The Fireman's Homecoming Interview

How exciting to have Melba Wingate, the heroine from The Fireman’s Homecoming,a June 2013 release from Love Inspired Romance .

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

I grew up in Gordon Falls on a resort my parents ran.  That was a fun place to call home.  Now that my mom has passed and my dad is sick, I’ve come back home to take care of him.

2.  What do you do for fun?

With Dad needing a lot of care, I don’t have much time for fun, but I do love to knit.  I’m involved in the Prayer Shawl Ministry at the Gordon Falls Community Church, and that’s been wonderful.  Those ladies are some amazing women!

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

Dealing with what will happen when Dad’s Alzheimer’s becomes too much for me to handle alone.  I treasure every moment I have left with him, and I want him to stay home and comfortable as much as possible.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

I’ve uncovered a very disturbing family secret, and I’m afraid of the fallout.  I had no idea my “perfect” parents were part of such a mess.

5.  What do you want out of life?

I want Dad to have peaceful final years.  I want to feel in more control of my life. I want Gordon Falls to feel like home again.

6.  What is the most important thing to you?

It’s my family right now, and all that has come under such fire with this secret that I don’t know how to keep it a priority.  How do you love people who have hurt you so badly?

7.  Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

I love travel books.  I was planning on a big trip before Mom got sick--I thought I’d have so much time to travel the world.  Now I wonder if I’ll ever be able to see some of the places I’ve wanted to experience.

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

I wish things didn’t throw me for such a loop.  It’s so hard to cope with all the stresses in my life right now.  I wish I could feel more brave about my ability to make all this work.

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

One of the best parts about coming home is my cat Pinocchio.  He’s a great comfort.  We had sheep grazing on the resort pastures back when I was little, and they were sort of like pets to me, too.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

I’d go back to the time when my parents met and were married, because then I’d be able to unravel this mess of secrets that’s been dumped in my lap.

FEATURED BOOK: The Fireman's Homecoming by Allie Pleiter

Black Sheep Son

Nothing about going home to Gordon Falls is easy for fireman Clark Bradens. His role as local bad boy is firmly established, though he's determined to use his newfound faith to change people's minds. But Clark isn't the only one coming home to hard times. When Melba Wingate came home from Chicago to help her ailing father, she wasn't expecting to unravel a family secret. As Melba wades through the past to find the truth about her father, Clark becomes an unlikely ally. And while neither can change the past, the future is theirs to shape.