Meet Brandy Vallance
Brandy Vallance fell in love with the Victorian time period at a young age, loving the customs, manners, and especially the intricate rules of love. Since time travel is theoretically impossible, she lives in the nineteenth century vicariously through her novels. Brandy is the 2013 Operation First Novel winner and the 2012 winner of the ACFW Genesis Contest for historical romance.
What genre do you focus on and why?
I focus on historical romance because I’m the most passionate about story in a historical context. All my life I’ve been captivated by history and historical places. I often feel most at home in a historical setting or a museum. To me it’s like taking a deep, contented breath. My imagination goes wild. I also love writing historical romance because I love researching. I love stumbling across details that make everything come together. I suppose at the heart of it I just love to learn. Also, there’s just a lot to love about horse-drawn carriages and the beautiful clothing of the time.
Why do you write? What drives you?
I. M. Forster said, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” Writing is like that for me. I start with a premise of some sort but then I put my characters into situations that are sometimes a mirror for my own life—past, present, or future. Sometimes this is only an echo or a theme but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that often I’m testing the waters. Like everyone, I have a lot of deep, unanswered questions. Sometimes this has to do with world events or something I’ve read about another person. There are so many deep hurts out there. Many believe those things were caused by God or that He doesn’t care. Maybe I’m in the business of reconciliation. I like to pull back the curtain and try to imagine what God’s purposes are or how He makes everything work together for good.
Also, writing gives me strength. My two published books were both written during difficult times in my life. Somehow, going through the transformation of my characters gave me courage for my own life. I’ve been changed by both of my books for the better. So, I guess I write for personal transformation and then I hope that it can do the same for others.
What does a day in your writing world look like?
It depends upon what season I’m in. During a book release I’m busy with all the marketing things and focusing on social media, interviews, and finding and making promotional graphics or videos. When I’m writing, the first thing I do is make a cup of tea. Then, I sit down and I either turn on Spotify, Pandora Radio, or Rainymood.com. I have different Spotify playlists and they help me get into the character’s head or the scene. I put on headphones and try to let the real world disappear. In Stephen King’s book On Writing, he talks about this as self-trancing. Some writers might refer to this as the zone. After a few minutes I’m typically not even paying attention to the music and I’m able to write. It’s a way that I’ve trained my brain that it’s time to work.
I typically write during school hours. Sometimes my favorite place to work is a coffee shop. When I’m working from home it’s too tempting to focus on all the work that needs to be done.
What is the hardest part of being an author? Why?
Probably the hardest part of being an author is self-doubt. Also, if you’re traditionally published, all the waiting you have to do is hard. Being traditionally published can take years. Sometimes it drives authors crazy.
Validation is also a hard one. We work so hard and so long on our books, pouring our souls into them, so naturally we want to see good reviews and good sales. But there is a truth that we all have to come to—maybe we just wrote a particular book for a select few. That certainly doesn’t make it less important. We have to go through the hard process of letting go of the results, casting our bread upon the waters per se.
I also believe that books are seasonal. I know that in my own life some books resonated with me deeply at a certain time but now it wouldn’t be the same. That’s because I’m a different person now. We should always be changing and growing. But sometimes you’ll get a review from a person who isn’t in the season that you wrote the book for. I think recognizing that helps and makes it easier for the author not to take bad reviews so hard.
What’s the best part of your author’s life? Why?
I love connecting with readers and it’s very surreal when they tell you they love your book. I’ve received some messages that are pretty astounding. Really, I am amazed at God in those moments. I’ve met a couple readers who’ve had tears in their eyes while talking about my books. It’s those kinds of things that help me to keep writing when I’m discouraged.
Also, I get to make my own hours and work in yoga pants. That’s pretty cool.
What is the craziest thing you’ve experienced as an author?
Some of my one star reviews are pretty entertaining. You have to either take those as constructive criticism and better yourself, or just laugh. Otherwise, it’ll destroy you as an author.
What are you most proud of?
I’m really proud of my second book, Within the Veil. It stretched me to write it and a lot of people wanted me to tone it down but I didn’t.
What is your favorite pastime?
I can’t say that I have a favorite but I love to travel overseas and I love museums. I also love the theater, gardening, watching period dramas, horseback riding and playing with our two Great Danes.
Website: www.brandyvallance.com
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Brandy-Vallance/e/B00K6ZFAAE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
Social media links: Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrandyVallance/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrandyVallance
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiCHMR_3VJGined1wf28gkA
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brandyvallance/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8035640.Brandy_Vallance
Meet Ann Tatlock
Ann Tatlock is managing editor of Heritage Beacon, the historical fiction imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is a novelist and children’s book author, and formerly worked as a writer and editor with Decision magazine. She and her husband have one daughter and live in Raleigh, North Carolina.
What genre do you focus on and why?
I largely write historical novels because I’m captivated by American life in the 20th century—particularly 1900 through 1970. This was a time of great progress in our country and around the world, but also of great turmoil and tragedy. These decades offer many fascinating backdrops for stories—the Spanish flu epidemic, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the Civil Rights era—all of which I’ve used in my stories. My research has led me to many inspiring true stories of faith and courage during these times of trial, and I want to capture that same kind of faith and courage in my own characters.
Tell us about your newest book.
Once Beyond A Time is a historical novel with a twist. That twist places the book in the speculative category as well. I’ve also been known to call the book a non-paranormal paranormal novel. At first glance it looks as though some of the characters are ghosts, but that’s not the case at all. The main characters, the Crane family, move into a house in the mountains of North Carolina in the summer of 1967. They soon discover they’re able to see and speak with residents of the house who lived there in 1916, and who will live there in 2005. The story has to do with time; or rather, God’s timelessness. As the Alpha and the Omega, he stretches from the beginning to the end, unlike humans who occupy only one point in time. I wondered what it would be like if there were a place where all of time is happening at once, and where people could see into time the way God does (though still in a limited way).
Why do you write? What drives you?
The love of story. Stories entertain us, but more than that, they inspire us, touch us, teach us, and help us make sense of a sometimes seemingly senseless world. They also lift us up out of ourselves and allow us to live a thousand lives vicariously, which makes our own life so much richer.
What is the hardest part of being an author? Why?
The hardest part is fighting the temptation to compare myself to other authors. Publishing is an industry of numbers—how many books have you sold? How many awards have you won? I don’t want to feel I have to keep up with or do better than anyone else; I simply want to write for the love of story and with the hope of touching the hearts of my readers.
What’s the best part of your author’s life? Why?
The best part is hearing from my readers and knowing they have been inspired or even changed by one of my stories. I have kept a hard copy of every letter I’ve ever received.
What is the craziest thing you’ve experienced as an author?
Some years ago, a couple of women traveled from Michigan to North Carolina to meet me because they had read and enjoyed my books. I felt honored that they would travel that far to visit with me. When I told my middle-school-aged daughter they were coming, she laughed heartily and said, “They’re coming all that way to meet you?” I had to laugh with her. My daughter saw me for what I was—a simple mom from the ’burbs who happens also to write novels. She tells me I’m the best mom ever, and what she thinks of me as a mother matters more to me than what others think of me as a writer.
What are you most proud of?
Adopting my daughter from China as an infant and watching her grow up to be a beautiful and compassionate young lady. She truly is my pride and joy.
What is your favorite pastime?
Reading! I don’t go anywhere without a book. My second favorite pastime is hunting for treasures in our local second-hand bookstores so I always have ample provisions for my first favorite pastime.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Yes, I have ten other novels, including I’ll Watch the Moon and Promises to Keep. All my books are listed on my website and on Amazon.
What are you working on now?
The story I’m working on is another historical-speculative novel. The main character is a young girl whose family belongs to a troupe of Vaudevillians in 1918. Annalise Rycroft is a talented singer who dreams of becoming a star and is driven to succeed–until she has an unexpected face-to-face encounter with three of her favorite fictional characters. Each character has something to tell her, and together they change the direction of her life.
Website: anntatlock.com
Link to book: http://tinyurl.com/ycov3ohw
Social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ann.tatlock.1
Twitter: @AnnTatlock
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-tatlock-a319995/
Meet Anne Greene
My name is Anne Greene and my home is in McKinney, Texas, just a few miles north of Dallas. My husband is a retired Colonel, Army Special Forces. My little brown and white Shih Tzu, Lily Valentine, shares my writing space, curled at my feet. I have four beautiful, talented children. Besides my first love, writing, I enjoy travel, art, reading, sailing, and way too many other things to mention. Life is good. Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.” Whether writing contemporary or historical, my books celebrate the abundant life Jesus gives.
Tell us about your newest book.
My latest book, Avoiding The Mistletoe, is set in 1865. Desperate Widow Olivia Rose Baker abandons her dying hometown in Massachusetts to become a mail-order bride in male-dominated Seattle, Washington. Her abusive husband died in the Civil War and left Olivia wary of marriage, so she hopes to take a teaching position rather than become a bride. But the man who purchased her ticket to Seattle insists she fulfill her contract and marry.
Stark Macaulay, former Confederate soldier and now Sheriff of Seattle, is smitten with Olivia. Stark, unlike all the rich men in Seattle, has nothing to offer Olivia but his love. But Olivia hates everything to do with the Confederacy. Both struggle with demons from the past. Will these strong-willed people gain a second chance at love?
What genre do you focus on and why?
I normally prefer to write historical romance because I love to share little known events from the past and unveil them in an intriguing way through fiction. Avoiding The Mistletoe relates the true story of The Mercer Girls, mail-order brides who left their dying hometown (due to the aftermath of the Civil War) to find happy marriages in the untouched-by-war northeast and become pillars of Seattle, Washington society.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Olivia Rose Baker is the main character. I chose the name because it was popular in the 1860s. She could easily have been one of the one hundred and fifty Mercer Girls who sailed from Massachusetts to the State of Washington.
What does a day in your writing world look like?
A day in my writing world starts with breakfast, a quiet time with the Lord, a two-mile walk or a visit to my health club for cardio and strength training, then running what errands need to be taken care of. I usually head for my office directly after lunch and work on either a story or some publicity until five or six o’clock. If I’m on a deadline, I work until nine or ten o’clock at night. But if I have a family or friend event, that takes precedence. Jesus first, family and friends next, then finally work is my schedule.
What is the hardest part of being an author? Why?
The hardest part of being an author for me is to take time from writing my stories to publicize them. I find it difficult to ring my own bell, to tell everyone how great my stories are. I would prefer to leave that up to my publishers, but that doesn’t happen anymore. I never have a problem writing. I’ve never hit so-called “writer’s block.”
What’s the best part of your author’s life? Why?
The best part of my writing life is the process of writing. I love to write. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, so writing for me is like sitting down to watch a movie. Only the movie runs inside my brain. I know my characters and some of my obstacles, and I let my characters loose to see how they will handle their situations. I never know how the story will end—until the characters reach the end. It’s quite exciting.
What is the craziest thing you’ve experienced as an author?
Probably the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced as an author was the Sunday morning at church when I met my husband-to-be. In the single’s class I was surrounded by men, but one man grew up in the vicinity of and knew the story of my first book, The Trail of Tears. He impressed me as one of the few people in the United States who knew what happened on that infamous trail, and I guess I impressed him.
What is your favorite pastime?
These days my favorite pastime is ballroom dancing. Since Dancing With The Stars is such a hit, ballroom dancing has made a come-back. We go on Tuesday nights to the recreation center where they have a large ballroom and a live band. One week we dance Country Western (which is always popular here in Texas), and the alternate week we dance ballroom. My dear husband performs a wicked Tango.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
To date I have fourteen published books on Amazon. The first of the year my publisher will release three more, and I’m contracted to write six more in 2018. You can find all my books on https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Greene/e/B004ECUWMG. I write historical, historical romance, and contemporary mystery.
What are you working on now?
I’m finishing a contemporary mystery/romance, Mystery At Dead Broke Ranch, set here in my own town, McKinney, Texas. The book will release in January.
You can find all my books listed on my website and other social media:
https://www.amazon.com/Anne-reene/e/B004ECUWMG/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk
http://www.facebook.com/AnneWGreeneAuthor
http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com
https://twitter.com/TheAnneGreene
Meet Kate Breslin
Kate Breslin enjoys life in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. A writer of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate received the 2015 Christian Retailing Award for First Time Author, and her debut novel, For Such A Time, won the 2015 Carol award. Kate’s third novel, High As The Heavens released in June 2017. When she’s not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading, enjoying Washington’s beautiful woodlands, and traveling to new places.
Tell us about your newest book.
High As The Heavens is my second novel set during the Great War and takes place in 1917 German-occupied Brussels. My heroine, British nurse Evelyn Marche, works at a Red Cross hospital by day, waitresses at her family’s café by night, and carries out secret missions for a Belgian resistance group while living among the enemy. In constant danger of being betrayed, Eve is as clever as she is daring and thwarts the Germans while working to save her mother’s Belgian people. She is also a woman haunted by the past. A war widow grieving the loss of her husband, and her missing brother and sister who were taken at the onset of the invasion, she lives with her nightmares and carries a dark secret, an awful burden for which she struggles to find absolution.
When a plane crashes one night as she’s en route to a rendezvous, Eve is the first to arrive on the scene and is shocked to recognize the badly injured pilot as British RFC Captain Simon Forrester. While she risks her life to conceal him from the Germans and tries to get him out of Belgium, she unwittingly begins her journey toward redemption, and the discovery of God’s unfailing love and mercy through those she cares about most.
What genre do you focus on and why?
I write historical fiction because I love history and the research involved, and I write stories about war, both the Great War and WWII because I am inspired when I read about ordinary people who rise above themselves to do the extraordinary; even sacrificing their lives for others.
Why do you write? What drives you?
I simply cannot not write. I’ve been working at novel writing for twenty-five years and it’s been a love story with words. I think I have always written, be it a diary, poetry, song lyrics, and of course stories. I may not churn out a book each year, but I work at my craft constantly.
What does a day in your writing world look like?
I have a spiral staircase leading up to a library loft that also serves as my office. My writing sanctuary overlooks our small bay and has two large windows that afford me plenty of light. I have ancient Celtic weapons and old maps of England hanging on my walls and a floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with books that take up the entire end of the loft. I enjoy instrumental music playing softly in the background while I write, usually in the mornings 5-6 days a week. My cat sleeps in the chair beside my desk. It just doesn’t get any better than that.
What is the hardest part of being an author? Why?
I think trying to juggle writing deadlines, marketing, social media, and staying connected to my family and community are the most challenging. There is a lot more involved to being a published author than I’d ever imagined. Learning time management and being more organized are constants with me, and I hope one day to achieve those goals.
What’s the best part of your author’s life? Why?
I love hearing from readers. Knowing that my stories have made a difference in someone’s life, whether it’s simple enjoyment, helping them through a difficult time, or offering the strength of God’s message makes all of the time and hard work worthwhile.
What is your favorite pastime?
Spending time with my grandson is way at the top! I do love working in my garden though, and I make my own herbal vinegars and oils, usually for friends around the holidays. The recipes are easy and fun and they taste pretty good, too!
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
I have two other published novels with Bethany House, For Such A Time, a retelling of the Book of Esther set during WWII, and Not By Sight, my first Great War novel set in Britain.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on my fourth novel for Bethany House, another story set in Europe during the Great War. It’s spring of 1918 and my handsome lieutenant and his unconventional sidekick are on the hunt in France for something precious. Spies lurk around every corner however, and they soon find themselves caught in a web of intrigue. Can love and a leap of faith set them free to finish their quest? This new adventure, scheduled for release in spring of 2019, involves a character from Not By Sight, so readers may want to read that book first. I don’t want to spoil anything!
Website: www.katebreslin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateBreslinAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kate_Breslin
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/katelbreslin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkatebreslin/?hl=en
Purchase links: http://katebreslin.com/books-2-2/
Meet Kathi Macias
Kathi Macias is an award-winning author of more than 50 books, including Golden Scrolls 2011 Novel of the Year, Red Ink. A wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, as well as a popular Bible teacher and conference speaker, Kathi lives in Southern California with her husband, Al.
Tell us about your newest book.
To the Moon and Back is a journey through the heartache of Alzheimer’s, told primarily from the viewpoint of a woman in the early- to mid-stages of the disease. It is also a story of her husband’s and grown daughter’s part in the journey.
What genre do you focus on and why?
It is a contemporary novel. I wanted to tell it through the medium of fiction, as it can then become “everyone’s story.” And, of course, it is contemporary because Alzheimer’s has only recently become widely recognized and discussed. Contemporary fiction, usually centered around a current “hot-button”/social issue topic, is my primary writing genre because they are topics I care about deeply.
Why do you write? What drives you?
I have loved to read/write since I was a child and have never wanted to be anything but a writer. Marrying my love of writing to my passion for social issues gives me every incentive I need to continue producing this sort of book.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Rachel is my main character. It is a name I have always loved, and it seemed to fit my main character.
What does a day in your writing world look like?
No two are ever the same. With a retired husband, I need to stay flexible. For that reason, I now write only part-time (as opposed to the full-time I used to write before he retired). Because I am also active in my church, I try to limit my writing hours to about 20 a week, spaced out as best that particular week dictates/allows.
What is the hardest part of being an author? Why?
There’s an old saying, that “Writing is simple; you just sit down at your computer and open a vein.” There’s a lot of truth in that. Writing is a difficult and lonely profession, and the biggest challenge is to make yourself sit down and do it.
What’s the best part of your author’s life? Why?
The best part for me is being able to do what I love (writing) and, in the process, hopefully change lives for the better.
What is the craziest thing you’ve experienced as an author?
Writing two books with Rosey Grier as my co-author was both challenging and fun. At times he would introduce me as his “body guard” (if you can imagine the disparity in our sizes, you’ve got to know how hilarious that is), and some people actually believed it.
What are you most proud of?
I was at a book signing for my newest release, No Greater Love (set in South Africa in 1989), when a young man (high school age) came in and told me his mom had urged him to read that particular book. He did, and he said he wanted to tell me how much the book had impacted him. “It made me want to lead a more noble life,” he said. I will forever carry those words in my heart.
What is your favorite pastime?
Reading or traveling with my husband. And, of course, spending time with our grown children, our grandchildren, and even our great-grandchildren.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
I have more than 50 other books, many of which are featured on my website (www.kathimacias.com). Most are fiction, but there are a few nonfiction as well.
What are you working on now?
I’m in the early stages of deciding between writing a nonfiction Bible-study-type book or a humorous novel about life in a retirement community (loosely based on where my husband and I now live).
Website: www.kathimacias.com
Social media links: Facebook: Kathi Macias and Kathi Macias Author; Twitter: @alandkathi
Meet Melanie Dobson
Writing fiction is Melanie Dobson’s excuse to explore abandoned houses, travel to unique places, and spend hours reading old books and journals. She enjoys weaving together time-slip stories, and her novels have won awards for historical romance, romantic suspense, and historical fiction. Melanie and her family live in the Pacific Northwest.
Tell us about Catching the Wind.
Several years ago, as I sat down to brainstorm a new novel, I looked out the window in my favorite coffee shop at a marvelous old tree with its sturdy branches and dangling leaves that ballooned like a giant umbrella over the people drinking coffee and tea below. In my mind’s eye, I saw two German children—the best of friends—playing high among those branches. In a tree house. They were in danger though at the time I didn’t know what threatened them. I just knew the boy and girl had to run. And the girl would be lost along the way.
As I sipped on my tea, the story of Dietmar and Brigitte began unfolding, coming alive on my computer screen. The rest of Catching the Wind is about what happened to these friends after they ran away, and Dietmar’s seventy-year search to find his friend.
What genre do you focus on and why?
I’ve written romantic suspense, historical romance, general historical, mystery, and contemporary fiction. I’ve enjoyed all of these genres and am, in a sense, combining them now as I weave together historical and contemporary plots in my time-slip novels.
Why do you write? What drives you?
I’ve enjoyed dreaming up story ideas and keeping a journal since I was a child. When I was nine, I typed out my “autobiography” (it was only a few paragraphs) and eventually went to college for journalism. After a few years working in public relations and writing newspaper articles, I felt as if God was prompting me to pursue my dream of writing fiction. It took seven years—and multiple manuscripts—before my first novel was published. Each time I think about returning to public relations now, another idea sparks in my heart and mind and I begin writing another story….
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
The main character in my contemporary plot is Quenby Vaughn. I have a friend whose sister-in-law is named Quenby, and the first time I heard her name, I knew I wanted to use it for a character. In the past story, my male protagonist’s name changes from Dietmar Roth to Daniel Knight. This was very intentional, but I’d give away the storyline if I told you why.
What does a day in your writing world look like?
It depends on where I am in the process, but usually I’m at the coffee shop writing chapters, creating new characters, and editing my draft. I start my morning by editing my previous day’s work and then add about 2,000 more words to the manuscript. My favorite days are the ones when I’m immersed in mounds of research books or exploring a new setting as I dream about my next story.
What is the hardest part of being an author? Why?
Receiving harsh reviews is no fun, especially after I’ve poured myself into researching and writing a novel. And some days, editing is really hard for me. I can be rather averse to change.
What’s the best part of your author’s life? Why?
I enjoy creating stories and learning new things. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to do both of these things as a writer.
What are you most proud of?
My daughters, Karlyn and Kiki. As of this summer, they are both teenagers, and it’s such a treat to watch them grow in their faith and confidence and love of story.
What is your favorite pastime?
My imagination is fueled by exploring ghost towns, abandoned houses, old chapels, and forgotten cemetery. My family thinks I’m weird, but the wondering about those who once lived and/or were buried in these places inspires me.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Thanks for asking! I’ve written about twenty novels now—some of my most recent ones are Chateau of Secrets, Enchanted Isle, and Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor. Readers can find a complete list of my books here: http://melaniedobson.com/books/
What are you working on now?
I’m writing a time-slip novel about treasure that was hidden in Austria’s lake country during World War II. In the contemporary story, my protagonist discovers a list in an old book that connects her with an Austrian woman who lived during the war, and she determines to find out what happened long ago.
Website: www.melaniedobson.com
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Catching-Wind-Melanie-Dobson/dp/1496417283/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Social media links: www.facebook.com/MelanieDobsonFiction and @MelBDobson