Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back, Susan Mathis!

Talkshow Thursday: 

Welcome Back, Susan Mathis!

I'm thrilled to welcome Susan back to my blog. We've become cyber friends and one of these days we'll actually manage to get together. Turns out she now lives in my old "stomping grounds." I'm a huge fan of her books, and once you've read one, you will be too! Read on to learn more about this lovely author and her books.

The third novel of your new three-book series called Love in a Lighthouse is out. Tell us about that, please.

Join the Row-family women, Libby, Julia, and Emma, as they navigate the isolation, danger, and hope for lasting love at three different Thousand Island lighthouses in the St. Lawrence River. [Note: These can be read in any order.]

Emma’s Engagement (book three)

Emma Row embarks on a journey that will test her resilience and love. She marries Michael Diepolder,

the Rock Island Lightkeeper and widower, a man who seeks a companion for both himself and his eleven-year-old daughter, Ada. But as she steps into the role of lightkeeper’s wife with a heart full of hope, little does she know that the idyllic setting conceals challenges that will shake the foundation of her happiness. Isolation creeps in, compounded by Ada’s determination to keep her father all to herself. As a storm looms, Emma must grapple with the difficulties of being a stepmother and lightkeeper’s wife. Will she find her place, or will the tumultuous waves of doubt and isolation tear them apart?

For Michael, Emma is not just a wife but the hope for his future. But the lighthouse life and being a stepmother proves harder for Emma than he ever imagined, and Ada’s animosity only intensifies it. When the lighthouse inspector questions Emma’s place due to her Canadian heritage and Ada become deathly ill, the very foundation of their family is shaken. Can their family find solace and unity on this tiny island? Amid the swirling tempest of challenges, Emma, Michael, and Ada must discover the strength within themselves and each other to weather the storm. Emma’s Engagement is a poignant tale of love, resilience, and the enduring bonds that can form in the most unexpected places. This fictional story is based on the actual lives of Michael and Emma Diepolder.

Julia’s Joy (book two)

When Julia Collins reluctantly sets foot on Sister Island, compelled by her grandmother’s will, she is
intent on claiming her inheritance and moving on. But when she experiences the peaceful, faith-filled island life and connects with the handsome lightkeeper, William, Julia finds herself confronting her open wounds from her parents’ deaths.

William Dodge, lightkeeper of Sister Island, harbors a heart hardened by a past betrayal. Between that and his chronic pleurisy, he wants nothing to do with love. But when Julia arrives on the island bursting with vitality and unconventional notions, William’s world is turned upside down. As she chips away at the walls William has built for himself, he finds his reluctance waning. But just as love begins to blossom between them, Julia is faced with a tempting proposal from a prominent Brockville family. Will she succumb to societal expectations or choose the richness of her island life and the love of the steadfast lightkeeper?

Libby’s Lighthouse (book one)

Elizabeth Montonna, daughter of the Tibbett’s Point Lighthouse keeper, thought she’d love the lighthouse life forever—until her mother, on her deathbed, reveals a long-buried secret. Now Elizabeth’s world has been turned upside down, making her question if she’ll ever truly belong and be loved. But when a dashing young sailor appears on her shore, wounded and disoriented, she finds purpose in helping him recover. Although the man knows nothing about his past or identity, his kindness and character steal a little more of her heart each day. If only she knew his full name.

When Owen awakes on the shore of Lake Ontario with no knowledge of who he is, or where he was headed when his ship wrecked, he has no choice but to accept the hospitality of the lighthouse keeper and his lovely daughter. But as Owen works to repay their kindness, and his relationship with Libby turns into something more, he knows their budding romance can go no further until he uncovers his past. With each passing day, Owen inches closer to discovering the secrets of his identity, but will the revelations bring him closer to Libby or tear them apart forever?

What inspired you to write Emma’s Engagement?

I have visited Rock Island Lighthouse a number of times, and it’s a beautiful lighthouse. It’s along the main shipping channel and it’s a New York State Park accessible by boat, so it’s a great place to visit. When I was asked to write a lighthouse series, I just had to write about it!

What genre do you focus on?

Pixabay/Marta Jozsa

I’m hooked on the wonderful world of historical fiction, and especially the Thousand Islands Gilded Age history. But technically, the sub-genre I write in is called “faction”—factual fiction. The setting and owners of that castle, mansion, or resort are all real characters and stories, and then I overlay fictional servants who tell the story. It’s rather complicated, but oh so much fun. This gives me so much “scope for the imagination” as Anne Shirley would say. I am also blessed to have accomplished other diverse published works, but it’s tough to promote books to three different audiences—the nonfiction premarital audience, the picture book audience, and now the historical fiction reader audience. So, what have I learned? I love historical faction/fiction and am going to stick with that! I write historical fiction with a huge dose of romance. I focus is character growth. But I’m sucker for romance and happy endings, so if a relationship is part of my main character’s storyline, all the better!

How do your faith and spiritual walk play out in your novels?

Every book I write is a journey of healing and hope, and this one was no different. My faith walk is reflected in each of my stories to one degree or another.

Is writing your full-time career?

Yes. My first novel came out in 2017. Emma’s Engagement is my fourteenth Thousand Islands Gilded Age story, and I’m working on a new novel. Yeah, I’m a crazy, writing machine. Smiles.

About Susan:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has thirteen in her Thousand Islands fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House, Libby’s Lighthouse, and Julia’s Joy, and Emma’s Engagement. Find out more at www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction.

Purchase links:
Susan’s website: https://www.susangmathis.com/fiction-books

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4ivQAZK

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/julias-joy-susan-g-mathis/1145647009?ean=9781963212037

Wild Heart Books: https://www.wildheartbooks.org/julias-joy.html

Connect with Susan:

Website: https://www.susangmathis.com/

Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JP31DI

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554781378030

Twitter: http://www.x.com/susangmathis

Blog: https://www.susangmathis.com/susans-blog/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susangmathis/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6044608.Susan_G_Mathis

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/susan-g-mathis

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/susangmathisaut/

Wartime Wednesday: Storing Britain's Treasures

Wartime Wednesday: 

Storing Britain’s Treasures

As the possibility of war with Germany grew closer, the curators and directors of Britain’s art institutions devised plans for the safe keeping of the country’s treasures. Initially, the National Gallery and the British Museum shuttled many of their items to various locations in Wales including the University of North Wales at Bangor, Caernarvon Castle, Penrhyn Castle, and the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The Tate Gallery moved their items to underground tube stations and private homes such as Eastington Hall, Hellens at Much Marcle in Herefordshire, and Muncaster Castle in Ravenglass.

An idea that surfaced about where to store the treasures was to ship collections to Canada. However, when Prime Minister Winston Churchill was asked for permission, he stated, “hide them in caves and cellars, but not one picture shall leave this island.” Considering the number of ships sunk by U-boats over the course of the war, his decision was probably wise.

After it was determined that Britain’s art would remain in Britain more suitable, long-term, and secure

locations needed to be found. Antiquities experts are well aware that paintings require stable humidity and temperature. An abandoned slate mine near Blaenau Ffestiniog at Manod Mawr, a mountain in north Wales was perfect. Not only was the location difficult to find, but the mines were also covered by hundreds of feet of slate and granite, making them nearly impossible to destroy with bombs.

Manod’s entrance was enlarged with explosives, then “bungalows” with special heating systems were constructed inside the caverns to protect the paintings from changes in temperature and humidity. Check out this video of items being transported: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQdRX9Xhm0.

By 1942, the National Gallery instituted “picture of the month.” Fewer bombing raids were hitting London, so the directors felt it was safe to bring one painting from Manod each month and put it on display during the day. At night, the piece would be removed to the underground strong room.

A week after Germany’s surrender, the National Gallery returned a portion of the collection to London and held an exhibition in the undamaged rooms in the east wing (the building having been hit by bombs nine times between October 1940 and April 1941).

Photo Credits:

National Gallery: Pixabay/khjgd2

Elgin Marbles: Pixabay/awsloley

Manod Mine: Fred Ramage/Keystone Features

_________________

A Lesson in Love (The Strength of His Heart Limited Edition Anthology)

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/4f9iLKO

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Shannon Skaer

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Shannon Skaer

I'm pleased to welcome Shannon Skaer to my blog for the first time. Grap a cup of your favorite beverage and listen in.

What draws you to the time period about which you write?

What’s not to love? Scattered tribes struggle for survival on a planet caught in the grip of the Ice Age, after a global apocalypse (Noah’s flood) destroys civilization. Sprinkle in a handful of strange, almost mythical beasts with names like glyptodont, smilodon and “dire wolf”, add some outsized natural disasters, and what have you got? A story world that science fiction and fantasy authors would kill for–but it actually happened.

What was your inspiration for the story?

An inland ocean burst at the end of the Ice Age, sending 500 cubic miles of icy water tearing across the Pacific Northwest at speeds over 60mph. My childhood home was covered by more than 300ft of water. We have evidence to suggest that this catastrophe–arguably the biggest flood since Noah’s–was witnessed by native tribes. What was it like for them? I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?

Imagine a LEGO man standing in front of a 9ft wall–about a foot taller than the average ceiling. Now

imagine you’re the LEGO man, and the wall is a black, boiling wave of water. That’s how big the 400 ft wave that destroyed Oregon’s Willamette Valley would be to an average human. The water would shake the ground for 20-30 minutes before it came into sight. Terrifying. Of course, unless you were within running distance of high ground, your terror would be short-lived.

How has your book changed since your first draft?

The Last Climb began as a chapter in another manuscript, from the point of view of “Old Mother”, who is a side character in The Last Climb. Which only goes to demonstrate that everyone you meet is the main character in another story–even the crabby grocery store clerk. It just happens to be a different story than yours.

How does your job prepare you for being a novelist?

I’m a homeschool mom of nine, ages 2-16. What my kids don’t realize is that they’re also research subjects who teach me more about a novelist’s favorite subject–humans–every day.

What is one thing you wish you could do?

Time travel–in a safe, invisible craft. I want to see the past, I don’t want to be stuck in it, thank you

very much.

What was your favorite childhood book and why?

Childhood book? Too many to name. But as a mature, thinking adult, I have come to acknowledge the obvious truth that the best work of fiction ever created was Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.

What books are on your nightstand right now?

After the Flood, the early post-flood history of Europe, by Bill Cooper, From the Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple, and Foul Play by Charles Reade.

What is your next project?

I’m working on a novel about the Tower of Babel. Action, adventure, murder, romance, political intrigue, the last few dinosaurs from Noah’s Ark…all the good things.

About The Last Climb

Ice Age Oregon, Columbia River Gorge.

The earth vibrates and a sound like a distant roar filters through the forest. Parents call for their children, warriors gather in tight knots, throwing frightened glances at the sky, the trees, the ground. A monster comes.

With the article What Was the Missoula Flood by Michael Oard, this little book will give you a snapshot of the true apocalyptic disaster that shaped the landscape of the Pacific Northwest forever. In the days of cave bears, saber toothed cats, ice and wooly mammoths, the Pacific Northwest was a different place. This true fiction book about an apocalyptic disaster will change the way you see the Columbia Gorge and the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

I’d love to connect with you!

Download a digital copy of The Last Climb for free https://BookHip.com/QJVWAXH

Website/Blog: www.shannonskaer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RJSKAER
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Shannon-Skaer/author/B0DLFG62VX
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shannon-skaer

Photo Credit (Lego): Pixabay/Ralf1403

Movie Monday: Christmas in Connecticut

Movie Monday: Christmas in Connecticut

In late 1944 and into the early months of 1945 as it became apparent to Hollywood that World War II would soon be over, writers began to plot stories that featured returning servicemen. Some of the films were dramas, others such as Christmas in Connecticut, comedies. In fact, some critics have called the movie a “screwball comedy.”

Despite being a holiday film, producers released the movie in August 1945, benefitting from the “post-war euphoria that gripped America,” (IMDB), and it grossed between three and four million dollars on a budget of $864,000. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, and Sidney Greenstreet, the movie is the brainchild of Aileen Hamilton, a jack-of-all-trades who was a screenwriter, dancer, singer, actress, and costume designer. Bette Davis was originally cast as the female lead, and Reginald Gardiner as the male lead. Gardiner was eventually given the role of the owner of the farm and the lead given to Morgan.

The plotline described by Rotten Tomatoes:

“While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones grows familiar with the Diary of a Housewife

column written by Elizabeth Lane. Jeff’s nurse arranges with Elizabeth’s publisher for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth’s bucolic Connecticut farm with her husband and child. But the column is a shame, so the publisher hastens to arrange a publicity ploy by setting up single, non-domestic Elizabeth on a country farm.”

Foibles, misunderstandings, and confusion combine to create a rom-com worthy of Nora Ephron or Garry Marshall. Stanwyck and Morgan have great on-screen chemistry and by the time they filmed Christmas in Connecticut had dozens of movie roles under their belts. As a contract player Morgan was cast in both supporting and headliner roles. Stanwyck who would eventually appear in nearly one hundred movies, got her start in entertainment early in life when she became a chorus girl in speakeasies as a teenager. She eventually became a Ziegfield girl and was given her first stage role by Willard Mack, and at some point, moved to Hollywood where she picked up bit parts. Being cast as the lead in Frank Capra’s Ladies of Leisure was her breakout role. In the 1950s she added television roles to her busy film career.

Have you seen this feel-good holiday movie?

___________________________

A Lesson in Love (The Strength of His Heart Limited Edition Anthology)

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/4f9iLKO

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back, Donna Schlachter

Almost Snowed Under

By Donna Schlachter

A Sleigh Ride for Ruby is part of a multi-author project, with books releasing several times a month. Each book is historical romance, and is set in different towns and cities in our nation. The only rules are that the story must include a sleigh ride, and that it ends with a Happily Ever After. Each story is a standalone story, and I’ve enjoyed writing my submission. I named my heroine after my sister’s friend and the hero after the real-life Ruby’s husband.

Let’s take a look at my story and the cultural context of the dilemma Ruby faces:

What happens when a young woman inherits a business typically run by men? Well, in 1882, she faces with discrimination and recriminations. To the point where somebody sets out to ruin her by tampering with the equipment, her horses, and then endangering her life—and the lives of her customers.

We can scarcely believe it nowadays, where men and women have infiltrated pretty much every career choice that was previously held by the opposite sex. In Ruby’s world, there were few women doctors or lawyers. And no male nurses. Teachers were most often single young women, except at the university level, where men held that bastion. Bankers, sheriffs, and mayors were almost always men, while milliners, hatmakers, and nannies was considered a woman’s job.

So why would Ruby choose to run a sleigh business in Snowflake, Colorado, high in the mountains where winter comes early and stays late?

Because she inherited it from her father. She’d helped him since she was little, and with few other prospects in town that didn’t include cleaning and serving food, she stepped out in faith and a little trepidation.

And what of our hero? For certainly there must be one.

Clarke Everly is a Pinkerton agent, in town on a case. He spots the brave woman and admires her spunk. Being in their thirties, both considered past their prime, gives them something in common. But apart from that, Clarke knows there isn’t a common bone in Ruby’s body.

An interesting piece of research I discovered during the writing of this book is about Thanksgiving Day in the US. While the holiday was held for many years on various dates, President Lincoln proclaimed it a national observance in 1863, to be held on the last Thursday of November. It wasn’t until 1941 that President Roosevelt set the date as the fourth Thursday of November. Hence, in my story, it’s held on November 30th, the last day and the last Thursday in November 1882.

A Sleigh Ride for Ruby is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Sleigh-Ride-Ruby-ebook/dp/B0D2LVRSPZ

About A Sleigh Ride for Ruby:

After Ruby Wakefield inherits her father's conveyance business, she discovers an old sleigh in a barn. Thinking she can build her business by offering rides during the long winter season, she spruces up the sleigh. However, somebody in town is unhappy, and Ruby's business falls prey to mishaps such as broken traces, ill horses, and avalanches. Clarke Everly, a Pinkerton operative, falls into Ruby's life when he hires her sleigh to take his fiancée for a ride in the winter wonderland of Snowflake, Colorado. But when Ruby won't convey them across a frozen lake, his fiancée kicks up a fuss and leaves him cold.

Check out the book: https://www.amazon.com/Sleigh-Ride-Ruby-ebook/dp/B0D2LVRSPZ

About Donna:
A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed writers. Learn more at https://www.thepurposefullwriter.com Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651

Connecting Online:
www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive 2 free ebooks simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
www.DonnaSchlachter.com/blog
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor
Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-schlachter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=donna+schlachter
The Purpose-Full Writer: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651
Need a writing coach? https://www.thepurposefullwriter.com

Photo credit Mountains: Pixabay/Abhay Baradwaj

Wartime Wednesday: British Schools During WWII

Wartime Wednesday: 

British Schools During WWII

British children were impacted by World War II in significant ways, one of which was their schooling. Both urban and rural areas were affected, but in different ways.

On the same day that Germany invaded Poland, authorities began Operation Pied Piper, a program that evacuated children, pregnant women, and mothers with infants. As the possibility of war loomed in the late 1930, the Anderson Committee (formed in 1924 and led by Sir John Anderson who would later invent a style of air raid shelter), published a report outlining evacuation of urban areas including London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow. Eventually, 1.5 million people, of which 800,000 were children, would move from cities to outlying areas.

England was divided into three zones: evacuation (areas expected to be heavily bombed), neutral (areas that would not send or receive evacuees), and reception (rural areas where evacuees would be sent. Rather than building camps, the plan called for housing evacuees in private homes. Individuals deemed suitable hosts faced fines if they refused to take in an evacuee.

As a result of the evacuations thousands of schools were closed in urban areas. According to one

source, approximately one in five was damaged by bombing or requisitioned by the government. Another site commented that around two-thirds were handed over the Civil Defence Services. Teachers were expected to evacuate as well, and a large percentage of male teachers were drafted.

Unfortunately, statistics indicate that only about fifty percent of the children in urban areas evacuated, which translates into about one million students without schools. This created several issues in addition the forfeiture of education:

• “Hooliganism” (as one source put it)
• Poor families lost their free milk and school dinners
• Medical inspections that took place in school ceased

In rural areas, schools remained open but were soon overrun with evacuees. Classroom size burgeoned with fewer teachers available. Some schools created a building-share, with classes held for locals during one half of the day, and classes held for evacuees during the other half of the day. Some areas used churches, village halls, or warehouses for schools. Shortages of books, paper, and equipment made teaching and learning a challenge.

Tragically, all this translated into the fact that a “significant number of children failed to reach the required levels of literacy and numeracy after the war.”

______________________

A Lesson in Love (The Strength of His Heart Limited Edition Anthology)

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/4f9iLKO

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Laura DeNooyer

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Laura DeNooyer

I'm thrilled to welcome Laura DeNooyer to my blog. Listen in as we chat about her writing journey and her latest release, A Hundred Magical Reasons.

What was your inspiration for the story?

Two things inspired this story: 1) reading a biography about L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), and 2) learning that he and his family summered at the same lake where our family vacations yearly. Though we were at opposite ends of Lake Macatawa—and opposite ends of the century—I felt a connection. Macatawa Resort used to be on Lake Michigan, near Holland. Baum was such an innovative, larger-than-life personality—which is no surprise, given that he created the Land of Oz.

What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?

I read a ton of books and articles, but Michael Patrick Hearn, the renowned Oz/Baum scholar, helped me sort out fact from fiction. My priority is to convey Baum accurately—his character, family, career, and timeline of events—but also to make readers feel as if they are sitting on the Baums’ Macatawa porch with him. Ah, there are so many fun tidbits! For one thing, most people don’t know that Baum should be credited with the earliest documented original film score back in 1908-1914. Before Hollywood became what it is today, Baum dabbled in film and even created the very first scene of Dorothy stepping from black and white into color—thirty years before the MGM Wizard of Oz movie brought us technicolor. Additionally, since Baum was a family man with a great sense of humor, there were plenty of whimsical interactions with his wife and sons that I wanted to include.

How do you come up with story lines?

Sometimes just being in a particular spot or hearing an anecdote or seeing a poignant photograph

sparks a story. Then I start asking, “What if . . .?” But I also brainstorm, considering which juxtapositions of characters and situations would cause the most tension.

For example, in A Hundred Magical Reasons, I had to consider what could make a good contrast or foil for Baum. Enter eight-year-old Janie whose rigid parents have no use for fiction, fantasy, or fairy tales. But the inimitable L. Frank Baum knows how to draw out her imagination. This is a major tension throughout the story.

What draws you to the time period about which you write?

I’d always wanted to write a turn-of-the-century novel, mainly because that era is full of innovations and inventions that changed our way of life. Consider the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, from 1867 to 1957. We’re all familiar with her prairie and rustic cabin days, but by the time she died, families had access to light bulbs, electricity, telephones, phonographs, television, movie theaters, automobiles, and airplanes!

My interest in L. Frank Baum’s life dovetailed into the early 1900s when Baum spent summers at Michigan’s Macatawa Resort (1898-1910). In 1900, Baum turned 44 and published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Decades later, Janie is all grown up as Mrs. Gordon in 1980, sharing her memoirs with twenty-two-year-old Carrie who has problems of her own.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

When I was describing one of my story plots to my cousin, she listened intently, then said, “Writing stories must be a form of journaling.” She knows me well, and she could see the connections of my characters’ plights to me.

Like other fiction writers, I bring my own experiences and emotional challenges into my stories. But my cousin’s insightful comment made me realize how the writing is more than just telling a tale. It’s a baring of the soul, it’s working through tough issues, it’s pulling me through the gamut of emotions, it’s stretching my limits, my faith. Much like journal writing does.

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

First of all, everything can be fodder for a story. No experience or pain is wasted.

Also, as stated earlier, writing is a way to wrestle with my own emotions through each scenario and character. Doing so brings new perspectives, fresh insights, and empathy for others. Furthermore, story is one of the best ways to touch others in deep places. People might not listen to a sermon, advice, opposing view, or constructive criticism, but they will listen to stories. Besides impacting others, story writing is a wonderful creative outlet. We’re made in the Creator’s image, so we create—each of us in different ways. It’s a blessing in itself.

Can you share a real life event that inspired your writing?

In 2nd grade, my teacher challenged us to write and illustrate our own books. I had no clue what to write about so I rewrote “The Gingerbread Man.” Instead of chastising me for my lack of originality, Mrs. Haan challenged me to write my own ending to the story. I accepted the challenge. By the time I was done, I decided that writing my own stories was the way to go. I was unstoppable after that.

What writers or books have influenced you?

To Kill A Mockingbird is my all-time favorite book. It embodies complex characters and relationships, challenging themes, a historical setting, and a plot that builds to a dramatic and rewarding finish. Plus, it offers food for thought. This is what I aim for as a fiction writer.

***********

About A Hundred Magical Reasons, split-time historical fiction, biographical literary fiction

Most fairy tales have happy endings, but is it too late for this one? After all, Mrs. Charlotte Rose Gordon is eighty-eight.

This disgruntled town recluse has grown weary of fighting the dragons of her past—including the desire to clear her husband’s name of a 1918 crime.

Dragons of a different kind pursue Carrie Kruisselbrink.

In 1980, during the summer of her private rebellion, Carrie defies parental expectations and pursues her café dream. While waiting for funding, she takes a job with Mrs. Gordon.

As Mrs. Gordon unfolds the story of her oppressive childhood and delightful friendship with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, Carrie never expects to encounter her own fears and soul-searching.

In this modern-day fairy tale that weaves between 1980 and the early 1900s, Mr. Baum’s influence impacts each woman’s personal quests on a hero’s journey neither anticipates. Can Carrie and Mrs. Gordon find common ground in battling their respective dragons?

***********************

Laura DeNooyer thrives on creativity and encouraging it in others. A Calvin College graduate, she is a teacher, wife, parent of four adult children, and an award-winning author of heart-warming historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels are perfect for fans of Patti Callahan Henry, Erin Bartels, or Heidi Chiavaroli. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, walking, drinking tea with friends, or taking a road trip.

**************
LINKS

Monthly Newsletter—sign up for 7 free recipes: A-Taste-Of-Oz-Cookbook-Sampler.com

Website & Book Trailer: https://lauradenooyer-author.com/a-hundred-magical-reasons/

Purchase link for Amazon: https://scrivenings.link/ahundredmagicalreasons

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/laura-denooyer-moore

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5859120.Laura_DeNooyer_Moore

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/LauraDeNooyerAuthor/