The Story Behind The Story

Laurie Wood | @LaurieJeanWood

I decided to set my romantic suspense in a small sub-arctic Canadian town because polar bears are such a Canadian icon. And I had fun delving in to the research about Churchill, Manitoba, researching polar bears and the conservation efforts preserving their species.

But the other aspect of the “story behind the story” is how my two main characters changed and evolved as I experimented with the premise for the book. I was a police officer in the mid-1980’s and I read a lot of thrillers and police procedurals, so I started with a hero Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer. I figured a “Mountie”, as we call them, (because it’s shorter), was also a Canadian icon and that might hook an editor or agent’s attention, so he would be a good bet for a hero. And I wrote a great character sketch–but I couldn’t “see” him. I like to search Pinterest for interesting faces for my heroes and heroines but I wasn’t getting a bead on this guy. He felt hollow, and for whatever reason, wasn’t coming “alive” for me.
As for my heroine, I saw her jumping up from a restaurant meal and walking out–running out–from the hero after her proposed to her. And I thought, what would make a woman do that? At that point, I didn’t have her as a polar bear scientist. She was beautiful, but that was all I knew about her. I found this photo on Pinterest, no credit given, and my imagination ran away with me. I dug into the heroine’s background and came up with the “WHY” of her painful story. Why would she run out on a marriage proposal from a man she was in love with?

Once I’d written her background story the “WHO” of the hero transformed.
He wasn’t a police officer anymore. He became a spoiled rich kid who’d had every advantage in life. A lifelong Christian who’d been raised with all the answers to life from the outside looking in but hadn’t tested those “answers” until real life hit him in the face. And his family wasn’t perfect either. He “fell” in to his profession, rather than being a career guy.
I searched Pinterest till I found actor Paul Walker who starred in the “Fast and the Furious” movie franchise before his untimely death at the age of 40. And suddenly, I had my “face” to go with Lukas Tanner. He became the first “boy next door” hero I’ve ever written.

Remember that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They’re not all alpha males who carry guns and can fight off three bad guys at once. Real heroes are the guys who learn from their mistakes. Who fall down and get up again even if they fall more than once. Who lose more than their possessions and start over and over again. Real heroes can take care of a sick child in the night and still get up and go to work at 7 a.m.
So, why did my heroine not want to marry this guy in the first place? Well, you’ll have to read the story to find out. She has her reasons: fear, shame, a huge secret. Even in our society, we have a “class” system. She didn’t come from wealth. And when she ends up with something in her possession, that other people are willing to kill her for, things take a dark and dangerous turn.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading Northern Deception. I trust I’ve written a tight love story with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages and also give you a taste of Canada’s far north in the middle of polar bear season. It’s been my pleasure to share this Canadian romantic suspense with you.

Laurie Wood is a military wife who’s lived across Canada and visited six of its ten provinces. She and her husband have raised two wonderful children with Down Syndrome to adulthood, and their son and daughter are a wonderful blessing to their lives. Over the years, Laurie’s books have finaled in prestigious contests such as the Daphne du Maurier (twice), the TARA, the Jasmine, and the Genesis. Her family lives in central Canada with a menagerie of rescue dogs and cats. If the house were bigger, no doubt they’d have more.

Website: https://www.lauriewoodauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriewoodreadersgroup
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LaurieJeanWood

Wandering Wednesday: My Love for Mounties and Canada

By Jenny Blake @ausjenny 

In the 80’s an older lady from the church gave me a book to read for Christmas. I hadn’t read many since high school. I went from always reading to rarely reading. I remember starting this book on Christmas day and finishing is that night and wanting to read more in the series to the point of speaking with the lady about more books in the series. She was planning on giving me book two for my birthday and gave it to me early and I ordered the last two in the series. The book was Janette Oke’s When Calls the Heart from the Canadian West Series. I fell back in love with reading but also in love with both Canada and Mounties. This book is what started me reading again and reading more Christian fiction and while there wasn’t as many choices around back then there were some. 

This book also ignited a passion to want to go to Canada and meet a Mountie in their uniform. Going to Canada was a dream which I didn’t think would happen but in 2007 I had a chance to a retreat for an online ladies group I was part off and we stayed in Vancouver. While there I stayed near Whistler with a friend and hoped to meet a Mountie, this didn’t happen, but I did see some wonderful scenery and also some of planning for the 2010 winter Olympics. 

 I did get to see a couple of Mountie mascots at the shops where you can buy their merchandise. I returned to Canada the following year for a friend’s wedding and saw more of the country and love the mountains. 

Reading the books about the area even if they are historical had a huge impact on this reader. I also got to do what my mother had wanted to do as she had had a teacher doing an teaching exchange from Canada when she was in Primary School. I have been reintroduced to When Calls the Heart through the DVD Series. While it is different to the books it still shows the beautiful country. As readers this is what we want a book to do, make us want to visit a place or to make us feel like we have been transported to a special place.

JENNY BLAKE (aka Ausjenny) is an avid reader. When not reading she enjoys watching cricket, in fact you could call her a cricket fanatic, scrapbooking and jigsaws. Her health has means she isn't reading as much as she would like but she does what she can to promote books. Her book blog is where she reviews books and interview authors. Her goal is to help promote new books and encourage authors. Her blog is at http://ausjenny.blogspot.com

Five Obstacles to Successful Writing

Today we'd like to welcome John Peters, a new member of American Christian Fiction Writers and first-time contributor to International Christian Fiction Writers. Welcome, John!

By John S Peters

Self-doubt, writers block, typing skills, grammar, and finding my voice.

These are the major obstacles that I needed to have God’s help to find my way past. The result is that God has repositioned me for success. Worship Leader, Singer/Song writer, Author/Publisher, Pastor/Evangelist.

 Growing up in White Rock BC, (a small town on the west coast of Canada, pictured above) it seemed that the words which were spoken most into my young ears were, ‘you can’t,’ and ’you’ll never’. Does that sort of thing sound familiar to anyone out there? I’m sure you can imagine the impact these words had on my sense of self – worth. In the course of my walk with God, I have found that I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. Now I am hearing ‘You can, and you will.’

It took me almost fifteen years of false starts to find my voice, but the word of God encouraged me to persevere and to press on toward the mark. Today I have published three non-fiction titles, three fiction, and one autobiography which could fit either of the above. Love what you write, and write what you love. That is what the Holy Spirit has impressed upon me as a rule of thumb for whatever I write.

The next obstacle would for me, be the dreaded writers block, perhaps known more affectionately as ‘some timers’. We get excited about writing something, but when we are ready to start typing, the page remains embarrassingly blank. To remedy this ailment, the Lord has encouraged me just to type anything that comes to mind, and go from there. It has been said that every picture tells a story. As a young man, I realized that I could see an image, and would automatically begin to work it into a story. A hawk sitting on a fence post, a worn gate hanging by a single hinge. This is something that I have begun to incorporate into my writing.

At the age of sixteen, I could type sixty words per minute. By the time I began to take an interest in writing, I was down to a sad eight to ten words. Then someone told me about voice recognition software, and my world got suddenly brighter! I typed only ten words per minute, but with this new software, I could talk eighty to one hundred words every minute. Woohoo!

Some folk save the most important points for the closing statement, or argument if you prefer, and I guess that for today at least, I fall into this category. Grammar. With a grade twelve vocabulary it is understandable that my grammar could use a lot of help. More software to the rescue! Grammarly and White Smoke take care of everything from spellcheck to plagiarism, and whatever might lie in-between.

Rather than jumping straight into novel writing, I chose to begin with short stories, and have developed to the point of writing Novelettes. In becoming a member of ACFW, I hope to quickly develop into a full-fledged novelist, which has been my goal since I discovered the world of books.

About John S Peters

As a semi-retired Pastor, I finally have time to polish and perfect various inter-related hobbies including pastel painting, digital photography, song-writing, and writing both fiction and non-fiction. I'm self-published on CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing. My fictional Short stories include The Champion, The Raven, and a novella titled ‘Thomas Vale, out of the shadows’.

Find John online:

Website
Amazon

The Moment I Realized Setting Can Make or Break a Story

Guest Post by N.J. Lindquist

I’m one of those people who skip over descriptions. Honest. I do it all the time. The author starts going on and on about what the weather is like, or how the house looks, or the beautiful painting, and I completely zone out. Well, unless it’s a whodunit and I suspect the author has a clue hidden somewhere in the verbiage. But even then, I’ll likely skim if the description goes on too long. So when I began writing I have to confess that I focused almost solely on the characters and then the plot.

Oh, I included a setting—you have to locate the story someplace—but it was vague at best.

For my first book, which was originally published by Moody Press, I used a mythical, very vague small town I called Wallace. Since I was raised in small prairie towns, it was easy to envision a small town somewhere in the US or Canada.

When I wrote the second book in the series, With Friends in Need, I realized that I needed a bit more information—like how many blocks did Glen have to walk to get to school, to his best friend’s house, or to the bank his dad managed? And what did he pass on the way? So I created this Bristol board map of Wallace. And I used this beauty for the next two in the series, too. For me, that was what setting was—the locations, large or small, I used in the story.

My first two mysteries (which are published under my alter ego, J.A. Menzies) weren’t much different. The ideas for the books actually began with settings: a Japanese garden in Vancouver and the Rogers Centre in Toronto. But I continued to write in what I call the “Talking Heads” style. Lots of dialogue and action, but very little description of any kind. After the second draft was complete, I’d go through and add bits of description here and there to help my readers see what I saw in my mind: both the characters and their setting.

Then one day I started on a fantasy chapter book for my eight-year-old granddaughter, who had requested a book for “her age.” As usual, I began with a vague “some other world “setting, and focused on the characters, the action, and the dialogue. I’d fill in the details later.

About a third of a way into the book, while writing a scene with my talking horse, who was going on a journey, I shook my head and stopped writing. This felt wrong. The talking horse thing has been done before, and I didn’t want to compete with C.S. Lewis. After due diligence, I decided I should have a camel.

Since I don’t edit while I’m writing the first draft, I exchanged the word “camel” for “horse” in the sentence I was on and kept writing as if the animal had always been a camel. Except—I couldn’t just keep writing. In my mind, my horse had been trotting through a green valley with trees and grass and a river, but my camel was plodding through a hot desert, with an ocean of sand in every direction, and just a vague glimpse of distant hills.

And at that moment, it hit me how important the setting is to the story.

I still prefer to use only essential details, but although much of what I “know” about the setting never appears in my stories, I spend a lot of time creating my settings and determining how they relate to my characters before I outline my plot.

They say write “what you know” and I’ve always tried to start my writing with something I know about, and let my creativity flow from there. Now I’m also likely to begin with “where I know.”
I just finished writing a mystery novella called The Case of the Homeless Pup. The plot for this book begins on a path in Toronto’s Don Valley where I’ve walked a number of times.

In my book, a jogger spots a puppy on the path ahead and follows it deep into the woods where he finds a human skull. The plot moves from there to a downtown area whose streets I’ve also walked. Readers who are familiar with my locations have told me they feel one of my characters might come around the next corner. I feel the same way. And I love that feeling!

N.J. Lindquist is an award-winning author, speaker, and writing teacher who loves helping people become everything God created them to be. Her published work includes five YA coming-of-age novels, the Hot Apple Cider anthologies, and the Paul Manziuk and Jacquie Ryan Mysteries (as J.A. Menzies).

A former high school teacher and homeschooling pioneer, N.J. has been mentoring writers in both Canada and the United States since 1992.

The mother of four and grandmother of eight lives in Toronto, Ontario.

http://www.njlindquist.com
http://jamenzies.com

Guest Post by Rachel McMillan - Write Where You Know

It's my absolute pleasure to introduce to the ICFW podium, a friend to many of us, Rachel McMillan. Rachel lives in Toronto and is soon (very soon, in fact)  to have her first works published. 2016 is going to be a big year for Rachel and her two lady detectives. Rachel has a great post to share with is, one that most of us can very easily relate to. In addition, Rachel and I will be chatting on the blog in 2 weeks so do come back.

Please give Rachel a hearty ICFW welcome.

Last December I signed a contract with Harvest House publishers for three novels and three e-novellas featuring two trouser-wearing, mystery solving Sherlockian lady detectives in the Edwardian era. You’re thinking: this premise + the CBA…are you nuts? To add to the crazy, the proposed series was set in Toronto, Canada where I live.

We’ve all heard it: write what you know.  But I wanted to write about where I know. And in some cases, the where was a contributing factor to some of the rejections I received on my proposed manuscript. It wasn’t rare for my agent and I to receive an email pass that mentioned that their publishing program was invested in historical fiction set in America, even as the last few years have seen that landscape change providing readers stories from a variety of international locales. I even contributed a list to Novel Crossing called Beyond the Borders focusing on some of these international locations.

When I first talked to my agent about the international setting, I made sure that she knew that it was a deal-breaker for me to set at least part of the series in my beautiful Canadian city. When I met with editors at ACFW, I made sure that they knew it was hill I would die on, too.  While we were sure my high concept would provide buzz and capitalize on the steady growth of romantic suspense, I needed to make sure that I could keep my Canadian setting.

But, like any CBA author, I had spent time and research aware of the publishing world, focusing on things that would make my project saleable. Indeed, with the notable exception of Janette Oke, Canada isn’t always a setting prominently represented in the CBA. Because the majority of CBA publishers are located in America, the majority of books published are set in America for the vast number of American Christian readers.

I spent years as an enthusiast of CBA fiction, as a reviewer and influencer, aware of this climate and understanding of this climate.  I took the time to learn about the CBA  publishing spectrum and was able to make a case for my Canadian setting if it ever came time to discuss it.

While one rejection mentioned that the Toronto setting was “exotic” (which made me laugh a little, I confess), I made sure that my series was inclusive of the American readers and publishers noting that with difficult sales, it has become more important than ever for publishers to be able to look to projects that are saleable.

I had the high concept that made several publishers take several glances at my hook but I needed to make sure that said pitch reflected popular tropes in the CBA.

While I was crafting the three-book series ( and believe me, I know how rare it is for a debut author in this day and age to sell a 3 book series off the bat), I took into account what make American publishers  might take notice of.

I made sure that my second proposed novel had a prominent American setting: in A Lesson in Love and Murder by lady detectives are employed to help stop an assassination attempt on Theodore Roosevelt.   

But I also made sure that 1910s Toronto (which was still very much a British-influenced Colonial setting) reflected that which was integral to my country’s burgeoning culture: I introduce a Mountie (red serge and all) as a major character and I take the series in the Great War, where Canadians fought with Britain from as early as 1914.

If you are attempting to publish with one of the major US CBA publishers, it is important to recognize that several publisher’s programs (especially during this uncertain time  of book sales) will want to reflect the interest and location of their largest majority of readers---U.S. based readers.  In a climate of uncertain sales, this is quite logical.

But you, international author, should still ensure you are including something indigenous to where you are and infusing the expanding CBA landscape with something unique and fresh.

As international authors it is not as easy for us to visit our publishers, to attend conferences and maybe (despite the great ACFW efforts) easy for us to join a branch of the ACFW.  That being said, we have a great many things at our disposal: Social Media, Publisher’s Blogs, Twitter and Email.  Make sure that you read and learn about the fictional landscape you are approaching. Make sure that you have a specific reason why you are choosing to set your precious book in an area close to your heart and make sure that while you might have one or two fictional “hills you will die on” , that you prove malleable and teachable.

Now more than ever, the CBA is looking for fiction set in unique places and it is a prime time for you, fair author, to take the reins.

Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theatre.

Rachel can be found in the following places on the web:

Website: www.rkmcmillan.com
Bookish Ramblings: A Fair Substitute for Heaven
Twitter: @rachkmc
Instagram: @rachkmc
Facebook: rachkmc1

Rachel's first novella and novel are available for pre-order. Here are the links:

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder 

A Singular and WhimsicalProblem (releases Dec 1)

Team Bride... and a Giveaway

Fall is in the air! At least it is in the Northern Hemisphere. My Riverbend Romance novella series takes place in a small town in Canada, and each celebrates one of the seasons. Team Bride is quintessentially rural BC the way I know it, with a fall fair, bike rides over crunching fallen leaves, and a day of juicing apples. Oh, and a good dose of romance!

Here's what Team Bride is about:

Sarah Jamieson has avoided weddings since a traumatic stint as a flower girl, but reluctantly agrees to stand up for her best friend. Only why does the best man have to be one of those confident, life-of-the-party types? Even worse, why does the bride make her promise to go on one date with the guy? Easy enough to agree, because she'll make sure he never asks.

Corbin Morrissey takes his responsibilities for Team Groom very seriously, but coaxing smiles out of the maid-of-honor is harder — and more addictive — than he expected. To his surprise, she agrees to go out. There really isn't any way a date to the Fall Fair could go amiss. Is there?

Can Corbin convince Sarah he's ready to settle down and make her the head of her own Team Bride, or will their past keep getting in the way?

Chapter 1

The wedding rehearsal was about to start without Sarah Jamieson.

Thankfully, it wasn’t her wedding, but that didn’t mean her best friend wasn’t going to kill her. As maid of honor, Sarah had responsibilities. She tapped her fingers on the car’s steering wheel and craned her neck to see why traffic was stopped on the bridge across the Sandon River.

She’d counted on twelve minutes to get from her apartment to the River of Life Church. That’s all it ever took. With only two stoplights, the town of Riverbend, British Columbia, was no metropolis. Also, she hadn’t seen any need to get there early. Not with the way she felt about weddings. The things she did for her best friend. At least she’d talked Lindsey out of a flower girl.

Sarah opened the car door and crossed to the sidewalk on the other side of the bridge along with several other drivers. Oh, no. A semi had flipped on the bridge’s access, blocking both lanes. This could take a while.

She slid back into her car and tapped the Bluetooth on her dashboard, selecting Lindsey’s cell. It went straight to voicemail. A bride too busy to answer her phone at two minutes to rehearsal? Imagine that. Maybe the groom was carrying his. It was worth a try. She scrolled through the list and found Nick’s number. It rang three times.

“Corbin Morrissey of Team Groom. How may I direct your call?”

She rolled her eyes as she craned to see if there was any action getting the eighteen-wheeler moved yet. A few sirens wailed in the distance. “This is Sarah. I’m stranded in the middle of the bridge because a semi-truck flipped over, blocking both lanes. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Sarah from Team Bride?”

She narrowed her gaze and stared at the Bluetooth display. “Lindsey’s maid of honor.”

“Team Bride affirmative. Expected time of arrival?” He chuckled. “Besides late.”

Where had Nick found this guy, anyway?

Sarah leaned out her open car window as sirens approached. “Sounds like the RCMP are here. Tow trucks. And a woman in a safety vest coming this way stopping at every car.”

“So you’ll know what’s up in a minute. We might as well keep talking until she gets to you. Tell me about yourself, Sarah. Have you known Lindsey long?”

She shook her head as she settled back in her seat. Some guys had all the confidence. She preferred them quiet, herself. Not like... Corbin, he’d said his name was? “I’ve known her since we were kids. We’ve been best friends since third grade then lost touch until she came back to Riverbend last year.”

“So you must have gone to high school here. Did you know Nick?”

Sarah wasn’t going there. She had memories of the groom in high school she’d rather forget. Good thing he’d changed. “Yeah, some. How about you? Where did you meet Nick?”

“Bible school, actually. I’ve lived near Riverbend for a couple of years now.”

The woman in the safety vest was still a few cars away. “So are you a pastor now, too?” There were other churches in town. Maybe he worked for one of them.

“I’m a farmer.”

Seriously? He said it with some kind of pride. “You went to Bible college to become a farmer?” Now there was a waste of four years.

Corbin laughed. “Not exactly. But God had His reasons.”

The woman approached as Sarah glanced out the window. “They expect to open single-lane traffic in under an hour.”

“Thanks.”

“Whoa, Team Bride is losing this competition. Huzzah, Team Groom is rocking it.”

Did that require a reply? “It sounds like I’ll get there when I get there.”

“Try the bridge down by Arrowsmith?”

“That’s another thirty kilometers south. Besides, I don’t think the car behind me left enough room to turn around. No, I’d better stay put.”

“Your call. So you know, the pizza just arrived, and it smells awesome.”

Sarah’s stomach growled as she glared at the Bluetooth.

Corbin chuckled. “What’s your favorite kind?”

“If it’s Panago, the correct answer is Mediterranean with olives and extra feta.”

The sound of other voices and laughter became louder. A few glasses clinked. “Yup, there’s one of those. You must have an in with the bride. Want me to save you a piece?”

How about saving half a pizza? She hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

He lowered his voice. “We could sit out on the fire escape later and share it. Get to know each other.”

Um, right. Nick should have left this bozo out in the chicken yard where he found him.

“Who are you talking to, Cor?” Nick’s voice. “Is that my phone?”

“Yup, it rang, so I picked it up. Talking to Sarah from Team Bride.”

“Well, give it here already.” The phone switched hands. “Sarah? Where are you? The food arrived.”

“Stuck on the bridge. A semi turned over just a few vehicles in front of me. The tow truck is trying to clear it enough for one-lane traffic now.”

“But rehearsal...”

Like she didn’t know.

“Right. Well, I guess I don’t need to tell you to get here as soon as you can, eh?”

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “I have that part figured out, Nick. There’s not much I can do at the moment.”

“I’ll tell Lindsey you called.”

“Thanks. I tried her cell first but she didn’t answer.” Neither had anyone else. She could wish no one had answered Nick’s, either.

“Okay. See you soon, I hope.”

“Hey, pass the phone back here.”

Corbin? Like she wanted to sit and chat with him any longer? Not a chance. She reached over and tapped the screen to end the call. That’d fix him.

Giveaway

Interested in reading Team Bride? I'm offering one reader a copy (e-book only, worldwide). If you'd like to put your name in the hat, please add your email address with your comment before Friday, October 10, 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.

Think INSIDE the Box!

"My name is Valerie Comer, and I'm a box set addict."

Whew. It feels good to have that out in the open. Anyone who's been keeping an eye on my career in the past six months or more won't be surprised by my admission, though! I credit the first box set I participated in, Love Brings Us Home, with launching my career, even though I had five indie titles for sale before that box set released.

My primary goal was to get the first book in my Farm Fresh Romance series, Raspberries and Vinegar, into as many hands as possible in hopes that many, or at least some, readers would go on to purchase the other two books that were already available.

By cross-promoting with other authors, we'd not only gain access to each others' readerships, but rank high enough on Amazon's bestseller lists that continued organic reach would result. Wow. Did that ever happen! Love Brings Us Home stayed above the #10 spot on the Christian Contemporary Romance bestseller list for nearly six months and dominated at #3 or better for over half that time.

It was a total win/win. Readers got to read seven contemporary romance novels for 99 cents US. The authors split the 35-cents-per-copy-sold royalty and still made money because enough readers took a chance.

This whetted my appetite for a continued reach into the box set market. I contacted author friends and made plans for two sets for the summer season. The first released yesterday after six weeks on pre-order. It's called Summer of Love and contains 6 full-length previously-published romance novels from top-selling Christian authors, several the same as from the earlier set. Wild Mint Tea, the second novel in my Farm Fresh Romance series is included in Summer of Love.

The second summer set, Splash! 9 Refreshing Romance Novellas Filled with Faith contains only new material and will release in June. I'm thrilled my team includes Narelle Atkins and Marion Ueckermann, two other ICFW authors. Autumn Macarthur, from our ACFW Beyond the Borders group, also contributed a novella. This means that almost half the stories in this collection are set outside the USA for a fun international twist.

Splash! contains the following stories and locations:

His Perfect Catch by Narelle Atkins (Australia)
A holiday romance isn’t part of the plan when Mia Radcliffe temporarily moves to Sapphire Bay and lives next door to Pete McCall, her secret crush from years ago. Pete prefers the simple life. Can Mia leave behind her big-city dreams and settle with Pete in the seaside town?

Sweet Serenade by Valerie Comer (Canada)
Carly and Reed thrive on the rush of running rapids in a canoe until they capsize in both river and romance. Will secrets from the past drown their future, or can this idyllic summer romance lead to a lifetime of sweet serenades?

More than Friends by Autumn Macarthur (Scotland)
When nurse Catriona asks for help with her Vacation Bible School for disabled children, she never imagines how much could go wrong on a simple seaside day out — or that the colleague she's secretly loved for years might come to see her as more than his best friend's little sister.

Love Flies In by Heidi McCahan (Alaska)
He’s a seaplane pilot determined to honor his convictions. She’s a kayak guide who mocked his faith for sport. One small lakeside cabin in Alaska can’t house them both.

Testing the Waters by Lesley Ann McDaniel (Oregon)
After breaking up with her ultra-critical boyfriend, Teresa decides to reinvent herself. She meets a nice guy named Curt on the beach in Crescent Cove, Oregon, and tells him she’s Terése from Paris. Pretending to be someone else is fun until the unthinkable happens — she starts to fall for him.

The Lifeguards, the Swim Team, and Frozen Custard by Carol Moncado (Missouri)
Lifeguard Alivia Collins looks forward to another summer on the guard stand at the Serenity Landing Aquatic Center. This year, she’s going to have to keep herself from falling for the cute, new guard — or realize it’s time to give love another chance.

Time and Tide by Lynette Sowell (Virginia)
When out-of-work fashion journalist Karyn Lewis uses the summer to regroup on the coast of Virginia, she plans to lie low at Pine Breezes campground. She doesn't plan for her heart to be on a collision course with old friend Brodie Reed. They must decide if the past that looms between them will be too much for them to have a future together.

Draw You Near by Jan Thompson (Georgia)
Savannah artist Abilene Dupree keeps her personal life out of her commercial paintings except one. That one painting has now brought Londoner Lars Cargill back to the coastal town and into her art world. Can she hold him at bay before he invades her personal space and her heart?

Orphaned Hearts by Marion Ueckermann (Zambia)
His faith buried with his wife, Simon devotes himself to raising his daughter and orphan elephants. Lady Abigail postpones an arranged marriage, leaving England to teach the children of Africa. Will his past—or her future—keep their hearts orphaned?

Won't you give Splash! a try? You'll find links for pre-order on my website.

Meanwhile, a true addict is always thinking ahead where they might get their next fix. I'm already planning for the Christmas 2015 season!

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.


Think Inside the Box Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

She Hates Him. He Loves Her Not.

"Stayed up past midnight to finish it... read all 4 books in 3 days... really enjoyed them... How fast can you finish the next one?"

Readers around the world are singing the theme song from the old Green Acres sit-com. Okay, you might have to remember North American TV in the late 1960s to get the reference.

Listen to the theme song here.

The Farm Fresh Romance series features the adventures—romantic and otherwise—of three young women who buy Green Acres Farm together with the purpose of growing their own food and proving to the world they can live sustainably.

Each of the three original heroines needed her own personality, background, career, and reasons for moving to the farm. This meant that each hero needed to be equally unique.

It can be a temptation for an author to keep recreating his or her favorite combination of characters, but it's more fun to stretch a little. When I expanded the series to six books, I needed three new couples.

Dandelions for Dinner features Allison, a woman who has every reason to distrust and even hate men. She's attracted to Green Acres because of the friendship of the three women who started it all, and is certain that sooner or later all those marriages will fall apart because, in her experience, all men are users and players.

What kind of hero is going to win the heart of a woman like Allison? She's hard. She's paranoid. You could argue that a sweet Christian man could love her and wear her by displaying the love of Jesus over a period of time. I didn't think that was going to cut it for Allison.

Instead, I brought Brent into her life, a contractor to build her house on the farm. Brent has a past of his own he'd rather not remember. A man convinced he'll never marry because he can't inflict his history on a good woman… and he's done with the other kind.

Still, I needed a catalyst. Without some intervention, Allison and Brent were going to keep fighting (oh, I had fun with those fights!) until her house was complete and he'd moved on to his next build. And so I gave her custody of her young nephew when the child's mother was arrested for drug trafficking. It's not beyond Allison's comprehension that a boy will grow up to be a man. And all men are nasty. So even she wonders why she steps in to protect this vulnerable child.

She hates him. He loves her not.

Men are weeds. Allison Hart doesn't need them in her carefully tended life, though her friends at Green Acres seem happy with their guys. Why can't Allison open her heart to anyone but her young nephew? Then again, he'll be a man one day, too. If only the irritating contractor in charge of building her home and farm school wasn't the boy's favorite person.

Fireworks with Brent Callahan's newest client shift from antagonism to the rocky possibility of a relationship. When he comes face to face with a history he'd much rather forget, he realizes hiding his failures isn't the best option for finding forgiveness, let alone love.

Can a little boy help weed out the past before it chokes their future together?

Today is release day for Pinky Promise, my springtime Riverbend Romance novella. Only 99 cents on Amazon, or free to borrow if you have Kindle Unlimited.

I had a lot of fun with this story, and I hope you enjoy it.

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.

Welcome to Riverbend!

Riverbend is the quaint Canadian town you wish you were from, where everyone knows everyone, seasons are celebrated, and love is in the air. It is also a fictional town in British Columbia, Canada, situated in roughly the same part of the province as I live.

When I thought of using my real small town or even larger centers in the region, I felt stifled. I needed an idyllic place all the best bits of many small towns. Riverbend needed a park by the river and picturesque bridges. It needed a downtown core full of unique shops and eateries. It needed an outlying area of farms and ranches…after all, I write from a passion for locally grown real food.

I asked fans and friends on my Facebook author page for thoughts on what Riverbend needed to be like. I received all kinds of ideas, many of which are on my roughly drawn map of Riverbend. Very few made their way into the first novella, Secretly Yours, but more will be showcased in upcoming stories. Meanwhile, they give me the feeling of a well-rounded community and hopefully that will come through for my readers.

My Farm Fresh Romance series is set in Idaho, not far south of Riverbend, BC. It has an American setting because, when I wrote it, I was aiming for the American market via an agent and a traditional publishing house. The first two books were published by a small house, and I don't see any point in rewriting the location to be set in Canada. I'm sure I'll write more stories set in the USA in the future, as some of the proposals I once wrote are American based and need to be set there.

However, writing a series set in Canada gives me a sense of deep satisfaction. Many facets of life are the same or very similar. In fact, I wrote only three distinctly Canadian things into Secretly Yours.

1. In Canada, we wear something called a tuque (rhymes with fluke). This is a knitted winter cap like a beanie or stocking cap. Secretly Yours takes place in winter, so the characters had to wear tuques!

2. I like to say all Canadians are bilingual, but not in the way you think. Many of us do not speak both English and French, but we do have a more than casual acquaintance with both imperial and metric measurements and temperatures. Thus the distances are shown in meters and kilometers, and the temperatures in Celsius. I tried to provide clues in text as to what that might mean to an "Imperial Speaker."

3. In British Columbia, our young drivers become qualified through a graduated licensing system. After passing a written exam, they receive a learner's permit. They drive only with an adult in the vehicle…and a large red magnet with a black L on it slapped on the back of the car to warn the populace! After a year, they may take a road test. If they pass, they become novice drivers for another year. Restrictions include a zero tolerance for speeding and alcohol. Oh, and they now drive with a large green magnet with a black N on it.

Because my heroine's sister has her learner's license (and Lindsey is her adult ride-along), these magnets came into play in the story. Some things are difficult to show without pulling the reader aside and actually explaining it to her!

I expect to release four more Riverbend novellas in 2015 (as well as the final 3 Farm Fresh Romances). Pinky Promise, my spring novella, is already complete in first draft, and the third novella, set in summer, is underway. Later in the year I'll write and release autumn and Christmas Riverbend novellas as well.

Would you like to enjoy a short winter romance? Check out Secretly Yours, available only as an e-book on Amazon.

Chef Lindsey Solberg agrees to cater the church's Valentine's Day fundraising banquet as a favor to her teen sister, but she's shocked to discover the bad boy from her high school days is now Riverbend's youth pastor. Seriously? How could he have changed that much? Nick Harrison has prayed for years for an opportunity to make amends. Now Lindsey's back in Riverbend and won't give him the time of day. What's a guy to do except leave a trail of gifts from a secret admirer?

Lindsey's heart takes a beating when she realizes the boy who was never good enough is now a far better man than she deserves.

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.

An Interview with Canadian Author Kimberly Rae Jordan

Today I'd like to welcome my friend and fellow Canadian, Kimberly Rae Jordan. She grew up a missionary kid in the Philippines but has made her home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, since graduating from high school. If you look at her photo, you'll think that must have been last week, but no. Kim is the mom of four, one of them in university!

Valerie: Welcome to International Christian Fiction Writers, Kimberly! It's been fun getting to know you in the past few months. How did you become interested in writing fiction?

Kimberly: I have always been an avid reader and as characters and their stories would linger in my mind, I would begin to think about how the story might have gone if this or that had happened. Pretty soon I was creating stories in my head each night before I would fall asleep. Sometimes a story would span a week or so of nights, but then it would be gone. Realizing that I didn’t want to lose touch with those characters, I started to jot down parts of stories when I had the time. I was around nineteen or twenty when I first wrote out a whole story… and I have never looked back!

Valerie: What drives you to write?

Kimberly: It seems to be the burning need to give my characters life. It is through the words I write that those characters become real to me and — hopefully — the reader. As I get to know each character that I write about, their story just begs to be shared. Whichever story I’m working on is present in my thoughts night and day. Somehow it just needs to be told, and I’m happy to oblige! I find that if I go more than a day or so without writing on a current work-in-progress, I start to get antsy.

Valerie: How many books do you have out now?

Kimberly: I currently have ten full-length contemporary Christian romance novels, one book of Christian romance short stories and a sweet Christmas romance novella.

Valerie: What are some common themes?

Kimberly: Family is probably my most common theme. My two series are both based around siblings. Another common theme is trying to show a realistic Christian walk. Whether that is a character who is currently struggling a lot with their faith or someone who is confident in their faith but still dealing with the daily struggles we face as Christians.

Valerie: Which story is your favorite?

Kimberly: My favorite so far is probably The Long Road Home, which is Book 4 in my HOME TO COLLINGSWORTH series. Cami, the heroine, was one that wasn’t very popular with readers in previous books of the series. I knew that in writing her story, I would have to really work to gain the readers’ sympathies for her. It’s a romance after all! If a reader doesn’t like the hero or heroine, the story is basically a flop. It was a challenging story to write, and I worried a lot about how readers would react to it. I prayed each night that God would use the book to encourage and uplift people even as it entertained.

The day that book was published until the first review came in were torture for me. A few weeks after it was published, I received a review from a reader who said that they only bought the book because they’d read the other three but weren’t thrilled to read Cami’s story. However, when they finally did read it, her story became their favorite in the series! I am glad that even though it was a rough book to write at times, I pushed through with God’s help. It is one that will always be with me.

Valerie: Readers, you'll get introduced to Cami in Home is Where the Heart Is if you pick up the Love Brings Us Home box set for only 99 cents. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to place my novel Raspberries and Vinegar in the same limited- time collection. But there's more!

Love Brings Us Home contains SEVEN sweet stories celebrating love and home in one amazing collection!

Greater Than Rubies by Hallee Bridgeman: Antonio Viscolli asked and Robin Bartlett said "yes!" Soon, she will say "I do." Or will Boston's "Royal Wedding" leave someone standing at the altar?

Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer: Josephine Shaw, a feisty environmentalist and local-food advocate, falls for Zachary Nemesek, the junk-food-loving reluctant farmer next door.

Awakening by JoAnn Durgin: When Lexa Clarke tumbles from the top beam of a house and straight into the arms of TeamWork Missions Director Sam Lewis, Sam suspects his life will never be the same.

Home is Where the Heart Is by Kimberly Rae Jordan: Free spirit Violet Collingsworth never expected to return home to live. But when she goes back to attend her grandmother’s funeral, she meets the sheriff and begins to reconsider.

Wildfire Wedding by Lynette Sowell: During the height of Texas wildfire season, Krista and Luke prepare for their wedding while battling past guilt and future fears, when a fire breaks out, threatening the town.

Cowboy by Staci Stallings: To all the world, Ashton Raines has it all: fame, money, and the adoration of millions of fans. Then one night he walks away from it all. Can down-on-her-luck waitress, Beth, let God work through her to lead Ashton back to hope and faith?

Reunited at Christmas by Debra Ullrick: Shelby Davis thought she’d never again see the ex-fiancé who dumped her. Then Ryker Anderson gets lost in a blizzard, and she’s on the snowmobile search and rescue team. Now what?

Now what? That’s easy! Pick up this digital-only box set from Amazon, Kobo, or Nook and enjoy seven novels from some of the genre's most popular authors. I'm thrilled to be included!

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.

Loyalty or Royalty?

With the release of Wild Mint Tea on March first, I've had the privilege of being interviewed on or writing guest posts for dozens of blogs. Yes, dozens. It's been a wee bit crazy, quite frankly.

Readers are loving Claire and Noel, and that is so gratifying to an author! The feedback has confirmed what I suspected, that this story is "better" than the first book in the Farm Fresh Romance series, Raspberries and Vinegar. By better, I mean that Claire is a sweeter person than Jo, and readers find it easier to root for her.

A question I often get asked is why I write stories set in Idaho when I live in Canada. There are levels to the answer.

One is that if Green Acres Farm were a real place, I could drive to it in twenty minutes if border traffic was light. Yes, my home in southeastern BC is that close to Idaho. The landscape and climate are the same as home, which is very helpful to me being as I write about farming and gardening.

Another answer is that when the Farm Fresh Romance stories began to form in my mind several years ago, Americans, who form the largest market share of English-speaking readers, often passed up foreign-set books in preference for the more familiar. This is, in fact, one of the reasons the International Christian Fiction Writers blog was formed: to help spread the news that authors from other lands might offer great stories set in other places, and weren't something to be feared or avoided!

To make my series the most appealing to a wide readership (which included agents and editors), I chose to set my stories in the USA. Ultimately I signed a contract with a small new American publishing house, Choose Now Publishing, who might've been open to a Canadian setting. As well, the doors to foreign settings have started to crack open. I chose not to submit the two completed novels in the series to an international overhaul but to stick with the way they'd been written in the first place.

In an exchange with Janice Dick, a fellow Canadian author who writes historical fiction, she said she had to choose "royalty over loyalty." The phrase stuck with me. I'd done the same. In an effort to have the best chance to actually sell my novels, I'd chosen that as more important than loyalty to a Canadian setting.

I make other choices for the "royalty" reason as well. I make sure my contemporary romances are written in both the heroine's and hero's point-of-views. I write to a standard romance formula, finding it doesn't strangle my stories at all. I make sure there's a happily-ever-after, which I prefer anyway. I make sure the word count is within the acceptable range for my genre.

God didn't give me "Canadian" stories. He gave me stories with universal topics and themes. The hope, the sense of belonging, the joy of being sought by God, the wonder of human love…these are all things that everyone can relate to. They're far more important to me than the little spot on the checklist that says where the story is set.

Sure, I have ideas for novels set in Canada. A couple are even written and waiting their turn for revision. Meanwhile, I have more contracted stories to write in the Farm Fresh Romance series…both because I want the royalties and because I want to reward the loyalties of my increasing fan base.

What about you? Do you find the setting as important to you as the themes, genre, and story line in a novel?

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance and farm lit. 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. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.

The second novel in Valerie's Farm Fresh Romance series, Wild Mint Tea, released March 1, 2014.

Heaven's Prey Blog Chase

Heaven's Prey is a novel of suspense and redemption, so let's have some fun with a "blog chase." Follow the trail between Oct. 31 and Nov. 7, 2013 for a chance to win a print copy of Heaven's Prey.

You're at the first stop in the chase. Welcome! At the end of this post you'll find a link to the next stop. You'll need to visit each stop so you'll know the answers for the quiz at the end ... that's how you enter the prize draw.

Let's peek into the story world:

A chill wind moaned around the corner of Ruth and Tony Warner's suburban bungalow, etching frost ferns on the window. In the kitchen, Ruth stirred chocolate sauce at the stove.

Bubbles multiplied, tumbling over one another until the whole mass seethed up the sides of the pan. Like Ruth's fears for her missing niece—they'd grown until she thought they'd swallow her whole. She cut back the heat and kept stirring.

Susan had been gone for a month now, with no clue, no contact. Could Ruth trust this new hope that lit her spirit? She glanced at her husband's broad back as he washed the cherries and strawberries. His shoulders drooped these days. "Tony, I have something to tell you, and I don't want you to laugh."

"You're going to get a rosebud tattoo. Somewhere personal." His sandy eyebrows wiggled.

Ruth flipped a pot holder at him. "No, I mean it."

Tony leaned against the counter. The overhead light showed lines that hadn't creased his face a month ago. New strands of grey glistened in his beard.

Ruth pushed the fringe of hair off her forehead. "I had this dream last night. About Susan."

His smile fled. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"No, it was a good dream. I saw her—Susan—in a beautiful garden. In a long, white gown. She looked so happy. Maybe—maybe it's God saying she's okay."

The lines deepened around Tony's eyes. "It's time to face reality. She's not coming back. When a young woman disappears, especially in a big city like Toronto ..." He clamped his lips together.

Stepping out of the story ...

This is a glimpse of Ruth and Tony's lives before the novel opens. I hope you'll follow along and learn a bit more.

Since Ruth and Tony live in Nova Scotia, on Canada's east coast, each of our blog chase posts will include a piece of Nova Scotia trivia.

Did you know? Nova Scotia is the Latin name for "New Scotland."



Heaven's Prey releases November 1, 2013. Visit Choose NOW Publishing to read a sample chapter ... just don't forget to come back to the chase! Preorder links are on the Choose NOW site as well.

Next stop on the blog chase