Christmas Memories with Christina Rich

Please welcome Christina Rich to my blog today. Christina's book will be out next year with Love Inspired Historical. Don't for get to check Mondays post for the week long giveaway.

1.       It’s hard to associate any one thing with Christmas, especially since decorations start hitting the shelves the day after all the Halloween candy is dumped into the clearance carts.

2.       Ahhhh…. Family traditions. My husband and I have never held to the idea of Santa. The kids grew up knowing that their presents were because we were blessed by Jesus and able to buy them presents. When the kids were little we used to have a tradition of going to my parents’ home on Christmas Eve for lunch, then hubs and I would do our Christmas shopping for the kids. We’d come home take all the presents to our room and wrap. The kids loved sitting outside the door waiting to be handed wrapped presents so they could place them under the tree. As soon as the last present was placed under the tree they’d all dance around with excitement waiting to open up their presents. (Jenny here that is so fun the in our house all gifts got the feel test. As I was the youngest I often was the one to do it as if we got caught I was the youngest)

3.       I love Christmas music, and not just the traditional Christmas Carols. I grew up listening to Mannheim Steamroller, Tchaikovsky, and Alvin and the Chimpmunks, but I think my all time favorite is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

4.       Every year I have visions of spending Christmas with my family in a cabin in the mountains, but if I had the money I’d love to spend it in Israel with my family.

5.       One of my favorite memories is from when I was a teenager. My brothers are quite a bit younger than I am so they were little. Maybe first grade and kindergarten. Anyway, Dad, a pilot, would concoct a story that he needed to check on the plane. Mom would load us kids up into the car and then have to use the restroom. She’d come back to the car and then Dad would say he forgot his wallet. This would go on for a few minutes before we’d make our way to the airport. The whole way there the boys would be watching out the window for Santa, but this one particular year it was foggy and the boys were concerned Santa wouldn’t be able to find his way to our house. But he did and the boys’ excitement was priceless. (I love that how cool)

6.       We no longer have a typical Christmas. We’re in that stage of our lives where we have adult kids and young kids. We try to accommodate schedules.

7.       Let’s just say I’m addicted to Christmas movies and books. Whatever is out, I watch and read.

8.        John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Christmastime is the celebration of our savior being birthed into our world. It’s the evidence of God’s grace and mercy. Many people believe Christmas is a time to spread love, kindness and good cheer. However, God’s word says that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and we are to pray for our enemies. I believe that is something that should be done 365 days a year. Christmas should be a time to reflect on the goodness of Jesus as our savior and the blessings he’s showered upon us.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

The Guardian’s Promise Blurb

A Kingdom in Jeopardy
An evil queen and her royal guards will stop at nothing to find—and kill—the rightful heir to the throne of Judah. When their pursuit leads them to Mira’s village, only her father’s bond servant, Ari, a man shrouded in secrets, can keep Mira safe.

Abandoning his life as a temple guard and becoming an indentured servant was the only way Ari could protect young Joash, the true King of Judah, from Queen Athaliah. But his sacred duty prevents him from confessing his feelings for his master’s daughter. With the future of their nation on the line, Ari and Mira will risk everything to save their people.

When she was younger, Christina tried to dig herself to China, loved Three Billy Goats Gruff, and had an obsession with maps. She gave up her dig to China but still jumps at the chance to travel even if it’s just down the road. She loves watching modern takes of fairytales and mythologies on the big screen and still has a huge obsession with maps. The older the better.
Born and raised in Kansas, where she currently lives with her husband and children, Christina loves to read stories with happily ever afters, research,  take photos, knit scarves, dig into her ancestry, fish, visit the ocean, write stories with happily ever afters and talk about her family and Jesus.

Her debut novel, The Guardian’s Promise, releases from Love Inspired March 2013.

Getting to know you Thursdays with Jan Drexler

Please welcome Jan Drexler to my blog this week. Jan's debut Love Inspired Historical book is out now.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m the mom of homeschool graduates, which pretty much sums up how I’ve spent the last twenty years J. My husband and I will celebrate our 31^st anniversary this summer, and we have four adult children. No spouses yet, but they’re working on it.

We’ve lived all over the mid-western United States. I grew up in Michigan, and we’ve lived in Kansas, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas (again) and now in South Dakota. We hope to live here for a long, long time.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

When I was growing up I took a book everywhere. The bookmobile came to our elementary school every Monday after school, and I’d load up. We were limited to only five books at a time – can you believe that?

I loved books about horses, cowboys, mysteries, adventure stories, and dog stories. I remember my favorite authors being Marguerite Henry, Jim Kjelgaard, Owen Wister, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Maud Hart Lovelace, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Zane Grey.

As I got older, I discovered C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein – and yes, I devoured their books, too. (Jenny here it would have been great to read as fast as you did I loved reading but wasn't a fast reader)

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and right write?

Westerns were one of my first favorite genres (remember the horse stories?), and that liking has transferred to Historicals. I love to write Historicals and love doing the research that goes along with it!

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

Tolkein influenced me a lot. I’ve read the Lord of the Rings trilogy over and over – he’s a master of all the writing techniques I want to develop: characterization, foreshadowing, description….

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

It was when I was in fourth grade – but I never really thought I might actually be one until much, much later.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

As my younger boys approached their high school graduations (and facing forced retirement from the most rewarding job I’ve ever dreamed of having), I prayed that God would give me something useful to do with the rest of my life. I was thinking of being a Bible teacher, or working in a support capacity for homeschoolers, but God laid this story on my heart of an Amish widow in northern Indiana in the 1930’s, and I knew what I needed to do next.

I had studied writing in college, and during our homeschooling years we had studied all kinds of literature, writing, and rhetoric. All of this gave me a great preparation for my new career.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

A homeschool mom J. I loved those years!

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

We live in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and so we have a lot of opportunities to spend time outside! I love hiking, reading, knitting, cross stitch, dogs, cats, and children. I also love chocolate. Too much.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

I love to travel. If I had to pick one place I’d love to visit, it would have to be…oh, wow. I can’t decide. Doctor Doolittle, in the books by Hugh Lofting, would plunk a pencil on the map and go there. That’s what I’d have to do!

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?

First, my dear husband. I’d rather spend time with him than anyone else in the world.

Second, my mom. She’s in the last stages of Alzheimer’s and I know she’s at the end of her life. We haven’t had a good talk for more than ten years – I’d love to have one more meal with her, pre-Alzheimer’s, if it was possible. Since it isn’t, I’ll settle for talking with her in heaven. What a great blessing that hope is!

Third, Elisabeth Elliot. She was my long-distance, unknowing mentor during the time when I was a young mother. Her radio program and her books have influenced me tremendously. I had the privilege of going to a seminar where she spoke once, and I’m afraid I sounded like a star-struck idiot when I had the opportunity to meet her J

Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that will
be coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.

My debut novel, “The Prodigal Son Returns” will be out this May! It’s published by Love Inspired, and is available from Harlequin.com, Amazon.com and Christianbook.com – and, of course, at your local store.

You can find me on the web on my website: www.JanDrexler.com

And on Facebook : www.facebook.com/JanDrexlerAuthor

And on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JanDrexler

Book Review Counterfeit Cowboy by Lacy Williams

Back of the Book

From the moment Jesse Baker collides with Erin O'Grady on a Boston train platform, he faces a dilemma. For once, Jesse doesn't want to lie about who and what he is. Yet if she learns he's a con artist, not a cowboy—and the urchin with him is certainly not his brother—she'll never give him a chance.Erin suspects there's more to the enigmatic cowboy than meets the eye. But the sheltered socialite is certain his deep compassion is real. On the long Christmastime train ride to Wyoming, hearts and courage are tested and true motives revealed. And the journey that began in a charade may end with redemption—and a very real love.

My Review:

Thanks to Lacy Williams for my review copy.

I enjoyed this story. The book starts at Boston train station with Erin wanting to go visit her brother in Wyoming and we see Jesse facing a dilemma. He's just out of prison and wanting to go straight but at the same time he needs to go to Chicago. Add a street kid who claims he's Jesse's brother and things get interesting. Jesse had met women like Erin before, she is a socialite and spoilt so Jesse thinks but she seems different. Erin is not what she seems and we see a side of her that surprises Jesse. I love Erin she has a strong spirit and is determined to be more than what her father wants. I like Jesse also and his "brother" steals many scenes. This is a really good book. 

Getting to know you Thursdays with Regina Scott

Please welcome Regina Scott to my blog today. Regina has a new Love Inspired Historical coming out in March.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m the author of 23 books set in the Regency period of England, a mother of two, an avid costumer, and probably more organized than I should be.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander (The Book of Three being the first in the series).  I read them the first time in elementary school, and then again and again over the years.  I shared them with my children too.

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and write?
I love a good romance with adventure mixed in, which is what I tend to write as well.  But I also love a good epic fantasy, science fiction that’s not too gritty, and a historic or cozy mystery.

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

I will never be able to paint a scene as well as Mary Stewart.  I just don’t have it in me.  She was brilliant.  Victoria Holt was also a favorite.  But the reason I write Regencies is because I fell in love with the time period through the work of Elizabeth Mansfield.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

Third grade, when I figured out that someone actually got to write all the wonderful stories I was reading.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

I started writing stories.  Children’s books (well, I was a child!), then teen adventures, and then stories about adults.  I knew it would be hard to break in (everyone said so!), but I’d heard that if you could write a Regency romance, it was a good way entry point because there was a constant demand and you needed a certain voice.  I had the voice, I loved the genre, and the stories spoke to me, so I tried.  And I was offered a contract to write two, which led to more and more.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

That is a very hard question.  I’ve been many other things on the way to becoming a writer—nanny, technical writer, scientist, business owner.  But I’ve never found anything I loved more than writing.

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

I love stories—so, take me to a play or a movie, and I’ll be nearly as happy as reading a book.  I enjoy sewing—clothes and things for the house.  And I’m constantly learning something new.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

I’ve been to England only once, and I’d love to go back again.  There are so many places I’ve read about (and written about!) that I want to see.  And I really want to get to Australia and New Zealand someday.

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?

Right now, I’m just thankful when both my sons are home from college and work and can sit around the table with me.  I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have dinner with.

Where to find me on the web:

Website:  www.reginascott.com

Blog:  www.nineteenteen.blogspot.com

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/reginascott

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/authorreginascott

Upcoming Books:

March 2013 (ISBN 978-0-373-82956-9, Love Inspired Historical)

To keep her cherished childhood home, Samantha Everard must marry by her twenty-fifth birthday. Yet she refuses to marry on a whim, even to save her fortune. When she returns to Dallsten Manor to say goodbye, the last person she expects to see is her handsome, disapproving neighbor William Wentworth, Earl of Kendrick.

Will is certain the scandalous Everards are nothing but trouble. He shouldn't care about Samantha's predicament, but her feistiness and kindheartedness intrigue him-as do the secrets surrounding her. Soon his greatest wish becomes to persuade Samantha that her true home is with him.

Book Review Mail Order Holiday Brides by Jillian Hart and Janet Tronstad

The Best Gifts Are Always Unexpected  Home for Christmas by Jillian Hart  

Christina Eberlee is desperate for the safe haven promised to her by the Montana man whose bridal ad she answered. Yet she can't forget the handsome marshal who helps her on the journey. Maybe venturing from her planned path could lead Christina to the home she was truly meant to find. 

Snowflakes for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad 

"Maybe you could marry her." Gabe Stone's niece and nephew long for a mother just like the mail-order bride Gabe's brother sent for and then abandoned. Yet in making the children's Christmas dreams come true, Gabe and Annabelle may discover the most precious gift of the holidays is love.

My Review.

This is a good Novella with both stories being good. In the first book by Jillian Hart we see Christina who has answered an add to marry a farmer in Montana. On the way she encounters a Marshall and wonders about her choice but having promised to marry the farmer she feels she has to go through with this. We see a few other obstacles on the way. A good story.
In Janet Tronstad's we see Annabelle arrive to marry one Stone brother only to find him missing. The children want a mother and think their uncle could marry her. Its an interesting story also and a good read.

Christmas Memories with Regina Scott

Please join me in welcoming Love Inspired Historical author Regina Scott to my blog today to talk Christmas.

1.    What do you most associate with Christmas where you live?

Lights.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, winters tend to be dark and gray.  Christmas lights—on trees, on houses, in store windows, truly do brighten our lives. (Jenny here, We have lights here on some homes and they are really pretty to look at)

2.    Do you have any special family traditions you do at Christmas time?

We have always opened our presents Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning. My parents explained when we were little that with the growing world population, poor Santa simply couldn’t make it around the world in one night.  So, WE were nice and let him come early.  (Personally, I think maybe they just didn’t want to be woken quite so early in the morning by excited children!)  My husband and I kept the tradition with our boys, and soon we’ll be passing it on to the next generation. 

3.    Do you have a favourite Christmas Carol and if so do you know why? 

Oh Holy Night.  I love the story of it.  And I love that you can really belt it out.  

4.    If you could spend Christmas any way you could how would you celebrate?

In a cabin in the woods, with the snow falling softly outside, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and all my family around me, with lots of food and stories and laughter. 

5.    Do you have any special memories of Christmas?

My father was brilliant about getting my mother presents.  One year, she had suggested he get her bookends for her bookshelves.  The present under the tree was this huge box.  When she opened it, all she could see were tiny white packing peanuts, thousands of them, and a string with a tag at the end that read “Pull.”  She pulled, and out came a bookend, and more string.  She must have kept pulling for ten minutes before they were all out of the box.   

6.    What is a typical Christmas eve and or Christmas day for you?

On Christmas Eve, we generally have some kind of dinner that everyone likes—pizza or lasagna.  While one of the adults keeps the kids busy cleaning up after dinner, one or two other adults tiptoes down the hall and fills all the stockings.  My mother’s stocking has a jingle bell on the end of it, which we have to muffle until everything is ready.  Then we let the bell peal.  All the kids look at each other, and someone says, “Santa’s here!”  Then they all run for the stockings.  We take everything out, exclaim over it, share our booty (chocolate coins, Tootsie Rolls, maple sugar candy, Turkish Delight), and talk for a good while before someone else remembers there are presents under the tree.  And then Christmas Eve really starts.  

7.    Do you have any Christmas movies or Christmas books you like to see or read each year?

The movie White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye is a big favorite in my family.  We can all sing the songs and quote the lines.  “Must be beautiful in Vermont this time of year, all that snow and everything.”   

8.    Do you have a Christmas message for my readers?

May you make new and joyous memories this Christmas and never forget the reason for the season.

The Rake’s Redemption, November 2012, Love Inspired Historical

Even infamous duelist and poet Vaughn Everard has qualms about dragging an innocent lady into his quest for revenge. But Imogene Devary is the daughter of the man suspected of murdering Vaughn's uncle. Surely that makes her fair game in order to uncover the truth!

Can the man who writes such moving verse be beyond redemption? Imogene can't believe so. In taming Vaughn's heart and healing the rift between their families, she's sure she's found her calling. Then his mission to unmask a killer reveals a terrifying plot. Only together can they safeguard his legacy, their newfound love, and England's very future.

Getting to Know you Thursdays with Deborah Hale with giveaway

Please welcome Deborah Hale to my blog today. Deborah writes Love Insipred Historicals and I have gotten to know her at the LIH Goodreads site and also She and the fellow LIH goodreads authors and members have been supporting me with prayers etc during my recovery.

1.      Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a Canadian author and mother of four, three of whom are still living at home attending post secondary school.  My husband and I have been happily married for over thirty years. Before becoming a writer, I was trained and worked as a special education teacher.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

Hands down the Lucy Maud Montgomery books.  My grandmother was a skinny, freckled red-head whose ancestors came from PEI, so she was a devoted Montgomery reader.  She used to buy me some of those books for birthdays and Christmas or lend me her hardcover copies.  My favourite of all Montgomery’s books is Jane of Lantern Hill because of Jane’s wonderful character growth over the course of the story.

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and right write?

Anything historical.  I’ve written secular historical, inspirational historical, historical fiction and fantasy in an imaginary world that was basically medieval.  Historicals are also what I love to read.  One of my favourite series is the Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries.

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

Again, definitely Montgomery.  Being a scribbler, I loved Emily of New Moon. The story of how long it took Emily to get published helped prepare me for some of the ups and downs on the road to publication.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I’ve been telling stories ever since before I knew what an author was, but somehow I never thought I could get my work published until I had finished my first novel, almost twenty years ago, and joined Romance Writers of America.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

For years I would start stories and never finish them because I was so discouraged by the quality gap between what I was writing and what I was reading.  But when I got the idea for the story that became My Lord Protector, I sent chapters in the mail (snail mail, that was pre-Internet) to a friend of mine who would give me feedback.  Her encouragement helped keep me going.  After I finished the book, I started trying to find a publisher and got rejected.  Then I discovered RWA, and began the five year process of learning how to write a book people would pay to read.  I rewrote that first story six or seven times, took out huge chunks, changed the point of view and changed the last quarter of the book entirely. I entered the Golden Heart three years in a row with that rewritten story and climbed from the bottom half to the top half, then to the finals and won, to my astonishment. That exposure helped me get an agent then I got rejected by a bunch more publishers until Harlequin Historical bought my book.  Since then I’ve written over twenty-five more novels, novellas and shorter works for Harlequin.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

I love performing, singing and acting, and I love working with young children, especially those with special needs.

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

I sing in a small Celtic choir, dabble in genealogy and practice tai-chi. I also love playing board games with my family.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

I am blessed to live in a very beautiful place that many people come to visit, so I don’t have too many other places I want to go.  I would love to visit Australia and New Zealand because everyone I know who has been there raves about them. I’d also like to go to the UK someday for a good long stay and visit some of the historic places I’ve researched for my books and places where my ancestors lived. (Jenny here it would be great to see you visit Australia it is a lovely country just like Canada is)

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?

J.K. Rowling, because I love her Harry Potter series and there are so many questions I’d like to ask her about that imaginary world and how she writes.  Harold Ramis, who made one of my all-time favourite films, Groundhog Day, because he’s so versatile and funny.  Finally Sir Patrick Stewart so I could thank him for inspiring my first romance hero…and so I could listen to his wonderful voice.  (Would be an interesting meal. I love Sir Patrick Stewart in his Star Trek role.)

Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that will
be coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.

My most recent book is The Baron’s Governess Bride (out in June 2012) which is the third story in my Glass Slipper Brides series for Love Inspired Historical.  Some of the reviewers on Amazon have called it “Jane Eyre meets Cinderella.”  It’s about Grace Ellerby, a governess who hides her beauty because it has made her the victim of unwanted advances in her previous positions.  Rupert Kendrick, Lord Steadwell hires her because he thinks she’s unmarriageable.  His daughters’ last governess abandoned them to elope and he doesn’t want it to happen again.  Grace and Rupert don’t realize they’re beginning to fall for each other until one evening at a masked ball they begin to see each other with fresh eyes!  Readers can find me through my website www.deborahhale.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeborahHale or Goodreads at the Love Inspired Historical Group http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/24770.Love_Inspired_Historicals.  I love how the Internet has opened up ways for readers and writers to connect with each other!

Giveaway
Deborah has offered a giveaway to one commenter. To enter answer the question did you have a favourite fairy tale. You have til Thursday 16 August, 6pm Aussie time to enter. Please leave a way to contact you and any entries that just say enter me will be null and void.

Book Review Wooing the Schoolmarm by Dorothy Clark

Book description:
A Spinster by Choice  When Willa Wright's fiancé abandoned her, he ended all her hopes for romance. Now she dedicates herself to teaching Pinewood's children, including the new pastor's young wards. If she didn't know better, Reverend Calvert's kindness could almost fool Willa into caring again. Almost... Though Matthew Calvert adores his niece and nephew, he wants a family of his own, too. The more he sees of the pretty schoolteacher, the more he wants that future with her.  Yet Willa, so warm to her pupils, is ice-cool toward him.  But where there's a woman like Willa, there's a man determined to guide her back to love.


My review.
Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.


I enjoyed this book. I like that Willa is content to be single and loves being a teacher. She has had a hard life with her father leaving her mother and her when she was young and this has turned her against being married. Then comes the new Reverend with his niece and nephew after the death of there parents. Her best friend who happens to be quite self centered sets her mind on being Matthews wife which further causes Willa issues. Willa doesn't want to like Matthew when her friend loves him. She has fallen for the children and wants to help them adjust to life with there uncle. I enjoyed how the book played out. The friend really annoyed me at times. (Im sorry due to sickness her name escapes my memory) but I know there were times her self centerness really frustrated me. Add to the mix an ex boyfriend who thinks he still has a claim on Willa and there are some interesting scenes. This is a good read and I look forward to more in the series. 

Getting to know you Thursdays with Naomi Rawlings

Please join me in welcoming Naomi Rawlings to my blog today. Naomi's debut book was out with LIH in April.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a mother of two young boys, and I spend my days picking up, cleaning, playing and, of course, writing. My husband pastors a small church in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula, where my family shares its ten wooded acres with black bears, wolves, coyotes, deer and bald eagles. We live only three miles from Lake Superior, where the scenery is beautiful and they average 200 inches of snow per winter. I write bold, dramatic stories containing passionate words and powerful journeys. Sanctuary for a Lady is my first published novel, and it released April 1, 2012 from Love Inspired Historical.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?
I loved reading inspirational romance novels, just like what I write now. I grew up on stories by Lori Wick and Jeanette Oke and Gilbert Morris. In fact, I was such a prolific reader that my mom would force me to put my books down and go outside during the summer. I always obeyed, of course, by grabbing a blanket from my closet, spreading it under the ash tree out back, and continuing to read my book. (Jenny here as an adult these authors inspired me infact Gilbert Morris to this day is my favourite author I learnt some interesting facts in his books).

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and right write?
Romance. Romance. Historical Romance, and um, more Romance. I rarely find myself finishing a book that isn’t a romance novel. I have all these good intentions, like “I should read The Help or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or The Marriage Plot or some other bestselling book by some famous author. So I’ll get the book and read about the first 50 pages before I see some romance novel on sale and get distracted by a love story.

As far as writing romances goes, I don’t ever see myself writing a book without a romantic thread of some sort in it or getting tired of writing romances. Human love is rooted in God’s love. And God’s love is so rich and deep, with endless facets and dimensions. As a writer, I see myself exploring the theme of “love” for a very long time.

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?
I already mentioned several, but Lori Wick was my all-time favorite.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?
After my first son was born, I had a miscarriage. Since I’d planned to do the “mom thing” for a while and having a slew of kids, I was taken aback when I found myself wanting to wait before I attempted another pregnancy. My toddler took long naps in the afternoon and went to bed early, so I had a lot of spare time. That spare time soon turned into writing time.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?
When I first started writing, I didn’t know anything about the publishing industry or blogs or writers’ conferences. I didn’t know anything about the craft of writing a novel or plotting or conflict. I simply started up my computer, got a story in my mind, and began typing.  I didn’t even bother revising the manuscripts I wrote. When I finished my first one, I researched publishers and decided to write a novel for Love Inspired Historical because I didn’t need to have an agent to submit something to them. So I started my second novel and sent it in.

It got rejected, of course, as it wasn’t anywhere near publishable. But that rejection provided the impetus for me to join the American Christian Fiction writers and a critique group. From there I began studying more about novel writing and plot and conflict. After I finished writing Sanctuary for a Lady, I entered it in every contest imaginable to try to garner some interest in the book. My efforts paid off, and I soon found myself with both an agent and a publishing contract.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?
I don’t know. A mom, I guess, which I already am. But if I didn’t write, I think I’d stay busy just being a mom to my little men.

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?
We live in a beautiful area for hiking, right on the southern shore of Lake Superior. (Lake Superior is the world’s largest fresh water lake, and it’s along the Canada/United States border.) The area isn’t very populated, and there’s lots of hills and rocks and wilderness. I really love hiking the trails with my husband and boys.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?
I’d love to tour northwestern France, where my novel is set, but there’s no research trip on the horizon. 

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?
Um, I don’t know. Probably Nora Roberts because, my goodness, the woman has over 300,000,000 copies of her books in print. That’s crazy! I’d love to pick her brain. I’m really not sure who else I would pick. Maybe Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help. That book is really powerful and does a lot to highlight the multifaceted civil rights movement of the 1960’ United States. After that, I’m not sure.

Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that will
be coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.

I don’t have a set date for another book release at the moment. I have a completed novel with my publisher right now, and I’m waiting to hear back from my editor about acquiring it. Then I have a proposal for a sequel to Sanctuary for a Lady ready to be sent to my editor. I’m really excited about this sequel. It will feature the villain of Sanctuary for a Lady (who turns good at the end). I’ve got some smuggling, a spy, and a widow with five kids thrown into the mix. It should be fun!

If you’re interested in more information about me and my novels, or in staying updated about my coming books, you can find me on my website, at www.naomirawlings.com or at my blog http://makinghomeworkblog.blogspot.com

Thanks for having me, Jenny! It’s fun to be here and meet an Australian audience.

Book Description:

 The injured young woman Michel Belanger finds in the woods is certainly an aristocrat. And in the midst of France's bloody revolution, sheltering nobility merits a trip to the guillotine. Yet despite the risk, Michel knows he must bring the wounded girl to his cottage to heal.

Attacked by soldiers and left for dead, Isabelle de La Rouchecauld has lost everything. A duke's daughter cannot hope for mercy in France, so escaping to England is her best chance of survival. The only thing more dangerous than staying would be falling in love with this gruff yet tender man of the land. Even if she sees, for the first time, how truly noble a heart can be….