Showing posts with label Christmas stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas stories. Show all posts

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Talkshow Thursday: Meet Kathy McKinsey


Talkshow Thursday: Meet Kathy McKinsey

Linda:  Welcome to my blog. It’s such a pleasure to have you. Congratulations on your upcoming release next week, Millie’s Christmas.  This seems very different from your first book, All My Tears. What was your inspiration for this story?

Kathy: I wanted to establish a project to make me write every day. It was December, so I chose to do a Christmas story. I started without any plan of what the story would be, except that I decided to write it in the POV of a kitten. Then God gifted me with this fun story.

LM: Research is an important part of writing any book. How do you go about doing research for your stories?

Kathy: I am growing in doing research. I use the internet, and I’m getting better at asking other people to give me information about things they are expert at.

LM: What do you do to prepare yourself to write (e.g. listen to music, set up in a certain location)?

Kathy: I’m still trying to get myself to write daily. So, as soon as I’ve finished whatever first things I need to do in the morning, I’m working on just sitting down in my armchair and writing.

LM: What was your favorite book or author when you were growing up?

Kathy: Whoa, that’s a long time ago to remember.:) I had to think about it. I learned to read braille when I was eleven, and then I could read as much as I wanted. Before then, my mom read to me, and she was a busy lady, a farmer, and mother of four. Plus, she had to work with me on my school work. So she couldn’t read just fun books to me a lot.

A fun memory I have is when she read MY FRIEND FLICKA. She would often read things from the book to my dad the next morning, things that had to do with farmers’ lives.

LM: What is something you have always wanted to learn how to do?

Kathy: this is another tough one. God has given me the gift of doing many of the things I wanted to do. Such as writing.

But also, as a blind person, He has given me the opportunity to do things I may have feared I couldn’t do, such as raise children, have a job, cook and bake, make pretty things—by crocheting and knitting and drawing tactile pictures using braille characters.

I have been allowed to do so many of the things I wanted to do.

LM: Here are some quickies:
Favorite Season:
Favorite Movie:
Favorite place to visit:

Kathy: Summer, because I hate to be cold. The Sound of Music. I love to visit my children’s and my mother’s homes.

LM: What is your next project?

Kathy: I am working on another collection of women’s fiction novellas, to be published in 2021.

LM: Where can folks find you on the web?

Kathy: 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathymckinsey


About Millie's Christmas: 

Ruthie says Millie will love Christmas. Ruthie is Millie's best friend, s she's sure Ruthie's right, but why does Millie keep finding Ruthie and her brother Jake crying?

Millie, an orange kitten, shares about her first Christmas. Her best friend Ruthie, six years old, teaches Millie about Christmas-food, decorations, music, presents, and Jesus! Millie's friend Bruce, the family dog, also helps her celebrate Christmas, and sometimes gets her in trouble.

When Ruthie's big brother Jake breaks his ankle, Millie learns about sad things, like divorce, when Jake can't visit his mommy for Christmas. Millie watches Ruthie's family love each other through the sadness and find joy in Christmas.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/327m6pb

Monday, December 18, 2017

Blog Tour: 12 Days at Bleakly Manor

Blog Tour: 12 Days at Bleakly Manor


About the Book

  

Name of book: 12 Days at Bleakly Manor  
Author: Michelle Griep  
Genre: Historical Christmas  
Release Date: September 1, 2017  

England, 1851: When Clara Chapman receives an intriguing invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home, she is hesitant yet feels compelled to attend—for if she remains the duration of the twelve-day celebration, she is promised a sum of five hundred pounds. But is she walking into danger? It appears so, especially when she comes face to face with one of the other guests—her former fiancé, Benjamin Lane. Imprisoned unjustly, Ben wants revenge on whoever stole his honor. When he’s given the chance to gain his freedom, he jumps at it—and is faced with the anger of the woman he stood up at the altar. Brought together under mysterious circumstances, Clara and Ben discover that what they’ve been striving for isn’t what ultimately matters. What matters most is what Christmas is all about . . . love.
 
Click here to purchase your copy.

My Thoughts

Clue meets Survivor in this Victorian-era story in which seven invitees be the last person standing-so to speak-to gain their hearts’ desires (which is different for each character). I loved the descriptive way the author wrote which allowed me to visualize “ancient buildings with rheumy windows” and feel the fog “cold as an embrace from the grim reaper.” Clara and Hunter are well-written complex characters with real life struggles and insecurities. I enjoyed following their journey toward a deeper faith. Despite the large number of characters, each was unique with her or her own voice, and thus I was able to keep track of them. I was surprised at the solution of the mystery, but perhaps I missed some of the clues along the way. I love historical novels that educate me about the era in which they are written, and 12 Days didn’t disappoint. There were a couple of “laugh out loud” moments which lightened the tension. The good news is that this is the first in a series. Dickens fans will especially enjoy the book.

I received a free copy of this book from CelebrateLit Publicity, and a favorable review was not required. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author



Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of both Regency and Colonial historical romances but also leaped the writerly fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. Keep up with her escapades at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.


Guest Post from Michelle Griep

Go Green With Victorian Christmas Décor

Walk in any store and you’ll be bombarded with displays of Christmas lights, gaudy ornaments, and inflatable life-size lawn characters. Commercialization at its worst. 150 years ago, that wasn’t the case. Yearning to decorate in a simpler fashion this year? Here are some ways you can bring a bit of the nineteenth century to your home this Christmas…  

TREE DECORATIONS

Queen Elizabeth’s husband, the German Prince Albert, introduced the concept of a Christmas tree to Windsor castle. And you know, if it’s good enough for royalty its good enough for the common folk, right? So, the tradition spread. Generally trees were brought inside on Christmas Eve and taken down on January 6th. Trees were decorated with homemade ornaments from paper or fruits and nuts, strings of popcorn or cranberries, or hanging cookies such as gingerbread men from the branches. And remember, an authentic Victorian Christmas tree would’ve been small, like small enough to stand on a table.  

GREENERY

Holly. Evergreens. Mistletoe. Most Victorians couldn’t afford store-bought decorations even were there a commercialized industry at the time (which there wasn’t). So the next best thing was to bring in some free/natural ornamentations. Greenery would’ve been perked up with berries, ribbons, dough ornaments or flowers. Pinecones were also scattered throughout the house.  

WREATHS

“Writhen” is the root word where we get the word wreath from. It’s an old English word meaning “to writhe” or “to twist.” While the art of hanging wreaths goes back to Roman times, Victorians continued the tradition.  

CANDLES

Candles were primarily placed in one of two spots during a Victorian Christmas. A single candle in a window was lit to show that the house was willing to provide food and shelter to travelers. Candles were also used on each and every branch of a Christmas tree, which meant a huge danger of fire. Usually a servant would stand nearby with a bucket of water just in case the thing started to burn.  

DRESDENS

Dresdens are ornaments hung from the tree, from a window, or really hanging pretty much anywhere. These were handmade by cutting out shapes (usually animals or trains) and painted with metallic paint so that they looked like metal. And that’s about it. No obnoxious Santas or reindeer inflated on the front lawn. No psycho Christmas lights strobing enough to give every passerby a seizure. Just plain and simple decor that made the home feel cozy. And speaking of cozy, how about grabbing a blanket and a cup of hot tea and settling in for a holiday read that’s sure to put you in the Christmas spirit? My latest release is 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, a Victorian blend of Dickens and Agatha Christie.

Blog Stops

Here are the remaining stops in the Tour:

December 18: Simple Harvest Reads
December 19: AmandaInPA
December 19: Kat's Corner Books
December 19: Mommynificent
December 20: Bookworm Mama
December 20: Vicky Sluiter
December 21: D's Quilts and Books
December 21: To Everything a Season
December 22: Readers Cozy Corner
December 22: Fizzy Pop Collection
December 22 (interview): Reading is my Super Power
December 23: My Writer's Life
December 23: Janice's Book Reviews
December 23: For the Love of Books
December 24: Tell Tale Book Reviews
December 25: Red Headed Book Lady
December 26: Bibliophile Reviews
December 26: Blogging with Carol
December 26: Mary Hake

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away a grand prize of a $25 Barnes & Noble Gift card and a signed copy of 12 Days of Bleakly Manor!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c5b8

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Talkshow Thursday: Say Hello to Jenna Brandt

Talkshow Thursday: Say Hello to Jenna Brandt

I'm sitting down today with author Jenna Brandt who saw a need for readers and did her part to fill it. Draw up a chair and get to know this interesting lady!

Linda:  You are part of an anthology of Christmas stories titled Under the Mistletoe. How did that collection come about?  

Jenna: I’ve noticed in the book industry, anthologies are a great way for readers to get to know new authors as well as for authors to share the work with a wider audience, but it wasn’t being used as often in the Christian writing world. I decided I wanted to create one for the Christmas season: romances themed around Christmas all with HEAs. I asked my good friend and critique partner, Lorana Hoopes, if she would be interested and she came into the project as my co-creator. We then put out a call to any writers who were interested in a couple of Facebook groups we both were in and narrowed it down to 8 authors total-featuring 2 historical novellas and 6 contemporary.

LM: Where did you find your inspiration for your story The Christmas Bride?

Jenna: It centers around a couple that was introduced in my series, Window to the Heart Saga. They are friends of the main characters in the fourth book, The Oregon Pursuit, which takes place in 1870 West Linn, Oregon.

LM: You obviously have a love for history. Your books range from the Victorian to the WWI era with the Old West tossed in for good measure. Which time period is your favorite and why?

Jenna: Oh, my, that’s like asking me to pick a favorite child (I have four of those too). I love each of them for different reasons. I think I love reading the Victorian era, and Regency was my first introduction to historical romances. As a matter of fact, my current work in progress is set back in England during the Victorian era with characters from The Oregon Pursuit and The Christmas Bride. I love mixing sub-genres and having fish out of water scenarios. However, researching WWI was so much fun. Honestly, I don’t think I can pick. I love them all for different reasons.

LM: Lots of research goes into each story to ensure historical accuracy. What is your method for researching a story, and how much time goes into that before you begin to write?

Jenna: I research the era and the location extensively so I have a feel for the time period. For instance, The Christmas Bride and The Oregon Pursuit both take place in West Linn, Oregon at the end of the Oregon Trail. I have lots of tidbits of truth woven throughout the stories to make the book historically accurate. I also research as I go for descriptions and pictures so I can visualize an area where my book takes place.

LM: Have you ever experienced writer’s block, and if so, what did you do to push through it?

Jenna: I think every writer does experience writer’s block. Personally, I might set it aside for a couple of days if I’m not on deadline. If I am, I just force myself to keep writing. I may not like what I’m writing but I can always go back and edit it later. The key is to keep pushing through. Also, starting at the end and working backwards helps if the plot has already been figured out and I know the end.

LM: What is your next project?

Jenna: As I mentioned, I am currently working on the next book in my series called The Viscount’s Wife, featuring characters from my West Linn books which I hope to release in late January. I also have two other projects I’m working on-one coming out in March and June, respectively.


LM: Where can folks find you on the web?

Jenna:
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jennnathewriter/

Go to https://www.wattpad.com/user/JennaBrandtAuthor to get the first two chapters of all my books for free!

Here's the buy link for Under the Mistletoe: www.amazon.com/dp/1979713073

LM: Thanks so much for stopping by!