Sundays in Fredericksburg with 4 Guest Authors

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

EILEEN KEY retired after teaching school for thirty years. She is a freelance writer and editor. Her publications include stories in God Allows U-Turns, God's Way for Teachers, Our Fathers Who Art in Heaven, Soul Matters, Prayers for the Armed Forces, and numerous articles, devotionals and book reviews. Her first novel, Dog Gone, from Barbour Heartsong Presents, released in the fall of 2008. A Barbour novella, Door County Christmas, released in the fall of 2010. Mother of three, grandmother of three, Eileen resides in San Antonio, Texas, where she is an active member of Grace Community Church.

LYNETTE SOWELL is the author of over a dozen titles for Barbour Publishing, with one title winning the Carol Award and two others finaling. When Lynette’s not writing, she works as a medical editor and part-time newspaper reporter. Lynette lives on the doorstep of the Texas hill country with her husband and a herd of cats who have them well trained. You can keep up with Lynette at www.facebook.com/lynettesowellauthor, http://www.twitter.com/LynetteSowell, and http://www.pinterest.com/lynettesowell.

CONNIE STEVENS lives in north Georgia with her husband of thirty-nine years. She has been a member of ACFW since 2000 and had her first book published in 2010. She loves wandering through century-old cemeteries to find interesting names, and exploring antique shops and old houses for inspiration for her historical novels. She has been known to forget what time it is—or for that matter, what decade it is—when immersed in research. Visit Connie’s website at http://www.conniestevenswrites.com and look for her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/connie.stevens.378.


MARGIE VAWTER is a professional freelance editor who proofreads for CBA publishers, edits for individual clients, and writes. An avid reader, she also judges for several prestigious awards in the inspirational marketplace and serves as conference director’s assistant for the Colorado and Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conferences. Her first fiction, a novella in Sundays in Fredericksburg, released in April 2013. And she has two nonfiction books also releasing in 2013. She lives with her husband, Roger, and cat, Sinatra, in southwest Missouri

SUNDAYS IN FREDERICKSBURG
by Eileen Key, Lynette Sowell, Connie Stevens, and Margie Vawter
Published by Barbour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Come on down to Fredericksburg, Texas, where four generations of couples encounter romance in Sunday Houses. Having become a schoolteacher to avoid marriage, Amelia Bachman finds her resolve crumbling before a smitten carpenter. Determined not to fall in love, Mildred Zimmermann carefully nurses an army medic crippled in love and war. Somewhat of a homebody, Trudy Meier isn’t sure she has the courage to love a roving reporter. Gwendolyn’s beautiful wildflower field is threatened by a geologist’s search for knowledge. Will these four women risk their hearts for the love a stranger?

Readers, buy your copy of Sundays in Fredericksburg today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHORS

Eileen Key
A Change of Perspective

Writing is a solitary journey, and sometimes we writers are asked to move from behind our computer screens and step out of our comfort zones. I find myself quaking in my boots when asked to speak to a group about me, myself and I. Yes, I’m proud of my work; yes, I can tell you how a book is published. But golly gee, talk about me? Hard to do.

Yet as I left a speaking engagement recently, I realized I was using the power of my testimony to brag on what the Lord has done in my life. I’m constantly amazed at His good and wonderful gifts. Telling others how He has led me on this writing journey only enforces the scripture in Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

I am delighted to be a daughter of the King and I am blessed to be a part of our writer’s community. American Christian Fiction Writers has been a wonderful gift to me—given directly from His hand. Acquiring my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray, was a gift to me—given directly from His hand. All of my sales are gifts—given directly from His hand.

When I focus on His hand reaching out to give me gifts, suddenly I’m eager to be “outta da box” and in front of others to tell them of His wonderful goodness. It’s the change of perspective which has helped me overcome my fear. Jesus is the tale not me.

Reader Question: What wonderful gifts has the Lord given you?

Lynette Sowell
Sunday Houses

During the summer of 2010, I didn't want to go to Fredericksburg, Texas. Not at first. My plan for an ideal summer vacation was renting our favorite condo for three nights at the Texas Gulf Coast, where we could walk the beach, browse the shops in town and watch the sunset from under the palm trees. Not visiting the small town with German roots in the Texas Hill Country.

My husband and I decided to take a stay-cation that year instead, and planned a few day trips within two hours or so of home. We chose Fredericksburg for one of our destinations, mostly because we'd never been there and had always heard of its charm.

The hot July Texas sun beat down on us as we walked Main Street and wandered through shops, enjoying the air conditioning, la delicious lunch, and rounded out the afternoon with ice cream sundaes. We'd noticed the town was steeped in history, including the Admiral Nimitz Museum and the Museum of the Pacific War. The idea of a Pacific War museum almost smack-dab in the center of Texas didn't make sense to me until later and I'd grown to know Fredericksburg and its history better.

Sweating, but happy and full of ice cream, we paused at the windows of a realty office on the way back to our truck. "Stay in one of our Sunday houses during your next visit to Fredericksburg," a sign proclaimed. I went inside and got a brochure.

Sunday houses? What in the world are Sunday houses?

My husband is accustomed to life with a writer. Anything, anyone, anywhere, any time can end up as fodder for a story idea. The idea of the Sunday houses followed me home and wouldn't leave.

I'd written a book set in Texas before, Riverwalk Christmas, and one of my dear writer friends, Eileen Key, had told me, "If you ever come up with another Texas idea, let me know."

Then in late 2010, Barbour opened up submissions for novella collections and I told Eileen about my idea. She rounded up her posse, and the rest is what they call history.

Sometimes life disappoints us, even if it's something as simple as not being able to take the vacation you'd planned. In this case for me, this literal "re-routing" of my summer plans ended up taking me down a wonderful road.

Reader Question: Have you ever had a disappointment turn into a blessing?

Connie Stevens
Hope's Dwelling Place

Since this was my first novella, I depended on the members of our team with more experience. It didn’t take long, however, to be drawn into the excitement of brainstorming the four stories, especially since we decided to make this collection generational.

My story appears first in the collection, and it is set in 1897. My main characters are Amelia, the new schoolmarm, and Hank, the son of a local farmer who has no intention of following in his father’s footsteps.

When working out the details of this generational collection, the team had to frequently be in touch to exchange information regarding the names and ages of the characters and specific timelines. As a bit of different twist, I also have three orphaned children in my story—Hank’s young cousins, who not only play a major role in my story, but also add to the next generation. Margie Vawter’s story is set twenty years after mine, at the end of World War I, and one of her main characters is the daughter of my characters. Fast forward another generation to Lynette Sowell’s story, set during World War II. One of her main characters is the son of one of the orphaned cousins from my story. Eileen Key wrote the final segment in the collection, and her story is set in current day. I was intrigued to read and critique her manuscript with her heroine as the great granddaughter of my characters.

In addition to keeping the family tree straight over four generations, there are some unique common threads that connect the four stories as well, besides the Sunday houses. A gazebo built by Hank, and a field of wildflowers sown by Amelia appear over the generations, and the team had to make sure we remained consistent in the location of landmarks. Even though the gazebo falls into disrepair and eventually crumbles away over the many decades, its foundation remains—much like the foundation of our faith.

Additionally, the foundation of friendship between four authors was bonded and strengthened as the team put their heads together during the writing of this collection. It was sad to say goodbye to our characters when we finished the editing process, but our friendship remains with each other—probably the sweetest thing about writing a novella collection with three other authors.

Reader Question: Have you ever collaborated on a project with other people? What kind of friendship bonds were created by working together?

Margie Vawter
The Writer and Research

Research is probably one of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction. I’m one of those people who didn’t mind learning dates, etc., in history class in either high school or college. In fact, I minored in history, where in addition to two-semester courses in American and English history, I also studied world history.

The hard part for me is narrowing down a time period to write about. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been drawn to English history. Maybe because there’s so much more of it than there is in America. And maybe because my paternal great-great-grandparents didn’t immigrate to the States until the 1870s and my maternal grandfather not until the mid–1910s.

For A Shelter from the Storm, I drew from family history for the time period and story spark. A story that has always fascinated me was that of my maternal grandmother’s first marriage, which lasted less than a year as her husband Harold contracted the Spanish influenza and died. She didn’t marry my grandfather, Nelson, until several years later. But the spark for the story came from Harold’s death. While I used their first names, nothing else in A Shelter from the Storm parallels my grandparents’ love story.

One very interesting tidbit of information that sealed the story for me came about as I was researching World War 1 nurses. I had already decided on Winters for Nelson’s last name. I came across a 2007 obituary in The Boston Globe about a woman who was influential in getting nurses into active duty with the navy during World War I. Her name was Charlotte Winters. (You can read about it here: http://bo.st/XcQwmD) Chills went down my spine. I had inadvertently picked the perfect last name for Nelson. She became Nelson’s sister-in-law, though she’s not an active character in my story.

This is one reason why I love research.

Reader Question: What time period and/or country in history interests you most?

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Thank you, Connie, Eileen, Lynette, and Marjorie for sharing with us today.

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name [at] domainname [dot] com) along with your answer to any one of the reader questions above for your chance to win either a free autographed copy of the book featured above or a McGuffey's Reader. There will be at least TWO winners, perhaps more if the authors decide to choose more than one. If you do not answer a question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the drawing is open to contiguous US residents for the physical products (books) and international or Alaska/Hawaii residents for an eBook copy.

Spotlight on Darlene Franklin, Tamela Hancock Murray, and Lynette Sowell and Seaside Romance

Don't forget the rules of the spotlights here. Answer the random question associated with this spotlight in the comments in order to be entered in the drawing.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

DARLENE FRANKLIN, an award-winning author and speaker, recently returned to cowboy country—Oklahoma—to be near family. She recently signed the contract for her twelth book. This fall she is celebrating her third novella anthology, Face of Mary in A Woodland Christmas. Visit Darlene’s blogs at http://darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com for monthly book giveaways (books by Darlene as well as others) and http://thebookdoctorbd.blogspot.com for helpful hints for writers.

LYNETTE SOWELL works as a medical transcriptionist for a large HMO. But that's her day job. In her "spare" time, she loves to spin adventures for the characters who emerge from story ideas in her head. She hopes to spread the truth of God's love and person while taking readers on an entertaining journey. Lynette is a Massachusetts transplant, who makes her home in central Texas with her husband, and five cats who have their humans well-trained. She loves to read, travel, and spend time with her family. You can learn more about Lynette at lynettesowell.com and can find her on Facebook.

TAMELA HANCOCK MURRAY seeks to provide other Christians with edifying, entertaining works. She is grateful to Christian publishers for the opportunity to share unabashedly the saving faith of Jesus Christ. This award-winning, bestselling author of contemporary and historical novels is published by Heartsong Presents and Barbour Publishing. As an agent, Tamela represents authors for the Hartline Literary Agency.

SEASIDE ROMANCE
by Darlene Franklin, Tamela Hancock Murray, and Lynette Sowell
Published by Barbour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rhode Island of Yesteryear is Charmed by Love

Coastal Communities of old experience a test of faith when three women face fear, jealousy, and scorn as they ride the tide of romance.

Judith Morrison lives at the lighthouse her father operates on Capernaum Island. When her friend Sam Hathaway returns, will his fears of the sea keep him from reaching her in a storm?

Becca Hanham’s first day on the job as a scullery maid in Providence ends with a marriage proposal from Nash Abercrombie, a business tycoon. Is this the answer to her dreams or a preposterous scheme?

Francesca Wallingford is being pressure to enter a marriage with Count Philippe de la Croix. When Alfred Finley returns to the Newport society that once scorned him, could her choices become any more unclear?

Can true love be found even when the obstacles seem as wide as the ocean? Will God answer their prayers to bridge the gap?

Readers, buy your copy of Seaside Romance today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. This is a 3-in-1 repack of your story with 2 other authors. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Darlene: Reading about the Great Gale of 1815. When I learned that the hurricane destroyed a lighthouse, I imagined someone keeping the light burning during the storm—and Beacon of Love was born.

Lynette: I have always been fascinated by the mansions of Newport, built by the barons of industry like Vanderbilt, Astor, and others. This was something our country had never seen before at the end of the 19th century, and the lifestyle these people lived is now rivaled by few. This brought my heroine onto stage: What if a young woman found herself in such a home? What if she had to choose between love and duty to her family?

Tamela: I love Cinderella stories, and Becca's journey from an impoverished match girl to the mistress of the manor was one of my favorite stories to write. Reader response to this story has been positive and uplifting -- a blessing to me.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

Darlene: A little bit of me sneaks into all of my characters, I suspect, but none of them are autobiographical. They all have their unique careers. None of my characters is an office worker in a 9-5 job, and that’s what I did for the majority of my away-from-home career!

Lynette: I think all of us have been in seemingly impossible situations. My hero finds "dirt" on someone in the book, and as an honorable man, he knows he can't make himself look better by exposing someone else's secret. I've also felt "trapped" as my heroine does at one point in the book. At times like that, I've had to choose like her, that sometimes God's intervention via other people will be the only way out of the situation. My hero's mother really surprised me. She became quite the character and is not like me at all. But her dramatic antics were fun to write about.

Tamela: My husband is a kind and generous person, much like my hero in the story. While I've never been impoverished, my life's journey has taken me from growing up in a small farming community to living a much different life in the city. However, as an only child, I had to tap into my imagination to write about a family blessed by a new baby every year. My father is very unlike Becca's harsh father, I'm happy to say. Daddy is a Southern gentleman.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Darlene: Sam, my hero, might be pistachio—green because he’s afraid of the sea. Is there an ice cream made from burnt sugar? That would be Judith, my heroine, who can’t cook.

Lynette: My heroine would be cherry chocolate chip; creamy vanilla ice cream, with chunks of cherry and chocolate. Not an expected combination and a bit more fancy than the average ice cream.

Tamela: Nash would be smooth and creamy French vanilla -- sophisticated and honest. Becca would be fat-free vanilla in the beginning, but by the end, would be covered in rich, full-bodied butterscotch sauce, symbolizing the change in her outward appearance to reflect her new life.

4. Are there any themes in Seaside Romance that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Darlene: In Beacon of Love, Sam battles his fear of the ocean in the scariest of circumstances. He learns to trust God and displays courage beyond what he is humanly capable of. As I wrote the story, I discovered that Judith wanted to be as certain of God’s calling on her life as Sam was.

Lynette: Personal possessions and wealth can change a person, but often they magnify the sort of person we are to begin with. Another theme that emerged was the importance of doing the right thing, even when it hurts, and God will honor us in due time.

Tamela: As a teenager, Nash displayed immense kindness to a little girl with no power or even importance to him. Years later, God rewarded his kindness. I hope readers will be inspired to a great degree of kindness in their everyday lives as a result of this book.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Darlene: I generally struggle with beginnings, although Sam’s dream about the storm that killed his father brought this story to life. I found a delightful book on colonial cooking that I used to describe Judith’s perils in the kitchen.

Lynette: The most difficult part ended up being my favorite. I'd originally cast the hero's mother as a weak sickly woman who desperately needed to be near the ocean for fresh air. When she showed up on the scene, she came in as a very bold and quite healthy woman who, um, tended to be a tad dramatic about her maladies. Of course I enjoyed writing the parts with Francesca and Alfred, realizing their love for each other and facing the very real obstacles that kept them apart.

Tamela: The most difficult part for me was writing about the kidnappers and Nash's unpleasant fiancee. I have a much greater sense of peace and wonder when I write about kindness. However, for a good story, everyone can't be too pleasant all the time or there wouldn't be much of a story!

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

Darlene: Next month, A Woodland Christmas comes out. My story, Face of Mary, is one of the novellas. Joey Carpenter once told Polly Jessup that he would marry her in jest. But when he returns from law school, he’s courting the banker’s daughter instead. He has to search his heart for the woman who reflects the character of the mother of our Lord as he paints the Face of Mary.

Lynette: My next book releases in September, a novella in the anthology A Riverwalk Christmas. My heroine is a chef in her family's Mexican restaurant on San Antonio's famous Riverwalk. She has her hands full with her family and a certain guy who comes back into her life, right at Christmas time.

Tamela: I'm so busy with Hartline Literary Agency that I've had to give up most of my writing. However, I do love being a literary agent!

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Thank you, Darlene, Lynette, and Tamela for being in the spotlight with us.

NEW!! Readers, answer the question associated with the spotlight in the comments, then leave your email address for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Seaside Romance. If you do not answer the question, you will not be entered.

Question: When you hear "Rhode Island", what comes to mind? Have you ever been to Rhode Island yourself? If you have, tell us about it.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Spotlight on Lynette Sowell and The Wiles of Watermelon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LYNETTE SOWELL loves to spin adventures for the characters who emerge from story ideas in her head. She desires to take readers on an entertaining journey and hopes they catch a glimpse of God's truth along the way. Lynette is a Massachusetts transplant who lives in central Texas with her husband, two kids by love and marriage (what's a step-kid?), and five cats who have their humans well-trained. She loves to read, travel, spend time with her family, and also tries not to kill her houseplants, although her tropical hibiscus contemplated pressing charges after last winter. You can visit her at her web site by clicking on her name above or her blog by clicking here.

THE WILES OF WATERMELON
by Lynette Sowell
Published by Heartsong Presents Mysteries

ABOUT THE BOOK

After the most rain Greenburg, Tennessee has seen in years, Andi and Ben Hartley's watermelon patch yields more than watermelons when Andi's kitten discovers human remains in the field. Then Honey Haggerty, the fiery and notorious owner of Greenburg's yummiest down-home eatery, is found murdered. Fingers point at Ben and a lineup of other suspects. The more Andi discovers, the more she believes the two deaths are related. She races to find a killer--or is it killers?--before it's too late.

Buy Your Copy of The Wiles of Watermelon Today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

When I heard Barbour was planning a cozy mystery book club, I knew I had to find a unique profession for my heroine. Salado, Texas is a cozy little town north of Austin, and one of my favorite shops there is a homemade soap store. We go there a couple times a year and stock up on facial scrubs, bath salts, glycerin soaps, etc. Smells amazing! So I thought that was a unique job for my heroine. The series really sprang from my heroine and her life in her small Tennessee town.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that are theirs and theirs alone?

I know authors draw on their own experiences many times when they shape their characters. Andi's struggle with fear is one I share, and I think many of us do. As believers, we know we have The Answer. But some lessons take a while to learn.

Also, I could never imagine NOT wanting a child for the reasons Andi did. And she's a pretty bad pet mom, although she finally gets the hang of it. Around here, our kitties are like family. So that's where we differ.

3. If one of your characters were an ice cream flavor, what he/she be and why?

Chocolate fudge brownie. She loves comfort food.

4. What themes exist in The Wiles of Watermelon that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

The verse about the love of money being the root of all kinds of evil is my theme verse for this story. Sad, sad things happen because of people thinking money answers their problems. Having it, and not having it can cause plenty of heartache. It can destroy relationships and fracture families.

One theme that reemerged from the first book and carried into this book was Andi battling fear again. I knew she had fears, but why? Well, Andi wants a baby, but the thought of that child having the potential to stray and break their hearts just terrifies her. She's seen it happen in her family already. So she's avoiding that conversation with her husband, who's getting ready to hit the big 4-0 in a couple of years.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

In one scene, Andi has a dream about what happened the night her aunt died. That was difficult to write, because we lost my brother-in-law to cancer last fall when I was writing this book. I thought of the real-life choices he made that made him spiral downward, just like Andi's aunt did.

Another scene that I enjoyed writing, but still felt bittersweet, was when Andi realizes who killed her aunt, and the chase that ensues. She confronts this person face-to-face before they, well, I can't spill the beans on what happens at the end of that scene (grin). But she looks on this person with compassion and she knows they're not a monster but someone who also made some really bad choices--all for money, and some for love.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

My next book is The Perils of Peaches, book 3 in the Scents of Murder series. It releases in spring 2009 and it's the final book in Andi's story and the last time we visit Greenburg, Tennessee.

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Thank you, Lynette, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of The Wiles of a Watermelon.

If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post. Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). Wouldn't want you to miss out on winning a book. :)

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when I announce the winner.

This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.

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Spotlight on A Big Apple Christmas anthology

Today, I have the privilege of featuring not one but FOUR authors.

So... what do a Canadian, a Yankee transplant from Texas, a New Jersey lady, and a Latina from Manhattan have in common? A BIG APPLE CHRISTMAS. As we get into the Christmas season, may this book help encourage the festive thoughts. Enjoy!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Vasthi is a native New Yorker. she resides in the Washington Heights/Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan with her husband and two teenaged children. She is excited about writing stories that bring a message of hope through Latino characters.She wants readers to find themselves reflected in her work and to learn about her heritage and her hope, God. She wrote "Gifts from the Magi" in this anthology.

Gail is the author of over 30 books and, when she's not busy writing or doing Mom's taxi, is active in her church where she plays bass guitar (loud) for her worship team. Outside of church, she plays in a local Jazz band, and that's loud too. Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver, BC, where you don't have to shovel rain, with her husband, 3 sons, 2 dogs, and a lazy lizard named Draco, who is quite cuddly for a reptile.

Lynette works full-time as a medical transcriptionist for a large HMO. But that's just her day job. In her spare time, she loves to spin adventures for the characters who emerge from story ideas in her head. She hopes to spread the truth of God's love and person while taking readers on an entertaining journey. She's part of the on-line blog team at Keep Me In Suspense, and is a past Secretary of American Christian Fiction Writers. Lynette is a Massachusetts transplant, who makes her home in Texas with her husband, two kids by love and marriage (what's a step-kid?), and five cats who have their humans well-trained.

Carrie and her husband Scott have been married for thirty years and live in beautiful Central New Jersey. They have five grown children and two grandchildren. When she is not writing Carrie enjoys working in her flower gardens, cooking for friends, spending time with her family, and walking around the lake near her home. She also teaches women's Bible studies and has spoken for women's events. Carrie is an award-winning author of several novels and novellas.

A BIG APPLE CHRISTMAS
By Vasthi Reyes Acosta, Gail Sattler, Lynette Sowell, Carrie Turansky
BUY YOUR COPY TODAY

Video Link for the book
Boook Web Site

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

1. A Christmas-themed anthology set in New York City. Just in time for some enjoyable Christmas reading. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Vasthi - Growing up in New York City, as a small Puerto Rican girl, I loved the fact that Christmas didn't end on Christmas Day. I still had El Dia de los Tres Reyes (Epiphany or Three Kings Day) to look forward to. We received gifts on that day too. The night before epiphany, tradition dictates that water and grass be left out to assist the wise men along their journeys to Bethlehem, to worship the new born King. In return the three Kings left a small gift. Curiously, I never worried about how they reached a fifth floor apartment. Santa Claus made it up there, why couldn't they?

Gail - As soon we began to talk about the theme of New York City, I immediately thought about what it was like to be shopping in New York, the busiest city in the world, during the busiest shopping time of the year, and imagined what it would be like to be lost in the crowd, and my story just happened.

Lynette - I think New York is a special place at Christmas time, and I'd always wanted to write a Christmas novella. Then one November, I saw a news clip of how the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is selected. Enter my widowed heroine and her scheming children who surprise her with a trip to see her tree in Rockefeller Center.

Carrie - Lynette approached me with the idea of joining her to write a Christmas anthology after she saw a news story about how they select the Christmas tree for the Rockefeller Center. We know there is a very magical feeling you experience in New York City at Christmas time, and we thought our readers would enjoy stories set there.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced the characters in your story? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

Vasthi - Most of the traits are each character's own. The only similarity to me is that like Cecilia, the heroine, I was a graduate student at Columbia University and I lived in Washington Heights.

Gail - I love to get lost in the wonder of the sights and sounds of a place in which I don't live. I love being a tourist! I also love the techie toys that both my hero and heroine love. the traits that are theirs alone are how they chose to deal with finding themselves alone in a crowd during the most joyous time of the year.

Lynette - Like my heroine Gwynn, I have an art degree and I love to paint...but I haven't done it in years. I'm thinking of picking up my brushes again. When in college, like Gwynn, I went to New York but it was only for day trips. I went to most of the locations that my couple does in the story. I think Gwynn is a lot more nurturing than I am, but she's older than I am, and she's a widow at the beginning of the story, so I drew on others' experiences for that aspect of her character.

Like Theophilus Stellakis, I can get impatient with people. After a hard day, it's tempting to become a hermit. But like him, I know that the Lord uses people to work in our lives. We do need people. Unlike Theo, I am NOT an expert in Chemistry and got a C+ in the class in high school. No way did I take it in college, either. Blah!

Carrie - The heroine is a professional organizer who thinks she can maintain control of her life by organizing everyone and everything. I tend to be like that at times, and I've had to learn to relax, let it go, and enjoy my home and family. And since I homeschooled my five kids, it was either learn to relax and allow a little chaos or go crazy. So I am glad to say I have mellowed out over the years.

My hero is a successful children's poet who I modeled after Shel Silverstein. Our family loved reading his poetry as the kids were growing up. I imagined that a poet would have to be a very creative person who even woke up in the middle of the night with ideas that had to be written down. Of course his spontaneous, creative personality is a direct opposite to the heroine's, so I thought that would be a fun contrast.

3. What themes exist in A Big Apple Christmas that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Vasthi (Gift of the Magi) - The idea that one must trust in God for everything and not rely on your own strength or wisdom.

Gail - I hope the reader sees that God wants us to have the desires of our hearts, but they often don't happen the way we want them to, or the way we envision they will happen. I did have the theme in the background that even though the story was about shopping, both the hero and heroine hated shopping at the beginning of the story, but by the end, they couldn't do enough shopping, but only when they were together. The theme would be that having an open heart can change our outlook.

Lynette - This story is mostly about Gwynn's journey, and as I started it, I realized it didn't seem like she had any "issues" in her life. Isn't it tempting sometimes as a writer to go easy on our characters? But then her plans went awry and even her life at home started to change while she was in New York. She tore her focus from herself and determined to find a way to make Christmas special for the Stellakis family, a father and daughter living separate lives under the same roof.

Another theme that surprised me is the fact that God delights in us, and there are times He enjoys showing us how much He cherishes us. Gwynn wasn't needy in the sense that she "needed" someone to love again. Both she and Theo had loved and lost, and had full lives. But part of them did, very much, want someone to love again. So those aspects were fun to discover.

Carrie (Moonlight & Mistletoe) - Sarah realizes that behind her desire to control everything are fears she needs to resolve. Learning to live by faith and trusting God to guide and protect is an important lesson for Sarah and a meaningful theme. The importance of honesty in relationships is another theme that grew as the story progressed.

4. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Vasthi - The most difficult parts to write were the romance scenes because I wanted them to feel real and not forced. My favorite scenes to write were the ones that involved Cecilia's crazy family.

Gail - I don't think I had a difficult part in this story. It was fun, and I enjoyed putting it together. My favorite would be in the subway, when Emily takes Bryan's picture when he doesn't expect it. I, too, am dangerous with a camera.

Lynette - Oh, ENDING the story was difficult. I fell in love with these characters and wanted to keep their story going. But the important thing to remember about a novella is that it's a tiny slice of a character's life, just a part of their bigger story to be told. My favorite part was the scene when Gwynn dragged Theo shopping on Canal Street and in Chinatown. Probably because I've done that myself! :)

Carrie - I think the most challenging part of the story to write was the ending. You want to tie all the threads together and be sure it is emotionally satisfying and leaves a lasting impression. My favorite parts to write are the funny scenes where the hero and heroine are wondering what the other is thinking. I like including some subtle humor in my stories.

5. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

Vasthi - My next book is a contemporary adaptation of the story of Ruth with Latino characters. I have three editors interested and I'm in the process of preparing the proposal.

Gail - My next book is actually already out right now. It's another novella anthology called Race to The Altar, and it's theme is love at NASCAR events.

Lynette - My next release is in March 2008 through Heartsong Presents: Mysteries. A Suspicion of Strawberries is my first novel, and it's a cozy mystery. My heroine runs a soap shop in a small Tennessee River town, and a bride-to-be dies my heroine’s store. Right now I'm working on book two which releases in fall 2008.

Carrie - I just sent a completed manuscript in to my editor at Steeple Hill. The working title is Surrendered Hearts. It is a sequel to my first Love Inspired novel Along Came Love. Here is the one sentence description: Scarred by an explosion and fire, a young actress seeks refuge in Vermont where she learns faith can overcome her fear and make her truly beautiful in God's eyes and in the eyes of the man she loves.

Thanks so much for doing this. God bless.

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Thank you, Vasthi, Gail, Lynette and Carrie, for being in the spotlight. Readers, leave a comment for your chance to be entered in the drawing for a FREE, autographed book. If you don't wish to be entered, but still wish to comment, say so when you post. This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.