Welcome to my new release – The Belle of the Congaree, one of seven
novellas in The Southern Belle Brides Collection
where seven sweet and sassy ladies of yesterday experience romance in the
southern states.
I chose to set my novella in the post-Civil War Reconstruction period in South Carolina. At times I feel we are still
reconstructing this land, some 150 years later. Brother is still pitted against brother
for rights they wish to protect. We fight the same war, never content, always trying
to outwit the other, never seeking true freedom and peace found in our Lord,
the Prince of Peace.
With this conflict that still
rages today, I set my novella in another war-torn period to show God’s hand in bringing
together opposing sides for goodwill and for peace. It is not through selfish means
but selfless ideals of helping each other that will win the day. Of understanding
and listening and offering assistance. Of loving our neighbor as ourselves, even
if they may be an enemy. (see Luke 10: 25-37 and the parable of the Good
Samaritan)
I hope you will celebrate the
idea of healing and a true Union of people and pick up a copy of The Southern Belle Brides Collection. Be
a part of knitting together a nation through God’s love and the love we should have
for our neighbor, no matter the color, nationality, or differences.
Novella Blurb:
In The Belle of the Congaree, Mason Bassinger reluctantly travels to
war-torn South Carolina, seeking lands his carpetbagger brother can buy. Elisa
Anderson barely survives after her family’s plantation is destroyed. She
welcomes visits by the handsome and wealthy Mason, who makes the cottage by the
Congaree feel like a home. But when Mason’s true purpose is revealed, will her
heart be broken by betrayal?
I had great fun and interest researching my latest novella "Love in the Crossfire" as part of the Second Chance Brides series. My travels in research brought me to Washington Crossing Park in upper Pennsylvania where Washington coordinated the Continental Army to cross the river on Christmas night, in freezing rain no less, in the hope of catching a Hessian garrison unaware. It was a daring move, and it paid off. My novella centers around this crucial moment in history, and I wanted a feel for the area and the river where this exciting event took place.
The river that Washington crossed on his way to Trenton, New Jersey
The historic park featured a museum, several outdoor exhibits including replicas of the boats used, and the house at McConkey's ferry where officers met to plan the crossing.
A modern day crossing via the bridge
Afterward, I took my own stroll over the bridge to New Jersey.
The visit helped me visualize the area and add better authenticity to my retelling of historic events in the novella.
Check out Lit Up where I talk about the importance of research in writing as well as my other adventures!
Day 4 with the talented Donita K. Paul and her all-week devotions on writing. The contest for three giveaways is still going on, too!
All this week, leave a comment and your e-mail address for a chance to win one of three great books by Donita! You may comment each day if you wish about the devotion, but your name goes in once.
A story is never done? That’s right. And this doesn’t include the forever polishing that some writers are prone to do. My editor has had to take the manuscript away from me. I can always think of one more thing to do. In fact, years after the book is published, I’ll think of something that would have made the story even cooler!
But when a book lands in the hands of a devoted reader, and if the author has done her job correctly, the reader finishes the story. How? The author describes a barn; the reader provides his image of the barn out of his own experience. The author depicts a character with a certain personality; the reader draws upon people he knows to flesh out the fictional person. Every reader adds to the substance of the tale. And each reader provides variables the author could never have projected.
If the author has created a fluid story, one that is worth investing time in, the reader will continue the development of plot, setting, character, and conflict. The books we, as readers, remember the best, the ones we treasure, contain stories we relate to, ones we actually “own.”
As a writer, it can sometimes take a long drawn-out night to see the dawn of an idea come to light. As what happened with an idea I had some ten years ago. Back then I was called to write an idea for a biographical series with another historian. Since I dealt in fiction writing, he would do the history, and I would write the storyline. One of the stories for this book was on the life of William Penn and the Quakers. It was contracted by a major publisher. The idea was hashed out and rewritten over and over. For two years I worked on it. The book was done. Then out of the blue the publisher decided they didn't want it anymore. The editor who originally contracted it left the fiction department. That was that. An orphaned book with nowhere to go.
Talk about major disillusionment. It took a while after that for me to pick up the pieces and write again. I really thought, why bother? All that research; all that work I did. Hours and hours, and for nothing, in my finite mind.
And so the book sat. I left it along with all my other hard work to lie in a computer file gathering whatever dust computers gather.
Fast forward to this past summer of 2010. I am on the Appalachian Trail hiking in New York (yes, hiking). I get a frantic cell call from my agent. My long time editor who I have worked with for nearly fifteen years needs a fourth author for a novella collection. She thought of me and wondered if I could come up with an idea.
What is the collection? A Quaker Christmas.
Wow!
After so many years, I could use the research I once did and put some of it into this tiny story. No, it doesn't compare to the work I originally did. But I was still able to bring out a bit of William Penn's life and compare it to the life of my hero. Most importantly, God did not forget all that work. That when we are faithful to sow, He will cause it to grow if we are patient. Granted I didn't think it would take 10 years. But to God, its just a day.
So if you are waiting for your seeds, be patient. In God's timing, they will grow. And usually when you least expect it.
This month, Blissful Writing Thoughts is pleased to welcome veteran Darlene Franklin on writing from historical events.
Writing from Historical Events
In one way, writing historical fiction is easy: Find an interesting event and write a story about that event (or inspired by it).
I’m not talking about the “big” events, like the Civil War. I’m talking about a specific event, like the northernmost battle of that war, St. Alban’s Raid. A group of confederates stole into Vermont from Canada, claimed the town of St. Alban’s for the Confederacy, robbed a bank—and were run out of town, right back to Canada.My current work-in-progress is about a copycat bank robbery in the fictional town of Maple Notch.
So far all the historical books save one I've sold were inspired by actual events or people. I have yet to sell a story where I think of a story then look for a place and time to match it.
Unsold?
A Dr.-Quinn type story of an Eastern girl who goes to medical school (Colorado, 1876)
An asthmatic stage coach owner and a reclusive ranch owner (Texas, 1891)
A crusading
preacher who falls in love with the daughter of the prostitute he’s trying to run out of town (Colorado, 1894)
Among others
Sold?
A story inspired by the worst blizzard in Colorado history (1913): Snowbound Colorado Christmas. (Colorado, 1913)
A story inspired by Vermont folk tale hero Ann Story, a patriot who lived in a cave during the Revolutio
nary War: Prodigal Patriot. (Vermont, 1777)
A story inspired by the town history of Egypt, Vermont: Bridge to Love (Vermont, 1816-1817)
Among others
The same event—the infamous Year of No Summer that struck the Northeast in 1816, when snow fell at least once every month during the year—has inspired three different stories for me.In addition to Beacon of Love (Barbour, 2009—repackaged this summer in Seaside Romance) and Bridge to Love (November, 2010, Barbour), an editor has requested a manuscript based on the exodus of Mainers to Ohio during 1816.
My search for story “sparks” is usually intentional. I usually have a geographical region in mind, as well as a general time period. I look at state time lines, town histories, and other websites until I find a fact that makes me say “aha!”Sometimes I can claim serendipity. A visit to the ColoradoHistoryMuseum added elephants to my Snowbound book. A trip through Oklahoma for my cozy mysteries introduced me to Pawnee Bill’s wife—the inspiration for Lucy Ames in Wild West Christmas. Fun and colorful facts and characters crowd history. Join me on the treasure hunt!
Book giveaway:Please leave a comment any time between now and the end of June to win a copy of Prodigal Patriot. Also check out my blog for additional opportunities to win one of my books and titles from other amazing authors!
Prodigal Patriot may be purchased online at Barbourbooks.com and amazon.com.
Sally Reid’s family decides on a dangerous course when the Tories of Maple Notch, Vermont, chase Patriot families off their land. They live in a cave and farm their land by moonlight.
When Josiah Tuttle discovers their secret and offers to help, Sally doesn’t know if she can trust him. After all, Josiah’s father is one of the Tories who forced her family into hiding.
The Tuttles have already lost one son to the hated Patriot cause. How can Josiah both honor his grieving father and protect the woman he loves? When called upon to take a stand, which side will he choose? How can Sally and Josiah battle through the barriers separating them to love and forgiveness?
Now that it's nearing the Memorial Day holiday and the "official" kick-off to the summer, I want to encourage readers to come check out my books available on my web site and at other outlets online (such as Amazon, Christianbook.com, Barnes and Noble, etc). I also have several out-of-print books offered on my web site until June 10th. So stop by and check out some great reading opportunities for those relaxing summer vacations!
And news for today! - My book, Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire" is
now available in hardcover at Crossings Book Club! Discover it here.
Blissful Writing Thoughts is pleased to welcome gifted novelist Lena Nelson Dooley on having a teachable spirit and to introduce her latest release from the Love Finds You series!
An Author Needs a Teachable Spirit
A teachable spirit is a major key to success in all areas of your life–family, work, any kind of relationship. You obtain wisdom when you become teachable. Giftedness is a dime a dozen, teachableness is a great treasure.
All through the book of Proverbs, we are admonished to learn. We can’t do that if we don’t have a teachable spirit. Pride, independence or rebellion, and insecurity lead to an unteachable spirit.
When we have a teachable spirit, we graciously accept correction. We seek wise counsel. We submit to authority and stay accountable. How does this apply to our writing lives?
Seeking wise counsel from the right people will help us grow in our craft. Critique partners can be a major asset as we grow. Use critique partners who understand the call of God on your life. They need to be honest in their assessment of what you wrote. Not someone who will flatter and not someone who will tear you down. Always filter what you’re told through the Lord. Just because you listen to the partner doesn’t mean you must accept every single thing they say. That person might not understand what you’re trying to say or might not recognize your voice or the voice of your character. You need balance. But always be open to learning from every critique partner God brings into your life.
Others who will be wise counselors in your life are editors. Those you’re trying to sell to as well as those who have bought your book.
Two things you need to understand about editors are: It is an editor’s job to make books better. And without authors, editors wouldn’t have a job. You should form a mutually beneficial working partnership. When that has happened in my life, my books have been better for the cooperation.
The key to your success as a writer is having a teachable spirit–but keep everything in perspective, in balance, and in Jesus.
Copyright 2010 – Lena Nelson Dooley
Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico
By Lena Nelson Dooley
ISBN: 978-1935416746
Summerside Press
Historical Romance
All that glitters is not gold.
It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah. Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden...and tarnish her reputation beyond redemption.
Endorsements and reviews:
"Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexicois a well-researched novel brimming with emotive conflict. Lena Nelson Dooley has crafted a historical romance that demonstrates that courage comes in many forms, but the courage to love is the most difficult of all." -- DiAnn Mills, author of Sworn to Protect and A Woman Called Sage
"Two strangers are presented with a 'golden' opportunity for love in this quintessential East meets West tale by well-loved author Lena Nelson Dooley. I found myself swept away by the beautiful writing and enmeshed in the lives of the players, who face many twists and turns in their journey toward the ultimate happily-ever-after.Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexicois truly one of the loveliest historical romances I've read in ages. Highly recommended." -- Janice Hanna Thompson, author of Love Me Tender and Swinging on a Star
Lena Nelson Dooley --president of DFW Ready Writers, the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers--is a multi-published, award-winning author who loves to mentor other authors. With her 25th book release, she has close to 650,000 books in print. Her next release, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, will be on sale May 1, 2010. Look for it bookstores everywhere.
Lena has spoken at conferences and writers’ meetings in four states. She also speaks at women's retreats and event of all kinds. She lives in Hurst, Texas with her husband of over 45 years.
Lena’s door and heart are always open to those God places in her path. She seriously considers her ministry as a mentor, prayer warrior, even a champion of the downtrodden, her life’s work.
I chose to set my novella in the post-Civil War Reconstruction period in South Carolina. At times I feel we are still
reconstructing this land, some 150 years later. Brother is still pitted against brother
for rights they wish to protect. We fight the same war, never content, always trying
to outwit the other, never seeking true freedom and peace found in our Lord,
the Prince of Peace. 
