Today we have the pleasure of sharing an episode from one of our favorite podcasts, the Lit Ladies Podcast. Here is more about their show:
We are three writers and moms exploring how to live out our faith in our literary lives. We span the country—from the coasts to the Midwest—and with different stages of life, careers, and favorite genres, we are sure to cover the literary landscape. In every episode, we’ll discuss books we love, reading life, and writing craft, using the Bible as our guide for beauty, goodness, and truth. New episodes drop every other Friday!
In this episode, KyLee and Darcy share a few holiday highlights, then KyLee sits down with author Julie Klassen to talk about research, faith, and her latest Regency release.
Key takeaways
Holiday traditions can be simple, and still feel special.
Teachers and read-aloud stories can shape a reader and a writer for life.
Julie Klassen weaves themes of grace, forgiveness, and second chances into her fiction.
Real places and local legends can add weight and texture to historical novels.
Today we are joined by two guests to chat about the latest book they have co-written, An Unexpected Grace Book 3 in the Jewels of Kalispell series. We’ve visited with both of them individually before, and we’re so excited to have them on together today.
Grace Hitchcock is the 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 near New Orleans on a hobby farm with her husband, Dakota, sons and daughter.
Welcome to the Historical Bookworm Show blog post, where we dive into the captivating interview with Mary Connealy, bestselling author known for her romantic comedies set in the wild west. In this post, we explore Mary’s latest release, “Whispers of Fortune,” the first book in her new series, Golden State Treasures. Join us as we unravel Mary’s creative process, inspirations, and what’s next in her literary journey.
Karen Witemeyer joins us for a chat about naming horses, writer quirks, fairytales, and her latest release Cloaked in Beauty. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this brilliant book!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master’s degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid- to late 1800s.
Mary Connealy joins us for a chat about her life living on a ranch, parenting daughters, humor in writing, and her latest release Into the Sunset. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
About the Author
Mary writes romantic comedies with cowboys and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.
Michelle Greip joins us for a chat about gardening under duress, being present for loved ones while maintaining a career, the history of Egyptology, and her latest release Of Gold and Shadows. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
About the Author
Michelle Griephas been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is a Christy Award-winning author of historical romances that both intrigue and evoke a smile. She’s an Anglophile at heart, and you’ll most often find her partaking of a proper cream tea while scheming up her next novel . . . but it’s probably easier to find her at MichelleGriep.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Last time we spoke, you were settling into the country life of gardening and chicken raising, including protecting them from an offending armadillo.
Did you ever have any luck with gardening and did the armadillo ever leave?
If you had a garden party full of fictional characters, who would you invite?
You are a busy lady with a professional author career and personal life–including twin grandchildren in memory serves me correctly.
How do you balance writing with being present for your loved ones?
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?
The shadows hold secrets darker than they ever imagined. . . .
In 1888 Victorian England, Ami Dalton navigates a clandestine dual life. By day, she strives to establish herself as a respected Egyptologist, overcoming the gender biases that permeate academia. But with a heart for saving black-market artifacts from falling into the wrong hands, she is most often disguised as her alter ego, the Shadow Broker.
After eight years in India, Oxford’s most eligible bachelor, Edmund Price, has come out of the shadows to run for Parliament and is in search of an Egyptologist to value a newly acquired collection. Expecting a renowned Oxford professor, Edmund instead finds himself entangled with Ami, the professor’s determined daughter. As they delve into the treasures, their connection deepens, but trouble emerges when a golden griffin–rumored to bear the curse of Amentuk–surfaces, and they’re left to wonder if the curse really is at play, or if something more nefarious is hiding among the shadows. . . .
So we have a heroine in Victorian England with a secret identity who is struggling to establish herself as an Egyptologist by day and preserving black market relics by night. In steps a handsome hero running for Parliament, and together they encounter a cruse, ruffians, and treasures. Sounds like a typical Michelle Griep book. 🙂
I’m intrigued by this Egyptologist angle. According to Britannica Encyclopedia, Egyptology is “the study of pharaonic Egypt, spanning the period c. 4500 bce to ce 641. Egyptology began … [with the scholars] accompanying Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of Egypt (1798–1801.) Fast forward nearly 100 years, and we have Ami and Edmond.
What kinds of things did they encounter in the book that are historically accurate to the time?
How did you balance the idea of a curse with a Biblical worldview?
Curses will be lifted –
What, of all the romantic couples you’ve written, make Edmund and Ami unique?
What’s next for your writing?
Listeners, Michell is offering a paperback copy of this novel, Of Gold and Shadows. 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.
Carrie Turansky joins us for a chat about traveling to England, writing split-time novels, how themes of one’s life often come through in one’s writing, and her latest release A Token of Love. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
J’nell Ciesielski joins us for a chat about traveling to Scotland, writers/books that inspire her, the elements of a beautiful romance, and her latest release The Winged Tiara, “a sparkling story filled with her signature snappy dialogue and vivid atmosphere that will keep you reading late into the night to see what happens next.” Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
