What We're Reading; How About You?

Leann Harris

I'm reading Madeline Hunter's Accidental Duchess

I finished The Sheriff by Angi Morgan (Intrigue)

I plan to read Best Little Stories from WWII by C.Brian Kelly

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Debby Giusti

I love sharing book selections, but like Missy, I just finished judging a contest and can't disclose what I read. However, I can share that I gave a perfect score to one novel, a YA, that really hooked me. I'm hoping the story wins!

Now, I'm eager to read Marta Perry's newest Amish suspense, WHERE SECRETS SLEEP. I lived near Amish areas in Ohio and Pennsylvania in my youth, and Marta's stories always take me back to those early years and the simple life of the Amish people.

Next on my To Be Read List is my book club's April selection, PRISONER OF TEHRAN: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison, by Marina Nemat. The member of the book club who made the selection highly recommend the true story and said she learned so much from the book about Iran in the 1980s.

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Rhonda Gibson 

I just finished reading, Janet Lee Barton's, A Daughter's Return. Very Good. 

I am reading now, Mrs. Jefferies and the one who got away by Emily Brightwell. I'm a big cozy mystery reader so this is just what I needed. 

Next I plan to read, The Lumberjack's Bride by Jean Kincaid.  

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Mary Curry

I can't name the last book I read since it was for a contest, but it was great!

I'm currently reading Angi Morgan's  Protecting Their Child. It's an Intrigue that led to her current West Texas Watchmen series. It's a bit gritty, but I'm turning the pages as fast as I can and reading when I should be doing other things, so I guess that tells you how great it is.

Next up, Dana R. Lynn's Presumed Guilty. Dana is one of my fellow Killer Voices so I'm excited to read her debut.

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Keli Gwyn

What you just finished reading: Months ago I’d celebrated fellow Love Inspired author Jill Kemerer’s First Sale. I eagerly awaited the release of her debut Love Inspired romance and rejoiced when an advance copy of Small-Town Bachelor, an April release, showed up in my post office box. Jill’s book went to the top of my to-be-read piles. (Yes, I have more than one.) I enjoyed this sweet story of a small-town gal and the big city guy who comes to her rescue during a tornado, ends up staying in her hometown due to an injury he suffers as a result and finds himself reluctant to leave. Jill’s characters are likable, the romance satisfying and the writing crisp and clean. As a bonus, the heroine, a wannabe zookeeper, is caring for a pair of adorable otters. A heartwarming tale!

 What are you reading now: I’m a huge fan of fellow Love Inspired Historical author Renee Ryan and love her Charity House series. I read my first of her stories a few months ago. As soon as I finished it, I dug through my TBR piles and found several more of her books. I’m currently enjoying His Most Suitable Bride. As usual, Renee’s characters are well drawn, the emotion is deep and the romance is sigh-worthy. Another winner!

 What you plan to read next: I'm privileged to read The Cactus Creek Challenge by my friend and agent mate Erica Vestch for endorsement. I'm eager to dive into Erica’s entertaining story and know I’m in for a treat—along with some chuckles

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Pamela Tracy

What you just finished reading: Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill - one of the more unique books I've read. It was set in Thailand and had a set of characters that didn't really work for me. But, I was interested enough in the whodunit to keep reading. When all was said and done, at the end, the only character I'd be willing to share tea with was Granddad Jar (not sure the spelling; I did this as an audio as I drove back and forth to work). Oh, and I did enjoy the George W. Bush quotes.

What you are now reading: Ranger Confidential by Andrea Lankford. Just started today! My WIP has a forest ranger hero. Plus, there's Grand Canyon stories and since I live in the Grand Canyon state, how can I go wrong? (Yes, I know. I always manage to find a way).

What you plan to read next: Based on the two above, I need something relaxing LOL. Not sure what. Probably a spooky book by Heather Graham especially since I've already checked the audio Phantom Evil (I know, I know, the name…. And, I already had to fast forward one part because it scared me) out of the library. FYI, the library always has Graham's book (and yes I am a fan) and seldom has Dianne Gist books. Makes me cranky a bit.

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 Louise M. Gouge

What you just finished reading: Falling for the Enemy by Naomi Rawlings. This is a terrific LIH story that takes place in 1805 France during one of the many wars between England and France.

What are you reading now: Wolf Creek Father by Penny Richards. A heartwarming story of love between a small town sheriff with two trouble making children and a feisty schoolteacher who aims to tame the all.

What you plan to read next: The Gift of a Child by Laura Abbot. This is another LIH, and I'm looking forward to reading it because it's a love story with the added element of danger to a winsome orphan boy.

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 Christine Johnson

In fiction, I'm currently reading Cara Putman's Shadowed by Grace, which takes place in WW2 Italy. It follows the work of the U.S. Army's Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division which was in charge of protecting and recovering art works. As someone who studied art many years ago, this is fascinating reading.
In nonfiction I'm reading Lysa Terkeurst's The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands. Now that's something I really need to do well before I get overwhelmed. Anyone here feel overtaxed? See my hand waving? She addresses our tendency to say "yes" without thinking through the decision. Sounds like me. Now I just need to stop myself from leaping to give an answer right away.
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 Missy Tippens

I just finished reading several books for a contest I was judging. I can't reveal the titles, but several of them were very good! Two were novels that I could NOT put down. The characters were very well done.

I'm not reading anything at the moment.

But sitting next to me on the couch, waiting to be read, is Engaged to the Single Mom, a March Love Inspired book from Lee McClain. I can't wait!

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Jean C. Gordon

I just finished the Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, the first book in her Shanghai series. It's a historical family saga that starts before WWII in Shanghai and ends in California about 20 years later.
Now, I'm reading the second one, Dreams of Joy. My granddaughter recommended them to me. They're the first Kindle books I've bor, owed from my library. The first one was okay, but moved a little slow. The second one is faster paced, and I can't put it down.
Next, I should read The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins for a workshop she's doing at my local RWA chapter meeting in April that will reference the book.

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Taxes and History

Naomi Rawlings here today. We've just finished up tax season here in the United States--how lovely for us.

I'm sure you understand that taxes have been around for a long time, certainly for centuries, and possibly even for millenia. Did you also know that evading taxes has been around for just as long?

Yep. It sure has, and my most recent novel, The Soldier's Secrets, deals with exactly that--a band of powerful people who have gotten themselves very rich by evading the King of England's customs agents and smuggling goods like tea and tobacco into England. These smugglers would also secretly spirit wool out of England as well, because there was an export tax on all wool leaving the country.

Of course, the hero and heroine of The Soldier's Secrets aren't helping the smugglers, but they still find themselves rather tangled up in some of the smuggler's nefarious deeds.

About the time we were throwing the Boston Tea Party here in the United States, 75% of the tea in England was being smuggled, according to some historians. So are you surprised to learn that smuggling and taxes are so closely related? Are you shocked that people were trying to evade taxes hundreds of years ago?

The Soldier's Secrets Interview

How exciting to have Brigitte Dubois, the heroine from The Soldier’s Secrets written by Naomi Rawlings, an April 2014 release from Love Inspired Historical.

1.     Brigitte, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

Interesting? Let’s see. I’ve lived through the first half of the French Revolution—quite a feat, if you know much about that era. My husband, however, was killed over a year ago.

2.     What do you do for fun?  Fun? Well, I take in washing and mending to help afford food for my five children. Is that what you mean by “fun?”

3.     What do you put off doing because you dread it?

I need to tell Jean Paul the truth—as in, why I came to his farm at all. I’m not who I’m pretending to be. If only speaking the truth could be simple rather than complicated.

4.     What are you afraid of most in life?

I need to keep my children safe, and if you know much about my father-in-law, Alphonse Dubois, you’ll understand why I fear for my children’s safety.

5.     What do you want out of life?

I don’t ask for much, really. Safety for my children and a peaceful cottage far away from Alphonse. If only having those things didn’t mean betraying the man I’m growing to love.

6.     If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

That I ever agreed to take part in Alphonse’s foolish plan. It’s been nothing but trouble and heartache, and I’m beginning to fear the children and I won’t survive the coming storm.

7.     Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

No pet, but I am a little fond of Jean Paul’s mare, Sylvie.

8.     Can you tell us a little interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?

It’s the French Revolution, just after the Reign of Terror. All but my husband survived that terrible time, but even though our countrymen have stopped killing each other from within, we still fight wars against England, Spain, and Prussia. Sometimes I fear the fighting will never end.

FEATURED BOOK: The Soldier's Secrets by Naomi Rawlings

Divided Loyalties 

Brigitte Dubois will do anything to keep her family safe. When she is blackmailed by her father-in-law, his quest for revenge leaves her no choice. To protect her children, she must spy on the man who may have killed her husband. But Jean Paul Belanger is nothing like she expected. The dark, imposing farmer offers food to all who need it, and insists on helping Brigitte and her children. 

Everything Jean Paul did was in the name of liberty. Even so, he can never forgive himself for his actions during France's revolution. Now a proud auburn-haired woman has come to his home seeking work and has found her way into his reclusive heart. But when she uncovers the truth, his past could drive them apart….

Writing a Novel Backwards

Have you ever had one of those inside out days? You know, the kind where you walk out of the house with one black sock and one blue sock on? The kind where everything seems to go backwards or in the entirely wrong direction?

When I wrote The Wyoming Heir, I intentionally wrote my story backwards. No, that doesn't mean I began with chapter twenty something and worked my way down to chapter one. It means that when I planned the story, I went about reversing some of the usual norms for a novel.

You see, after writing my first novel, which is set during the French Revolution, I wanted to try something set in the United States. And what better way to set a novel in the US but by writing a story about a cowboy? After all, cowboys are about as American as you can get, right? But therein lay my problem. It seemed like everyone was writing a story about a cowboy. Numerous cowboys stared back at me whenever I walked down a book aisle or browsed various book lists on the web. So if I was going to write a story about a cowboy, how was I going to make it different enough to stand out?

That's when I decided to reverse my novel. Instead of having the fancy eastern woman go West where she falls in love with a rugged cowboy and gets an education as to how much fun rustic living can be, I decided to have my cowboy come East, where he gets an education about the importance of women's education (along with a few other things) and learns how much fun citified folk can be.

The Wyoming Heir turned out to be a fun story to write as I could take some elements of the classic western-era novel and completely flip them around. (For more information, I've got a book description and excerpt up on my website.)

As for the ending of the story, I won't comment one way or another about whether my cowboy and school teacher end up in Wyoming or New York. You'll have to read the book for that. ;-)

What about you? Have you ever taken a trend and intentionally bucked the norm? Did you feel a bit out of place doing so? How did your experience end up? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below.

The Wyoming Heir Interview

How exciting to have Luke Hayes the hero from The Wyoming Heir written by Naomi Rawlings a January 2014 release from Love Inspired Historical.

1. Luke Hayes, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

Nothing much interesting about me. I’m a rancher who loves my ranch and wants to get back to it. Instead I’m stuck out east in Valley Falls, New York, trying to untangle the mess my grandfather left me when he died. Unfortunately, there’s a feisty little mathematics teacher who thinks she knows just what I should do with my inheritance. Trouble, I tell ya. It’s nothing but trouble.

2.  What do you do for fun?

Have you ever hopped astride a horse and gone for a ride at sunset? With the wind in your hair, the sun slipping behind the mountain peaks, and miles of prairie grass in front of you? It’s one of the best feelings in the world.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?

This, actually. As in coming east to claim my inheritance. You might think being handed a slew of money would make me want to claim it. But the truth is, I’ve got money enough to run my ranch in the Teton Valley, and these eastern folks are proving to be nothing but trouble.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

Well now, if I told you that, I might just give away half the story. But let’s say I haven’t always made the best decisions, and going back to face some of those wrongs would be mighty uncomfortable.

5.  What do you want out of life?

To work my ranch and to bring my sister back home before my ma dies of consumption. They need to see each other again one last time. And of course I want nothing to do with that mathematics teacher my sister is so close to. I already told you that woman is a heap of trouble!

(And just in case you happen to meet Miss Elizabeth Wells around town, I recommend you call her just that, a mathematics teacher. If you mention something so simple as ciphering, she just might bite your head off and eat it for breakfast.)

6.  What is the most important thing to you?

At the moment, collecting my money from New York and getting my sister back home where she belongs. My ma and Samantha sure do need to see each other again. Maybe if I told the mathematics teacher about Ma dying, she’d think a little more kindly about me taking Samantha out of school.

Maybe. Then again, I’m not sure that mathematics teacher has a kind thought in her head about me.

7.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

The way I responded after my twin brother, Blake, died. I was grieving mighty fierce and did some things I’m not very proud of.

8.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

No pet for me. I don’t even have a horse stuck in the east, but I sure am itching to get back west where I can have my cattle and horses and trail dogs again.

9. Can you tell us a little interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?

Though much of the west has been settled by 1893, the two valleys surrounding the Teton Mountains are largely uninhabited. There’s not even an actual town where I come from, though it seems like a few new settlers trickle in every year. And I have to say, I’d like to keep things that way. Nothing but the wide open prairie before me and the mountains at my back. Who needs a bunch of highfalutin city stuff when he can have prairie and mountains?

FEATURED BOOK: THE WYOMING HEIR BY NAOMI RAWLINGS

Given a choice, Luke Hayes wouldn't ever leave his Wyoming ranch. Yet when his estranged grandfather dies, leaving him everything, he'll travel to Valley Falls, New York—but only to collect his sister and his inheritance. He won't be roped into saving a floundering girls' school, no matter what mathematics teacher Elizabeth Wells says. 

Elizabeth has defied social convention and her own family for the sake of her beloved Hayes Academy. Luke is pure rancher, from the tip of his Stetson to the scuff on his boots, yet he's also becoming her unlikely ally. Only he can help save her job and school…but how much will she lose when the time comes for him to leave?

The History around You

Naomi Rawlings here today, and I'm wondering if you've ever paused to consider the history around you?

Every area has history, the town where you grew up, the place where you currently live, and even the spot on the map where your parents or grandparents were raised. 

Growing up, you were busy going to school, playing, learning to drive, and having your first date. You might not have paid too much attention to the history surrounding you (except for a boring class period or two where your history teacher touched on local history). But everywhere has a history--including your home town. Sometimes you just have to go digging for it.

Your current town or county likely has a historical society and possibly even a small museum about the area's history. And archives (often located in the same building as the local library) are filled with old newspaper clippings, government documents, and even some handwritten notes.

So who first settled the area where you live? Why was it settled?

I live in northern Michigan near Lake Superior, and Native Americans were very active in our region, mining copper. That same copper then brought European settlers to the area in the mid 1800s as mines grew bigger and became more industrialized. The largest mass of copper ever to be discovered was pulled off the river that runs through my home town. The copper mass is currently at the Smithsonian, though no longer on display. Furthermore, the region where I live supplied almost all the copper that the Union Army used during the Civil War.

So my town has a lot of interesting local history, but I bet your town has a story that's equally as interesting. Have you visited any local historical sites? I'd be thrilled if you shared some of your local history in the comments below.

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A mother of two young boys, Naomi Rawlings spends her days picking up, cleaning, playing and, of course, writing. Her husband pastors a small church in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula, where her family shares its ten wooded acres with black bears, wolves, coyotes, deer and bald eagles. Naomi and her family live only three miles from Lake Superior, where the scenery is beautiful and they average 200 inches of snow per winter, and she is looking forward to the release of her next book, The Wyoming Heir in January 2014. For more information about Naomi, please visit her website at www.NaomiRawlings.com.

RITA Watch: Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden

Starting today and running through mid July, Craftie Ladies of Romance is going to be introducing all of you to the RITA finalists. Our first guest is Miss Against the Tide by historical romance author Elizabeth Camden.

Hello there, Miss Against the Tide. 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. Can you tell us when you were born?

October of 2012

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 Elizabeth Camden, who’s a research librarian at a small college in Florida. I'm personally very grateful for my mom's career, as her love of history and research had great influence on my story.

With your mother living in Florida and your story taking place in Boston, that's quite a jump. I would have guessed your mom lived in New England because of the way she so beautifully depicts the setting in your story. Do you have any brothers and sisters? 

I do. I've got two older and siblings and another sister about to be born later this summer, but I'm closest to my oldest sister. In fact, my novel is a bit of a sequel to my mom's first child, The Lady of Bolton Hill.

What do you think made you a RITA finalist? 

Some of the historical research my mom did really made my story stand out. She addresses the overuse of laudanum in the book in a rather interesting fashion. I think most people will be shocked when the find out more about how such a devastating drug used to be given to babies under the guise of an infant cough syrup. And since laudanum didn't used to be listed as an ingredient on medicine bottles, a lot of innocent mothers never even realized they were drugging their babies by giving them cough syrup.

Wow, that sounds like a really interesting aspect of history for your mother to explore. I'm glad you get to help inform people about the past in such an interesting manner. Now can you tell us a little more about yourself?

As a child, Lydia Pallas became all too familiar with uncertainty when it came to the future. Now, she's finally carved out a perfect life for herself--a life of stability and order with no changes, surprises, or chaos of any kind. She adores her apartment overlooking the bustling Boston Harbor, and her skill with languages has landed her a secure position as a translator for the U.S. Navy.

However, it is her talent for translation that brings her into contact with Alexander Banebridge, or "Bane," a man who equally attracts and aggravates her. When Bane hires Lydia to translate a seemingly innocuous collection of European documents, she hesitantly agrees, only to discover she is in over her head.

Just as Bane's charm begins to win her over, Lydia learns he is driven by a secret campaign against some of the most dangerous criminals on the East Coast, compelled by his faith and his past. Bane forbids any involvement on Lydia's part, but when the criminals gain the upper hand, it is Lydia on whom he must depend.

Thank you for being with us today, Miss Against the Tide. And congratulations on being a Rita Finalist. You must be thrilled!