Where the Past and Present Collide With Faith by Candice Sue Patterson

When I began seriously pursuing publication seven years ago one of the first things I was told was that every author needed a brand, a punchline that tells readers what to expect about their books. I fretted over this for some time, as I wasn’t really sure what overall theme my books would contain. A few titles later I settled into it: Modern-Vintage Romance—where the past and present collide with faith. Since I write contemporary romance with threads of nostalgia weaved in, it fit. 

 

 

 

Then last year I let one of my critique partners talk me into joining her and five others in a proposal to Barbour Publishers for a collection of historical romances involving Great Lakes Lighthouses. But I write contemporary, I thought. Writing a historical is intimidating, I thought. When will I ever have time for all that research, I thought. But we’ve been critique partners long enough that she knows I love a challenge, so she dangled the idea in front of me like bait. (Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration.) 

Was it intimidating? To me, yes. 

Did it require a lot of research? Absolutely. 

And I loved it! 

My first historical, Beneath a Michigan Moon, is part of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection that released November 1st. As an author of both contemporary and historical romance, I wanted to share some of the challenges I faced writing in two different time periods. 

First, you need to understand that I was doing extensive edits to my contracted contemporary novel How to Stir a Baker’s Heart (book #2 in my Cadence of Acadia series) while I was writing the first draft of Michigan Moon, while plotting my next contemporary series. 

(Conclusion: I’m crazy.) 

Challenge #1: The Romance Trope 

I’ve always wanted to write a marriage of convenience story. I love the tension it creates between characters and that fact that their relationship blossoms into real love through their daily journey together. This is easy enough to write in a historical because it was common for people to marry for necessity back then. Mail order brides, widows without family and no means of caring for themselves, arranged marriages, etc. Writing this trope in a contemporary, however, isn’t as easy. So when I started writing a new series set in South Dakota using this trope, I had to get creative. Gmail took the place of the postal service for word that the hero was looking for a bride. Both the hero and heroine enter into an agreement needing what the other is offering. And it all plays out on prime time television. While the director continually throws in surprise after grueling surprise. 

Challenge #2: Communication 

Nowadays, we have many ways to communicate. So in my contemporary romance How to Stir a Baker’s Heart, the hero and heroine chat through text, cellphone, email, and face-to-face. At times, the technology doesn’t work the way it should (especially along the coast of Maine where the book is set) and it causes issues. 

In Michigan Moon, it was much harder to get messages back and forth. When the heroine (light keeper at New Presque Isle Lighthouse on Lake Huron) starts to run low on supplies, she receives a telegram that the supply train derailed, and she’ll have to ration what she has until another shipment can be sent out. This accident happened days before, so had there been faster modes of communication on all sides she would’ve been able to ration sooner, keeping her from having to rob old supplies left in a nearby abandoned lighthouse. But it worked to my advantage because this scene turned out to be a pivotal moment for the hero and heroine. 

Challenge #3: Clothing

I’m familiar with today’s styles: midi-dresses, skinny jeans, joggers, flyaway cardigans...you get the idea. I dress my contemporary characters accordingly. However, I was fairly ignorant of the terms for historical items: reticules, chemises, chignons, frock coats. Historical romance is my favorite genre to read, so where I’d heard those terms before I had no idea what era they fell in, or what items were layered over what. This took extensive research both online and books from my public library. I didn’t want to receive any bad reviews simply because my timeline was off. 

Will I continue writing historical romance? I’d like to. I think being hybrid would keep me on my toes, help keep my writing fresh. I enjoy taking modern themes and fitting them into an old-fashioned world. Just like I enjoy taking contemporary settings and lacing history into the plot. 

The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection featuring Beneath a Michigan Moon is available now in print and eBook at all major online retailers. Amazon Buy Link

Look for How to Stir a Baker’s Heart, releasing April 2019 from Pelican Book Group. 

To keep up to date on my latest news you can find me on Facebook as Candice Sue Patterson-Author or visit my website at www.candicesuepatterson.com 

Writer's Block by Sharee Stover

Writer’s block is a topic known and well-discussed among authors. It’s a normal part of the process.

But I have a confession to make…Writer’s block is something I’d never experienced.

Wait!

Before you throw a tomato at the screen, let me explain.

The majority of the time, stories and characters are tumbling around in my brain faster than I can write them down. Day and night. They never stop. Then something happened…

Around the start of winter, my writing stumbled. I struggled to find words and thoughts that made any sense. That lingered all through spring…

Summer came. That time when my kids were all home for three wonderful months. When the sun rose bright and early with birds singing and didn’t set until after my bedtime. And summer is busy in our house. Lots of traveling, weddings, and events to attend, but I still made time to write. Problem was, my mind packed up all my writing ideas and characters and took a vacation—without me—I was baffled.

I’d stare at that blinking cursor while it mocked me and think, C’mon! Anything. Type anything. To anyone not really paying attention to me, the clicking of my keyboard made it sound like I was working hard, but the truth was, I spent more time hitting the backspace key than putting actual words on paper.

I prayed and prayed. Then I became desperate. Reading anything and everything about writer’s block and how to overcome it. My inner editor, perfectionist that she is, critiqued every sentence I tried to type. None of it was good enough, so I hit the delete key over and over.

“What is wrong with me?” I asked anyone willing to listen to my tale of woe.

“Take a break.”

“Step away from the story.”

“Start over.”

Those were the most common words of advice, and they frustrated me. I wanted someone to give me the magical cure that would restore my writing brain. Months passed and nothing…will I ever write again? The fear that my greatest dream had been ripped from my hands tore at my heart, and the more I tried to force myself to write, the more the cursor mocked me.

When my family and I headed off to our long-planned, saved-for anticipated family vacation, I contemplated whether to take my laptop. After all, it hadn’t been beneficial all summer, but for me, my computer is as necessary as my wallet. So, just in case…I packed it.

I didn’t intend to write. For the first time ever, I determined I would not write. I was on vacation. I planned to spend the days enjoying the sun, the beach and most of all, my family. I didn’t anticipate writing anything. I gave myself the week off and the grace to NOT write.

And the week was fabulous, perfect weather and food. Great memories that I’ll forever cherish. Then, the strangest thing happened. As I sat in the airport ready for our return flight home…WHAM! An idea came to me. I spent the next hour free writing the first chapter. No plotting. No planning. Just spewing happy words all over the screen. No longer did the cursor mock me. No longer did I feel the pressure of “I have to write something today!” Just words. Glorious, wonderful, unedited words.

For the first time, I wasn’t stressed about how much I hadn’t done and thinking, Hurry up. You’re running out of time. Much like staring at the alarm clock in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep. As if reminding yourself that you have four hours left, three hours left, etc. is somehow going to convince your body to surrender and sleep.

I relaxed and allowed my fingers to fly across the keyboard, and it was freeing.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I know there will always be deadlines and things we have no control over. Times when things have to get done regardless of our brain’s willingness to participate, and we can’t all take a vacation every time those moments come, but maybe one of the things that will help most in those times is to give ourselves grace. Grace to just deal with life on life’s terms until we can return to the wonderful place of creativity. Grace to not perform perfectly, one hundred percent all the time. Grace to rejuvenate.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I’m harder on myself than I would ever be on a friend, co-worker or family member. I expect myself to perform perfectly all the time. And that’s silly, but no one can do that, and I’d never expect anyone else to. I’d give them grace.

Have you experienced writer’s block? What was one way you overcame it? What advice would you give to a friend going through such a period of writer’s block? Or, what was the best advice someone has given you?

 

Secret Past

 

Her life is a lie

She’s not who she thinks she is

With gunmen at her doorstep, Katie Tribani learns her true identity. She’s been in witness protection since childhood, and now her crime-lord father has found her. As bullets fly, US marshal Daniel Knight whisks her to safety—but not for long. Captured and held prisoner, only Katie can unearth her secret past…if she can survive long enough.

Amazon Buy Link

Colorado native Sharee Stover lives in Nebraska with her real-life-hero husband, three too-good-to-be-true children, and two ridiculously spoiled dogs. A self-proclaimed word nerd, she loves the power of the written word to ignite, transform, and restore. Her Christian romantic suspense stories combine heart-racing, nail-biting suspense and the delight of falling in love all in one.

 

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and Nebraska Writer’s Guild. Sharee is a two-time Daphne du Maurier finalist and the winner of the 2017 Wisconsin Fabulous Five Silver Quill Award.

 

When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, crocheting and long walks with her obnoxiously lovable

German Shepherd. 

 

Visit her at www.shareestover.com

How A Daily Word Count Gave Me Freedom by Heidi Chiavaroli

I might be the only author who does this, but I can’t resist reading—just one more time!—the final, official copy of each of my novels. Part of me needs the reassurance that there are no glaring mistakes. Another part of me just wants to experience the novel one more time, as a reader soon will.

As I read The Hidden Side that one last time, I couldn’t help remembering the frantic writing that came with being on deadline for my second novel. The idea for this story came late, and I was adamant about not asking for an extension on my deadline. So I wrote. And wrote. And wrote.

Truth be told, the emotional intensity of this novel, which involves a family’s worst nightmare in the form of a school shooting, helped me to write quickly. I was emotionally invested in the characters and I wanted to see their journey complete as quickly as possible.

Yet I was a bit crazy as I wrote. Entirely tied up in the story, I was so preoccupied with it I often felt only half-present with my family, even on the weekends. I was too busy writing to have much time for living.

This year, as I sat down to write my next novel on deadline, I again wondered how I’d accomplish it (and with a new novel being released in the midst of it all!). I didn’t want my life to be filled with constant seasons of craziness, as it seemed it might if I was going to continue in this publishing world. With that in mind, I forced myself to sit down, and get organized.

I took out my calendar and chose a date two months before my deadline to finish  the story. (I wanted to leave ample time for edits.) Then I figured out how many words I would have to write, Monday through Friday, to accomplish this goal.

I cannot tell you how much freedom this gave me. To know that getting those 1,600 words in a day was my job—my responsibility—gave me immense liberty and released me from much stress. Once I completed my words each day, I was free to do chores or relax or read or whatever I needed to refuel my mind. And while my weekends weren’t completely free due to promotional efforts, they were lightened. I was living. Not just writing.

Two days ago I wrote THE END on my newest manuscript. I have two months to edit it before handing it in. This seems doable! I’m thinking I’ll stick with this method in the future. J

You know, this writing life is amazing. But it’s also often a wild, untamed thing. As creative people, we can be tempted to write only when the mood strikes us, or when we feel inspired. But as writers pursuing a serious career, we must set guidelines and get organized. A little bit of structure can provide a lot of freedom.

Do you give yourself a daily word count? How do you balance writing obligations with family obligations?

The Hidden Side:

New York — 2016

Every day Natalie Abbott offers sage advice to hurting listeners on her popular radio program. But away from the comfort of the studio, she struggles to connect with her family; with an out-of-control daughter and an uncommunicative and isolated son, Natalie takes solace in the daily woes of others, turning a blind eye to the pressing issues mounting at her doorstep. Her carefully constructed world implodes when a member of the family commits an unspeakable act. Known as the woman with all the answers, for the first time Natalie questions her way forward.

New York — 1776

Mercy Howard watches in abject horror as the man she loves, her fiancé Nathan Hale, is arrested and hanged as a spy. When asked to join the revolutionary spy ring in Manhattan, Mercy sees an opportunity to avenge Nathan’s death. But keeping her true loyalties hidden grows increasingly challenging as the charming Major John Andre of the King’s Army becomes more to her than a target for intelligence.
    
Mercy’s journals offer comfort to Natalie from across the centuries as both women struggle with their own secrets and well-kept shame—and wonder how deep God’s mercy truly extends. 

Amazon Buy Link The Hidden Side

Heidi Chiavaroli began writing eleven years ago, just after Jesus had grabbed hold of her heart. She used her two small boys’ nap times to pursue what she thought at the time was a foolish dream. Despite a long road to publication, she hasn’t stopped writing since! Heidi won the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the historical category. Both her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, and her sophomore novel, The Hidden Side, are 4½-star Romantic Times Top Picks. Freedom's Ring was also a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Heidi loves exploring places that whisper of historical secrets, especially with her family. She loves running, hiking, baking, and dates with her high-school sweetheart and husband of fourteen years. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle.

Links:

Website: www.heidichiavaroli.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiChiavaroli.Author/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeidiChiavaroli
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16080793.Heidi_Chiavaroli
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hchiavaroli/boards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidichiavaroli/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heidi-chiavaroli