Today, our Guest Author is Cara Putman, who agreed to chat with us about The Birth of Book Ideas and share with us her creative process for her newest book, just released this month–Shadowed by Grace. When a book is born, there’s a scary moment, hour, or week. As an author, I sit at the computer with the …
Guest Author: Lori Benton and Book Giveaway
The day I’ve been waiting for . . . Lori Benton is our guest! Lori is a debut novelist whose work reads like that of a polished veteran storyteller. Lori writes historical fiction set on the American Frontier. Lori’s storytelling brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history. Lori’s milestone 30th birthday gave her a chilling and …
A Cripple Creek Tribute
Research trips for my historical fiction takes me to museums, libraries, historical societies, archives . . . and old cemeteries. Like the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Established in 1892, the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery is one of Cripple Creek’s oldest sites. Mt. Pisgah remains a natural setting with native plants and wildflowers. Depending upon the time of year, you might find wild …
Castes of Yellow
Where do novelists find a title for a work of fiction? Anywhere, and everywhere. For Maren Jensen’s story, I drew inspiration for my book title from a favorite poem, Castes of Yellow by Viola Jacobson Berg. Mrs. Berg’s two books on poetic forms–Pathways for the Poet and Poet’s Treasury: Second Book of All New Patterns have served as resources I used to teach myself how to …
Toasted Ravioli, Fife & Drum Corps, and Daniel Boone
My March 2012 research trip for The Quilted Heart novellas returned me to a setting I first discovered in 1999–a charming riverside city that stirred my imagination and captured my heart. Toured a historical farm that would inspire the farm setting in Dandelions on the Wind. Savored toasted ravioli (twice) at Little Hills Restaurant and Winery. Explored the city and the surrounding areas with …
Research Trip for The Quilted Heart: 1st Stop, Gateway Arch
In March 2012, after thirteen years, I returned to St. Louis and St. Charles, Missouri. This time, as a historical novelist writing for WaterBrook Multnomah, to do research for my new series, The Quilted Heart. The post Civil War mid-1860s provides the historical backdrop for my three Quilted Heart eBook novellas. First stop: The Gateway Arch and the Museum of Westward Expansion in St. Louis. Everything …
Research, Cookbooks, and Christmas Plum Pudding
Research can be many things: Fascinating, engaging, time-consuming, surprising, delightful. Even yummy. If you’ve been reading The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek novels, you know Miss Hattie attends First Congregational Church in Cripple Creek, Colorado. In Two Brides Too Many, the Sinclair sisters began attending the church. By the end of Too Rich for a Bride, Ida’s husband Tucker Raines …
The Intersection of Reality and Character Experience
Many of my closest friends are liars. Those friends may prefer the title storyteller extraordinaire. Tale-weavers. And whether the literary yarn they spin is set in an actual place or based upon real life events and historical characters, like me, they are authors of fiction. As novelists, we have chosen to write fiction, not fact. But even so, is the …
Guest: Mark D. Ford, Artist for Two Brides Too Many Book Cover
How much does a book cover factor into your reading choice? It’s the first draw, right? (Forgive the artsy pun.) Today’s guest isn’t an author. But as the Senior Art Director at WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, Mark D. Ford is a key member of my publishing team. MONA: Mark, thanks so much for joining us on Hindsight today. We’d like to …