Getting "The Call" by Christine Johnson

Every author remembers her first sale. For me, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to happen. After all, it had been 15 years since I received my first rejection letter. Crushed by that, I turned my attention to graduate school and getting my Masters degree in library science. It was a heady time in the field. The internet was just extending beyond research universities to the general public. New technology brought access to research materials to people like me who lived in rural areas.

I thought writing could wait.

A few years later, the stories couldn’t stand to be pent up inside me any longer, and I joined RWA. My first conference was an eye-opener! I attended 16 workshops and left realizing that my creative writing courses as an undergrad in no way prepared me for writing commercial fiction. That’s when the apprenticeship began.

Fast forward to 2008 when I received the email that two of my manuscripts had been named finalists in the Golden Heart Award. I thought I was on my way! Alas, nothing happened from that except a great reason to dress up and more rejection letters. 151 to be precise.

Here I am before the award ceremony trying not to look nervous.

Then, one day I received a telephone call from an editor at Steeple Hill (the predecessor to Love Inspired). She detailed at length what needed to be revised in the manuscript I’d submitted. I took copious notes on the scrap of paper by the phone, wondering all the time why she didn’t just send a letter because there was no way I would make sense of all my notes later. Then, to my utter shock, she said they were offering me a contract. I didn’t remember much of the rest of the call. I’m sure I muttered something unintelligible before hanging up. All I could think was that they wanted to buy my book!

The cat was the first to hear the news, since no one else was home at the time.

As you can see, she was thrilled.

Then I got on the phone to spread the news. Among the first to hear were my critique partners, who had been through every word of that manuscript with me. No one understands this moment like another writer. We screamed and laughed and cried.

And a year later, in November 2010, my first historical romance, Soaring Home, was published.

That book, dear to my heart and chock-full of years of research into early women aviators, was just the beginning. This month, my 12th and last Love Inspired Historical, Would-Be Mistletoe Wife, will be published. It’s a bittersweet moment. Love Inspired gave my historical romances a chance, and I will always be grateful for that. I have met many incredible readers and authors along the way an am so blessed by this journey. What’s next? I’m working on another book of the heart, and we shall see where the Lord leads.

Thank you, dear readers, for seven wonderful years.

Christine Johnson

Would-Be Mistletoe Wife (Dec 2017)

http://christineelizabethjohnson.com

Their First Noel Interview

How exciting to have _Andy MacFarland the hero from Their First Noel by Annie Jones, a November 2010 release from Love Inspired Romance .

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

I don’t know if you’d call it interesting but right now I’m pretty focused on restoring an old landmark here in Mt Piney, Vermont, the Snowy Eaves Inn.

2. What do you do for fun?

I don’t really have time for fun, with all the work I’m doing on the inn and taking care of my adopted little sister, Greer, while my mom helps other families bring home children from China (as she did with Greer). Family is a big deal to us MacFarlands. But if I had to say, well, I did just meet this girl from South Carolina, Corrine Bennington. She’s a baker and… well, she sure has brought an element of fun into my life lately… whether I planned for her to or not.

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

Nothing. I do what is expected of me and always have since my dad died when I was a teenager.

4. What are you afraid of most in life?
Of letting people down. That’s why I have to get the inn up and running before Christmas Eve, people are counting on it.

5. What do you want out of life?

What most Godly men want, to serve the Lord, to serve others, for my word to be my bond and to have the love of a family.

6. What is the most important thing to you?
Right now, to get this inn finished and to take care of my sister.

7. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?
Corrie was just noticing the books on the shelf in my office – C.S. Lewis and books on vintage architecture.

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

Maybe to loosen up a bit, to not have to always go by the plan. Corrie thinks people need to go with the flow, but I don’t know if I can change that much.

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

No, but I have a sock monkey named Budy MonKaye that I had when I was a kid and now my little sister carries with her everywhere. I like knowing she loves that little guy even though I don’t know about her idea that I may want it back for my own kids in the near future!
10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

I’d go back to when the Snow Eaves Inn was built so I could figure out how to get it right. Or maybe back to when I was a kid and me and my mom and sister used to come out to the inn on Christmas Eve to be with other people who didn’t have big families. Or maybe to when Corrie’s parents met at the inn, to tell them they shouldn’t let anything come between them because they have a pretty great daughter who is going to need them. Or… Or maybe I’d stay right here in the present and see if this Christmas is the first of a lifetime to come with a certain southern baker who has never seen snow and is here to share our first noel.


Thank you Annie for sharing Andy with us.

A Season for Family Interveiw

How exciting to have Heath Stone the hero from A Season for Family by Mae Nunn, a November 2010 release from Love Inspired Romance.


1. Heath, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
I’m an undercover narcotics officer. I’m good at the work, meaning my conviction rate is higher than normal. But I hate what it’s done to me inside. I spend so much time being somebody else that I’ve forgetting who I am underneath the disguises.

2. What do you do for fun?
Go to court and listen to sentencing. Isn’t that sick?

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Checking in with my adoptive parents always turns into an argument. They don’t really understand that I keep my distance to protect them. Someday I want to get out of this work so I can have a normal life, whatever that is. I want to live without looking over my shoulder all the time.

4. What are you afraid of most in life?
My greatest fear is having my folks become targets for the people I’ve helped bring to justice.

5. What do you want out of life?
I want to reconnect with my two older sisters. We’ve been separated for twenty-five years, ever since our father went to prison for killing our mother. If I could get to know my sisters I think I might be able to get to know my real self, too.

6. What is the most important thing to you?
Finding a place where I belong, where I can just be myself. I don’t know what that feels like. I’m not sure I’ve ever known.

7. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?
When I was about fifteen I discovered historical western novels in the library at school. Those stories about the men and women who settled the old west helped offset the boredom of algebra and biology. I still find that reading can help with the day’s stress and settle me down when nothing else works.

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d be a kinder person. I’ve recently met a woman who is so selfless and giving that it’s hard to believe she’s for real. Olivia Wyatt runs a homeless shelter in a rough part of Waco, and everybody who comes through the doors gets a big helping of faith along with the meal. If I could change, I’d be more like Olivia.

9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
I don’t have time for pets right now, but someday I’ll have a big ole’ slobbery dog who will be waiting at home for me, no matter what kind of day it’s been.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
I’d go back to the days when my old man was hitting our mother. I’d stop him from tearing our family apart. But thankfully, my sisters have done okay for themselves and I’m sensing good things in my future, so maybe God worked everything out for us after all.

Thank you Mae for sharing Heath with us today.

NetFlix Feeds the Movie Buff in Me...by Lisa Mondello

I love movies as much as I love books. Whether the story's on the page or the big screen, it doesn't matter. I can't get enough, especially if it's a story I really, really love!

I'm a busy mom of 4 teenagers. If you're a mom at all you know that your day is pretty long and TV time usually happens around 10:30 or 11:00PM. At least for me it does. Having a DVR has given me the freedom to be able to get work done AND watch programs that I don't want to miss. When I sit down, I usually want to watch something on HG-TV or a good movie. (Usually a good movie.)

That's why NetFlix is my best friend. Like me, my youngest daughter is a movie buff. She loves all the old classics. (I remind her that some of those "classics" really aren't THAT old.) So when I look at my NetFlix queue and see Gone with the Wind or Casablanca on it, I get excited. I know I didn't put it there and when it comes in, it will be fun to share it with my daughter. I then want to tell her about more movies she's probably never heard of. African Queen with Kate Hepburn, The Sound of Music (one of my personal favorites!), anything with Al Pacino (she's a huge fan) or funny classics like What's Up Doc with Barbara Streisand are all fun to watch together. We both love WWII romances too and really love Shining Through with Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas. Occasionally we come back to 2010 and have to watch something with Leo in it. (Let's face it. It's not a hardship and there are a ton of great movies to choose from like Blood Diamond and Shutter Island.)

When I find a movie I love, I watch it over and over again. I want to see how the characters develop throughout the story, how they interact with the other characters, the dynamics of family and friendship and how each scene contributes to the overall story until we get to the happy (hopefully) ending. Okay, sometimes it's not so happy. I can live with that as long as it's not totally depressing. I eventually stopped looking for a piece of driftwood for Jack Dawson because Rose did go on to live a full life after surviving the sinking of the Titanic.

I usually drive my husband crazy though. "How many times can you watch Out of Africa or A Walk in the Clouds?" I don't know, but apparently a lot because he's begun hiding the TV Guide on me so I won't know when they're on. I try to balance things out by watching Serenity, another personal favorite, or some other Sci-Fi movies that we both love. Although we're all big Sci-Fi fans in this house, I usually have to remind him that Steeple Hill books don't have aliens in them. But as soon as I get the okay from my editor, he'll be the first to know!

Share your favorite movie with me. My NetFlix queue has a lot room on it and I'm always up for discovering a great story that I've never seen. My daughter and I thank you!

Until next time, many blessings, Lisa Mondello

Editor Blogs on Harlequin

Wow, Terri Reed here, my editor blogged on the Harlequin blog about the upcoming continuity series for Love Inspired. I wrote book two and will hit the shelves in August. This series is set in Alaska, with plenty of mystery running through all the books as well as tender love stories. This book was so much fun to write. And I have to say I love all the covers. They are so bright and vibrant. And you will recognize several names in the line of authors!

http://harlequinblog.com/

Helllooooo!

This is my first time here, and I am sooo excited to meet you all. This is a very cool blog, you know--filled with authors I admire, who write books that I love.   I'm so glad they let me join in, because I won't  have a Love Inspired book out until November!  In fact, I'm working on that book right now.

So, I'll just introduce myself.   I wrote fifteen books for a secular line before moving to Steeple Hill's Love Inspired Suspense. I've now sold nine books to that line--including FATAL BURN, which will be out in the stores during the next week.

I live with my husband on an acreage in the country, with three very  active dogs--our two Border collies, plus our grandpuppy Abby, who is here a lot because our son travels as part of his job.  Abby thinks she's still a puppy, but at ten months of age she's around 70 pounds of pure muscle, and she can sure wear the other two dogs out.  We're just glad she's here--she had a rough go of it as a young puppy, but with a lot of prayer and a wonderful vet, she's now our miracle dog!

 We also have a couple of horses out back--our son's thirty-three year old quarter horse Smokey, and my ten-year-old gelding--and lots of super-friendly, fluffy barn cats.  They've all been neutered, though we keep finding new strays that join the mix, too.  Must be all of the good cat food. :) 

Our three kids are all in college.   Emily is an English major and wants to be a professor and a writer.  Brian is working on his MBA, and Andy is close to finishing a degree in engineering and business management.

So that's it for us....and now, I look forward to meeting you all!

Blessings,
Roxanne Rustand
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com
The "All creatures great and small place"