Love Inspired Historicals discussion
First Ever Reverse Q&A
Laura AKA Loves 2 Read Romance wrote: "Morning Everyone! Wow we are up early this morning and ready to go! Ok my answers to the questions: What is your favorite place and era to read about?
I love Regency England, American History, I..."
I love Timeless, too! So glad they changed their minds and opted for a second season.
"Colonial chimneys are big enough to stage an escape, but antebellum ones might be only a few inches wide...so to give a Civil War soldier a chimney to climb, it would have to be an old house at the time.."Hannah, what an interesting history tidbit! My husband and I study antique architecture (he is a contractor along with pastoring a small church), but I'd never heard that about the chimney. Thanks for sharing!
I'm enjoying reading everyone's answers! Is there one story aspect that always hooks your interest? For me, I'm a sucker for stranded stories. If you have a hero and heroine stranded on a desert island or snowy cabin, I'm going to buy it.
Shannon wrote: "Ok, please forgive me here for this shameless plug but since I am a fairly new with the LIH line and you might not be familiar with me here goes....I totally agree that many of the Civil War era ..."
Shannon,
I loved your books. I grew up in Maryland and just love when someone gets it right which you did.
Christina wrote: "Melinda, thanks for your response! I know of one other LI author who writes Mississippi settings: my friend and Mississippi resident Lorraine Beatty. Hers are contemporary, though, and set in a fic..."Christina,
There is a lot of history in Natchez, Mississippi.
Thanks for a new to me author to read.
Melinda wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Ok, please forgive me here for this shameless plug but since I am a fairly new with the LIH line and you might not be familiar with me here goes....I totally agree that many of th..."
Thanks Melinda! I can tell by our reading lists that you and I have very similar taste!
I am curious...what makes the 1880's westerns so appealing?
Shannon wrote: "I am curious...what makes the 1880's westerns so appealing?"For me, it's the sense of openness and freedom that comes with open land. Granted, though, I don't read just a whole lot of them.
Christina wrote: "Melinda, thanks for your response! I know of one other LI author who writes Mississippi settings: my friend and Mississippi resident Lorraine Beatty. Hers are contemporary, though, and set in a fic..."Loved your book, Christina!
Hannah wrote: "Shannon wrote: "I am curious...what makes the 1880's westerns so appealing?"For me, it's the sense of openness and freedom that comes with open land. Granted, though, I don't read just a whole lo..."
Good to know! Thanks, Hannah!
I'm so glad you all like historical accuracy in your books. So if you read something you think may be wrong do you research to find the truth?I am completely jolted out of a story by modern language or slang! Or inappropriate names.
Here is another question. What names are you tired of for a cowboy hero? Or for a heroine?
Christina wrote: ""Colonial chimneys are big enough to stage an escape, but antebellum ones might be only a few inches wide...so to give a Civil War soldier a chimney to climb, it would have to be an old house at th..."Of course, it depends on the house, but in colonial times the fireplaces were huge affairs, and they had issues with too much cold air coming in, or rain or animals getting in...a man in the 1800s invented a special type of chimney that was much smaller but produced more heat, and the 1850 home I looked at had a modified version of his design.
Dorothy wrote: "I'm so glad you all like historical accuracy in your books. So if you read something you think may be wrong do you research to find the truth?I am completely jolted out of a story by modern langu..."
Me too! Those sorts of jolts are especially glaring to me, as I also read a lot of vintage novels and get used to how people spoke.
Great answers, ladies! I'm really enjoying hearing from you...and am learning a lot along the way!
Hi, Ladies. I just arrived. Loved all the questions and answers! My question is about point of view. Do you like a fairly even telling of the story through the heroine's and hero's eyes, or do you prefer more of the heroine's thoughts?
Hannah wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Colonial chimneys are big enough to stage an escape, but antebellum ones might be only a few inches wide...so to give a Civil War soldier a chimney to climb, it would have to be ..."I'm laughing as I read this! Years ago, when I was designing our house, (authentic colonial of course) I came across a little book called the forgotten art of building a really good fireplace. The instructions were based on the writings of a man named Count Rumford. I designed our two fireplaces (living room and walk-in kitchen) according to those instructions. They work perfect, and throw out so much heat we have to limit the amount of wood we use. Count Rumford also designed stove tops (iron plates with fire doors beneath them and built in roasters with cast-iron doors!
But...if I put a built in roaster or a "stove top" in a book I would be raked over the coals as being inaccurate. Sometimes, you just can't use the historical facts. For instance. I use the term refrigerator in my historical books. And I'm told I'm inaccurate, that they were called "ice boxes." Nope. They were called refrigerators until the electric models were invented. It was then that the salesmen began calling them "iceboxes" as a way to differentiate between the two.
So, my question...do you check an historical fact if you think it's wrong?
Dorothy wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Colonial chimneys are big enough to stage an escape, but antebellum ones might be only a few inches wide...so to give a Civil War soldier a chimney to climb, it wo..."Oh, yes! I definitely check those historical facts! Google and the encyclopedia are my friends, though I dislike Wikipedia with a passion.
Thanks for recalling Count Rumford's name! I got as much as "Count R" but didn't have time to search for the whole thing.
Louise wrote: "Hi, Ladies. I just arrived. Loved all the questions and answers! My question is about point of view. Do you like a fairly even telling of the story through the heroine's and hero's eyes, or do yo..."
It totally depends on the book. For LIH types of books, even POVs are fine, but for other books, when you're trying to build actual suspense of who-ends-up-with-who, having two POVs is an instant spoiler.
Hannah wrote: "Louise wrote: "Hi, Ladies. I just arrived. Loved all the questions and answers! My question is about point of view. Do you like a fairly even telling of the story through the heroine's and hero's..."
Hannah, that's great. Thanks so much! Here's a funny, true story. One of my non-LIH novels has a heroine named Hannah! In fact, the book is a pre-Civil War story titled Hannah Rose, and she has two remarkable suitors, one a northern abolitionist and the other a slave owner from Virginia. It's told entirely in her POV.
Louise wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Louise wrote: "Hi, Ladies. I just arrived. Loved all the questions and answers! My question is about point of view. Do you like a fairly even telling of the story through the heroi..."
That actually sounds very interesting. :) So far I've only gotten to "A Suitable Wife" out of your stories (I know, I read things out of order) and enjoyed it. I'll have to look into some of your other writings in other time periods as well.
Next up is your "Cowboy Seeks a Bride"...like I said, I'm dreadfully irreverent about series order!!
LOL! Me, too.My next question is:
Do you like animals in our stories? Everything from cat and dogs, horses and cows, exotic ones like llamas and geckos. What do you think?
Brenda- wrote: "Janet wrote: "As a writer, I think books and movies may have glamorized the Civil War, a terrible time in our country's history. But then, I'm not sure if readers want all the realities of any hist..."Thanks for your input, Brenda! Covers that show clothing and hair styles attract readers that love the time period. I love it when the cover conveys a sense of the setting and characters.
My books are set in small towns in the Midwest or on ranches in the West. Most take place toward the end of the 1800's. There are a lot of pictures from that time period. Plus historical fans know a lot about the time period from movies, TV and non-fiction novels.
Janet
Dorothy wrote: "Wow! I'm loving these answers. Andrea, I don't think I made myself clear. The era for the story I'm writing is PRE-revolution. The problems my characters encounter are with weather, country, livi..."
I would definitely read that book, Dorothy!
Christina wrote: "Good morning from southern Indiana! Thanks for stopping by. It's fun to read everybody's questions and answers!My question for you:
Do you enjoy strong accuracy of historical settings? I love to..."
Christina,
I do like a strong accuracy of historical settings. I think it adds so much to the story if I, as the reader, can picture everything in my mind.
Hi, everyone! Dorothy, my favorite time periods are the Revolutionary war and the Civil War. I would definitely be interested in reading about pre-revolution Colonial America. I think that would be fascinating. Christina, I definitely appreciate great research and the way some of those little details enhance the story.
I'm just barely getting on today! I have so much going on with trying to get ready for vacation!My favorite time period to read about is the old west - 1800's - to early 1900's. I like mostly old westerns but it can be other parts of the country too, during that time period! I think our country had limitless possibilities and so much was going on!
I enjoy the Revolutionary War also!
Sherri wrote: "As a reader, what are your favorite types of historic heroes? Soldiers, spies, cowboys, ranchers...etc. etc....."Sherri,
I love all types of heroes. I don't like them to treat women or other people poorly.
I like them to be a bit flawed but redeemable. I don't mind if they are ruggedly handsome, but I also don't mind if they are average, nerdy or scarred. My one requirement would be an occasional bath. A man that is dirty for too long is unpleasant.
Dorothy,
I like my heroines not to be weak women. I don't mind if they start out weak, but they must find strength. I like if they are a bit feisty.
Janet,
I've read some very gritty, detailed stories that I didn't mind because the characters had heart and hope. I too think that war based books and movies have been over glamorized in this country. I'm not sure if those movies would do as well at the box office if they showed more of the realities.
I actually prefer a bit more of the realness of war and the lives of those living during the time of war. Hope must be a part of the story though.
Ladies, I'm going to repeat my question because I think it got buried in all of this lovely conversation.Do you like animals in our stories? Everything from cat and dogs, horses and cows, exotic ones like llamas and geckos. What do you think?
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I LOVE animals in stories! I think they add a great dimension! Of course horses seem to be the most common, if it's a western, but I love cats, dogs, or even exotic ones! Additions (like kids and animals) add a lot to books that make the books so much more fun!
Valri wrote: "I LOVE animals in stories! I think they add a great dimension! Of course horses seem to be the most common, if it's a western, but I love cats, dogs, or even exotic ones! Additions (like kids and a..."Thanks, Valri. That's good to know. I've had animals in many of my stories. Being a cat mommy, I know cats better, but sometimes nothing will do but a horse or a dog.
Louise wrote: "Ladies, I'm going to repeat my question because I think it got buried in all of this lovely conversation.Do you like animals in our stories? Everything from cat and dogs, horses and cows, exotic ..."
Louise,
I LOVE animals in stories! They add such a special touch. They can be confidantes, as well as conversation starters. They can be comic relief but also show the heart of other characters.
Patty wrote: "Hi Everyone,My question is this--would you like to read fictional accounts of famous women you've never heard of like the women in Hidden Figures? I love history and have found dozens of women who..."
Hi Patty That would be so cool as there are so many women we wouldn't heard of who did inspiring things. We currently have an add which talks about unsung heros like no one knows the name of the person who created wifi or the traffic light etc but they have become a huge part of our lives. There would people people men and women who have made breakthroughs in medicine who are not recognised. I am sure many invented things out of necessity also without the recognition.
Sherri wrote: "As a reader, what are your favorite types of historic heroes? Soldiers, spies, cowboys, ranchers...etc. etc....."This is a really tough question. I like people who are battlers. (is that a word you use in America). I like Doctors too. I prefer people who are not arrogant snobs.
Hi all!!!Great questions and answers!!!
Here's another one:
Do you have a preference for stand alone books or do you like books to be in a series?
I Lyn, Carol Preston has a few really good Historical fiction which are based on fact (her family), Someone mentioned Amanda Deed, Meredith Reese has some really good ones set in my state.
Dorothy,I like the heroine to be strong and have some backbone.
Louise,
I love the animals in the stories. Animals are an important part of life especially historically.
I usually like one point of view but if the story is done well it does not seem that I notice.
Janet wrote: "As a writer, I think books and movies may have glamorized the Civil War, a terrible time in our country's history. But then, I'm not sure if readers want all the realities of any historical era. My..."Hi Janet, One of my favourite movies is Gettysburg and its one movie that shows the war in its reality. Actually seeing Gettysburg and hearing some of the stories makes me even more amazed about what happened. The reason I like Gilbert Morris's Series is he tells what happened in the war and then does the story. Its not glamorised and it tells how the war lasted way to long and the atrocities and the senseless loss of life. I think this is why it fascinates me how it came about etc. It is another reason I don't like the books that gloss over the war or try to glamorise it.
I'm going to copy Louise and repeat one of my questions. I think it got buried. If I wrote a cowboy series...let's say four cowboy heroes... Are there any names you feel have been overused to the point where you will pull your hair out if you read another book with that cowboy name?
On the same note, do you want cowboys with short, tough names? Or should I take a cue from the old Johnny Cash # 1 hit and name one of them Sue? : )
Christina wrote: "Good morning from southern Indiana! Thanks for stopping by. It's fun to read everybody's questions and answers!My question for you:
Do you enjoy strong accuracy of historical settings? I love to..."
Hi Christina, I do like accuracy. I know many readers who will stop reading a book if its inaccurate. If there is a disclaimer at the front that is ok with me but if not I get frustrated. The best part of accuracy is learning about new places. I never really did history at school and feel cheated as I love history but books give me history.
Christina wrote: "Hello from Kansas! I am loving the questions and answers.I am currently watching my grand and it got me to thinking.
How do you feel about secret babies and ready-made families?"
Hi Christina, How are you. I have been thinking and praying for you this month as I know it will be a hard month for you.
Secret babies I don't like I got burned out on them but I also don't really like the premise of them. Ready made families I like or where someone marries to protect a family etc I do like as I know it was something that happened a lot back in history.
I especially love dogs, though occasional other ones like horse or bird have stolen my heart as well.
Wendy wrote: "Ausjenny wrote: "I think it with Aussie history its best done by an Aussie or someone who has studied history and gets someone to check facts. I have read several books where the author hasn't chec..."Wendy I fully understand I too would think first floor was as you. starting with ground floor, first, second etc. I fully agree with Lori Wick I know she got so many things wrong in her books and I think it came from an era where she was writing a story for Americans and not thinking about fact checking. Its one reason I love Robin Jones Gunn's sisterchick books as she wrote from an American's point of view.
I know a friend didn't like a Gilbert Morris book cos he had tea in an English book earlier than it would be been there. (that was the only thing she had to say bad about it).
My next question is: What is your favorite type of heroine? Do you like them strong? sweet but feisty? wounded and defensive? pampered, spoiled and forced to grow? One I haven't thought of... : ) I don't like pampered or spoilt, I like strong, feisty, I don't mind wounded and defensive. I like to see them grow. I like determined also as sometimes they need that to cope. Also to be adaptable.
Dorothy wrote: "I'm going to copy Louise and repeat one of my questions. I think it got buried. If I wrote a cowboy series...let's say four cowboy heroes... Are there any names you feel have been overused to the..."
This is important to us as we develop our stories, so I'm with Dorothy wanting to know what you all think about possibly overused names. Ladies, what do you think?
Karen wrote: "I'm enjoying reading everyone's answers! Is there one story aspect that always hooks your interest? For me, I'm a sucker for stranded stories. If you have a hero and heroine stranded on a desert is..."I like stranded stories too. I am not sure what I really like best.
Shannon wrote: "I am curious...what makes the 1880's westerns so appealing?"I think its cos around this time the west was opened up to the settlers with many moving out there after the war for a new life and seeing how they survive the elements etc.
Love Inspired Historicals
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Wendy, it bugs me a little too. If it's just a small error, I just grin and keep reading. If it's huge, I might not. :) And my brother and I are genealogy buffs too. I'll never forget when we first started looking into our family history and discovered that we're not German as we'd always been told. We're Prussian. :)