Love Inspired Historicals discussion

I will miss some of this due to being in hospital Thursday which is wed your time. but will make what I can.

Hope all goes well with your hospital visit AusJenny, see you when you can be here...
looking forward to it Keli.

Oh its ok its just another lignocaine infusion. I had one on this Thursday and have another the next 2 Thursdays.

Ausjenny.
Know I will be keeping you in my prayers that all goes smoothly.

Keli wrote: "Jenny, may you sense the Lord's presence in a mighty way as you prepare for and deal with your hospital stay this coming week."

Agreeing in pray with you, Keli

Praying for you Jenny.

I'll be thinking of you, Jenny! Hope all goes well!

Looking forward to May's lineup!

Prayers your way Jenny. I can't believe it's almost May already! Looking forward to the Q&A this month. As always, the books look great and a new debut!!!

I hope your stay will be as stress-free as possible, Jenny:)

This will be my first Q&A in a long time! I've been so so busy with school, but now I'm finally graduating!!! I can't wait to never see a classroom again xD

Ahh Janis I can't wait to finish too! I'm a mechanical engineering major so still a few years to go for me. I'm excited for this Q&A! I love seeing the debut authors! Should be a lot of fun! Thank you Keli for hosting it!

I'm looking forward to a great Q&A! We'll be thinking of you, Jenny!!

Welcome, Anna. What made you decide t write ? How did you come up with the idea for your book, The Marshal's Mission?
Looking forward to reading your book.

Congratulations, Anna, on your new release! I loved all 3 of her intergalaxia novels, and look forward to reading this one!

Thanks Keli, and good morning all!
As Becky noted, I've written Christian "Science Fantasy" (not hard-core sci-fi). A friend of mine saw the call-out on the Love Inspired site for historical novels and challenged me to submit. I love the supportive LI family, our great editors and the consistent great stories LI offer. It has been fun and exciting to branch out into a new genre.

Melinda wrote: "Welcome, Anna. What made you decide t write ? How did you come up with the idea for your book, The Marshal's Mission?
Looking forward to reading your book."

Thank you Melinda. I come from a loooong history of story telling, beginning with my dad. As a matter of fact, he coerced me into reading a western when I was 13--I knew I would hate it, but ended up loving it. The Marshal's Mission was loosely based on my great-grandfather's life (or so I thought). I heard he was an undercover US Marshal who was wrongly accused of cattle rustling, then was hanged. Well, I couldn't have MY hero get hanged, so I came up with a happy ending. Years later, I found out "my" great grandfather wasn't related at all. He was married to my great grandmother, one of 5 husbands (she outlived them all). It was still a great story--so I had to write it!

Wow! What a story! I'm glad you made it have a happy ending!

Very interesting story from the past there, Anna!

I have to admit that the synopsis on this one looked so interesting that I ordered it last month. I'm hoping to begin reading it soon.

What suggested to you that the heroine be the one holding the stash?

Congratulations on your debut with LIH Anna! Love that story from the past - although, I too am glad your one has a happy ending! :)

I love your intro too, and am intrigued as to where that "maybe" takes you!

Hannah wrote: "Very interesting story from the past there, Anna!

I have to admit that the synopsis on this one looked so interesting that I ordered it last month. I'm hoping to begin reading it soon.

What sugg..."

Wow...hmmm. This question really made me think. I guess the fact that Lenora's deceased husband was an outlaw wasn't enough to push the story forward. I had to have her hold the stash so that it was always a huge issue/secret between Lenora and Cole. AND it was one of the reasons the gang leader kept returning to torment her--he knew she had the stash and was determined to find it. Good question!

Anna wrote: "I had to have her (Lenora) hold the stash so that it was always a huge issue/secret between Lenora and Cole."

I see how important that plot element was. Did you struggle with keeping the reader in sympathy with Lenora, even though she was hiding such a huge secret? How did you make sure we didn't mistrust her?

I see how important that plot element was. Did you struggle with keeping ..."

I hope you immediately become empathetic to Lenora in the first chapter when you see how desperate her situation is. She is alone on a huge ranch with a young son--not only that, but you soon learn that the evil gang leader is literally breathing down her neck.

the evil gang leader is literalkly breathing down her neck..."

Ah! Yes, that would make me sympathetic. And would give me the shivers!!

How long did it take you to write this book?

Virginia wrote: "How long did it take you to write this book?"

This was the fastest book I ever wrote--probably because I had the story so firmly in my head and because I felt like I knew the characters so well. I wrote it in 26 days. HOWEVER, after it was "done" I rewrote it for 2 months! Hurray for awesome friends, readers, fellow writers and editors who jumped in to help. Writing is a group project for me and I am soooooo grateful for all the input.

Welcome, Anna! I'm very familiar with Utah as all my relatives live there - I was even born there but I grew up in California! Congrats on your book! It sounds like a very interesting story! I look forward to reading it!

Valri wrote: "Welcome, Anna! I'm very familiar with Utah as all my relatives live there...

Thanks! We love it here, although we are considering a move to Oregon in the near future. Our daughters moved there and we miss them!...not to mention our sons-in-law and grandkids are there as well.

Welcome Anna to LIH, I love to read books with history and sounds like this book has much to search out. Starting with the man you believed to be kin and wrote for him, In some of my searching of our family I found out one of my Mom's brothers had been a sherrif,that surprized me and then got to see some history of Cincinnati way back. I look forward to reading your book and learning more about you as you join our group. Was it hard to move from Christian science fantasy to historical fiction?

Thanks for your question Paula. I was surprised at how easy it was to move from sci-fi to historical, especially since researching is so much easier than it was 20 years ago. A writer friend pointed out recently that great stories can happen in any genre and I agree. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I'm with you, Anna, I LOVE historical research, although I really do prefer being able to put sticky notes and tabs in paper books instead of relying on the internet. Have to admit it's handy, though.

Anna wrote: "Virginia wrote: "How long did it take you to write this book?"

This was the fastest book I ever wrote--probably because I had the story so firmly in my head and because I felt like I knew the char..."

I just finished doing Camp NaNo with some friends and would definitely agree with what you said about writing being a group effort. Having a cheerful group of friends handy to discuss stories with helps things move forward so nicely. I can't even imagine being able to complete a first draft in less than a month, though. That is impressive!!

Valri wrote: "Welcome, Anna! I'm very familiar with Utah as all my relatives live there - I was even born there but I grew up in California! Congrats on your book! It sounds like a very interesting story! I look..."

Funny, Anna! NOW, I live in Oregon! You must be following me around - LOL! What part of Oregon are your daughters? i have lived in 3 different parts! Maybe I've met them! I understand about the grandkids. Ours live in Texas and it's so far away!

Ha! I think you're anticipating where I will move next. :-)
I have a daughter in Beaverton (she's a fabulous barista with Peet's) and a daughter in Tillamook (check out SparrowSongDesign.com). We are looking for a home in Tillamook County if you have any leads! So far we haven't seen many good places on the market that are in our price range and/or aren't a terrible mess.

This was the fastest book I ever wrote--probably because I had the story so firmly in my head and because I felt like I ..."

I think it was a fluke because now that I'm working on my next LIH, I am struggling! Most likely because our lives are in such an upheaval at the moment. I hope my brain clears up soon.

Valerie wrote: "I'm with you, Anna, I LOVE historical research, although I really do prefer being able to put sticky notes and tabs in paper books instead of relying on the internet. Have to admit it's handy, though."

Because of our upcoming move, I had to give away SO many research books....it was like saying goodbye to dear friends.

Congratulations on your LIH debut, Anna! Did the characters in The Marshal's Mission surprise you in any way as you were writing their story?

Anna wrote: "Melinda wrote: "Welcome, Anna. What made you decide t write ? How did you come up with the idea for your book, The Marshal's Mission?
Looking forward to reading your book."

Thank you Melinda. I co..."

Wow, your are right that is an interesting story. Glad that you wrote the story.

Britney wrote: "Congratulations on your LIH debut, Anna! Did the characters in The Marshal's Mission surprise you in any way as you were writing their story?"

Definitely! Writers plot in different ways, but I tend to come up with a general idea/problem, create characters, then throw them together and see how they react. My characters always surprise me. I think they should behave one way and they stage a rebellion. :-) It always turns out slightly different than I envision...and I hope in many ways better than I plan!

Becky wrote: "Congratulations, Anna, on your new release! I loved all 3 of her intergalaxia novels, and look forward to reading this one!"

Thanks, Becky! You've been a faithful reader and I appreciate you.

Welcome to LIH, Anna!
Others have asked so many great questions today. I'm excited to read your new book! You said that this was the fastest book you have written and your next LIH book is more challenging. May I ask what the subject is?

Andrea wrote: "Welcome to LIH, Anna!
You said that this was the fastest book you have written and your next LIH book is more cha..."

Since I love Wyoming and ranches, I am setting my next book there as well. I guess my subject isn't as challenging as my characters. I don't quite have them as clear in my mind as for The Marshal's Mission. I have the plot down, but my characters need to be fleshed out a little more. So I went back to the drawing board i.e. my character sheets, personality charts, backstory to figure out who these people are. Once I connect with them, the story will just fly. Thanks for your comment and question!

Anna wrote: "Ha! I think you're anticipating where I will move next. :-)
I have a daughter in Beaverton (she's a fabulous barista with Peet's) and a daughter in Tillamook (check out SparrowSongDesign.com). We a..."

I'm familiar with both places! Tillamook is great - cheese! I love the cheese factory there - fun place! I don't know any people there though so no leads....sorry! I can imagine places being out of price range though....along the coast! Good luck!

Keli wrote: "As a West Coaster who lives in California's Sierra Foothills, I'm happy to hear you're thinking of moving out here. I have a hunch those daughters are the reason for the possible move. Am I right?."

Yes, you're right! Also, we have a special need granddaughter who turns 9 this month. My husband and I would love to be more involved in her life as well as her parents'.

Welcome to LIH, Anna! You and I are neighbors! I live in Salt Lake and there are a couple others on here from Utah. The story sounds fun. Is your next story connected to this first one or just the same territory? Looking forward to years of reading your stories!

June wrote: "Is your next story connected to this first one or just the same territory?"

The next book will be a standalone, just like The Marshal's Mission. BUT I do have a trilogy planned that will take place in Kansas and South Dakota. I'm knee-deep in research.

I hate it when I'm asked this question, but sitting on this side of the desk, I just have to ask (because I'm interested!!!): who was your favorite character in this book, and why?

Virginia wrote: "I just have to ask (because I'm interested!!!): who was your favorite character in this book, and why? "

Oh, I would have to say my favorite character was....Toby! Of course, I loved my hero and heroine, but Toby (the 10 year old) was such a delight to create and write about. He had no secrets. He was open and honest and so direct. He said what he thought. Perhaps in some ways, he is a compilation of my own grandkids. And I have the absolutely best ones in the world, you know. :-)

Okay, I'm signing off for the evening. Thanks to everyone who read, posted or emailed me about my debut novel--on this site as well as on others. Happy reading, all!

Happy to have you here, Valerie! I'll post my question tonight because tomorrow is a busy day for me. I've been reading and loving your books for a lot of years! How many have you written for all three branches of Love Inspired? How hard is it to go from genre to genre when you are writing? Do you have a favorite?

Valerie, I really enjoyed this book!!! And I love the cover (the dress is so pretty!) xD I had no idea of this particular Cherokee culture before reading this. I knew that the roles of women differed between tribes, but this was crazy different! I'd love to visit the museum one day:)

What was your inspiration behind your characters and their relationship?

Valerie, as a fellow Arkansan I was really impressed with how you nailed the culture in the book "Dangerous Legacy." How do you make sure you nail your sense of place as thoroughly when writing about other places?

Also...no wonder there was weather in that book, since you're a storm spotter. :) I love being a storm-spotter and always appreciate books that have something more than "sunshine/rain/wind" weather.