A Time to Celibrate with Family-Part 3

Lyn Cote here, Another day of our family photos for Christmas celebration. Hope you will many new memories this year and take many photos.

This is the Phinney Family Christmas morning. I love all the chaos of Christmas morning!

This is Barbara Phinney and her husband in the Canary Islands on vacation. It's for contrast with the next photo~

This is Barbara's Christmas morning photo of her neck of the words. She lives in New Brunswick, Canada, the Bay of Fundy shore. It reminds me of my neck of the woods! Here's a photo from my porch this November.

 Well, next week will be our final photos for 2013! Do you live in a snowy Christmas area or a no snow area?--Lyn

Rita Watch: The Measure of Katie Calloway

Hello there, Miss The Measure of Katie Calloway. Let me start by giving you a big, Craftie-Lady welcome, and thank you for interviewing with us today. It's always fun to have new books stop by. 

So Miss Measure of KC, when were you born? The Measure of Katie Calloway  was born October 1, 2011

Ah, October would be a lovely birthday month,  with all those beautiful tree leaves changing colors. Where were you born?

I was born to author Serena Miller, who’s a pastor’s wife living in southern Ohio, which makes sense, as this story is set only one state away, in Michigan.

Well, there's certainly lots of trees with colorful leaves to greet you in Michigan and Ohio. Do you have any brothers and sisters?

I do, though I’m a bit different from either of my siblings. I’m related to Love Finds You in Sugar Creek Ohio and An Uncommon Grace. Both of my siblings are contemporary Amish stories. And here I am, the lone, non-Amish historical. Maybe I was adopted at birth? 

Just kidding. I enjoy my siblings . . . um, as much as any sister can. And I similar sister will be born again this October. So won’t be the only child with a story about Michigan’s logging days any more.


What do you think made you a RITA finalist?

I’m set in an interesting time period: the logging boom that hit the Midwest, particularly Michigan and Wisconsin, after the Civil War. While my mother grew up knowing about Michigan’s logging era and the giant pine forests that were completely clear cut to fuel the Industrial Revolution, I imagine many people probably aren’t all that familiar with this part of America’s history.

Furthermore, I deal with some very real issues, like spousal abuse and fidelity, which probably resonate with a lot of readers. And then I’ve got this wonderfully delightful cast of smaller, interesting characters that make life in a Northwoods lumber camp far from boring!

Here’s the cover blurb:

The Civil War has ended, but in Katie Calloway's Georgia home conflict still rages. To protect herself and her young brother from her violent and unstable husband, she flees north, finding anonymity and sanctuary as the cook in a Northwoods lumber camp. The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he's hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie wonders if she can keep her past a secret from a man she is slowly growing to love.

With grace and skill, Serena Miller brings to life a bygone era. From the ethereal, snowy forest and the warm cookstove to the rowdy shanty boys and the jagged edges of the saw, every detail is perfectly rendered, transporting the reader back to the time when pine was king, men were made of iron, and rivers were choked with logs on the way to the sawmills. Readers will have a hard time leaving the Northwoods when they turn the last page.

Thank you for being with us today, Miss The Measure of Katie Calloway. And congratulations on being a Rita Finalist. You must be thrilled!

To learn more about The Measure of Katie Calloway and her siblings, visit the author’s website at http://serenabmiller.com/

RITA WATCH: Love on the Line

Christine Johnson here for our next Rita finalist interview! Today let’s welcome Love on the Line with a great big how-do-you-do.

So Love – may I call you that? – is this your first visit to the Craftie Ladies of Love Inspired Romance?

Yes it is, though I’ve heard wonderful things about your group and have wanted to ask Elnora dozens of questions like what color hat to wear with an orange and pink flowered dress and whether or not a working girl ought to wear sensible shoes or her Sunday best pumps if an attractive bachelor shares the same office. I’m not asking for myself, naturally. In my humble opinion, my story’s heroine, Georgie Gail, could use a little—ahem—help in those departments.



Well, if Elnora stops by, I’m sure she’d be glad to answer your questions. Now let’s get down to the interview. When were you born?

My, you do get right to the personal questions, don’t you? Well, I suppose it’s no secret. I was born last October 1st. That’s 2011, mind you, which is positively scandalous considering the story took place a century ago. Goodness, you’d think someone could have written it down a little sooner.


I suppose you’re right, but sometimes a story does have to wait for the right moment to mature. Could you tell us where you were born?

Well, I finally came to roost, so to speak, in Deeanne Gist’s talented mind. She’s from Texas, which fits perfectly since the story takes place in Brenham, Texas.


I’m sure it came in handy to find a Texas author. So are you the oldest child or do you have brothers and sisters?

My oh my do I have siblings. There’s a whole passel of them. Two of my older sisters won the Christy Award (A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady), and three of them were nominated for a Rita back in 2007 (The Measure of a Lady), 2009 (Deep in the Heart of Trouble), and 2011 (Maid to Match). It’s sure nice to break that every other year pattern for the Rita.


Wow, that’s impressive. I’m sure you’re hoping to top them all. What do you think makes you a Rita finalist?

Aside from the most luscious hero on the planet? Who wouldn’t fall head over caboose for Lucious Landrum, the most gorgeous quick-draw Texas Ranger that ever walked the face of the earth? That little telephone switchboard operator, Georgie Gail, sure did. Oh, she talked big about how much she liked being a career woman, but working alongside him put a crimp in that bonnet. Speaking of bonnets, you absolutely cannot miss the hat collection those Plumage League ladies put together after those dastardly criminals, the Comer Gang, broke into… Whoops, I’m giving too much away. Suffice it to say that this story has a dreamboat hero, heart-stopping action, and enough compassion to soften the hardest heart. As for me, I’m banking on Miss Georgie’s Plumage League. If those ladies commandeer the Rita vote, it’s a done deal.


Here's the story blurb:


Switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man’s world…which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.

Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears, though. He’s a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.



Let’s give Love on the Line a big thank you for stopping by today to chat and wish her well in the final!


Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist (Bethany House, 2011)
To learn more about Love on the Line and her sisters, visit Deeanne Gist’s website at http://www.deeannegist.com/.

Interviewing Rita Finalist ~ Deadly Pursuit

Sandra Orchard here, and it's my pleasure to interview another of the Rita finalists books...

DEADLY PURSUIT by Irene Hannon

(Revell; Jennifer Leep, editor) 

So... Deadly Pursuit

When were you born?    

  September 1st, 2011


Where were you born? 

 I hail from Missouri, home of my beloved author, Irene Hannon


Do you have any brothers and sisters?

I'm the middle child of three in my author's Guardian of Justice series. I also have a few step brothers and sisters in her other Heroes of Quantico series. And reaching way back on the family tree, I have lots of Steeplehill siblings.


What do you think made you a RITA finalist? 

A stalker with deadly intent... A woman who protects children... An ex-Navy SEAL turned police detective. A winning combination, don't you think?


It certainly sounds like it, Deadly. Thanks so much for visiting with us today.