Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Denise M. Colby

 Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Denise M. Colby

I’m pleased to welcome fellow Heroes, Heroines, & History blogger Denise M. Colby to my blog today. Read on to learn more about Denise and her books.

When did you know you wanted to be an author? I never planned on being an author, but after a school field trip to Sacramento with my oldest son, and visiting the one-room schoolhouse there, an idea for a story took root. It wasn’t until the same trip two years later with my second son did I attempt to actually write something. God put the desire on my heart, but it wasn’t anything I myself had thought of doing.

What is your favorite thing about being a writer? I love different aspects. One of the best things is all the writer friends I’ve made throughout this journey. I also love creating a world my characters live in and writing them in that world. I’m just now writing my next book and there is something about creating the first draft and finding all the ways for the story to evolve and fit together. I have to thank God for that, and it’s so amazing when it all comes together.

How did you learn how to write? Funny you should ask. I took a creative writing class in high school and loved it because the grading was on the story aspect not the grammar (which is where I struggle the most). I earned a degree in Communications, work in marketing and write copy for literature, but that is very different from fiction writing. I didn’t know what I was doing at first, but I read a lot and followed what those writers did to start. Then I attended a local writers group, went to local conferences, and joined online classes. I feel as if I earned another degree with everything I’ve done. Slowly my skills grew and I figured out my own voice. I entered contests and received lots of feedback. When I wanted to quit, God would put what I needed in front of me, whether it was a person or a topic I needed more clarity on.

Do you hear from your readers? What do they say? What I do hear from readers is they love the

faith elements written within the story. I’m so grateful for that, as I love to write from my heart and share God’s truth. But I also whole-heartedly believe that is all from the Lord. I have done as He has asked and He does the rest.

Readers also love Bert, the rooster. Bert sort of stole the show in the first book and I try to include him anytime I can.

How many books have you written, and which is your favorite? I’ve written four books and recently a novelette. I love them all for different reasons. In my mind it’s like a tv show where each book is a new episode and the story continues. The characters are all real to me, and so I root for all of them.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? Keeping track of specifics about characters can be challenging. I never realized that I thought of names that started with the same letter, till I had to change some (first and last) so that they didn’t all sound the same. When I picked the five names for the five teachers, same thing. They started with different letters, but they ended the same. When they are all in a scene together it can sound repetitive and I didn’t realize that until after the first book was printed. I had given Olivia the nickname Livvy, but then she’s in scenes with Jenny. But then there’s Lydia in this last book.

Other things too. Such as hair color, eye color, and age. I don’t usually pay attention to my friends eye color. I just know who they are. Sounds funny. I’m laughing right now. But it’s all true.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that strikes you about their work? I read Janette Oke as a girl, and her stories stayed with me. Those along with Little House on the Prairie, influence my writing as I picture my one-room schoolhouse in the same way. My reading time is more limited right now, but some of my favorite authors to read are Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Lacy Williams, Kimberly Keagan, and Susan May Warren. They all write stories that are filled with encouragement and make you laugh and cry. They are heartfelt and there’s growth in the characters. I feel like I grow right along with them.

Can you share a real life event that inspired your writing? In my first book, When Plans Go Awry, I mention the many-years long project of raising up Sacramento. Old-town Sacramento is a great piece of history showing how they built roads on top of itself and raising many of the buildings to keep the area from flooding. I grew up in the area and always thought this piece of history was fascinating. I wanted to include that in my first book.

If your book is part of a series: Did you set out to write a series? Why did you decide to write a series? I love reading series! So I definitely wanted to write a series. I find every time I introduce a new character, I start finding pieces that connect them to the story world and then want to write their story. Which makes it all so much fun. I have different series ideas that will be a loose tie to the one I’ve currently built. Susan May Warren does this really well.

What draws you to the time period about which you write? Ha! I knew I wanted to be around later 1800s, but I had my characters coming from Cincinnati and didn’t want them coming via wagon train, so I timed it to be after the railroad joined. But since then I’ve written a prequel (where the train didn’t exist). I’m writing right now and 8-chapter free story and it’s set before as well and I had to do research on the travel and locations where it switched from train to stagecoaches.

Why do you write in your particular genre? I love history. And I love reading this genre. I do love regency England, but I was afraid to write that. The details you have to know scared me.

About A Whole New Plan:

Sometimes God’s best plan is the one we never expected.

California, 1870. Pastor William Baker has built his life on faith, routine, and safe choices—until Lydia Spencer walks in and turns everything upside down.

Independent, outspoken, and guarded, Lydia is unlike any woman he’s ever known. She has no interest in church… and no intention of revealing the truth she’s hiding.

Because Lydia isn’t just a schoolteacher. She’s a Pinkerton detective, sent west to track a dangerous crime boss—and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, even if it means keeping her distance from the one man who sees straight through her defenses.

But when unexplained thefts shake their quiet small-town rural community, and a desperate boy appears with ties to a deeper mystery, Will and Lydia are forced into an uneasy partnership. As danger closes in, so do their hearts. What begins as a reluctant alliance soon becomes a forced proximity neither of them expected—and neither can ignore. Yet the very things that draw them together may be the ones that tear them apart.

Lydia’s life is built on secrets. Will’s is built on truth. And when her past catches up with her, they’ll have to decide what matters most—holding on to their own plans… or trusting the One who sees the bigger picture.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4vOorTP  

About Denise:
Denise M. Colby is passionate about all types of stories—whether they are from songs, theatre, movies, or novels. She loves history and constantly finds herself contemplating how it was to live in the 1800s. An avid journal writer, Denise usually can be found with a pen and notepad whenever she’s reading God’s word. Each year, Denise chooses a word to focus on. She shares her learnings about that word throughout the year on the two blogs she writes for.

A wife for thirty years and mother to three boys and daughter-in-love, Denise loves to read, watch movies with her family, sing 80s and musical songs, dance, and spend date nights with her husband. Writing Historical Christian Romance novels combines her love of learning about history and reading. Visit Denise’s website to sign up for her newsletter or connect with her on her social media.

LinkTree - https://linktr.ee/denisemcolby
Website - https://denisemcolby.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/denisemcolbywrites
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/denisem.colby/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/denisemcolby
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/denisemcolby
BookBub Author Page - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/denise-m-colby

Photo credits:

Author photo and book image: Courtesy Denise M. Colby

Rooster: Pixabay/JHenning

Old-Town Sacremento: Pixabay