Author: KyLee Woodley

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A Bookchat about Until Then with Cindy and Erin Woodsmall

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About the authors:

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA bestselling author of twenty-six works of fiction and one nonfiction book. Coverage of Cindy’s writing has been featured on ABC’s Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She lives in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains with her husband, just a short distance from two of her three sons and her six grandchildren.

Erin Woodsmall is a writer, musician, wife, and mom of four. She has edited, brainstormed, and researched books with Cindy for almost a decade. More recently she and Cindy have coauthored five books, one of which was a winner of the prestigious Christy Award.

Author questions:

  1. Would you rather take a week’s vacation and not do any reading, or stay at home for a week with nothing to do but read (no chores, no TV or movies, no leaving the house, no writing)?
  2. The two of you are a mother- and daughter-in-law writing team. How did you come to team up for writing novels?
  3. In the busyness of life, what are some things you do to keep yourself grounded and peaceful?
  4. Is there anything especially interesting you haven’t covered in other interviews that you could share with us, or perhaps something God has laid on your heart to share with your readers?

About the book:

Now let’s take a moment to talk about your latest release, Until Then.

In 1985, Old Order Amish couple Celeste and Vin Lantz have been married for six years. Vin is a carpenter by trade but an artist in his heart. He is especially captivated by drawing portraits, which the Amish consider idolatry. Knowing they could be shunned, Celeste is shocked to discover that Vin has secretly been sketching her and their sons. When she confronts Vin, they argue and Vin storms off . . . and seems to disappear, leaving Celeste to wonder if he chose his art over his family.

When he leaves the house that night, Vin seeks peace on his favorite mountain overlook. But he takes a fall and wakes to find himself injured and lost. Vin soon realizes just how far he has traveled―not only in distance but back in time, to 1822 Ohio, a place that provides the freedom he craved but where he is separated from his beloved wife and children. Vin is saved by the kindness of strangers and gradually learns to survive and even to use his skills to help his new friends in this unfamiliar time and place. But all the while he prays desperately for God to return him to his family, before Celeste makes a new life without him.

Book questions:

Okay, I’m loving the intrigue of a married couple being separated by a time-slip, rather than a single person slipping in time and finding love.

  1. What themes did you explore through this idea of traveling in time?
  2. We think of the Amish as a community of people trapped in time, but how was life different for the Amish in 1822?
  3. How did you approach writing the romance thread for this story when Celeste and Vin spend a significant part of the story separated from each other?
  4. What’s next for your writing?

Connect with  Cindy and Erin:  Website, Facebook, Instagram, GoodReads, and Amazon

Cindy and Erin are offering a copy of Until Then. You can enter to win below.

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A Bookchat about Star of Wonder with Crystal Caudill

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About the author:

Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance,” with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW. Her debut novel Counterfeit Love was a 2023 Carol Award finalist. She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, and when she isn’t writing, Crystal can be found playing board games with her family, drinking hot tea, or reading other great books at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

Let’s start with something fun.

  1. Since we’re discussing a Christmas book today, what is your personal favorite Christmas tradition?
  2. As a writer, do you have more fun developing the characters or the plot for a story?
  3. Your bio mentions you’re a stay-at-home mom. What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned about parenting over the years?
  4. Is there anything especially interesting you haven’t covered in other interviews that you could share with us, or perhaps something God has laid on your heart to share with your readers?

About the book

Now let’s take a moment to talk about your latest release, Star of Wonder, a novella in the collection titled, We Three Kings: A Romance Christmas Collection.

Best-selling romance authors Caudill, Putman, and Strong follow three generations of the Weise family in this third collection of Christmas novellas from Kregel.

“Star of Wonder” by Crystal Caudill

The Christmas-themed maiden voyage of his family’s grand steamer ship was supposed to be Aldrich Weise’s chance both to instill investor confidence and to romance Celestia Isaacs. Instead, he must foil a criminal and leave his lady love behind forever.

“Beauty Bright” by Cara Putman

Lieutenant Charles Weise served as a Monuments Man after World War II and now works to restore stolen art to rightful owners. Captain Lillian Thorsen pairs up with him not only to return treasures but also to fix the war-torn lives around them.

“Perfect Light” by Angela Ruth Strong

Essential oils mogul Brendon Wise is drawn to Lacey Foster, the event planner for his huge Christmas lights festival. But when he inadvertently makes a spectacle of her on television, Lacey wants nothing to do with him. Will a chance to give gifts to those in need at Christmas be the key to discovering common ground–and maybe love?

Book questions

So your story is the one set farthest back in history of these three novellas, and we are exploring a steamer ship–one that hides some dangerous secrets.

  1. It’s so interesting to see how people celebrated Christmas in the past, so what sort of festivities did Aldrich Weise plan for his grand Christmas voyage on a steamer ship?
  2. The blurb doesn’t give us any hints, so can you tell us a little about Celestia Isaacs?
  3. What was your favorite tidbit of history you ran across while researching for this story?
  4. What’s next for your writing?

Crystal is offering a copy of We Three Kings: A Romance Christmas Collection. You can enter to win below.

Connect with Crystal Caudill: Newsletter, Facebook, Facebook group, Instagram, TwitterGoodReads, BookBub, Amazon, and Pinterest

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A Bookchat about The Wings of Poppy Pendleton with Melanie Dobson.

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About the author

Writing fiction is  Melanie Dobson’s excuse to immerse herself in the past by reading old books, interviewing new friends, and exploring fascinating places around the world. She is the award-winning author of almost thirty historical, time-slip, and romantic suspense novels. 

Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master’s degree in communication from Regent University. When she’s not writing, Melanie enjoys teaching at writer’s events and as an adjunct professor.

Melanie Dobsonlives with her husband Jon in the Pacific Northwest. They have two daughters and enjoy traveling, hiking, and serving together in their community.

About the book

In this compelling new time-slip mystery, a little girl goes missing from her family’s castle in the Thousand Islands of New York. Eighty-five years later, a journalist teams up with a woman living on Koster Isle to find out what happened to Poppy.

1907. On the eve of her fifth birthday, Poppy Pendleton is tucked safely in her bed, listening to her parents entertain New York’s gilded society in their Thousand Islands castle; the next morning, she is gone, and her father is found dead in his smoking room.

1992. Though Chloe Ridell lives in the shadows of Poppy’s ruined castle, she has little interest in the mystery that still captivates tourists and locals alike. She is focused on preserving the island she inherited from her grandparents and reviving their vintage candy shop. Until the day a girl named Emma shows up on Chloe’s doorstep, with few possessions, save a tattered scrapbook that connects her to the Pendleton family. When a reporter arrives at Chloe’s store, asking questions about her grandfather, Chloe decides to help him dig into a past she’d thought best left buried. The haunting truth about Poppy, they soon discover, could save Emma’s life. Chloe and Logan must work together to investigate exactly what happened long ago on Koster Isle.

Questions

  1. With autumn bringing the start of football season, as well as baseball’s World Series, I’m wondering if you enjoy watching or playing any sports. (If not at all, feel free to talk about another activity/hobby you enjoy.) 🙂 
  2. Your bio mentions that your professional writing began with journalism. How do you think that influences your fiction writing?
  3. I saw on your website that you were an avid reader as a child. What is a favorite book written for young readers that still sticks with you today (and why)?
  4. Is there anything interesting that you haven’t covered in other interviews that you could share with us, or is there something God has laid on your heart that you would like to share with your readers?
  5. Was your novel inspired by a real-life unsolved disappearance, or did something else spark the idea?
  6. What cool tidbits of history did you discover while looking at New York’s high society in the early twentieth century?
  7. So the blurb gives us a touch of Chloe’s backstory–she’s inherited a candy shop from her grandparents–but all we know of Logan is that he’s a reporter. What brings him to investigate Chloe’s grandfather and the tragedy of Poppy Pendleton?
  8. What is next for you, book-wise?

Connect with Melanie via newsletter, Book Bub, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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A Bookchat about A Million Little Choices with Tamera Alexander

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About the author

Tamera Alexander is a USA Today bestselling novelist and one of today’s most beloved authors of inspirational historical romance. Her works have been awarded numerous industry-leading honors—among them the Christy Award, the RITA Award, the Carol Award, and Library Journal’s top honors—and have earned the distinction of Publisher’s Weekly Starred Reviews. Her deeply drawn characters and thought-provoking plots have earned her devoted readers worldwide, including Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Romania, among others.

Tamera and her husband reside in Nashville, Tennessee, where they live a short distance from Nashville’s Belmont Mansion, Belle Meade Plantation, and Carnton —the settings of Tamera’s #1 CBA bestselling Southern series.

About the book

Two women from different centuries living in the same house share strikingly similar journeys.

Claire Powell’s life is turned upside down when her beloved husband admits to a “near affair.” But when Stephen accepts a partnership with an Atlanta law firm without consulting her and buys a historic Southern home sight-unseeing—it pushes their already-fractured marriage to the breaking point. Claire’s world spirals, and she soon finds herself in a marriage she no longer wants, in a house she never asked for.

In 1863, Charlotte Thursmann, pregnant and trapped in a marriage to an abusive husband, struggles to protect her unborn child and the enslaved members of her household. Desperate, she’s determined to right the evils her husband and others like him commit. But how can one woman put an end to such injustice? Especially if her husband makes good on his threat to kill her?

Both Claire and Charlotte discover truths about themselves they never realized, along with secrets long hidden that hold the power to bring God’s restoration—if only they choose to let it.

Questions

  1. If you could travel back in time for a vacation, would you rather visit the remote setting of your Timber Ridge Reflections series (Colorado Territory) or the Reconstruction-era South setting of your Belmont Mansion series?
  2. You have written three series set in the post-Civil War South. How do you approach writing in such a politically charged and emotionally heavy time period?
  3. And now we have a fan-submitted question: Out of all your many novels and novellas, over all the series and standalones you’ve written, who is your favorite heroine and why?
  4. As far as the historical side goes, you’ve moved from writing about after the Civil War to setting your story smack in the middle of the conflict. Did that make a difference for your writing, or did it feel like a natural transition?
  5. As mentioned, this is your first time venturing into a contemporary setting, which is super exciting. Other than the old house, what ties these two storylines together?
  6. What’s next for your writing?

Listeners, Tamera is offering a copy of  A Million Little Choices. To enter, check out the giveaway page on our website Historical Bookworm dot com. You also find the giveaway link in the show notes for this episode. 

Connect with Tamera: website, newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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Georgia Frontier History with Denise Weimer

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For today’s Pinch of the Past, Denise Weimer shares interesting Georgian history she came across in preparing for her Scouts of the Georgia Frontier  Series.

The Animals

Did you know that middle Georgia was the American frontier in the early 1700s? To keep the wild animals from overwhelming them in the cold winter, settlers had to burn wild pine knots in the yards. Among the wild animals in Jackson County they had to watch out for was a multitude of panthers!

 Photo credit: View of Savannah as it stood on 29th of March 1734, drawn by Peter Gordon Georgia Historical Society Map Collection, MS1361-MP

A Legend

One legend from that time period is that of the Wog. The Creek Natives believed this was a large, black, wolf-like animal. Early settlers told the children if they were not good and didn’t go to sleep at night, the wog would put its tongue between the chinks in the log cabins and get them.

In Denise’s book, A Counterfeit Betrothal, the female protagonist Esther is a natural healer. She uses natural herbs to treat wounds and illnesses. Many of the Native Americans at that time lived using the natural resources, including herbs, berries, and fish. One dish developed by early settlers was called salat—like our modern day salad. This was a dish made mostly of greens and herbs, such as dandelions.

About Our Guest

Denise writes historical and contemporary romance and romantic suspense mostly set in her home state of Georgia. She has authored a dozen traditionally published novels and a number of novellas.  A freelance fiction editor, wife, and a mother of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

You can find out more about Denise at her website DeniseWeimerBooks.com, Facebook, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Denise has been so kind to offer an EBOOK copy of her book A Counterfeit Betrothal. You can enter below.

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A Bookchat about This Is Where It Ends with Cindy K. Sproles 

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Cindy K. Sproles joins us for a chat about her favorite southern, comfort food, writing fiction and nonfiction, and her latest release This Is Where It Ends. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! 

In This is Where it Ends, Widow Minerva Jenkins has lived alone in her small mountain home for 40 years where she has guarded her husband’s deathbed request. When a young reporter comes calling and inquires about a rumored box of gold on her property, an unlikely friendship forms. Will she go to her grave with her husband’s secret, or will the weight of it be the death of her?

Connect with Cindy K. Sproles: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

Cindy is the author of What Momma Left Behind and the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries. A popular speaker, Cindy teaches at writers conferences across the country and directs the Asheville Christian Writers Conference in North Carolina. She is the executive editor of ChristianDevotions.us and freelance editor for Iron Stream Media. Cindy has a BA in business and journalism and lives in the mountains of East Tennessee with her family.

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A Bookchat about Yesterday’s Tides with Roseanna M. White

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About the author

Today we are talking with Roseanna M. White about her spring release Yesterday’s Tides. Rosanna is a bestselling, Christy Award–winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself.

To start us off, I ran across an interesting bookish conundrum on Facebook the other day that I thought would be fun to ask.

  1. Would you rather never be able to finish reading a series, or never be able to reread a favorite novel?
  2. Readers debate all the time about the benefits of not finishing a book that doesn’t capture your interest. Have you ever read a book (or author) you disliked at first but grew to enjoy?
  3. Which of your books cost you the most emotionally to write, and why?
  4. Is there anything especially interesting that you haven’t covered in other interviews that you could share with us or perhaps there is something God has laid on your heart that you would like to share with your readers? 

About the book: Yesterday’s Tides

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same—until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie’s inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling’s injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he’s tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own. 

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn’t count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper’s daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel mysteries that go back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday’s tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

Both World Wars in the same novel, plus two romances and intertwined intrigue. This is quite a premise!

  1. What inspired you to write a novel with timelines in both world wars?
  2. Yesterday’s Tides addresses themes such as giving up and reclaiming your dreams. Can you tell us a little more about how this idea comes into play in the lives of your two female protagonists, Louisa and Evie?
  3. Who is your favorite secondary character in this story and why? (Share one from each timeline if you like!) 😀
  4. What are you working on next?

Connect with Roseanna: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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A Book about A Brighter Dawn by Leslie Gould

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Leslie Gould joins us for a chat about Amish and Mennonite History, WW2, beloved readers, and her novel A Brighter Dawn. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!

About Leslie

My strongest memories from childhood include stories of hope and grace—and how those stories connected me to family and friends. I also soaked up stories of redemption in the small-town churches we attended.

I’ve written a large collection of dual-time, Amish, and contemporary novels, set in a variety of places—from the Pacific Northwest to Amish Country to France to Vietnam.

My husband, Peter, and I have been married forty years and have four adult children and one grandchild. We live in Portland, Oregon and enjoy traveling, urban hikes, and hanging out with family and friends!

About the Book

Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents’ Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy’s way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her younger sisters’ needs, the relationship with her boyfriend, and her Dawdi and Mammi’s strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-great-aunt’s story about Clare Simons, another young woman who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

As Ivy grows suspicious that her parents’ deaths weren’t, in fact, an accident, she gains courage from what she learns of Clare’s time in pre-World War II Germany. With the encouragement and inspiration of the women who have gone before her, Ivy seeks justice for her parents, her sisters, and herself.

Connect with Leslie

Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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Episode 67: A Bookchat about A Match in the Making with Jen Turano

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Jen Turano joins us for a chat about fashion, Gilded Age matchmaking, her writing quirks, and her novel A Match in the Making. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!

About Jen

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, Colorado.

About the book

Miss Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a temporary paid companion position for the Newport summer season, believing it would be a lark to spend the summer in America’s most exclusive town. She suddenly finds her summer turning anything but amusing when her employer expects her to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with the daunting prospect of attaining advantageous matches for her clients, Gwendolyn soon finds herself in the company of Mr. Walter Townsend, the catch of the Season, but a gentleman Gwendolyn finds beyond annoying.

Walter is reluctantly in search of a wife for the sake of his unruly motherless children. What he wasn’t expecting was Miss Brinley, who turns his quest for a new wife into a complete and utter debacle.

The more time they spend together throughout the Newport Season, the harder it is for Gwendolyn to find Walter a wife when she realizes his perfect match might be . . . her.

USA Today bestselling author Jen Turano’s trademark wit, sweet romance, and hilarious mischief will keep you turning the pages of this lively Gilded Age tale.

Connect with Jen

Jen’s free novella Gentleman of Her Dreams which was mentioned on the show.  

Connect with  Jen: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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Remember Me by Tracie Peterson

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 66:A Bookchat about After the Shadows with Amanda Cabot & a Review of Remember Me by Tracie Peterson

The Book

From the Yukon to Seattle, the hope of a new beginning waits just around the corner.

Addie Bryant is haunted by her past of heartbreak and betrayal. After her beau, Isaac Hanson, left the Yukon, she made a vow to wait for him. When she’s sold to a brothel owner after the death of her father, Addie manages to escape with the hope that she can forever hide her past and the belief that she will never have the future she’s always dreamed of.

Years later, Addie has found peace in her new life as a photographer, training Camera Girls to operate and sell the Brownie camera. During the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Addie is reunited with Isaac, but after the path her life has taken, she’s afraid to expose the ugliness of her former life and to move toward the future they had pledged to each other.

When her past catches up with her, Addie must decide whether to run or to stay and face her wounds in order to embrace her life, her future, and her hope in God.

The Review

Remember Me is a moving tale of tragic upbringing, healing, and redeeming love. With the stunning backdrop of Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Tracie Peterson explores the question of why God allows horrible things to happen to good people. The question and the answer are expertly woven into her story that keeps the reader rooting for Addie, the heroine, who is attempting to outrun a bitter and tragic past . . . even if it means leaving behind the man she has loved since her girlhood.

With a hero’s unconditional love, a mother figure’s guiding hand, and the Lord’s redeeming love, Addie finds freedom in Christ to release the ugliness of a past that had been thrust upon her and embrace a future filled with hope and love.

My Rating: FIVE STARS! Action-packed! Great world building! Haunting! Happily Ever After! Page-turner! Romantic! Tear-jerker! Tragic! Unpredictable! Wonderful characters! Original!

Remember Me is a story that I will remember for years to come. If you love historical fiction rich in setting and voice, check out Tracie Peterson’s book today! Happy Reading, Friends!

The Author

Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over 100 novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit www.traciepeterson.com to learn more. Learn more about Tracie at TraciePeterson.com.

REVIEWED BY

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in the New Orleans area with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter. Connect with her online at GraceHitchcockBooks.com.