Love Inspired Historicals discussion
Monthly Author Q&A
>
Q&A with June 2012 Authors!
Wendy wrote: "Winnie, I remember from last month Renee mentioned that she was given quite a bit of information about her heroine but not a lot for the hero. Was this the same for you?"Yes it is. Becuase the three sisters are the focus of the series, we were given some detailed information of their background, what drove them from thier homes and what their goals were in leaving Ireland to sail for America. But it was only in the barely-a-page overview of each of our stories that we learned something of the hero thrown in with all the other elements. Which was great for me - I got to make him into what I wanted him to be - the man who could steal Nora's heart
The Irish Brides series is a new favorite! Loved all three books.
Sherri wrote: "The Irish Brides series is a new favorite! Loved all three books."Thanks Sherri - music to my ears :)
Good Morning Winnie, I loved this book in the Irish brides series-great job.I enjoyed reading the story of Callie in "The Hand me down Family" will there be any more stories of she and Jack-would like to know more about their story.
thanks for sharing your wonderful talant of writing.
Paula-O wrote: "I loved this book in the Irish brides series-great job. I enjoyed reading the story of Callie in "The Hand me down Family" will there be any more stories of she and Jack-would..."Good morning Paula-O - thanks for your kind words about both books! Right now I'm working on a new 4-book series that will kick off with Handpicked Husband in Sept., so there are no immediate plans to revisit Callie and Jack. However, I've played with some ideas for additional books set in Sweetgum and hope to be able to write those eventually.
Winnie, my favorite book of yours is The Hand-Me-Down Family because it really touched my heart. Is there one particular book that you wrote from the heart, one that was the most emotional for you?
Cheryl wrote: "Winnie, my favorite book of yours is The Hand-Me-Down Family because it really touched my heart. Is there one particular book that you wrote from the heart, one that was the most emotional for you?"First thanks for the shout out for THMDF - that was a special book to me in a lot of ways, not least of which was because it launched my the Love Inspired Historical phase of my writing career.
Secondly - wow, that's a tough question - sort of like asking me which of my 4 children I like best . But if I look strictly at the emotional aspect, I would say I cried more as I was writing The Proper Wife then I did over the rest of my books. A Baby Between Them would be a close second.
Mod
Rounding out the week, today's featured author is Sherri Shackelford who is making her LIH debut this month with Winning the Widow's Heart!!
Congratulations on your debut, Sherri, and thanks for taking part in our Q&A! Can you tell us a little bit about your journey to publication? Had you been writing a long time before you sold or did your sale come pretty quickly?
For anyone wanting another chance at Winnies book you can check out her interview and give away at my bloghttp://ausjenny.blogspot.com.au/2012/...
(please excuse the shameless plug)
Oh I have Sherrie on my blog next week. (must be LI month cos its Noelle the week after and Cheryl Wyatt ends the month)I will ask my normal question in your research did you come across any fun or surprising facts?
Hello, Jenny! Thank you so much for hosting me on June 14th. You get some amazing authors, and I'm proud to be in such good company.Let me see, what surprised me in my research...I'm always amazed at how haphazard and disjointed the railroads were. The government wanted westward expansion, and financial incentives meant those westward railways didn't always follow the straightest and most logical path. And there were so many different companies springing up and failing. The railroad bubble of the late 1800's was really similar to the more recent internet bubble.
What a difference a century makes!
Hi, Sherri. I enjoyed your blog when you were on Jaunty Quills. It was interesting how you finally found your "voice" as a western author. Do you have any favorite western romance authors yourself?
Do you have any favorite western romance authors yourself?"Too many to name! But I'll start with just a few..Cheryl St.John will always be a favorite. Renee Spencer, Winnie Griggs....Some of my favorite books are Hummingbird and the Rainbow Season.
Sherri to save me looking it up can you tell us abit about your book?
Hi Sherri - Congratulations on your debut! What made you choose the LI line to publish your book? Have you always wanted to write? And why did you choose an historical setting?
Ausjenny wrote: "Sherri to save me looking it up can you tell us abit about your book?"When Texas Ranger Jack Elder stormed the isolated Kansas homestead, he expected to find a band of outlaws. Instead, the only occupant is a heavily pregnant woman-and she's just gone in to labor. A loner uneasy with emotion, Jack helps deliver widow Elizabeth Cole's baby girl and can't get back on the trail fast enough. The robber and murderer he's after killed one of Jack's own, and he vows to catch the man. But when he returns to check on Elizabeth and her little one, he discovers that she may hold the key to his unsettled past-and his hoped-for future.
Thanks Sherri, it sounds really interesting.
Wendy wrote: "Hi Sherri - Congratulations on your debut! What made you choose the LI line to publish your book? Have you always wanted to write? And why did you choose an historical setting?"I started writing five years ago, and I knew I wanted to write for Harlequin. And I've always enjoyed reading historicals, so it was a natural fit to write them. I actually submitted to Harlequin Historical (Not Love Inspired) and that was my very first personalized rejection! I knew I was getting close. I've been campaigning for Harlequin to start the Heartwarming Historical line. So many of the historicals today are hot, hot, hot. And while I don't mind some spice, I also enjoy a more heartwarming read once in a while ;)
Thank you for catching my lapse, Jenny! Might help if I talked about the book :)
I also enjoy a more heartwarming read"I should add that I think a heartwarming historical line would be a nice bridge for people who are hesitant about a Love Inspired book.
Hi Sherri -nice to meet ya here, I am a big fan of Historical and love the little love inspired as they are so easy for a quick read. Your book sounds like it will be a good story to read love the ones when there is a damsel in distress and a big strong hero to help her...
Sherri, Congrats on you new release! And as a debut author, can you tell us what surprised you the most (either in a good or not-so-good way) about being published?
Mod
Paula-O wrote: "Hi Sherri -nice to meet ya here, I am a big fan of Historical and love the little love inspired as they are so easy for a quick read. Your book sounds like it will be a good story to read love the..."I do love those big strong heroes!
Winnie wrote: "Sherri,can you tell us what surprised you the most (either in a good or not-so-good way) about being published?"The Good: I've been amazed by the positive interactions I've had with readers! I was prepared for bad reviews (and I've got one 'meh' review already) but I wasn't prepared for people to actually LIKE the book!
The Bad: I should probably lie about this part and keep up my image, but the truth is: I can't get any traction on a second book. I've struck out three times already this year in the proposal stage. Well, not totally out - but the feedback is: We love everything but the plot and the characters! Which, you know...
I keep trying, though....I keep trying!
Sherri Is your book #2 the same characters as first, a series? if not then maybe you should try that. I have heard many authors say they had many rejections and still went on to get the same book published. Could be too that it is just not the right time...
Good luck though with the rest of your journey in writing.
Louise wrote: "Hi, Wendy. I decided on Shropshire because I like the sound of the name, so very British! I needed a county some distance from London for several plot points. The setting also needed a variety of s..."That is such a coincidence. Shropshire is the setting of my October LIH, and one of the reasons I selected it was for the way the name sounded! My book started out as very light-hearted -- before my editor started asking for changes. It's not so light now but more emotional.
Paula-O wrote: "Sherri Is your book #2 the same characters as first, a series? " Yep, my main character is a bit feisty though, and she's not working for LIH right now!
Mod
And now, the winners of our June Q&A Giveaway are:
Wendy, who wins a book from Deb
Marianne, who wins a book from Louise
Cheryl, who wins a book from Winnie
Congratulations, ladies! I'll get in touch with you to get your mailing addresses to pass along.
I hope you'll join us for our next Q&A from July 2-6th!
I had a giveaway too! Don't forget my winner ;)
Mod
The winner of your giveaway is Paula-O! I'll contact Paula for her mailing address.
Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you, Deb and Winnie! I sent my info to you. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. :-)Congrats to the other winners!
Thank you, Deb. I've been on a mad blog tour, so I don't doubt it was my oversight! Thank you for picking a winner :)
Thank you all for this Q&A session - it's great to get a look behind-the scenes! Thanks to Deb for her book which I won. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Congratulations to the other winners & I look forward to seeing you all back here in July!
Thanks to Deb and to Sherri on my win, I love to read and this one sounds like a winner...Congrats to all the other winners
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone for making this a really fun week.Cheryl, I'll get your book out to you next week
All right Paula! I'll have that in the mail next week!
Louise wrote: "Oh, I agree that the English, esp. BBC, do a marvelous job with their series and films. Hollywood just loves to twist history. Mangle it, actually.This book is my first full length Regency, so I ..."While I agree about the BBC productions being just awesome and much better than Hollywood, I have seen two Masterpieces in the past few years that really infuriated me. The first was a mutilation of the ending of EM Forster's ROOM WITH A VIEW. Why a need to remake the 1988 production mystified me because the Maggie Smith one was so good. But to change the romantic ending! I wept for hours.
The other mutilation was one of my favorite-ever Agatha Christie stories, WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS. I adored the original TV adaptation with Frencesca Annis, loved the characters. Then Masterpiece decided to make it a Miss Marple and anhilated the plot.
Louise wrote: "Thanks for your question, Lyn. I wish I could say I was a long time fan of Ms. Heyer. However, I was not aware of her books until recently. My love for the Regency era began with the 1995 A & E ser..."Louise, I found Ms Heyers books from the Preacher at my church who had quite a collection of her regency period books. I don't have the access to them anymore but I do read them when I can find them locally. I love following the stories and there are a few of them that have sequels too.
Georgette Heyer was one of my all time favorite authors. I read every book by her I could find when I was in High School and have read several of those multiple times since. Her books are still on my keeper shelf
I've been away from my computer for a couple days dealing with a tragedy in our community but I've enjoyed catching up with your comments! I have read all of your books and thought the comments were great! Sherri knows I loved her first book! She asked me to be a beta reader for her next book and I heartily agreed! She's a fantastic writer with loads of talents as are all the LIH ladies! Congrats to the winners!
Mod
I'm really looking forward to reading Sherri's book! I'm very impatient for my local store to get the new books out.
First, Valri - My thoughts and prayers are with your community. Second, Ahhh! Thank you!!
We have missed ya Valri, hope all will be better soon..Remember to take time for yourself as even in a crisis we have to look out for #1 so we can help others....
Thanks, friends! A young man committed suicide just two days after high school graduation and he was well loved by everyone. It was so sad but we are all pulling together as a community, as a small town does, and hope that we can help each other. The family is a member of our church and we know them very well so my husband and I have especially been saddened. We have helping them a lot which has brought us a lot of comfort. They are doing quite well, under the circumstances and we know the Lord is sustaining them.
Mod
As Paula said, don't forget to be as kind to yourself as you are to others. Adding you to my prayers.
So sorry to hear that, Valri. I'll keep the family in my prayers.
Nothing is more sad than a teenager's death. And suicide leaves the loved ones even more devestated, searching their memories, wondering if they could have done something to prevent that.
Love Inspired Historicals
Books mentioned in this topic
Winning the Widow's Heart (other topics)A Baby Between Them (other topics)
The Wedding Season: An Anthology (other topics)
A Proper Companion (other topics)
The Baron's Governess Bride (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sherri Shackelford (other topics)Winnie Griggs (other topics)
Louise M. Gouge (other topics)
Louise M. Gouge (other topics)
Winnie Griggs (other topics)
More...
Hi Jenny. Looking forward to visiting on your blog! There were lots of little tidbits of the research I found interesting - this takes place during the time of the great potato famine in Ireland and I learned quite a bit reading about that. One of the more fun facts was that blueberries grow wild in Massachusette and are not found at all in Ireland. So I had my heroine Nora, who happens to be an expert baker, 'discover' this fruit and experiment with it in her cooking.