Love Inspired Historicals discussion

Welcome to our December Q&A! Karen Kirst here to introduce four new holiday releases.
Today we welcome author Gabrielle Meyer! Gabrielle lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River with her husband and four young children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people and events. Gabrielle can be found at www.gabriellemeyer.com where she writes about her passion for history, Minnesota, and her faith.

Find Gabrielle on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AuthorGabrielleMeyer, Pinterest at www.Pinterest.com/gabriellemeyer/, Twitter at www.twitter.com/MeyerGabrielle, Goodreads, and her Website at www.gabriellemeyer.com.



The Gift of Twins

Unexpected Holiday Blessings

Finding twin five-year-old boys on his doorstep isn’t the first surprise Reverend Benjamin Lahaye has faced lately. Emery Wilkes, the new schoolteacher the town has hired, turns out to be a very pretty woman—not the man they’d been expecting. And though the twins and Emmy are only boarding with Ben until Christmas, the arrangement feels all too natural.

Emmy has moved to Minnesota to put loss behind her. Marriage would mean forsaking her position and her purpose, and Ben is an honorable man who understands her refusal to wed. But as he gets closer to tracking down the little boys’ father, Emmy realizes just how much she wants their sweet temporary family to become permanent.

Congratulations on your new release, Gabrielle! Your cover is beautiful. What was your favorite part about writing this story?

Gabrielle, your book is so adorable!! There's just something about children making Christmas even more enjoyable - their innocence, their joy, their excitement... Will this be the last one in your Little Falls Legacy series?

Thank you for the warm welcome, Karen! I'm excited to visit with Reader's here today. My favorite part about writing this story is that I have a set of twin boys and they were the inspiration for the twins in my story. I used my boys as templates, from their looks to their personalities. As I wrote the story, I kept asking myself: how would my boys react if placed in this same situation? I enjoyed exploring that question and watching the hero and heroine fall in love with those boys. There are a few poignant scenes that made me cry, because life wasn't easy for the boys in the story, and it was hard to picture my sons going through the same pain. I hope it lends an authenticity to the characters in The Gift of Twins.

My question for the readers: do you have twins in your family? Do you know a set of twins? Do you have any fun twin stories to share?

Also, because it's Christmas, I'd love to know what you're doing to enjoy the holidays. Do you enjoy baking, watching Christmas movies, listening to music, decorating?

I'll be here all day to chat with you and answer any questions you might have for me. I'll also be choosing a winner to receive a copy of The Gift of Twins from among those who comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Becky Smith: Unfortunately, it will be my last for Love Inspired Historical. I had hoped to write several in the Little Falls Legacy series, and was working on the next proposal, when I was told Love Inspired Historical was closing their line. 😞 Still hard to believe. So this release is bittersweet in many ways. I'm thrilled that I was able to write Ben's story, but sad that I can't write others for LIH.

Gabrielle wrote: "Becky Smith: Unfortunately, it will be my last for Love Inspired Historical. I had hoped to write several in the Little Falls Legacy series, and was working on the next proposal, when I was told Lo..."

Gabrielle, I forgot LIH is closing! I'm sad also that you can't write more in this series. But it will be fun to read your other stories.

Gabrielle wrote: "Thank you for the warm welcome, Karen! I'm excited to visit with Reader's here today. My favorite part about writing this story is that I have a set of twin boys and they were the inspiration for t..."
We always seem to have a set of twins in our Sunday School class. I'm always amazed that they seem so different from each other. As for the twins we have now (Noah & Nash), one is really outgoing and funny and the other is quiet and studious. We've had twins in the past that we couldn't tell apart (including twin girls whose LAST name was Nash- must be something about that name!), so it was a challenge to know which one we were talking to, until their parents clued us on something that made one of them obvious who she was. Even our preacher's wife is a twin, and I babysat for a lady who was a twin.

Gabrielle wrote: "Thank you for the warm welcome, Karen! I'm excited to visit with Reader's here today. My favorite part about writing this story is that I have a set of twin boys and they were the inspiration for t..."

I forgot to say yes to all of the above - I enjoy baking, watching Christmas movies, listening to music, decorating. That's part of what makes the season fun, besides having more family time.

No twins in my family.
There's at least one set of twins at church - 2 young girls.

I don't want to watch Christmas movies BEFORE Halloween (Hallmark Channel) ... but I'm finally starting to enjoy them now.

The Children's Christmas play was on Sunday, Advent.
Christmas concert coming this Wed that my parents play in.
There's the big Choir Party (everyone involved in the music program at church and their families are allowed to come) is just around the corner.
Three Rivers Ringers (handbell group) have a concert in a couple weeks we're going to. (you can look up Three Rivers Ringers on YouTube if you love handbells - fantastic group to watch)
Actually haven't pulled out my own Christmas CDs yet, though.

I try not to decorate much before Dec 7 - Pearl Harbor Day.
But I think I'll start at least cleaning today, maybe find my manger scenes to put up.

Cookie-baking is mostly done at my mom's house.

Gabrielle wrote: "Thank you for the warm welcome, Karen! I'm excited to visit with Reader's here today. My favorite part about writing this story is that I have a set of twin boys and they were the inspiration for t..."

How neat that you could use your twins as inspiration for the story!

Hi Gabe! I'm so excited to finally read this book! I'm so sad LIH is closing.
I have identical twin cousins. They were my flower girls at age 3. They were quite a handful when they were little. Shortly before my wedding they scaled the antenna and were running around on the roof! Their poor grandma was babysitting at the time. My uncle brought one of his work ladders home to get them down.
This Christmas is just the two of us. I'm watching a lot of Hallmark movies and reading Christmas stories. My husband is having surgery next month, with his different medical issues there are a lot of pre-surgical visits with his doctors.

Hi Gabreille the book sounds interesting and sad the line is ending. Maybe you can self publish more of the books in the series.

No twins in my family either. We did have quite a few in the town and school I went to. I actually had a set of twin in a field hockey team and the way to tell them apart is the position they play and number on their back. They still look alike.

I have the lounge mostly decorated for Christmas. The village is up and the tree is almost finished. I ran out of steam. (had surgery on my shoulder in Sept and over did it rearranging the room and am paying big time for it).

I will be baking cookies to give away in the lead up. I will be alone this Christmas and as our church is not having a service (due to not having a minister) I will be going to one of the others as its not Christmas without going to church Christmas Day. It also makes it a long day without going. I still love this time of the year. I am suffering from health issues which have me quite low at present but the time of the year helps.

I love reading about twins in books! My dad had an identical twin brother and my cousins a boy and girl area twins. Count me in with the others who are sad to see the LIH historical line end. Your book sounds perfect for Christmas reading. Love the cover!

HI, Gabrielle,
I enjoy reading about twins and families that are formed out of need for a mom , dad and children. I enjoy reading Christmas stories and listening to Christmas music. We are cutting back due to health issues for my Mom and many of the family friends have some serious health issues or someone in their families does. We probably will do some baking to give as gifts. We always go to church on Christmas Eve,

Have you thought about what your are going to do with your writing since LIH is closing? if you publish whether self publish or another publisher , you can write the rest of the Little Falls Legacy stories. This book sounds wonderful.

The last set of twins in my family were my great-grandfather and his sister. They went by their middle names so they were called Lawrence and Florence! ;-)

As far as our Christmas goes, we haven't gotten much done yet. I need to hurry up and put up our tree!

We have no twins in our families. I got some presents, a tree, and grave blankets. I am doing good if I at least started.

I forgot to say that the only set of twins that I know of are my Great Aunt and Uncle on my mom's mom's side. their names were Harry and Harriet.

My mother is a twin. She will be 101 years old in a couple of weeks. She’s the only one left. But she wrote a book with my sister a couple of years ago about growing up as a missionary kid in China.
My mother in law had twin sisters.
I knew someone a long time ago whose mother had about four sets of twins plus other kids. She was always in the newspaper.

Paula wrote: "My mother is a twin. She will be 101 years old in a couple of weeks. She’s the only one left. But she wrote a book with my sister a couple of years ago about growing up as a missionary kid in China..."

Your mom has lived an interesting life and seen a lot of changes.

Good morning, everyone! Today we welcome author Winnie Griggs.
Winnie grew up in south Louisiana in an undeveloped area her schoolmates considered the very back of beyond. With her two younger siblings and another family of three siblings for playmates, she spent many an hour exploring the overgrown land around her home, cutting jungle trails, building forts and frontier camps, and looking for pirate ships on the nearby bayou.
Once she 'grew up' she found other outlets for dealing with all those wonderful, adventurous, imaginary friends by filling notebooks with their stories. And somewhere along the way, those scribblings gave way to full length books.
Eventually she found her own Prince Charming, a rancher whose white steed takes the form of a tractor and whose kingdom is situated in a small rural community that she loves to call home, and together they've built their own storybook happily-ever-after. Their lives together expanded to include four now grown children who share Winnie's vivid imagination and her husband's steadier influences and are now out in the world pursuing their own adventures.
You can learn more about Winnie and her books, past and future, at www.winniegriggs.com



Once Upon a Texas Christmas

Partners for the Holidays

Abigail Fulton is determined to find independence in Turnabout, Texas—and becoming manager of the local hotel could be the solution. But first, she must work with Seth Reynolds to renovate the property by Christmas—and convince him she’s perfect for the job. If only he hadn’t already promised the position to someone else…

Ever since his troubled childhood, Seth yearns to prove himself. And this hotel is his best chance. But what does someone like Abigail know about decor and furnishings? Yet the closer the holiday deadline gets, the more he appreciates her abilities and her kindness. His business ambitions require denying Abigail’s dearest wish, but can they put old dreams aside for a greater gift—love and family?

Congratulations on your new release, Winnie! Fixing up a hotel sounds like a fun way for your characters to spend lots of time together. What gave you the idea?

Megan wrote: "No twins in my family.
There's at least one set of twins at church - 2 young girls.

I don't want to watch Christmas movies BEFORE Halloween (Hallmark Channel) ... but I'm finally starting to enjo..."

Wow! You have a busy, fun Christmas schedule, Megan. Sounds like you have a lot of ways to celebrate this beautiful time of year. Enjoy!

Good morning ! Thanks for hosting Karen.
Winnie , I love your books set in Turnabout ,Texas. Your characters are like old friends. With LIH closing, will you write anymore stories set in Turnabout ,Texas?
Where did the idea for Seth come from?

Please don't enter me for the books I have them all already.

Everyone's books sound great. I can't wait to read them. I am busy with Christmas and I have been watching Christmas movies since before Halloween. We still have to decorate maybe this weekend will work. I am also very sad that LIH is closing next year. I saw on one of the other boards talks of creating a LIS group like this one since many of our LIH authors will be joining the LIS family. I think that it would be a blast!

Melinda wrote: "Good morning ! Thanks for hosting Karen.
Winnie , I love your books set in Turnabout ,Texas. Your characters are like old friends. With LIH closing, will you write anymore stories set in Turnabout..."

Hi Melinda. I'm so glad you've enjoyed my Turnabout stories and yes, those characters are like old friends to me too! Even before LIH announced the line was closing I had planned to have this story wrap up the series, mainly because it takes place at the end of 1899 and I figured the close of the century would be fitting place to put a period on it. However a few of the secondary characters have been calling to me lately and I just may do a few novellas that take place between the existing books to tell their stories.

I love history and will certainly look up Winnie’s books. I may have read some already.

Paula wrote: "I love history and will certainly look up Winnie’s books. I may have read some already."

Hi Paula, thanks for stopping by. And thanks for looking up my books :)

Andrea wrote: "Hi Gabe! I'm so excited to finally read this book! I'm so sad LIH is closing.
I have identical twin cousins. They were my flower girls at age 3. They were quite a handful when they were little. Sh..."

Oh, my goodness, Andrea!! That's quite a memory with your nieces. :) We have several concerning our twin boys, as well. One of my favorites (though it's gross), is when my boys were about eighteen months old. They loved dunking their graham crackers in milk. One day, they found the graham crackers, and because they couldn't get the milk out on their own, they dunked them in the first liquid they could find--the toilet! That's how I found them, enjoying their graham crackers in the bathroom. :)

Praying for better health for your husband this Christmas season. May God richly bless you now and in the new year.

Ausjenny wrote: "Hi Gabreille the book sounds interesting and sad the line is ending. Maybe you can self publish more of the books in the series.

No twins in my family either. We did have quite a few in the town ..."

Praying you feel better, Jenny! It sounds like you're finding ways to enjoy this season and make the most of your health limitations. I agree about Christmas. It's not the same without going to church. Our church has a Christmas Eve service, but not a Christmas day service (unless Christmas day falls on a Sunday).

Maryann wrote: "I love reading about twins in books! My dad had an identical twin brother and my cousins a boy and girl area twins. Count me in with the others who are sad to see the LIH historical line end. Your ..."

Lots of twins in your family, Maryann! I'm bummed about Love Inspired Historical closing, as well. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to keep writing for my other publisher, but it's just sad all the way around. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Melinda wrote: "HI, Gabrielle,
I enjoy reading about twins and families that are formed out of need for a mom , dad and children. I enjoy reading Christmas stories and listening to Christmas music. We are cutting..."

I'm sure your friends and family will love getting some baked goods for Christmas, Melinda.

Even though LIH is closing, I'm thankful because I still have another publisher and I have three stories releasing with them next year. I am looking for ways to keep writing my Little Falls Legacy series, but right now, I'm content to fulfill my contract for my other publisher. Thankfully there are many different ways to get stories in front of readers.

Merry Christmas!

Karen wrote: "The last set of twins in my family were my great-grandfather and his sister. They went by their middle names so they were called Lawrence and Florence! ;-)

As far as our Christmas goes, we haven't..."

Lawrence and Florence are adorable! :) I hope you have fun putting up your tree. Ours has been up for about a week (we buy a real tree), and the kids have been having fun looking at all the ornaments they've been collecting since they were babies.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Tammy wrote: "We have no twins in our families. I got some presents, a tree, and grave blankets. I am doing good if I at least started."

It sounds like you're just about ready for Christmas, Tammy. I hope you have a beautiful holiday season.

Melinda wrote: "I forgot to say that the only set of twins that I know of are my Great Aunt and Uncle on my mom's mom's side. their names were Harry and Harriet."

Harry and Harriet are great twins names! When we were expecting our twins, I looked up many common twin combinations and was impressed with what people came up with. It's a tough decision as to whether or not you want your twins to have names that are connected or completely different. We chose two names from the 12 Tribes of Israel for our boys, Judah & Asher. In my story, The Gift of Twins, I also chose two names from the 12 Tribes of Israel, Levi and Zebulun.

Paula wrote: "My mother is a twin. She will be 101 years old in a couple of weeks. She’s the only one left. But she wrote a book with my sister a couple of years ago about growing up as a missionary kid in China..."

Wow! Your mother must have an incredible story to tell about her life. What an amazing journey she's had. Please wish her a happy birthday from me. :)

My first LIH story had a woman who had two sets of twins and she was pregnant again. With two singleton daughters, and a set of twin boys, I can't even begin to imagine having four sets of twins, plus other children!! Bless that woman's heart.

Merry Christmas, Paula! May you have a beautiful holiday season.

Hi Winnie, Love an independent woman who wants to make her way in the world. The book sounds interesting. It seems its the first without children for awhile which is also refreshing (Not saying books with kids is bad just that its nice to have books without them also).

Ausjenny wrote: "Hi Winnie, Love an independent woman who wants to make her way in the world. The book sounds interesting. It seems its the first without children for awhile which is also refreshing (Not saying boo..."
Hi Jenny. I like independent women too! :) And not to disappoint you, but there is a child in this one, he just doesn't show up until near the halfway point. Hope that doesn't put you off.

Winnie wrote: "Ausjenny wrote: "Hi Winnie, Love an independent woman who wants to make her way in the world. The book sounds interesting. It seems its the first without children for awhile which is also refreshin..."

its ok to have a child. doesn't put me off

Karen wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Today we welcome author Winnie Griggs.
Winnie grew up in south Louisiana in an undeveloped area her schoolmates considered the very back of beyond. With her two younger sibl..."
Hi Winnie! How did you name the town Turnabout, or is that a real place? I love the idea of renovating the hotel. Your story sounds really fun to read.

Becky wrote: "Hi Winnie! How did you name the town Turnabout, or is that a real place? I love the idea of renovating the hotel. Your story sounds really fun to read."

Hi Becky - good question. No, Turnabout is not a real place (though it has come to feel very real to me after 10 books). I love inventing town names, and work as hard on getting it just right as I do my character names. I settled on Turnabout for the name of this particular town because the stories I wanted to set there would be all about second chances and folks trying to turn their lives around.

Winnie wrote: "Becky wrote: "Hi Winnie! How did you name the town Turnabout, or is that a real place? I love the idea of renovating the hotel. Your story sounds really fun to read."

Hi Becky - good question. No,..."

Winnie, I love that!!

Hi Winnie, I always love stories with a Texas setting since I lived there for four years. I think it's a great storyline for the couple to work together! I am sure there is lots of give and take between the two.

Winnie,
I had not thought about the connection with the town's name and that each story is about turning around lives .Now the town's name makes a lot of sense. Thank you for sharing that.

Becky
Thank you for asking the question.

Maryann wrote: "Hi Winnie, I always love stories with a Texas setting since I lived there for four years. I think it's a great storyline for the couple to work together! I am sure there is lots of give and take be..."

Oh my yes! Because, as we all know, it takes a bit of friction to cause a spark, and without spark it wouldn't be a very interesting story. :).

Melinda wrote: "Winnie,
I had not thought about the connection with the town's name and that each story is about turning around lives .Now the town's name makes a lot of sense. Thank you for sharing that...."

You're quite welcome!

Good morning, everyone! Please welcome author Regina Scott. Regina is the author of the Frontier Bachelors series set in pioneer Seattle (The Bride Ship, Would-Be Wilderness Wife, Frontier Engagement, Instant Frontier Family, and A Convenient Christmas Wedding). She is also the author of more than two dozen sweet historical romances set in Regency England in such series as Uncommon Courtships, the Everard Legacy, the Master Matchmaker, and the Lady Emily Capers. She has twice been awarded best book of the year for her type of story from industry favorite RT Book Reviews.

She makes her home in the Puget Sound area of Washington State with her beloved husband and a hyperactive Irish terrier named Fergus. Find her online at her website www.reginascott.com, the blog she shares with author Marissa Doyle at www.nineteenteen.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorreginascott, and on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/reginascott.



His Frontier Christmas Family

A Family Made at Christmas

After taking guardianship of his late friend’s siblings and baby daughter, minister Levi Wallin hopes to atone for his troubled past on the gold fields. But it won’t be easy to convince the children’s wary elder sister to trust him. The more he learns about her, though, the more he believes Callie Murphy’s prickly manner masks a vulnerable heart…one he’s starting to wish he was worthy of.

Every man in Callie’s life chose chasing gold over responsibilities. Levi—and the large, loving Wallin family—might just be different. But she can tell he’s hiding something from her, and she refuses to risk her heart with secrets between them. Even as they grow closer, will their pasts keep them from claiming this unexpected new beginning?

Congratulations on your latest release, Regina. Were there any challenges about having a minister for a hero?

Morning everyone!
Regina,
I enjoy your Frontier Bachelors series. His Frontier Christmas Family looks like a wonderful Christmas time story. How did you decide on Levi's calling as a minister?

Do you prefer pioneer Seattle or Regency England to set your stories in? Which setting has more challenges for you ?

Good morning, all! Waking up on the West Coast. Thank you, Karen, for hosting us this month, and for keeping all of us organized through the years for the Q&A.

Karen wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Please welcome author Regina Scott. "

My biggest challenge in making Levi a minister was figuring out what a minister did in 1874! This is a small community--no committee meetings, no civic responsibilities like I've seen current ministers attend to. It's also a stalwart community--if someone has an illness, their immediate family takes care of it, so no hospital or in-home visits. And no building and grounds committee to oversee the church! So, Levi still has to work with his hands a lot keeping things going.

Melinda wrote: "How did you decide on Levi's calling as a minister?"

It seemed the right thing to do, Melinda. He was so rebellious as a child, he needed something big to shake him up and make him realize who he was meant to be. What better than a calling from God?

As to time period and setting, I just love history. I gravitated to Regency England because I loved reading Regency romances, but I've been wanting to write about pioneer Seattle since I was girl and first learned some of our local history. The sweep and grandeur of Regency England calls to me, but I will admit it's a lot of fun writing about places I can go see by car! For that reason, though, I suppose pioneer Seattle is a little more challenging to write about. Surprisingly, there's much we don't know about the details of Regency England (did they take off their gloves to eat? How often did they use first names?), but we know more about our pioneer roots. It worries me that I might get something wrong.

Regina wrote: "Melinda wrote: "How did you decide on Levi's calling as a minister?"

It seemed the right thing to do, Melinda. He was so rebellious as a child, he needed something big to shake him up and make him..."

Thanks for answering Regina. I had not thought about it but it is the little details that we do not know that allows you more freedom. I love history as well. there is always something new to learn.

Karen wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Please welcome author Regina Scott. Regina is the author of the Frontier Bachelors series set in pioneer Seattle (The Bride Ship, Would-Be Wilderness Wife, Frontier Engageme..."

Did you also have to research guardianship during that time period?
I recently came across some guardianship papers online for our family history and they were fascinating to me, but they were in the 1900's.