Meet author Carrie Fancett Pagels
Carrie Fancett Pagels, PhD, is the multi-award-winning author of over twenty-five Christian fiction books, including ECPA and Amazon bestsellers. She loves a good cup of tea and keeps her teacart well stocked. Twenty-seven years as a psychologist didn’t cure her overactive imagination! Carrie grew up in Michigan’s beautiful Eastern Upper Peninsula. Although she now resides with her family in Virginia, she vacations most summers at the Straits of Mackinac—where many of her stories are set.
Tell us about your newest book.
I got the rights back on this book, which was originally a short novella entitled Love’s Beacon in Barbour Books’ Collection Lessons on Love. I took only the kernel of the storyline and completely revamped the book. I threw at it what I wanted to write and what I would want to read. Since I am no longer writing new historical fiction, but have switched to Contemporary Women’s Fiction, I wanted to throw a Women’s Fiction angle at it, too, and I did! It was really freeing to write this book the way I wanted to without all the restraints I’d normally be under—some of them self-imposed!
What inspired you to write Mackinac Island Beacon?
As a former psychologist, I had been intrigued by the why of someone stealing a child. And when I was a little kid, back when there were dinosaurs periodically there would be stories in the papers about famous people having their kids abducted. My what ifs were: What if the person who abducted someone famous’s child but it had nothing to do with money? What kind of person would do that? And why? And who else would it effect?
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
Plans hatched in 1897 bring friends and family from far distances toward Mackinac Island’s new twin beacons—the Round Island Lighthouse and the Social Affirmation Society’s training/retreat center. A missing daughter, a missing godchild—two young women’s lives have intertwined in ways they could never have known. The solution to both of their mysteries is revealed when all hope has been lost by those seeking them. Is romance out of the question for Val and Susan, when their hearts begin to heal? Will Paul and Lawrence, friends from their childhoods, brought to the island for work, be their beacons of hope? Can God bring all their paths together or will too many obstacles stand in their way?
Why do you write?
I write for the Lord and His people. I don’t know who would write simply to write, because it is very hard work. I have multiple health issues, and it is only in being obedient to God’s will that I can finish each and every book!
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
My heroine, Valerie Fillman, is named for our neighbor’s granddaughter, who is a fantastic hair stylist and has become a friend. She was the cutest little girl and now she’s the beautiful mom of two adult kids.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
My favorite thing is signing books at the Island Bookstore on Mackinac Island in the summer and meeting readers. I love talking to other people who love Mackinac and who love reading! And the store owners and the manager and staff are fantastic people. It’s a wonderful experience. So I keep going back every summer and it’s an encouragement to me in my writing.
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
I am a Yooper woman by birth. I grew up in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I first went to Mackinac Island 50 years ago, when I was 16! I couldn’t believe that this beautiful island was only an hour away from where I lived—it was like going to another world!
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
I am well past the woohoo phase and heading toward a slowdown and some dabbling in other genres, possibly children’s books. I am not physically able to churn out new books every few months like some authors can and I do not push myself to do so. I know my limitations better and I truly have to trust in the Lord to do any and all of my work!
What is your favorite pastime?
Traveling up to Mackinac Island in the summer, of course. And writing about Mackinac Island.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Other books in the Mackinac Island Romances series are: In Desperate Straits, a prequel, which will release in September, 2024, My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island, Anchored at Mackinac, and my dual-timeline Behind Love’s Wall. Butterfly Cottage and Lilac Cottage, Mercy in a Red Cloak, The Mackinac Straits Lumberjacks series, The Fruitcake Challenge, as well as Lilacs for Juliana, and The Lumberjacks’ Ball. The Substitute Bride and The Sugarplum Ladies. I have over twenty-five books out, including also a Holt Medallion finalist—The Steeplechase!
What are you working on now?
My next Contemporary Women’s Fiction novel, Tandem Cottage, is now getting my first set of self-edits and should release in Spring, 2025. It is the third book in the Mackinac Cottages Series. The first two books won Selah Awards (both placing second in Women’s Fiction). I also have a re-released novella, In Desperate Straits, coming out in September under a cute new cover!
Website: www.carriefancettpagels.com
Link to book:
Social media links:
Website: www.CarrieFancettPagels.com
Meet author Lorri Dudley
Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household.
Tell us about your newest book.
Redeeming the Rake is book three in my Agents of Espionage Series, but it can be read standalone. It’s a Regency Romance with a spy element set in the scenic rolling hills and quaint villages of England’s Cotswolds during the early 1800s.
What inspired you to write Redeeming the Rake?
Usually, my stories start with me picturing an inciting event that brings my characters together. I then dig into their psyche, background, and personalities to figure out why they reacted the way they did. For example, in my most recent book, Redeeming the Rake, I imagined Emily walking through the woods and happening upon Jacob near a stream with his hands bound. He’s on his knees, about to be shot in the back of the head by a blackguard. I needed to know why Jacob was about to be executed. What had he done? Eventually, my process led to him being a roguish spy who’d been mistakenly caught in a precarious position with the blackguard’s wife. Although innocent, Jacob walked a fine line with danger because his father’s belittling led him to believe he could never measure up, so why bother?
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
Agent Lord Jacob Edward Warren’s silver tongue can’t save him when he’s staring down the barrel of a vengeful husband’s gun, but a vicar’s daughter’s steady hand with a bow and arrow offers him the hope of tomorrow. Intrigued by Miss Emily Thompson’s quiet strength and artistic talent, he commissions her to paint his portrait. Jacob’s intentions change when he discovers this beguiling beauty holds not only his chance at redemption but also the intelligence he’s been assigned to gather.
What genre do you focus?
I’ve been reading historical romances since the third grade. I’ll never forget my first romance book, titled, Susannah, about a Virginian woman who falls in love with a Union soldier. I was hooked, and it wasn’t long after that I stumbled upon Regency romance and fell in love with the era. The complex societal rules and etiquette make for great conflict and plot lines, but what leaves me all woozy is how a gentleman is taught to respect and protect a lady at all costs.
Why do you write?
I have always been a creative and addicted to books. I used to hide books and a flashlight under my mattress when I was younger so I could sneak read after bedtime. I started coming up with story lines to keep my mind occupied as I pushed my boys on the swings and as they grew older, writing romance became my girlie outlet from all the testosterone in my household.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Jacob, whose name means trickster, is a third-born son of a duke, who fell in with London’s fast-set and joined the Home Office as an agent of espionage to right a wrong from his youth. Jacob’s name fits his lifestyle as a spy, while Emily’s name has always held a wholesome connotation in my mind. Emily, from Amelia, as means industrious which also suits our heroine because she paints commissioned portraits to pay for her younger brother’s schooling and will strive to any length to protect her family.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
Writing is my romantic outlet. Living with my husband and three teenage boys means traveling to sporting events, watching action movies, and washing piles of sweaty, dirty laundry. The time I spend creating my characters, their romance, and their relationship is a blessing.
What’s one unusual fact about you?
I’m a closet science fiction reader. While historical Regency romance is my favorite genre, when I’m not reading romance, I’m reading sci-fi. It’s strange to have one foot in the past and one foot in the future, but reading off genre is a bit of a break. After writing historicals for so long, I find myself analyzing the books that I read in my genre to learn instead of just reading for escapism as I do now with science fiction. If you enjoy Christian allegories, my favorite sci-fi book is The Arena by Karen Hancock. Some of my other favorites are the Firebird series by Kathy Tyers, The Diabolic series by S. J. Kincaid (clean but secular series), and for tweens, I read my boys the entire Michael Vey Series by Richard Paul Evans. I have dabbled in writing a dystopian futuristic romance titled Beacon Hill that finaled in ACFW’s Genesis contest. However, I’ve enjoyed writing Regency romance so much that Beacon Hill remains on my computer. Maybe I will put it in print someday, but by then, Beacon Hill might be a contemporary novel and no longer futuristic.
What is your favorite pastime?
Other than writing, I love to paint, which is why it was so much fun to write Redeeming the Rake because Emily is a budding artist. Describing how she sees the world in terms of color, shades, and shapes was a delight. Before I started writing, I taught art at a Christian elementary school. Like Emily, I was also notorious for always having a smudge of paint in places I couldn’t see, like the underside of my chin or the back of my arm (I still don’t know how I got paint there).
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
My Leeward Island Series has six books, starting with The Duke’s Refuge. I loved the idea of exploring different islands with my readers and calling the compilation The Leeward Island Series allowed me to island-hop in various books. Three of the six books are set in Nevis because it’s my favorite island, including The Duke’s Refuge. Nevis boasts of white sand beaches, rich mineral hot springs, rainforests, lush foliage, and a sugar and spice history complete with Caribs, pirates, and a legacy of slavery and colonization. It also helped that the island was under British control during the Regency Era.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently editing the fourth book in the Agents of Espionage Series, titled, Relinquishing the Agent, where a bookish older sister pretends to be her socialite cousin to sneak an invitation to a house party in the Cotswolds, in hopes of meeting an Oxford professor who might have the cure to save her ailing sister’s life. She never anticipates encountering a body snatching ring nor falling for the marquis spy bent on catching them.
Website: https://www.lorridudley.com
Link to book: https://www.wildheartbooks.org/redeeming-the-rake.html
Social media links:
https://www.bookbub.com/books/redeeming-the-rake-agents-of-espionage-book-3-by-lorri-dudley
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063777469647
Meet author Jane Daly
Jane Daly is addicted to coffee, purple pens, and her husband, not necessarily in that order. A self-proclaimed introvert, she enjoys the solitude of riding shotgun in Rigsby, her 37-foot motor home. But when they pull into a new campground, her favorite thing is to make new friends and find hangouts featuring local musicians. Her fantasy involves writing lyrics for country music songs and listening to them on the radio.
Tell us about your newest book.
The Pastor’s Perfect Wife is a contemporary romance set in the small town of Main, Oregon, not far from the Oregon Coast. Ethan is filling the pulpit for the pastor whose sister-in-law is in the hospital. Ethan has a young son and is a widower. He comes face to face with former Mean Girl Mariah, who has no intention of getting involved with a minister.
What inspired you to write The Pastor’s Perfect Wife?
When I was dating my husband, he told me he was studying to be a pastor. I decided then and there I wasn’t the one for him. I had a tumultuous past with a not-so-great reputation as a partier. My life BC wasn’t something I felt would be acceptable as a pastor’s wife. My main character, Mariah, feels the same way.
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
What happens when a grieving widower with a small son meets a feisty former mean girl? Neither is looking for love, but when they’re thrown together to battle a false accusation of sexual assault from a teenage girl, the result is a perfect match.
What genre do you focus on?
I’m a sucker for a happy ending, so whether I’m writing women’s contemporary fiction or romance, I want the Hallmark-type ending.
Why do you write?
God gives gifts to all His children. Mine happens to be the ability to make up stories to show His redemption and forgiveness. I can’t NOT write, because of this incredible gift I’ve been given.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
I am training myself to write faster, so I try to write at least 2,000 words a day. That means I can finish a romance or romantic suspense in a month. It usually takes me a couple of months to edit and get input from beta readers. I like to spend more time writing full-length novels of around 90,000 to 100,00 words and these can take me up to a year.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
I get huge satisfaction of encouraging other writers. I remember starting out and how difficult it was. Rejection after rejection, criticism from other ‘know it all’ authors, and harsh judgements from contest judges – this is a quick path to self-doubt and imposter syndrome. With my new role as acquisitions editor for Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., I want to encourage the brave writers who have the guts to submit to a publisher.
What’s one unusual fact about you?
In January of 2022, my husband and I sold everything and moved into our motor home. We live and travel full-time in Rigsby with our two cats. We supplement our income by work camping. Hubby does maintenance and guides campers to their sites while I work in the office, making reservations and selling merch. We’ve been across the country three times from the West Coast to the East Coast. Our goal is to stay in each of the 48 lower states before we quit. We’re only about half-way through now, but even when we hit all 48, we plan to do this for as long as we physically can.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
You can find all my books on my website. I have 2 nonfiction and 7 novels.
My most recent releases (July 2024) are Broken Trust and The Pastor’s Perfect Wife (Winged Publications) – Book 2 in the Hearts of Main series. #3 The Heart of a Hero will be out later this year.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the 2nd in a 3-book series under contract with Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. It’s a romantic suspense called High Heels and Horses. All 3 take place in the Gold Country of Northern California. They’ll be released in 2025 and 2026.
I also have a contract to finish a book I’ve tentatively titled “Why Are My Eyebrows Growing Out of My Chin (Aging with Snark and Spirituality.” It is nonfiction and I hope to encourage other women of a ‘certain age’ that aging doesn’t disqualify you from accomplishing things. It will be released later in 2025.
Website: https://www.janeSDaly.com
Link to book: https://amzn.to/3W7WIg9
Meet author Danielle Grandinetti
Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea, books, and the creative beauty of nature. Mixing romance and suspense, she brings history to life, showing the discovery of home and hope in hard times. Married to her hero, Danielle is a second-generation Italian-American, a dairy farmer’s granddaughter, and a boy mom from Chicagoland who now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.
Tell us about your newest book.
Eden Cove, England, 1931—Margherita Vicienzo flees Italy pursued by her former fiancé, a member of Mussolini’s Blackshirt. Smuggled illegally into England, Margherita is a foreigner at the mercy of strangers. Her limp from an improperly healed broken leg means she has nothing to offer the Ferryman family, who offer her sanctuary, and nothing to appease their son who resents her presence.
Luke Ferryman needs a wife. He wants to marry for love, but carries the weight of his family’s generations-old expectations on his shoulders. Though he inherited the role of both baker and ferryman, he knows he can’t fulfill both needs once his aging grandparents retire. A wife would help, but not an illegal one like the refugee his matchmaking grandmother is harboring.
As opposite as night and day, Luke and Margherita forge a tentative friendship that grows despite the constant threat of Margherita’s discovery. But when strangers appear in the close-knit seaside town, threatening Luke’s livelihood and Margherita’s safety, the choice between justice and mercy becomes harder. And sacrifice proves the only answer.
What inspired you to write The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary?
As I wrote Sheltered by the Doctor, the fifth book in my Harbored in Crow’s Nest series, I researched the anti-Italian prejudices that occurred in America and how actions in Italy affected Italian-Americans during the 1930s. When Anna Jenson reached out about whether I’d like to join the Our House on Sycamore Street multi-author series, the timing worked perfectly to write a novella that showed the Italian side of the research I had done for Sheltered by the Doctor. And Margherita’s story was born.
What genre do you focus on?
I historical romance with intrigue, or, more specifically 1930s romantic mystery/suspense. It was such a pivotal era, with plenty of ready challenges for characters to face before they reach a happily ever after. The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary is my first foray outside of the US, and into pre-WWII Europe, and now that I have a taste of it, I’d love to write more!
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Margherita is my female main character. Her name is Italian and means daisy. With all the trouble she faces, she needed a name that represented something beautiful.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
I’m always working on a book in one form or another, but I’m also a stay-at-home mom. So I grab snatches of writing time in between school drop-off and pick-up, while my boys are playing in the house, or on a quiet Saturday when my husband takes the boys with him on errands.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
The best part is showing my boys my accomplishments. They cheer when I finish writing a book and love helping me unbox my latest novel. Seeing them writing their own stories to “be like mama” makes my heart so happy.
What’s one unusual fact about you?
I come from a line of Italian musicians, so it was fun to show a piece of that in this story.
What is your favorite pastime?
Besides reading and writing? Taking nature pictures. I never seem to have enough snapshots of Lake Michigan. Or fall leaves.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
I do! I mentioned Sheltered by the Doctor earlier, it is part of the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series. Of course, I recommend beginning with Book One: Confessions to a Stranger, but you could also begin with Book Two: Refuge for the Archaeologist. Fun fact … the Archaeologist in that story worked at a dig in the town where Margherita is from, and both were injured in the same (historical) earthquake.
What are you working on now?
I just finished writing book six in the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series, and it’s off to editing. Investigation of a Journalist is the grand finale of the series and releases on November 19.
Website: daniellegrandinetti.com
Link to book: daniellegrandinetti.com/the-italian-musicians-sanctuary
Social media links:
instagram.com/danielleswritingspot
facebook.com/danielleswritingspot
amazon.com/author/daniellegrandinetti
Meet author Sandra Bretting
Sandra Bretting is the author of a bestselling cozy mystery series that ran for five years with Kensington Publishing of New York, as well as three standalone mysteries and an inspirational memoir. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, she began her career writing for the Los Angeles Times and other publications. From 2006 until 2016, she wrote feature stories for the award-winning business section of the Houston Chronicle.
Tell us about your newest book.
When the U. S. military adopted a new test from France called the “intelligence quotient test” during World War 1, no one expected the turmoil it would cause. Thousands of immigrants failed the test and were forced to return to their war-ravaged homelands. Unfit to Serve is the fictionalized account of one schoolmarm’s quest to right this wrong by creating a better test. In the end, the U.S. military did adopt a second version of the IQ test, but only after it destroyed thousands of lives.
What inspired you to write Unfit to Serve?
I came across a story of how the IQ test really came to America, and I kept wondering why it took the government an entire year to come up with a better test for recruits who didn’t speak English. I couldn’t stop thinking about the men (and the families) it affected.
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
When a shy schoolmarm moves to an Army outpost with her husband during World War 1, she’s appalled at the bigotry leveled at foreign recruits. The Army requires all recruits to pass an IQ test; even those who can’t read the questions on the page. The school teacher secretly works to make a better test that levels the playing field.
What genre do you focus on?
I used to write a cozy mystery series, but I didn’t like the tight deadlines imposed by that genre. I need at least a year to come up with a good manuscript, and standalone novels give me that extra time. Plus, I really enjoy history, and now I get to do research to my heart’s content.
Why do you write?
I think God created me with an empathetic personality, and I’ve always been curious about the lives of others. My husband calls it “an innate curiosity.” God also instilled in me the need and the ability to capture what I see and translate it into words.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Josephine Pembroke is the schoolmarm who winds up at a dusty military outpost in San Antonio. I thought the name captures the period (early 1900s) and her upper-class upbringing very well. Of course, her friends call her Jo, and I like that too.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
I think the hardest part about being an author is the uncertainty. I constantly ask myself whether I’ve written something compelling enough for my readers. So much is outside an author’s control (for example, I don’t get a say on the cover art or publication timeline) and that not knowing can be stressful.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
The best part for me is interacting with readers. I love to talk about books, both my own and others, with people who love good stories. Their enthusiasm for my characters warms my heart and compels me to keep writing.
What’s one unusual fact about you?
I grew up in a Dutch household, and our Christmas featured Sinterklaas instead of Santa Claus.
What is your favorite pastime?
When I’m not writing, I like to hike with my husband and rescue dog through the hills behind our home in Colorado Springs.
What are you working on now?
My next book will feature a real-life artist who helped wounded soldiers during World War 1. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll leave it at that.
Website: www.sandrabretting.com
Link to book:
Social media links:
Twitter: @sandrabretting1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandraBrettingBooks/
Tibbetts Point Lighthouse
Tibbetts Point Lighthouse is an iconic lighthouse where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands Region. Here’s a little more about it—from Libby’s point of view:
Libby cleared her throat, and a tiny chuckle gurgled in her voice. “Tibbetts Point Lighthouse is situated on three acres near the place that Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence River. In 1827, Captain John Tibbetts gave the land to build the first lighthouse that used whale oil and was much smaller than the one we now have. Around twenty years later, the St. Lawrence River locks were built and international trade increased, so the lighthouse became even more important to shipping. Our current brick lighthouse was built several years later and is fifty-nine feet tall. It is tapered from twelve feet at its base to eleven feet at the octagonal lantern room. The parapet and wooden deck surrounding the light are covered with copper, and the walls
inside are lined with wood, so the metal stairs aren’t as noisy as they are in the unlined towers.”
Owen sighed. “Aye, lass. I can picture it all in my mind, and it helps ease my pain. Thank you. I’d be much obliged if you’d tell me more.”
Who was this lovely lass, her voice sweet as sugar and melodic as a nightingale? Her words as that of a poet. “When you’re well, you’ll have to climb to the top and see the fourth-order Fresnel lens that came from France. It’s a beauty to behold. The lantern is huge—a six-feet-wide octagon. It’s fifteen feet high with seven lights of thick plate glass as clear as crystal. The eighth side has an iron door to service it.”
“She must be a wonder. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one up close, but I could be wrong.”
Would his memory return once the pain subsided? What if it didn’t? His heart skipped several beats at the thought, but the lovely lass returned to painting a wonderful picture of their
surroundings and filling his mind with better thoughts.
“The light has sixty-one candle power and flashes every ten seconds and then is off for four seconds. It illuminates two hundred-and-seventy degrees of the watery horizon and keeps
ships, schooners, and all sorts of boats safe. And with the lamp so strong, it can get very hot up there, especially in the summer. Do you remember seeing it?”
He licked his lips again. “Nae, I cannot recall. But I have to say that you’re the cleverest lass I’ve ever met, and you paint a poet’s picture. The details make me head spin.”
About Libby’s Lighthouse:
When a lighthouse keeper’s daughter finds a mysterious sailor with amnesia, the secrets she uncovers may change her life forever.
Elizabeth Montonna, daughter of the Tibbett’s Point Lighthouse keeper, thought she’d love the lighthouse life forever—until her mother, on her deathbed, reveals a long-buried secret. Now Elizabeth’s world has been turned upside down, making her question if she’ll ever truly belong and be loved. But when a dashing young sailor appears on her shore, wounded and disoriented, she finds purpose in helping him recover. Although the man knows nothing about his past or identity, his kindness and character steal a little more of her heart each day. If only she knew his full name.
When Owen awakes on the shore of Lake Ontario with no knowledge of who he is, or where he was headed when his ship wrecked, he has no choice but to accept the hospitality of the lighthouse keeper and his lovely daughter. But as Owen works to repay their kindness, and his relationship with Libby turns into something more, he knows their budding romance can go no further until he uncovers his past.
With each passing day, Owen inches closer to discovering the secrets of his identity, but will the revelations bring him closer to Libby or tear them apart forever?