Talkshow Thursday:
Welcome Back, Donna Wichelman!
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When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I’ve loved telling stories since my early days in elementary school, when I wrote for the school newspaper. But it wasn’t until high school, when I had the opportunity to attend an international high school and study authors like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, that I knew I wanted to write stories that touched the human spirit. I also traveled in Europe during that time and became fascinated by history and culture, which led me eventually to write primarily historical romance.
How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
I have four novels available on Amazon. Two of them are contemporary romantic suspense in my Waldensian Series. The other two are Gilded Age Historical Romances in the Singing Silver Mine Series, A Song of Deliverance, and Rhythms of the Heart. They all have a special place in my heart. But I love the characters in A Song of Deliverance, particularly Ceceilia Richards, a formerly enslaved woman whose wisdom and sense of humor bring joy to everyone in Georgetown. She also plays a strong role in Rhythms of the Heart.
How did publishing your first book change your writing?
When I published Light Out of Darkness, I was surprised people wanted to buy my book and continue to do so. But knowing this inspired me to hone my skills to become a better writer.
How has your book changed since your first draft?
Rhythms of the Heart started as a novella, To Mend a Broken Heart, which I wrote as a free reader magnet. I gave the novella away for less than a month before one of my mentors suggested it had all the right elements of a full-length novel. Amanda Cabot’s advice paved the way for the book to become a reality, and I changed the name to Rhythms of the Heart.
What sort of research did you do for Rhythms of the Heart, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?
In the story, Cassie’s love interest, Dr. Daniel Criley, leaves Philadelphia because his dead fiancée’s
But in the mid-nineteenth century, British doctor Lord Joseph Lister conducted experiments based on Louis Pasteur’s advancements in germ theory. Lister discovered that a compound of carbolic acid used to sterilize surgical instruments and rubbed into patients’ wounds before surgery could significantly reduce his patients’ mortality rates. Though Lister’s antiseptic methods worked, it wasn’t until the 1920s that doctors universally accepted and applied antiseptics before surgical procedures.
If you were to write a spin-off book about one of your secondary characters, which one would you choose and why?
Rhythms of the Heart is a spin-off from Book One, A Song of Deliverance, in the Singing Silver Mine Series. In Book One, the protagonist, Anna Sullivan, must make a life for herself in Georgetown after her uncle dies in a mining accident. In one scene, Anna needs a ball gown for the annual Harvest Ball, and her best friend, Laurel Thomas, supplies her daughter’s gown, which she accidentally packed when they moved from Ohio. In Rhythms of the Heart, Cassie joins her parents in Georgetown after her family died in a train disaster in Ohio.
What books are on your nightstand right now?
The four most recent novels in the queue on my Kindle are Robin Lee Hatcher’s To Reveal a Reckless Love, Melanie Dobson’s Winter Rose, Liz Tolsma’s What I Would Tell You, and Kelly Jo Wilson’s Finding Forevermore.
What is your next project?
Fans of the Singing Silver Mine Series will want to know that I have a third novel in the series, titled Waiting in the Silence, planned for the future. This will also be a spin-off from Book One.
About Donna:
Donna is a 2025 Angel Book Award-winning author for her Historical Romance, A Song of Deliverance, Book One in her Singing Silver Mine Series. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two novels in her contemporary romantic suspense Waldensian Series. Donna and her husband of forty-one years live in Colorado and love spending time with their grandchildren. They bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.
About Rhythms of the Heart
Life as Cassie Munro knew it ended the day her husband and children were torn away in a deadly train disaster. Haunted by her ghosts of the past in Ohio, she takes a teaching position in Georgetown, Colorado, where her parents pastor a church. One thing she knows—she will never risk her heart again. Born of privilege and educated at the Philadelphia School of Medicine, Dr. Daniel Criley never expected to lose the woman he loved to sepsis. Disillusioned with a hospital that won’t integrate antiseptic procedures and blamed by the family for her death, Daniel moves to Georgetown, where he can practice medicine his way. But just when all seems idyllic, the demons of his past appear to destroy the life he’s built.
When Cassie and Daniel meet, their attraction is undeniably intense. Will they risk following their hearts and step into a future together? Or will the fear of loss stand in the way of their happiness? Only God knows how to mend their broken hearts.
Social Media:
Website: http://www.donnawichelman.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonnaWichelmanAuthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/donna.wichelman
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/donna_wichelman
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-wichelman
Photo Credits:
Author photo and book image: Courtesy Donna Wichelman
Joseph Lister: By Unknown author - Weltrundschau zu Reclams Universum 1902, Public Domain
Dutch Resistance: - Werkgroep Doc. '39-'45 historische kring Dalfsen, CC0.
