Love Inspired Books discussion
The Story Behind Kansas Courtship by Victoria Bylin
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First of all, congratulations to you. :o)I missed the first book but just read Heartland Wedding. This sounds so good and I remember the note from Dr. N. Mitchell and that it felt off but looked fine. I'm sure a woman doctor sets the town on edge for a while. lol I also remember Zeb declaring his readiness for a wife. I think it sounds like a great story. I added it to my dreamlist. :o)
I will look out for the series to see if we have any in australia next time i get to the city (may be a while) they look really good.we get them about 2 - 3 months after america but they stay till they sell.
love hearing how you researched the book too.
Lee wrote: "First of all, congratulations to you. :o)I missed the first book but just read Heartland Wedding. This sounds so good and I remember the note from Dr. N. Mitchell and that it felt off but looked ..."
Go get the first book! It's good too. I'm in the middle of Heartland Wedding. Can't wait to get this one!
Jennifer wrote: "Lee wrote: "First of all, congratulations to you. :o)I missed the first book but just read Heartland Wedding. This sounds so good and I remember the note from Dr. N. Mitchell and that it felt o..."
lol I'll have to do that. :o)
Hello everyone! Wrting about a lady doctor filled me admiration for the all the women who went before us in the American West. What a journey! Zeb's character made me appreciate milling and the bread on my table. We take so much for granted now. I hope you all enjoy the series! Val and Renee are amazing!
All the LIH and LI authors are amazing!!
Jennifer wrote: "All the LIH and LI authors are amazing!!"I agreed!
Terri wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "All the LIH and LI authors are amazing!!"I agreed!"
Thanks!!! We are soooooo thankful to have the chance to show history through the same eyes of faith that its inhabitants had. That's what makes these books such a blessing to write. Thanks for reading them!
Val
I'm so excited to read Kansas Courtship, especially after reading the first two in the series which were so great! I just bought Kansas Courtship a couple of days ago and will start it when I finish Mistletoe Courtship (another wonderful book in case anyone is interested, it's by Janet Tronstad). I can't wait to get back to the characters and see how things go with Zeb and Nora! Congratulations on book 10 Victoria, here's to many more! :)
Renee wrote: "Hi Vicki,Just wanted to let you know I thoroughly enjoyed working with you and Val on this series as well. I especially loved how you tied all the loose threads together at the end. WELL DONE..."
I'm halfway through your book Renee! I just love the storyline! The whole series from Contemporary to the historical are one of my favorites that LI has done.
Here’s why . . .
Have you all been reading the LIH Series, “After the Storm: The Founding Years”? Kansas Courtship is No. 3 in the three-book continuity. That means I received the characters and basic plot from the editors at Steeple Hill. Two other LIH authors, Valerie Hansen and Renee Ryan, wrote the first two books, High Plains Bride and Heartland Wedding. All three books are set in 1860 in a Kansas town that’s been devastated by a tornado. As authors, we had to coordinate certain elements, which meant being in constant contact via email
I can’t say enough about these two women. I loved working with both of them. Early on, I ran into a plot problem with the timeline for my heroine’s arrival in High Plains. Renee came up with the perfect solution. Not only did she solve the problem, her idea made the romance even better. Val had done a continuity before, and she knew how to keep us all on track. I loved checking email and finding notes from these two wonderful writers.
The other thing I loved about doing this book was the research. My hero, Zeb Garrison, is one of the town founders and he owns a mill. I knew zilch about mills when I started this story, buy my husband came to my rescue. We were living in northern Virginia when I wrote this story, and he knew about Colvin Mill. Colvin Mill is a fully restored 19th century mill that turned out to be a 30-minute drive from our house. We had a great day watching the mill in full operation.
So far I’ve gotten several comments on the realism of the mill scenes. I owe that accuracy to my husband and the docents at Colvin Mill. We were there for a good two hours, watching and especially listening. You can look at pictures online, but you can’t hear what something sounds like (well, maybe on youtube). I’ll never forget the music of the mill, and I used it in the book.
Readers are also commenting on the medical research. My heroine, Dr. Nora Mitchell, is one of the first female physicians in America. I wrote about a lady doctor for Harlequin Historicals, but that book was set in 1899, not 1860. There were huge changes in medicine during those almost 40 years, so I had to start over with the research. I also had to educate myself on a particular kind of injury. I was fortunate to be working for a modern day lady doctor at the time, and she set me straight on a few things. No spoilers (though I’m itching to say what happens!) but she saved from embarrassing inaccuracies.
I hope you all enjoy the series. It’s a joy to write for Love Inspired Historicals, and it’s even more fun to read them! And since today is the first sunny day I’ve seen in a while . . . Happy Spring to everyone!
Vicki w/a Victoria Bylin
The Maverick Preacher, 2009 RT Reviewer's Choice Finalist!!!!
Kansas Courtship, LIH, March 2010
Wyoming Lawman, LIH, October 2010
http://victoriabylin.blogspot.com