Tag: Darcy Fornier

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A Bookchat about The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple with Joanna Davidson Politano 

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Joanna Davidson Politano joins us for a chat about her favorite writing stages, being a mom, silent films, and her latest release The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! 

About the author

Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of Lady Jayne Disappears, A Rumored Fortune, Finding Lady Enderly, The Love Note, A Midnight Dance, and The Lost Melody. She loves tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is eager to hear anyone’s story. She lives with her husband and their children in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan.

Author questions

Let’s start with something light. We’re recording this when the weather is still cold and gray, but listeners will be joining us in April

  1. What is your favorite thing about spring? (And least favorite if you have something that drives you nuts about the season!) 😉
  2. Your bio mentions how you love to hear anyone’s story. Can you share about a time that someone sharing their story had a strong impact on your life?
  3. After publishing half a dozen novels, what would you say is your favorite part of bringing a story from a tiny idea to an adventure in the readers’ hands? Your least favorite part?
  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: The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple

Peter Driscoll, an underground investigator to the wealthy, has never met anyone like Lily Temple. The beautiful silent-film actress spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera, but beneath the costumes and stage makeup is a woman with a quick wit–and a murky past.

Peter has been tasked with locating the legendary Briarwood Teardrop, an exquisite sapphire, which Lily wears beneath her gown. In order to stay close to her and hopefully unravel the mystery of her story–and the sapphire–Peter employs Lily’s help on a case, which leads to a useful partnership. But as they are investigating together, Peter is also investigating Lily. The closer he gets to the truth, the more danger they face. And the closer he gets to Lily, the clearer it is that he needs her even more than she needs him.

Award-winning author Joanna Davidson Politano whisks you away to Edwardian England in 1903 for a whimsical and layered tale that treads the crooked line between real and make-believe.

I love so much about this blurb–a heroine with two very different sides, a turn-of-the-century setting when so much was changing in industrial countries, and perhaps most of all–a hero who doesn’t seem to think the worst of Lily for hiding this highly sought jewel!

  1. Can you tell us a little about Peter’s history and how he came to be investigating things for the wealthy?
  2. Silent film was a very different industry from the film-making we know today. What interesting tidbits did you discover while researching for this novel?
  3. How does this book explore the theme of “treading the crooked line between real and make-believe”?
  4. What’s next for your writing?

Connect with  Joanna Davidson Politano: Newsletter, Baker Book House, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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A Bookchat about The Lady with the Dark Hairwith Erin Bartels 

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About the author

ERIN BARTELS writes character-driven fiction for curious people. Her readers know to expect that each of her novels will tell a unique story about fallible characters so tangible that it’s hard to believe they are not real people. Whether urban, rural, or somewhere in between, her settings come alive with carefully crafted details that engage all the senses and transport the reader to a singular time and place. And her themes of reckoning with the past, improving the present, and looking with hope to the future leave her readers with a sense of peace and possibility.

Author questions

  1. After all those years in the big city, what’s your favorite thing about living in a small town, and is there anything you miss?
  2. Other than reading, what are some of your hobbies and favorite ways to relax?
  3. What is the thing you collect, and what’s the story behind it? (Like some people collect teacups, or some people collect anything with a turtle on it, or things like that.)
  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 The Lady with the Dark Hair.

A charismatic man with a legacy that long outlives him. A forgotten woman whose fate is forever tied to his. And the family whose history is still being written.

Toulouse, France—1879

Catalan orphan-turned-fugitive Viviana Torrens has found sanctuary serving in the home of an aging artist in Southern France. It is in his studio that she meets Francisco Vella, a Gibraltarian merchant who sells artists’ pigments. When her past catches up to her, she is compelled to pose as Vella’s sister and join him on his travels or be deported back to Spain to stand trial. Along the way she will discover that the many parts she has been playing in order to hide her identity have far-reaching implications she never could have foreseen.

East Lansing, Michigan—Present Day

Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella. They even run a small museum and gallery dedicated to raising awareness of his scandalously underappreciated work. But when Esther reconnects with her former art history professor, she finds her once-solid family history on shaky ground as questions arise about Vella’s greatest work—a portrait entitled The Lady with the Dark Hair.

This dual-timeline story takes you on a captivating journey across time and continents, where past and present converge in a relentless search for truth, identity, and the freedom to follow one’s dreams.

This time period is interesting–Victorian years, but not set in England–and I love the premise of exploring the world of art in the 1800s. And way to plunge us into some deep themes and dangerous intrigue!

  1. Viviana is the heroine of the historical timeline, but the blurb doesn’t tell us overmuch about who she is. What else can you share about her? (Without giving too much away, of course.)
  2. The cool thing about split-time fiction is how directly it explores the way the past touches us today. Why is reckoning with the past an important theme for you personally to weave into your stories?
  3. Did you learn anything surprising about nineteenth century France or Spain while you were researching for the historical timeline?
  4. What’s next for your writing?

Connect with  Erin Bartels: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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A Bookchat about Set In Stone with Kimberley Woodhouse

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Kimberley Woodhouse joins us for a chat about the Bone Wars, crafting, music, and her latest release Set In Stone. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! 

About the author

Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty fiction and nonfiction books. She has won The Carol Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and has finaled in the Selah Awards and the Spur Awards. She is passionate about Bible study, reading, music, cooking, and pretty-much-all-things-crafty. Kim and her incredible husband of thirty-plus years live in Colorado, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandbaby, and research all the history around them.

Author questions

  1. What crafty project have you been into lately?
  2. Your website mentions that you are a third-generation Liszt student. Obviously, you are a lover of music, so why the composer Franz Liszt in particular?
  3. As a reader, what is one of your favorite tropes? Least favorite?
  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

A dangerous scheme could bury their long-held dreams forever. . . .

From the time she was little, Martha Jankowski has been digging in the dirt, much to the dismay of her mother. Now she dreams of being a paleontologist and is determined to make her parents proud by uncovering the next big discovery. When Martha finds what she hopes to be a fully intact dinosaur skeleton–one that could win her an acclaimed exhibit–she learns another team is competing against her and could steal her chance at being recognized for this momentous discovery.

Paleontology student Jacob Duncan has fulfilled his dream of digging for dinosaur bones at last. In a race against time, he and his team are bent on unearthing a complete skeleton to claim a museum exhibit with their names on it. But when Jacob meets their charming competitor Martha and uncovers foul play within his team, love and danger grow hand in hand until a menacing ruse threatens to destroy it all.

Book questions

  1. This is the second book you’ve written set during the Bone Wars of the late 1800s. Could you tell us a little more about this specific piece of history?
  2. Working in paleontology as a woman is still a challenge, let alone in the 1800’s. Can you tell us more about Martha and what drives her in such a male-dominated field? 
  3. The blurb doesn’t tell us much about Jacob except he’s still a student in his field. Who is he personally?
  4. What’s next for your writing?

Connect with Kimberley Woodhouse at her website, newsletter, YouTube, BookBub, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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A Bookchat about The Rhythm of Fractured Grace with Amanda Wen

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Amanda Wen joins Darcy for a chat about music, history, family, and her latest release The Rhythm of Fractured Grace. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! 

About the author

Amanda Wen’s novels have released to both reader and critical acclaim. Her second novel, The Songs That Could Have Been, won both the Selah and the Carol Awards, and her debut, Roots of Wood and Stone, was a finalist for the Christy Award. In addition to her writing, Amanda is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and her church’s worship team, as well as serving as a choral accompanist. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Amanda currently lives in Kansas with her patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat.

Author questions

  1. You are a musician. What is your favorite song to play, and what is your favorite to listen to? 
  2. How does music play a part in your writing life?
  3. Is there a common theme you find evolving in the books you write?
  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 The Rhythm of Fractured Grace

When a new customer brings a badly damaged violin into Siobhan Walsh’s shop, it is exactly the sort of challenge she craves. The man who brought it in is not. He’s too close to the painful past that left her heart and her faith in shambles.

Matt Buchanan has had a rough start as the new worship pastor. A car accident on his way into town left him with a nearly totaled truck, and an heirloom violin in pieces. When he takes it to a repair shop, he’s fascinated with the restoration process–and with the edgy, closed-off woman doing the work.

As their friendship deepens and turns into more, they both discover secrets that force them to face past wounds. And the history of the violin reveals more about their current problems than they could have ever expected.

On the nineteenth-century frontier, a gruesome tomahawk attack wiped out most of Deborah Caldwell’s family. Her greatest solace after the tragedy is the music from her father’s prized violin. Given her horrendous scars, she’d resigned herself to a spinster’s life. But Levi Martinson’s gentle love starts to chip away at her hardened heart, until devastating details about the attack are revealed, putting their love–and Deborah’s shaky faith–to the ultimate test.

Full of forgiveness and the message that no one is too damaged for God’s healing touch, the final book in the split-time Sedgwick County Chronicles will thrill fans of Rachel Hauck, Lisa Wingate, and Kristy Cambron.

Book questions

  1. The blurb says “nineteenth-century frontier” so can you share a little more about the time and place where Deborah lives?
  2. Just from the tiny bit the blurb shares, I think I’m gonna love Levi Martinson, but could you give us a more thorough introduction to him?
  3. It looks like Siobhan and Deborah have some similar lies weighing them down. How do their stories complement each other, even more than a hundred years apart?
  4. What’s next for your writing? Kayleighani shi 

Connect with Amanda Wen: Newsletter, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and BookBub.

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A Bookchat about A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure with Angela Bell

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Angela Bell joins KyLee and Darcy for a chat about her favorite characters in historical fiction, her dream to be a prima ballerina, The Nutcracker, and her latest release A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventures. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! 

About the author

Angela Bell is a twenty-first-century lady with nineteenth-century sensibilities. She resides in Texas with her charming pup, Mr. Bingley Crosby. One might categorize her books as historical romance, but Angela likes to describe them as “a cuppa Victorian whimsy” because it sounds so much more poetical.

Whenever you need a respite from the modern-day hustle, you’re welcome to visit her parlor at AuthorAngelaBell.com, where she can be found waiting with a pot of tea and a great book.

Angela, welcome to the Historical Bookworm Show.

Some of you might not know, but even though this is Angela’s debut novel, she had been on the show before. That’s right. Angela is part of our Historical Bookworm Team, the only member who comes on the show to record her reviews!

Author questions

  1. Your bio describes you as a “twenty-first-century lady with nineteenth-century sensibilities.” Are there any traditionally historic practices or traditions that you enjoy on a regular basis?
  2. If you could step onto any book and visit with the characters for 30 minutes, which book and why?
  3. As a debut author, what advice can you give aspiring writers?
  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: A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure.

When Clara Marie Stanton’s ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it’s all Clara can do to protect them from his desperate schemes and society’s prejudice. Her family may be eccentric, yes, but they certainly aren’t insane. Then Clara’s Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing. 

Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond skilled in repairing clocks, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara’s dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer’s trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself–at any cost.

Book questions

  1. What drew you to write about Clara from The Nutcracker?
  2. When Drosselmeyer disappears, Clara must follow a scavenger hunt to find him. What inspired you to use a scavenger hunt?
  3. Theodore Kingsley is described as a vagabond, clock repairman who is running from a wealthy past. Can you tell us more about Theodore Kingsley?
  4. What’s next for your writing?

Connect with Angela Bell: Newsletter, Amazon, Pinterest, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, and Instagram.

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A Bookchat about Of Love and Treason with Jamie Ogle

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About the Author

Jamie Ogle is a predawn writer, homeschool mom by day, and a reader by night. Inspired by her fascination with the storied history of faith, she writes historical fiction infused with hope, adventure, and courageous rebels. A Minnesota native, she now lives in Iowa with her husband and their three children, and she can usually be found gardening, beekeeping, and tromping through the woods.

Author questions:

  1. How did you get into beekeeping, and what do you love about it?
  2. I love the tagline for your stories on your website – “Good rebels, deep faith.” Can you tell us about how (and why) the theme of rebels worked its way into your story signature?
  3. As a homeschool mom, how do you think being a writer affects your approach as a teacher?
  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: Of Love and Treason

Valentine defies the emperor and becomes a hero . . . and the most wanted man in the empire. Compelled by his faith, he has nothing to lose, until a chance encounter with the daughter of a Roman jailor changes everything. 

Rome, AD 270. In the wake of the emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety.

Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the mounting troubles at home. Her last hope rests in searching out Valentine and his church, but the danger of associating with people labeled a threat to the empire is great. Still, as Iris’s new friends lead her to faith in God, Iris is drawn to Valentine and they both begin to hope for a future together beyond the treacherous empire.

But when a past debt and a staggering betrayal collide, Valentine, Iris, and everyone they love must fight for their lives . . . and wrestle with trusting a God who can restore sight yet does not always keep His followers from peril.

Book Questions

Ancient Rome and the early Church–the perfect setup for dangerous adventure and deep themes. Also, we seem to have a well-known historical figure at the forefront.

  1. Did you learn anything surprising about St. Valentine as you were researching for this book?
  2. I love how there are some jailers with pretty interesting experiences in the New Testament, and you have a heroine who is the daughter of a Roman jailer. How does that shape Iris’ life?
  3. As you were researching ancient Rome for this book, did you run across any surprising facts?
  4. What’s next for your writing?

Connect with Jamie Ogle: Newsletter, BookBub, Amazon, Pinterest, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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2024, Here We Come

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Hello and welcome to another season of the Historical Bookworm Show. We are so blessed to be on the air, chatting with authors, and sharing such amazing historical books.

Current giveaways include:

We Three Kings: A Romance Christmas Collection– ends on January 8 

Until Then by Cindy and Erin Woodsmall – Jan. 14

Here is a transcript of when Darcy and I shared a little of our personal life.

KyLee: So, Darcy, hello. Can you share what is going on in your life?

Darcy: Well, to tell the truth, a lot of going to work has been going on in my life. But, something more festive—down here in St. Augustine, as I’ve mentioned before, we have the Nights of Lights from about the middle of November to the end of January.

So the whole historic district downtown is done up somewhere upward of 3 million lights and it’s beautiful, absolutely magical. The shop that I manage has been staying open later and all that good stuff. So, it’s been really fun to, you know, kind of be a part of this community endeavor, which is great for our city.

And also, it’s just so much fun to be part of people’s Christmas celebrations. So, I’ve actually really enjoyed that. It’s been great for my Christmas-loving heart, but next year I am looking forward to hopefully a trip to Guatemala for business. With the fair trade shop, the owner usually travels to a couple of countries a year, on buying trips, and I get to go this year. So, I’m super excited. I will come back all bubbly full of hopefully cool things to share with you guys.

Darcy: How about you, KyLee? What’s up these days?

KyLee: Well, my family and I are mostly settled here in Texas. We lived here from 2012 to 2016, so when my kids were much younger. And so, we were established in a really lovely church. We’ve returned, and it’s just like going home. If the doors are open, we are there.

When we lived in Oregon, it was such a struggle sometimes to get my kids to go to youth group. Here, not so. For example, they didn’t have youth last Wednesday night after Christmas. Seven o’clock rolls around and my son was like, “We’re gonna be late for church!” and I was like, “Honey, we’re not having church. You know, because the holidays.” and he was like, “Well who made up that rule?” LOL

KyLee: So, we are having a wonderful time being at church, and then also spending time with my husband’s family. My oldest was in second grade when we left Texas, and now she’s a sophomore. It’s amazing to see my children get reacquainted with their cousins.

We are also loving Waco! There are so many things to do. It’s just so beautiful. I work not far from Magnolia. We’ve gone to the Dr. Pepper Museum. And Baylor is just amazing! There’s so many things to see there. And so, yeah, it’s been great!

Bloopers

As we dive into this new season, we’re going to try to add bloopers every so often, because we have so much fun on this show. And there are so many random things that happen and we get a kick out of them. So, hopefully, we’ll be sharing a few of those things here and there.

Accomplishments/Data

Not sure why it says we’ve been at it since Dec. 2023. LOL. But, there are the stats. 🙂
  • Total downloads 13.2K
  • 87 total episodes

For more data on Historical Booworm, follow this link.

Support the show with a cup of coffee!

This is a completely independent podcast that supports our Christian Book Association by promoting historical authors. We do have a number of operating expenses that peek up, especially at the beginning of the year. KyLee and I make no profit whatsoever. We are happy to have this opportunity to bring you an inside look at the authors and their books.

 If you want to support the show with a one-time gift that costs as little as one cup of coffee, you can now do so. Just go to: BuyMeACoffee.com/HistoricalBookworm 

Themes for this year

“Dream: the 6 Stages of Faith” by Rick Warren

If you’re a believer, God will work throughout your life to grow your faith. In fact, there’s a six-phase process of faith—a dream, decision, delay, difficulty, dead end, and deliverance—that God will take you through again and again to develop your character and help you fulfill the dream he has given you. Find out more at PastorRick.com/series/created-to-dream/ 

Preview of next spring

Authors you can expect to hear on the show include: Laura Frantz, Jamie Olge, Sarah Sundin, Amanda Wen, and our very own Angela Bell. you have probably heard her lovely voice on the show. She writes for our review team! You will also hear from Tracie Peterson, Kimberley Woodhouse, Erin Bartels, Joanna Davidson Politano, and Jaynre Tromp.

Call to action: What questions might you want to ask our future guests? Connect with us at KyLee@Historicalbookworm.com 

A new year always brings unforeseen adventures, some lovely, some less so. Whatever your year brings, we pray you hold to hope in the hard spots and overflow with joy on the sunny days. And may your reading hour always be uninterrupted.

Connect with us

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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?

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