew up on a farm as my parents' families had for many, many generations. I think that's why I like to write about smaller towns and outlying areas rather than London. Though the Beau Monde certainly had a lot of adventures in town during that time.Jo
Jo wrote: "Britney wrote: "Hi, Jo Ann!This sounds like such a wonderful series and Sanctuary Bay sounds like quite an intriguing setting. I am always fascinated by story ideas and inspiration. Do you choo..."
Thank you! All of these storylines and settings sound wonderful and I am eager to start reading!
Britney, hope you enjoy the stories! I'm eager to begin writing the second book in the Precious Cargo series once my editor gives me an okay on it. Spending time with my characters is always such fun (except on the days when it is definitely NOT!) because I get to know them well and want to get them to their happy ever after ending.Jo
Jo wrote: "Hi, Brittany!I'm a quick writer, and I usually write a first draft in a couple of weeks. Then I let it sit for another week to age...and give myself some perspective on it. Finally it takes 3-4 da..."
Thanks Jo! I have really enjoyed reading all of the questions and your answers to them today. And wow! You ARE a fast writer :-)
Thanks to everyone who stopped by today. There were a lot of interesting questions! Jo Ann, I'm looking forward to learning more about your next series about the orphans. What a unique plot twist. Thanks so much for participating.Please feel free to continue posing questions to Jo Ann. Also, I hope you can all stop by tomorrow when we talk to Christina Rich about her debut novel, The Guardian's Promise.
Thanks, everyone, for dropping by. I'll check in a bit later in case there are some lingering questions/comments. Don't forget to stop by the rest of the week to chat with Christina, Penny, and Linda!Jo
Love Inspired Historicals
Books mentioned in this topic
A Bride for the Baron (other topics)Winning Over the Wrangler (other topics)
Wolf Creek Wedding (other topics)
Wolf Creek Homecoming (other topics)
The Guardian's Promise (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jo Ann Brown (other topics)Linda Ford (other topics)
Penny Richards (other topics)
Penny Richards (other topics)
Jo Brown (other topics)
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The Q&A session with our March authors starts Monday!
Swing by and meet the authors and hear about their March books! Ask your burning questions and get a chance to win free copies!