Love for All Time

posted by Donna Fletcher Crow @donnafletchercr

What a lovely thing Valentine’s Day is—a whole day set aside especially for sharing love, remembering those we love in special ways, and celebrating love. But of course, just one day isn’t nearly enough to share our love and appreciation for friends, family and all the people in our lives who mean so much to us.

Sharing love every day is one of my goals as a writer. That’s why I find that whether I’m writing mystery, romance, or history, my stories all have an element of love in them. No matter what the story is, it’s about people—and what could possibly be more important to people in any circumstance than love—both human and divine?

That’s why, of the 50-some books I’ve written, my Where There is Love series is still one of my very favorites. These are true stories of faith and love, recounting the early, formative years in the lives of men and women who went on to shape the religious life of 18^th and 19^th century England.

Where Love Begins
Can Catherine Perronet find happiness when her beloved Charles Wesley marries another?

Where Love Illumines
Mary Tudway must choose: a life of pleasure amidst London's high society or a life of faith and service with the devout Rowland Hill?

Where Love Triumphs
Charming, brilliant and lame, Sir Brandley Hilliard believes he can do very well without love of any kind in his life—until he meets the captivating Elinor Silbert and King’s College Fellow, Charles Simeon.

Where Love Restores
Granville Ryder's harsh up-bringing means he must struggle to find his place in his illustrious family, in God's work, and in Georgiana's heart.

Where Love Shines
In Scutari, the charge of the Light Brigade leaves Lt. Richard Grayson blinded and Jennifer Neville, one of Florence Nightengale's nurses, devastated—a darkness from which they must grope their way to the light.

Where Love Calls
Kynaston Studd is on fire to carry the love of God to the ends of the earth, but God seems to be calling his friends there instead; and Hilda is horrified to find herself falling in love with the man she had intended for her sister.

Times and circumstances change, but love abides.

May you have a beautiful Valentine’s Day sharing love with all around you.

https://www.donnafletchercrow.com/

Mawage, er, Marriage Proposal Traditions

International Proposal Traditions 

By "international" I mean "outside of the United States". ;)

Ever wondered what other traditions there are out there for marriage proposals? Just how do they do it in a place such as...

Ireland.

They have one such tradition as women proposing to men.

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25087659

 But only once every four years. Time and Date (of all places to read about proposals!) say this:

"According to an old Irish legend, or possibly history, St Brigid struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every four years.
This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how leap day balances the calendar."

This romantic comedy movie is super fun. I highly recommend it.


Australian Aboriginals

Traditionally promised to marriage at age five. Nowadays, Aboriginal people are quite contemporary, especially those who live in country towns or cities.

http://www.cairnsunlimited.com/aboriginalculture.htm

 The Netherlands

Clogs as a marriage proposal, what could possibly be more Dutch than THAT!

Image from creative commons.

One story says that young men once carved clogs to leave on the doorsteps of their chosen ladies, and if she wore them the next day it would signal an acceptance of the marriage proposal. Aww. In contemporary Dutch wedding traditions, some couples may wear clogs for the wedding day and later display them on the walls of their home with dried flowers.

Apparently we also have the Dutch to thank for bridal showers, wishing trees, and lilies of the valley. Ah. Where would today's brides be without those traditions? :)

 Italy
Giving one's true love a lumpy iron band. Cos, you know, nothing says "I love you" more than THAT!

Iron Roman wedding band. Photographed at British Museum, London.

 But Italians being the clever people they are figured out that iron rusts and decided to make them out of gold instead. And then add diamonds. And clasped hands (fede ala Claddagh) style rings thus bringing the tradition full circle from "I own you" to "I promise to marry you/trust you" to "I love you".

There are more traditions over at THIS blog. In the meantime, here's the mawage clip from the Princess Bride.

Your turn! What marriage proposal traditions have YOU heard of that is unusual?

God bless!

Lucy Thompson is a stay-at-home mum to five precocious children and wife to the ultra-handy Dave by day, and a snoop by night, stalking interesting characters through historical settings, and writing about their exploits. Catch her on facebook. She'd love to make a new friend. :)

Lessons Learned in Fiction Writing

Guest Post by Alexis A. Goring

Hi everyone! My friend and fellow journalist, Alexis A. Goring, is visiting our blog today as my guest and sharing some really great lessons she’s learned in writing fiction. Thanks for joining us, Alexis! – Morgan Tarpley Smith

I’m a new author whose first book was self-published by Crossbooks in September 2013. Four years later, my second book was traditionally published by Forget Me Not Romances and in that four-year gap, I learned a lot of lessons in fiction writing. As a result, I’ve grown as a writer.

This guest post is for aspiring authors who would like to take a page from my lessons learned so that they too can grow as a writer.

So here are a few of the main points from my lessons learned after working with my God-sent editor Liz Tolsma:

#1: When writing romance for the CBA market, your hero and heroine should meet in the first chapter. It took me a few times to get this one right because I struggled with what I thought was ruining the flow of my story because with the original draft of my most recent story, the hero and heroine did not meet until Chapter 3. I held fast to the thought that everything that happened before Chapter 3 was important and needed to be there. But I was wrong and after I followed this rule, my story (to my surprise) flowed better.

#2: Before you start writing a story, take time to determine the emotional/physical/spiritual GMC (Goal/Motivation/Conflict) of your main characters. I used to simply create a few “character sketches” for each my story’s main characters and then dive into writing the story. The character sketches included a brief overview of details like my characters’ age, role in the story, background, strengths, weaknesses and ethnicity. Each sketch only spanned one page. But my editor sent a GMC chart to me and informed me that after I filled out the chart for each character, I would have a better handle on who they are and how to use them in my story. She also told me that their goal cannot “only be to fall in love.” She challenged me to delve deeper into their psyche and discover their innermost motivations and desires. She said that my story would be more solid as a result of this. She was right!

#3: Don’t make your characters too perfect. They need to have at least one character flaw. This is actually the challenge I faced after filling out the GMC chart and character profiles for my third book that I’m working on now. My editor reminded me that imperfect people make a more interesting story. You’ll have to wait until my next book is published to see the result of that advice!

#4: Know what makes your character tick and use it. Conflict makes the story. Don’t allow your characters to have smooth sailing in every scene. I applied this concept in A Second Chance in the scene where the hero gets mad at the heroine because she broke his trust by keeping a secret that affected him, from him. He had issues with honesty in his relationships so this discovery of her secret really threw him for a loop and created a rift in their romance.

#5: Every scene should build the tension. I had to learn how to “write tight” in a whole new way. As a trained print journalist, I already knew how to write news and feature stories that were “precise and concise.” But I learned that when writing fiction, I needed to really tap into the emotions of my characters and draw out their desires in a way that makes the plot thicken.

#6: Always end every scene in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next. Use “cliffhangers.” My editor told me that I don’t want my readers to stop reading halfway through the story because the way that I ended the previous chapter led the reader to infer that everything would work out perfectly and have a happy ending. So she taught me how to write in a way that left the reader at the edge of metaphorical cliff when they reached the end of each chapter, leaving them with no choice but to continue to the next chapter to satisfy their curiosity.

#7: Invest in an emotional thesaurus. So I bought this book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression, and it was worth my investment! This book provided in-depth guides covering how to write deep emotions in a creative way. So instead of just saying, “She was astonished”, I can say “her eyes widened” (physical expression), “her heart seemed to freeze, then pound” (internal sensation), “Her mind momentarily forgot everything else” (mental response). After reading that, your mind can paint a picture of her being astonished, right?

I could go on for a while, but those seven points were some of my most important lessons to learn that once applied, helped me to grow as a fiction writer. So my closing message to aspiring authors is this: Be encouraged in your writing journey! Never give up. Keep learning, growing, and writing books. God bless your dear hearts!

Alexis A. Goring

 

Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ. For more information, visit her website at www.screenwriteralexis.com and her “God is Love” blog, http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com or through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Goodreads. Her novella, A Second Chance, can be found here.

 

A Second Chance

Newly single food critic and newspaper reporter Traci Hightower is done with dating. After the man of her dreams left her at the altar on their wedding day and ran off with the woman she thought was her best friend, Traci resolves to focus on work and resigns herself to being a bachelorette for life.

Marc Roberts is a political reporter who is known as Mr. Nice Guy, the one who always finishes last. However, Marc’s compassion and kindness are of invaluable help to his newly widowed sister Gina Braxton who is trying to raise her two kids in the wake of her firefighter husband’s death.

Traci and Marc may be the perfect match, but they don’t know it yet. With God’s guidance and the help of Gina’s matchmaking skills honed by her career as a bestselling romance novelist, there is hope for a happily ever after for these two broken hearts.

IS ROMANCE STILL RELEVANT?

How to define this? Is it simply a thrilling 
feeling? Attraction? Something from a 
bygone era, perhaps around the time of 
the knights and their ladies?

I am unashamedly biased.  I enjoy reading 
mystery, suspense,  occasionally a sci-fi. 
But I love a true romance. Some view 
romance as  a little out of date. If what we
 see on our TV screens and the way movies 
depict a relationship between a girl and a 
man is true. Most often it appears that 
romance is mistaken for lust. Everything is 
named sexy which seems to be the most 
accepted compliment a person of the 
opposite sex can give. And I'm concerned 
that many young women feel that going to 
bed with an attractive man is the only way 
to hold him.
 
Oh, such a shame and such a lost opportunity to experience the genuine joys of romance. Even the Bible speaks about the way of a man with a maid. Romance should be the promise of a deeper experience...that of genuine love. That's why I believe bringing a Christian World View into our stories is totally relevant.  
Every woman wants to be loved. Really loved for herself... not just for her body alone. She wants to be courted and shown courtesies. Lots of little
things that add up to that person saying by their actions that they really
care for their sweetheart.
 
I freely admit I love the inspirational historical romance genre. I love the way a man and a woman are attracted despite circumstances conspiring to keep them apart. Yet love prevails and somehow they find a way against impossible odds. But oh, the temptation they face to go against the proprieties of the day. Especially those of the Victorian Era, with all its  undercurrents, intrigues, and meddling relatives adding many plot twists and turns.



Rita is a historical romance writer with two books published in Australia. She has recently gone into Independent Publishing known as Rita Stella Press.com ( Soon online.) 

Victoriana Series
Signed Sealed Delivered - Book I   
The Tie That Binds -Book II   
A Parcel of Promises - Book III, (coming)

At her book signings, she wears a 19th century costume of a governess and speaks 
about the sometimes strange and amusing customs of the Victorian Era.

www.ritastellagalieh.com   www.inspirationalromance.blogspot.com  Facebook and #RitaSGalieh

Snowflake Tiara... in Kenya?

My most recent book, Snowflake Tiara, co-written with Angela Breidenbach, released a few weeks ago. It contains a pair of Christmas romances not only set firmly in Montana, USA, but also meant to highlight Montana's 125th year of statehood as well as the 150th anniversary of its capital city, Helena.

Please don't make me turn in my Canadian card!

Admittedly, it seems very strange to showcase Helena, Montana, as thoroughly as I did in my contemporary novella, More Than a Tiara. While my story hinges on Angela's historical novella (set in 1889 as Montana becomes a state), its purpose is to spread awareness of needs in a far greater capacity.

One thing Angela's character and mine have in common is their compassion for children in need. In 1889, Helena was the last stop for the Orphan Train. Any unclaimed children were dropped off here. When Calista meets a mistreated six-year-old indentured servant from a brothel, Calista knows she must do something, not only for little Lea, but for all the children she sees on the streets.

Fast-forward 125 years. Calista's 3x great-granddaughter, Marisa, also has a heart of compassion for kids. This was primed during her years of modeling shoots in glamorous locations, like the beaches of Kenya, where she became acquainted with missionaries working among the Masai. Now that she's back on the family farm near Helena, Marisa and her mother open part of their property to young moms on social assistance, teaching them to grow and process some of their own food. At her core, Marisa has been challenged to meet the needs of children.

It's a sad fact that there are kids without nutritious food to eat all over this planet. Without safety. Without nurturing and love. And, in many cases, without people who care. It's so easy to be overwhelmed by all the need. I know. I'm there, hardly knowing where to start, knowing the problem is too huge for me. But not too big for God.

A vintage postcard from my father's collection
Snowflake Tiara is a pair of long novellas with a wintery Christmas setting. You'll enjoy cocoa and gingerbread cookies, sledding and skating parties, decorations and Christmas trees, and harps, penny whistles, and flutes playing Away in a Manger and other carols.

But throughout both tales of beauty, talent, and pageantry, you'll be reminded of children around the globe whose needs are much more basic. Like the little Lord Jesus, many little ones have no crib for a bed. The prayer in Away in a Manger asks God to bless all the dear children in His tender care. It's my prayer, too.

How can we help? This is my question for you today. I'm offering one ebook copy of Snowflake Tiara to someone who replies by comment before the end of the month. This isn't a competition or a "look at me and what charities I'm involved in" request. I'd like a thoughtful discussion of the topic.

The story's tagline? Is all about the children.

What if you were caught doing something good, but the man you loved didn't see it that way?

The Debutante Queen by Angela Breidenbach ~ 1889 (Helena, MT): Calista Blythe enters the first Miss Snowflake Pageant celebrating Montana statehood to expose the plight of street urchins. But if her hidden indentured orphan is discovered, Calista’s reputation and her budding romance with pageant organizer, Albert Shanahan, could both unravel. Will love or law prevail?

More Than a Tiara by Valerie Comer ~ 2014 (Helena, MT): Marisa Hiller’s interest in competing in Miss Snowflake Pageant for the city of Helena’s 150th anniversary is at zip zero zilch when she discovers the official photographer is Jase Mackie. Can Jase make amends for past mistakes and offer her, not only a tiara, but a partner in her crusade to help needy children and families?

Interested in reading Snowflake Tiara? I'm offering one reader a digital copy, your choice of mobi (for Kindle) or epub (for most other ereaders). If you'd like to put your name in the hat, please add your email address with your comment no later than Tuesday, September 30, replacing @ with (at) and .com with (dot) com.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.

Valerie writes Farm Lit where food meets faith, injecting experience laced with humor into her stories. Her debut novel, Raspberries and Vinegar: A Farm Fresh Romance, was awarded Best Contemporary Romance published in 2013 by The Word Guild.

Review of Imogen's Chance and Interview with Paula Vince

Imogen Browne is an American citizen with ties down under. When she was a child, her parents took a mission trip in the Australian outback, leaving 9-year-old Imogen with people in Adelaide they didn't know well. (The men had been school chums.) Imogen played a part in a tragic accident that changed the Dorazio family forever.

Now 24, Imogen returns to Adelaide to try to make amends for her part in the family's misfortune, only to find them facing a new struggle: Asher's diagnosis of terminal cancer. Although Asher is her own age, he's the family member she got along with the least as children. Now, no one but Imogen seems able to deal with him: his mood swings, his faith...or lack of it, and the dark humor he uses as both shield and weapon. They grow closer as they work through life issues together. Can love out-grow cancer cells?

The story deepens as the reader considers second chances. Can we truly make amends for past mistakes? How much should we reveal of trauma long past? Can God forgive us? Can people? Can second chances come through physical healing as well as emotional and spiritual?

Paula Vince tucked away secrets she doles out at appropriate points in the story, adding to the novel's depth and intensity.

I asked Paula if I could ask her several questions that came to mind as I read Imogen's Chance. I always love to chat with other international authors here on ICFW. It's extra fun when the interviewee is a member author here, too!

(Thank you, Paula, for an advanced reader's copy of Imogen's Chance.)

VC: I notice you chose to have your heroine be an American who has visited Australia several times. What was the reason behind that?

PV: I’d automatically intended to make Imogen an Aussie girl, as all my former heroines have been. My publisher and editor both suggested that I make one of the main characters American, thinking that it may appeal to international readers, especially those who are searching for somebody they can more easily relate to.

I’ve never visited America so found that idea fairly daunting. As I could understand the reasoning behind their suggestion, I decided to see what I could do.

I’m so glad I took their advice, as Imogen being American turned out to be crucial to the plot in several ways. If she’d simply lived in a different Australian state to the Dorazio family, it would have been too close for the plot to work. Some of the characters would have behaved quite differently and the drama would have fallen flat. It’s a good example of all things working together for good in this story.

I’m pleased that some international readers have told me that Imogen does come across as American to them. One day I may actually be able to visit, and learn some extra things for myself.

VC: I noticed it gave you chances to explain Aussie words that might be strange to international readers. Well done!

VC: One of your themes is holding destructive secrets close, and the pain that can come from them. How did the ideas for the particular secrets in Imogen's Chance come to you?

PV: Although the main theme in Imogen's Chance is healing, I wanted to have a potentially shattering secret to bring Imogen back over to Australia to make amends. I grappled with what that was going to be.

I wanted it to be a bombshell which would be bound to raise the hackles of the hero, Asher. Yet at the same time, I wanted it to be something Imogen herself was drawn into as a relatively innocent character. I thought of several possibilities which didn’t work, for various reasons.

At last, I came up with the right one and everything clicked into place. It was perfect, because there was scope for Asher to be involved in his own way too, even though he didn’t have a clue that Imogen played a part. I had a situation in which both characters were keeping quiet about a five-year-old secret, with no idea that they were each still suffering over the same incident.

I’m hoping people will totally get why Asher would initially react with anger, yet they will continue to feel empathy and pity for Imogen at the same time.

VC: A big part of the story surrounds Asher's quest for healing through prayer and faith. Do you personally believe that any believer can be healed if only they have enough faith and positive thinking?

PV: I’ve researched this question a lot for years before starting to write this novel. The material I’ve come across by people with healing ministries is very convincing. Some of the true testimonies of healing they have recorded could only have been miracles from God. Reading these has been enough to convince me that simply accepting every bad prognosis, based on limited data gathered by humans, is a shortsighted choice indeed. I’d rather err on the side of optimism than simply give up hope.

Several of the texts I’ve read propose reasons for faith in healing such as this one. If Jesus died on the cross to cover our sins, then His death must also cover the consequences of our sins, and sickness is a prime example. There was no sickness before sin came into the world, so there should be none for forgiven believers. The physical bodies of true believers, which are temples of the Holy Spirit, should be out of bounds for sickness and disease. No matter how we feel about simple arguments like this, it is interesting to at least be aware of them.

I’ve had healing experiences in my own life that convince me every believer ought to keep their faith boosted. Just last year, I had a sore patch on my face. Two doctors were certain it was a skin cancer, but before the appointment with a plastic surgeon came around, I watched it spontaneously fade and disappear in the week following prayer. Personal experiences like this are enough for us to hold onto, keeping our faith for bigger issues elevated, because God never changes.

Perhaps the bottom line is what my character, Asher, comes to decide – that God loves him personally and uniquely, so he doesn’t need to concern himself with fretting over what may happen to him. He just needs to trust that in God’s loving hands, everything will work out right for him.

VC: Healing through faith can lead to potentially divisive discussions. All of us know someone who prayed fervently and faithfully to overcome a fatal disease, only to succumb.

I'm sure we all also know someone who was inexplicably healed through faith, whether of cancer or something else where doctors gave no hope. It's this second part I'd like to focus on in our discussion.

What faith-inspiring story of healing will you (briefly!) share in comments today?

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.

Valerie writes Farm Lit where food meets faith, injecting experience laced with humor into her Farm Fresh Romance stories. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.

Resemblances of Real Life Locations

Sometimes the settings in my head for fictive stories are strictly the product of my imagination, though it’s been said there’s nothing new under the sun. Other times I’m fully aware that I’ve been inspired by real life locations. In fact, I will occasionally have a place in mind where I’ve visited or have seen before via photographs that captured my attention and deepened my interest.

I recently undertook a genre swap from romantic political intrigue set in Argentina to a work of fantasy romance. Working on an eNovella series with six installments, the first soon to be published by Soul Mate Publishing, the location from which to draw inspiration for eNovella #1, Wind’s Aria, came to mind near the beginning of the venture.

Have you ever seen pictures of the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia? Or perhaps you live in the region; after all, we are a very international group here. Needless to say, it’s gorgeous—and naturally looks like a realm that belongs in a delightful fairy-tale.

As once a member of an internationally acclaimed Croatian dance ensemble, I was first introduced to the Plitvice Lakes National Park twenty years ago. It made such an impression on me that I knew someday it would stir something more, further awakening the creative aspect in my life.

So as I started writing Wind’s Aria, it dawned on me that I was painting a picture resembling this real life location that made such an imprint on me many years ago. Once I realized this, I studied the images of the Croatian lakes online, clipped out photos from magazines, and examined travel logs. I stretched the region out on my mental canvas and then began adding more of my own embellishments, such as a bridge here, a dock there, a cottage or garden, livestock, the people, form of dress and culture for a timeless generation in a literary sphere of fantasy.

One thing I noticed . . . if a touch of writer’s block hit me I only had to pull out those images of the real life region, take a deep breath while admiring the beauty, and I was on my way to plotting the story again.

What about you? In the world of fiction, in whichever genre you dwell, do you find your inspiration from real life locations, basing stories around places and settings that actually exist? How do you keep these locales fresh in your mind?

As someone who appreciates other places and cultures, and who loves the world of fiction—both as a writer and a reader—I’d love to hear about the regional resemblances in your work-in-progress stories!

Tessa is a veteran of the performing arts and worldwide missions, having come from a long line of musical arts professionals. She loved seeing the world and absorbing the beauty of other cultures . . . an enriching life full of dance, music, faith, and interesting cuisine. She’d always dreamed of becoming a romance writer, conveying words that inspire and the thrill that occurs when two destined souls meet. www.TessaStockton.com
 

YOUR PERSONAL BLOG

Why blog? What do you really want to say?

If you are not well known as an author or don't really have a platform eg music or speaking then maybe it's not a good idea to use your own name if you want web surfers to find you. Now if you're only wanting to reach friends, family etc then that doesn't apply.

What is your passion or your expertise? A blog title which alludes to that would be a great help to help those interested in that to find you.
If possible address that subject. And do it regularly.

As I write romance, I figured my blog should be about that. Hah! As not many folk would find me by name, I decided I'd spell it out so, http://inspirationalromance.blogspot.com came to be.  But should I only stick with interviewing authors who write in that genre? Yes I do that, but decided I could also include real life stories of men and women who believed God had a real part in leading them together. And so many have opened their hearts and shared their unique situations. Some have even shared failed experiences, but where forgiveness and Christian grace rebuilt their relationship. These have been touching stories. I love stories that resonate, that we can relate to. I also ask experts in the field to share their advice on the expectations of marriage. These have been extremely helpful.

But with all this I felt discouraged because I didn't get many comments.Was I wasting my time? Who was I to write about such things? I weighed up the idea of quitting, but one day I hit the overview button and came across the stats. I could hardly believe what they told me! Viewers from all over the world were reading my blog; USA, Australia, England, Russia, Germany, and several Muslim countries were there. I'm up to 11,000 viewers in the past year. I gave thanks to the Lord in the discovery of an audience of real people out there.

That told me viewers read but don't always comment. What an encouragement. I hope this will encourage you as you share your thoughts, ideas, advice or stories. Who knows who will be uplifted by your blog?

* Rita Stella Galieh is an Australian author of two published novels with books II and III of a trilogy in the pipeline. She continues looking for more material for her weekly blog.

Interview with Aussie author Rose Dee and book giveaway

Narelle here. I'm delighted to welcome Rose Dee to our blog today. We will be giving away a copy of Rose's debut novel, Back to Resolution, and the giveaway is open to readers anywhere in the world.

Rose Dee was born in Ingham, North Queensland, Australia. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small beach community would later provide inspiration for her first novel. Rose, who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, decided to try her hand at writing two years ago. The result of that attempt is her first published novel, 'Back to Resolution'. The novel is a culmination of years spent living and loving the tropical paradise in which she lives. Rose is currently finalising work on her latest novel, which is the second in the 'Resolution' series. 'Beyond Resolution' is scheduled for release in April 2012. Rose resides in Mackay, North Queensland with her husband, young son, and mischievous pup, Noodle.

Bay Anders is lost. She enjoys every privilege a wealthy upbringing affords, but the void in her soul refuses to be filled. Her mother's dying revelation drives Bay to the brink of self destruction, before a move to Australia changes everything. She embarks upon a search for her father that leads her to his island home, into a hazardous melting pot of hostile locals and a mystery – her father's disappearance. The only person who can help her is a strong, self-assured and intensely magnetic man. Bay must fight an overwhelming attraction to stay focused on her goal.

Flynn McKenna is hiding from the world. A past filled with mistakes drove him to withdraw from society and live in seclusion. But the arrival of a woman he cannot avoid shatters his solitary existence. As the search for Bay's father unites them, can he resist his desire for her?

Narelle: What was your inspiration for writing Back to Resolution?

Rose: I set out to write what I knew. The area in which I grew up, the ocean, islands, fishing; these are topics I know a bit about. As for the characters and themes – well, at the time I started writing, American socialites were highly regarded. It frustrated me that they were glorified as the desirable way to live and act, so I wrote about a character that leaves that life behind and finds her place in a very different world.

Narelle: I loved the beautiful and secluded North Queensland island setting. Please share with us your research tips.

Rose: Tip number 1 – Grow up on the beach.

Tip number 2 – Marry an ex-professional fisherman.

I have basically drawn on my own experience; after that, anything I’m not sure of I ask Terry. He has a wealth of knowledge I tap into. That would be the best advice I could give aspiring authors: Write what you know, and write what you love. I would add to this, write the way it suits you. Trying to write like someone else is like trying to talk with an accent. It will come out sounding fake. Find your own style and you will find your enjoyment and passion.

Narelle:I really liked how there was an obvious growing attraction between Bay and Flynn, and that there was more passion in their relationship than tends to be shown in a typical Christian romance story. What did you find most intriguing about Bay and Flynn, who seemed an unlikely match at the start of the story?

Rose: Let’s face it – in today’s world we are bombarded with sexualisation. These are twenty/thirty something characters, certainly they will have a heightened physical attraction to one another. Rather than try and pretend this sort of passion doesn’t exist, I would rather bring it to the forefront of a story and give some concepts about how to resolve and cope with it God’s way. I think that it can be difficult for young Christians to negotiate through this. The world tells them it is normal to be intimate with the opposite sex. I want to show that God puts two people together in many senses - spiritually, emotionally, and even physically – but all in His time, not ours, or the worlds.

Bay and Flynn are an unlikely pair, but how many times do we see this in real life? They are both trying to find their place, and eventually they do.

Narelle: What do you hope your readers will take away after reading Back to Resolution?

Rose: My hope is that they feel entertained and uplifted. I’m not very good at hidden meanings and analogy. I just love a good story. One that shows who God is rather than telling who He is.

Narelle: How has your faith influenced your writing?

Rose: My faith is why I write. What good is it to have a legacy that doesn’t include faith? I just want to share who I am through what I do.

Narelle: Please share your writing process with us. Are you a plotter or do you write by the ‘seat of your pants’? Do you write every day?

Rose: I am literally ‘all over the shop’ (that’s North Queensland for unstructured). I don’t have set schedules or deadlines (thankfully) I don’t know what I would do if I did. Having said that, when I am writing new material (not editing) it comes very thick and fast. I can have quite large gaps between though, which serves me well creatively. We run our own business, and I am a mum of a six-year-old so sometimes life priorities come first.

So far as plotting goes – I have a very definite story outline but inevitably there are always plots that get left out in favour of better options.

Narelle: Please tell us about your upcoming releases.

Rose: Back to Resolution is available from www.koorong.com.au, www.word.com.au and www.amazon.com

Beyond Resolution is scheduled for release in April 2012. It is the next story in my ‘Resolution’ series. I love all my stories, but this second one is a bit special.

The third story is currently in the editing process.

Rose, thanks for joining us today. By commenting on today’s post you can enter the drawing to win a copy of Back to Resolution. The drawing will take place on Friday, February 10 and the winner announced on Sunday, February 12. Please leave an email address [ ] at [ ] dot [ ] where you can be reached.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."

To learn more about Rose Dee, please visit her website.

Narelle Atkins writes contemporary inspirational romance. She resides in Canberra, Australia with her husband and children. She can also be found at the Christian Writers Downunder blog. To learn more about Narelle, please visit her website.

Meet Yvonne Harris

LeAnne Hardy: Yvonne Harris is with us today. In her new book, A River to Cross (Bethany), Elizabeth Evans, the younger sister of a murdered Texas newspaper editor, is kidnapped and whisked off to Mexico where she must be rescued by Texas Rangers. The time is 1886 when the relationship between the two countries is a delicate balance.

Yvonne, you live in New Jersey, but I sense a passionate love for Texas in your writing. Tell us about your connection to the state.

Yvonne Harris: I've never been to Texas, but after researching Texas history and politics for A River to Cross, I am a big fan. Texas had been part of France, then part of Spain, then an independent nation--the Republic of Texas--and finally was annexed into the United States. Texas is huge state, slightly larger than Afghanistan. After the Civil War, criminals and outlaws poured into Texas. The Federal Government couldn't help. Washington had a whole country that needed law enforcement help. Texas, who'd sided with the Confederacy during the war, had to do it on her own. She started the Texas Rangers and gave them the power of arrest. It wasn't long before outlaws began fleeing from the state. Rangers had the authority to capture, testify in the courts, and assist with executions. They were lawmen and proud of it.

LH: You have some beautiful descriptions, like this one of the Chihuahuan desert: "Miles and miles of parched land, a dry desert basin lying between mountain ranges. The rhythmic thud of horses' hooves still kicked up clouds of red dirt, but high overhead on the rimrock, something new had been added. Noisy green parrots swept from tree to tree, scolding them. Ponds appeared here and there in the landscape, and butterflies were everywhere." (p.55) Have you been there? Were you able to visit other Mexican settings in the book?

YH: I wish I could have, but the answer is No to both questions. I spent many happy hours digging into Texas and Mexican geography, climate, and politics. Researching a historical novel is fascinating. Most writers have to pull ourselves away and start to write. Reading is more fun.

LH: You made my mouth water with some of the foods your characters ate. (Not the snake.) Do you cook Mexican foods yourself?

YH: Not really. Most Mexican food is too hot for me. My background is grits and cornbread and hold the pepper, please.

LH: You are a teacher by profession. Have you always wanted to write fiction? How did you get started?

YH: I read constantly, but writing a book never entered my mind. I was in my forties when I started writing magazine articles. When we moved to New Jersey from Connecticut, teaching jobs were scarce, so I took a job as personnel director for a large hotel chain. I wrote articles on hiring, firing, and payroll taxes, things I did every day on the job. One day at home, I saw a clip on television from inside an American fighter jet whose pilot was strafing streets in Tripoli. Women were running to get out of the way. Two days before, I 'd seen film footage from inside a Russian MiG, and that pilot was strafing a marketplace in Kabul. Veiled women were running away. Russian or American, I thought, all soldiers are the same. I went upstairs and sat down at the computer and started writing my first book, Hindu Kush, set in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation.

LH: From writing about payroll taxes to a thriller in Afghanistan. That’s quite a jump. What draws you to international settings?

YH: Government and politics are the biggest draw for me. My first two books were both listed as international thrillers. Hindu Kush, was named after the mountain range in Afghanistan and has an American heroine and two heroes, one Russian, one Afghan. The story was based throughout on facts. The Afghan embassy read and endorsed it. I wrote under my initials because the publisher was afraid men wouldn't buy a war story written by a woman. Some libraries still have it, and reviews are still around on Amazon, used books. When the publisher went bankrupt, I bought the rights back. (One of my sons is a bankruptcy attorney and he led me through it.) HK was later e-published and became one of the first Frankfurt nominees. The second book was For Honor, set in Spain, and also has an American heroine. That one won the EPPIE Best Thriller award in 2002. That's out of print and the rights returned to me.

LH: Have you considered re-publishing it as an e-book?

YH: Yes, I have. I'm guessing Amazon is the best way to go, since I'm unsure of the mechanics of e-publishing.

LH: Do you travel much or are you an internet researcher or both?

YH: I am an internet researcher. I hate to fly.

LH: Hate to fly?! That would be a handicap in doing on-site research. So what have you found most useful for researching A River to Cross from the internet? You certainly convinced me that you knew your setting. Do you have any tips for writers unable to visit their location?

YH: When writing historical fiction, books, articles, and travelogues are more reliable sources than first-hand observation. So much of what I'm writing about in A River to Cross isn't there anymore. I was writing about a town that existed 125 years ago. That town is long gone. Few, if any, of those old buildings remain. Even the streets are gone and have been for close to a century. For example, the new courthouse in Chapter 1 was finished in 1886. It was a magnificent structure, but lasted less than 30 years before parts were torn down and a much larger one built on site.

I recall one famous writer saying he needed to go to the location and see it for himself, to smell it for himself. Sounds good, but El Paso (or any place on the planet) doesn't look today or smell today as it did 125 years ago. Contemporary stories, of course, are different and seeing the real thing helps to write about it. Still, the secret to imitating reality is in the details you select.

And I fly when I have to, but I don't like it. When I have the time, the new trains are wonderful and luxurious--like a cruise without the water. I go to New Mexico frequently and look forward to that quiet time looking out a window and writing inside my head or on a laptop. If my husband is along, I compromise and we fly back.

LH: What is your goal in writing Christian historical romance?

YH: To tell a story that is true to the times and mores of that society. Neither of the two stories mentioned above were written for the Christian market. They were contemporary mainstream.

LH: Is there anything in particular that you would like to say to readers of A River to Cross?

YH: Only that I loved writing the story and the people in it. It's family fiction.

LH: We have writers on this blog from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, England, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, and Tasmania. Whom would you most like to visit and why?

Probably Australia. I married an Englishman--­a Pomme, the Aussies call them. Living in Buffalo, NY, for years, I've visited Canada many times.

LH: Thanks, Yvonne. I know that lovers of romance and westerns will enjoy reading A River to Cross.

___

LeAnne Hardy recently walked across the border to Mexico from Arizona just to say she'd been there.  You can find out more about her books and travel adventures on her website and blog.