The Memory House by Linda Goodnight

THE MEMORY HOUSE, a dual time period Women’s Fiction novel. 

Welcome to Honey Ridge, Tennessee, and a house that’s rich with secrets and brimming with sweet possibilities.

Julia Presley, 34, lost everything when her son was abducted and her husband subsequently left her. Now, she’s emotionally stuck, letting life pass her by and believing she’s as okay as she’ll ever  be.

1.  Julia Presley, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
    I suppose the fact that I run an antebellum bed and breakfast inn in rural Tennessee with my sister is reasonably interesting. The other thing is too painful, too heartbreaking to call interesting. 

2.  What do you do for fun?
    I love entertaining, cooking, making peach tea, and decorating this beautiful old house. In fact, these are the things—those and this wonderful old house--that saved my sanity, and probably my life, when Mikey disappeared.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?
       Confronting my sister about her drinking. You see, it’s a fact of life that my family doesn’t talk about important matters.  The elephant in the room is politely ignored while all involved hope it will simply go away.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?
    Do not repeat this. I never, ever want anyone to know I doubt, but I am terrible afraid that I will never see my child again.  And I’m also afraid of something happening to another child on my watch. That’s why my inn has a no-child policy.

5.  What do you want out of life?
    I want my son to come home, of course, but also I want to help the mysterious drifter whose pitiful car broke down outside my inn. There’s something hopeless in him that I understand all too well. 

6. What scripture most defines your life?
    Love always hopes.

7.  What is the most important thing to you?
    Running and remodeling my historic inn. Lately, we’ve found some interesting artifacts from the Civil War period, including clay marbles that mysteriously appear at the most troubling times. I wonder if I’ve finally lost my grip on reality or if this old house is trying to tell me something.

 8.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
    For years, I’ve felt frozen, waiting. I want to feel something again beside emptiness and heartache. I want to be able to let other people into my life, not just into my home.

9.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
    I have Bingo, a blue merle Australian shepherd. He was my son’s dog.  Bingo is getting old and misses having a boy around, but I so want him to still be with us when Mikey is finally found.

10. Can you tell us a little interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?   
    While I live in the contemporary world, Peach Orchard Inn, my bed and breakfast is antebellum,  so traces of the Civil War pop up now and then. The old letters are quite compelling.

Lyn Cote's December book-Her Healing Ways RT

I caught up with Lyn Cote yesterday and asked her to share a few thoughts with us on being the Romantic Times Winner of the Best Love Inspired Historical of 2010 for her book, Her Healing Ways. Here is what she had to say...

1. Where were you when you got the RT call and what were you doing?

I was sitting at my laptop as usual. And it wasn't a "call" but an email. RT wanted to know if I'd be attending the RT Convention in LA in April because I was the winner of.... I emailed them back my regrets and the kicker is--since I'm not going I don't get a plaque. Which is fine with me because I'm not a "plaque-displaying" kind of person. :-)

2. Who was the first person you called/emailed?

No one actually. They didn't tell me to keep my trap shut but for once, I thought it would be better if I did. :-)

3.Does this book have a special meaning to you? If so, tell us about it.

I've always been fascinated by the Quakers and by the changes brought by the Civil War.

Her Healing Ways is the third in my "Gabriel Sisters" series, about three Quaker sisters who try to help heal the nation after the horrible war. The first was Her Captain's Heart, and featured Verity who went south to open a Freedman's School to teach former slaves how to read and write and prepare them for citizenship. The second was Her Patchwork Family and featured Felicity who moved to an Illinois Mississippi River town to set up an orphanage to care for children--black and white--orphaned by the war. (This book also finaled for American Christian Fiction Writer's Carol Award last year.) Each of these fictional women had a passion for doing what God had called them to do. I think that is what makes them special to me. I hope to follow their example. :-)

4. Did you celebrate in any special way with your family and friends?

No, it's really business as usual around here though my dh was impressed with me. He's such a dear. While I have the chance, I'd like to thank my editor, Tina James. She made my book better which is the mark of a good editor. And I'd like to say that this award could easily have gone to any one of the other finalists:

ROCKY MOUNTAIN MATCH
Pamela Nissen, STEEPLE HILL, (June 2010)

DANGEROUS ALLIES
Renee Ryan, STEEPLE HILL, (September 2010)

THE OUTLAW'S BRIDE
Catherine Palmer, STEEPLE HILL, (September 2010)

PRAIRIE COURTSHIP
Dorothy Clark, STEEPLE HILL, (October 2010)

If you'd like to see the finalists for the other Love Inspired lines, scroll down till you find Love Inspired at http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-awards/nominees-and-winners?award_type=book

Thanks so much Lyn! From all of us at the CRAFTIE LADIES of Love Inspired Romance, CONGRATULATIONS!

Many blessings, Lisa Mondello

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