The Next Big Thing Blog Hop -- Interview with Andrea Boeshaar

Thanks so much to Wisconsin author Lily Silver who tagged me in 

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. 

I thought this might be fun so I agreed to participate. For this multi-author promotion, I've decided to give readers a sneak peek at my upcoming novel -- as well as my books already on store shelves and available as ebook downloads.

Here's the interview:

 What is the title of your next book?

         Threads of Love, which will be released in May 2013
                  (Isn't this cover GORGEOUS!?)

 Where did the idea come from for the book?

          This series is based on my Norwegian heritage and
          my family history (fictionalized!). Threads of Love
          is book 3 and the last novel in my Fabric of Time series.



       

 Books 1 and 2 are now available in both traditional print AND ebook formats. 

Threads of Hope (book 1) 

Threads of Faith (book 2)

What genre does your book fall under?

          Christian/Inspirational historical romance

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your latest series?

          Follow the journeys of first Kristin in 1848 (Threads of Hope), 

          then Julianna in 1877 (Threads of Faith), and finally Emily in 1902 (Threads of Love) 

          as these women weave a tapestry of love, honor, and family unity into life's Fabric of Time.

          Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

         It's published by Realms -- a division of Charisma Media and I can usually write a 75.000 
           word novel in 6 to 9 months time. That is, if life doesn't get in the way.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

My last series, Seasons of Redemption, was published by Realms/Charisma Media.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

For my Fabric of Time series, my Norwegian heritage inspired me. For my Seasons of Redemption series I was inspired to write stories set during and just after America's Civil War. I thank God Almighty for giving me the gift of writing. 

What else about your book might pique the reader interest?

My latest series, Fabric of Time, is primarily set in Wisconsin. My grandmother, an art and reading teacher in Tigerton, Wisconsin, painted a picture of Manitowoc's harbor. Many family members said the scene was "dark," and after my grandfather died, no one wanted it. But secretly I had always coveted the painting. It's no Monet, but my "Nana" painted it. It's hanging on the large wall in my stairwell and I treasure it.

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Now it's time to pass the baton to 2 additional author-friends so they can tell you about their amazing books. Their posts, which will have the same title as this one -- The Next Big Thing Blog Hop -- and will be live on their blogs soon, so please check them out! 

Loree Lough
Liz Tolsma

Also, check out the other authors I blog with on The Barn Door blog. And don't forget to peruse my personal blog on which I interview other authors of Christian and inspirational fiction. Everything Writerly.

IT'S HERE! Threads of Faith, book 2

It's always a thrill for me to receive my free books from my publisher, an indication that my novel will soon be released to bookstores. Yesterday was the official release date of my book, THREADS OF FAITH, book 2 in my series Fabric of Time.

Here's a blurb: 

Julianna Wayland is running for her life! She hides in a crate on London’s dock, only to be loaded onto a ship bound for America. During the voyage she meets Captain Daniel Sundberg, and by the time they reach New York’s harbor, she is certain she’s in love with him. The only problem is, Daniel has plans for himself—plans that don’t include her.

As Julianna struggles to find her place in a new world, will trouble from her past derail the life she is looking for?

What's fun about this historical romance set in 1878 is primarily twofold. First, Daniel, the hero, is the estranged son of Kristin and Sam, the characters in book 1, THREADS OF HOPE. Estranged? you ask. But why? Well, you'll have to read the book and find out.  

Secondly, I did gobs of research for this book on sea-faring ships that sailed from one country to another. I learned about the Black Ball Line, a fleet of ships that set records sailing from London to New York -- the fastest, I believe, being 15 or 16 days. I also researched Great Lake clippers and learned that clippers sailed both the oceans and on the Great Lakes. The Cutty Sark, for instance, was a clipper built for tea trade and sailing from China to London. On the Great Lakes, clippers were built much the same way as sea-going ships, but with smaller rudders so they could maneuver the shallower waters.

Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, WI

Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the city in which much of my story takes place, was known as "Clipper City" in the 1800s because of its highly-regarded ship manufacturers. I thank the volunteers at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum for helping me in my research. 

As for the story itself, there are a lot of twists and turns and more fun by the way of surprises -- and, of course, romance!

Here's what a few other best-selling authors said about it.

“Andrea Boeshaar gets to the heart of God’s healing grace in a way readers can carry into their own lives.” —Louise M. Gouge, award-winning author of The Gentleman Takes a Bride

“Andrea Boeshaar plucks the home strings with her newest historical romance. As a Wisconsin historian, I am well pleased with her efforts to make life at the dawn of our state authentic.”—Lisa Lickel, award-winning author of A Summer in Oakville

“Andrea Boeshaar’s story pulled me back into the middle 1800s. I didn’t want to put it down until the last page.” —Lena Nelson Dooley, author of Maggie’s Journey and the Will Rogers Medallion Award–winning Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico

“Andrea’s talent for weaving genuine characters, vivid descriptions, and a compelling story line together drew me into the story from the first page, and I felt Kristin and Sam’s heartaches and joy.”—Sally Laity, author of Remnant of Forgiveness, and co-author of Rose’s Pledge

“Andrea Boeshaar weaves timeless themes of honor, equality, and mercy in this tender love story.” —Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, author of The Genesis Trilogy

*     *     *

Additionally, I want to thank those authors who took the time to endorse my book. And a big "thank you" goes to the fiction team at Charisma Media/Realms as well as my editors Lori, Deb, and Debbie.

THREADS OF FAITH is an important and memorable book to me for many reasons and it's one of the best stories I've written to date. My hope is that readers will agree!

AND NOW FOR A BOOK GIVE-AWAY!

To be entered into a drawing in which you could win a free copy of THREADS OF FAITH, please leave a comment on this blog post. I'll pick one winner tomorrow!

Her Lilac Blouse Complimented Her Eyes --- MY FOOT!

Ah, the male mind. What woman can truly comprehend its complexity? As an author of romantic fiction, I certainly try – quite a feat, although having a husband and 3 sons helps.

Still, I don’t think like a guy. Case in point, I would have once described, in great length, a woman’s attire as she strode into a room at the very point when the handsome hero gets his first glimpse of her. In his viewpoint, I’d elaborate on details of each article of her clothing.

Well, I’ve since learned that if I’m writing the scene from a male’s point-of-view, he wouldn’t likely notice how her lilac-colored blouse complimented the hue of her violet-blue eyes.

Some men might, yes. But most men – particularly alpha heroes – probably would not.

To illustrate this point, I conducted my own personal survey. That’s right. I emailed my grown sons. I consider them “alpha” males, so I asked them if they’d noticed the clothing their significant others wore the first time they’d met (shirt, jeans, skirt, dress, etc). My sons’ replies were as follows:

“Mom, are you kidding me?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mom, is this for one of your books?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You don’t want to know what we noticed, Mom. We’re dudes, ok?”

~~~~~~~~~~

So much for the lilac-colored blouse complimenting her eyes.

Of course, I can recall the clothing my sons’ girlfriends wore when I first met them. One gal was in Army fatigues with her hair pulled back into a tight bun, as she and my son had just come from their weekend duty. Another was casual, wearing jeans and a tee shirt. Another had on a cute jumper and wore her hair all curled and femininely cute.

But, realize this: I was “the mom” checking these new girlfriends out – and I’m a writer who is trained to notice details.

The average guy is not.

But I went ahead with my survey anyway and asked the top alpha male in my household. My husband. He said that when we met he first noticed my blue eyes. Then he noticed that I had a pretty smile. (Aw…okay, he gets to eat supper tonight.)

My point is this: be true to your characters. If you’re in your male character’s POV, then think like a guy. And men, don’t snicker. You’ve got the same problems – women’s points of view. Sometimes I’ll pick up a book written by a male writer and find I just cannot get into the story because I can’t relate to the female character. She doesn’t think like I do – or any woman I know, for that matter. And I love it (NOT) when male writers assume that just because she’s a woman their female characters can have mood swings to fit the scenes and/or plotlines. No, male writers still need to do character charts and all their characters should have believable motivations. Not all women kill somebody simply because it’s that time of the month.

 

But never fear, all you bewildered bards, Gender Genie is here! That’s right. There is a website dedicated to help writers check their characters’ points of view. Simply copy and paste a scene into the Genie Gender and it’ll come back telling you whether its orientation is male or female.

Of course, Gender Genie is a computer-generated program so it doesn’t have the corner on character viewpoints. However, it is a tool. Authors are the ones who need to know and understand their characters’ thoughts and the motives behind their actions.

So now I’m curious what readers say. Has the viewpoint of the opposite sex in any book(s) you’ve read really bugged you because he or she just didn’t think like a guy or girl would – or should?  I’d love to hear from you.

Book Give-way Contest!

From now until Sunday I'm running a book give-away contest on my personal blog Everything Writerly. Below are the specifics.
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Announcing my first book give-away in conjunction with my brand new historical romance release, Threads of Hope. It's easy to enter, just leave me a comment below, completing the following sentences:

My favorite time of day to read a good book is ______________. The reason is__________________.

Fill in the blanks. You can enter as many times as you want to.

On Sunday afternoon, January 29th, I will randomly select TWO winners from the list of comments below. In addition to receiving a free copy of my book, Threads of Hope, winners will receive a special surprise gift, designed to enhance their reading experience.

So let me know about your reading habits and you could be the winner of a signed copy of Threads of Hope along with a surprise gift.       

Good luck, everyone!

BE SURE TO LEAVE ON COMMENT ON EVERYTHING WRITERLY. Comments left on this blog won't be entered into the drawing. 

What Makes the Perfect Christmas Gift?

Why, books do, of course!

I know I may be jumping the gun, so to speak. But I'll tell you why: I’m extremely excited about my new novel, Threads of Hope. It’s book 1 in my Fabric of Time series and it’ll be released next month. For a pre-celebration of my book, I’m giving readers a little taste of what they can expect.

First, just look what a few endorsers had to say about it.

Andrea Boeshaar plucks the home strings with her newest

historical romance. Not only does she tell a ripping good tale

about émigrés from Norway in early settlement times, she

also draws from her own family history. As a Wisconsin historian,

I am well pleased with her efforts to make life at the

dawn of our state authentic. A worthy addition to Ms. Boeshaar’s

delightful body of work.

—Lisa Lickel

Award-Winning Author of A Summer in Oakville

Andrea Boeshaar’s story pulled me back into the middle

1800s. Her knowledge of the history of the times and her

strong, three-dimensional characters kept me in the story.

The feuding reminded me of Romeo and Juliet, but with an

ending I liked much better. Human frailties were dealt with

head-on with wisdom winning in the end. An excellent read

that I didn’t want to put down until the last page.

—Lena Nelson Dooley

Author of Maggie’s Journey, Book One of the McKenna’s

Daughters Series, and the Will Rogers Medallion Award–

Winning Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico

Threads of Hope is a beautifully tender story of the way God

works in the lives of His own to teach lessons of forgiveness

and love. Andrea’s talent at weaving genuine characters,

vivid descriptions, and a compelling story line together drew

me into the story from the first page, and I felt Kristin’s and

Sam’s heartaches and joy. It touched my heart, and I highly

recommend this book.

—Sally Laity

Author of Remnant of Forgiveness

and Coauthor of Rose’s Pledge

And now I’d like to present a few sample pages of Threads of Hope.

Uncle Lars steered the wagon around a sharp bend in the

rutty road. He drove to the top of a small hill, and Kristin

could see the blue Lake Michigan to her left and farm fields to

her right.

Then a lovely white wood-framed house came into view. It

didn’t look all that different from the home they’d just past,

with dormers, a covered front porch, and stately pillars bearing

the load of a wide overhang. She marveled at the homestead’s

large, well-maintained barn and several outbuildings. American

homes looked like this? Then no wonder Mr. Olstad couldn’t

wait to own his own farm!

Up ahead Kristin spied a lone figure of a man. She could

just barely make out his faded blue cambric shirt, tan trousers,

and the hoe in his hands as he worked the edge of the field.

Closer still, she saw his light brown hair springing out from

beneath his hat. As the wagon rolled past him, the man ceased

his labor and turned their way. Although she couldn’t see his

eyes as he squinted into the sunshine, Kristin did catch sight of

his tanned face. She guessed his age to be not too much more

than hers and decided he was really quite handsome.

“Do not even acknowledge the likes of him,” Uncle Lars

spat derisively. “Good Christians do not associate with Sam

Sundberg or any members of his family.”

Oh, dear, too late! Kristin had already given him a little

smile out of sheer politeness. She had assumed he was a friend

or neighbor. But at her uncle’s warning she quickly lowered her

gaze.

Kristin’s ever-inquiring nature got the best of her. “What is

so bad about that family?”

“They are evil—like the Martins. Even worse, Karl Sundberg

is married to a heathen Indian woman who casts spells on the

good people of this community.”

“Spells?” Peder’s eyes widened.

“Ja, spells. Why else would some folks’ crops fail while Karl’s

flourish? He gets richer and richer with his farming in the

summer, his logging camps in the winter, and his fur trading

with heathens, while good folks like me fall on hard times.”

“Hard times?” Peder echoed the words.

“Ja, same seed. Same fertile ground. Same golden opportunity.”

Uncle Lars swiveled to face the Olstads. “I will tell you

why that happens. The Sundbergs have hexed good Christians

like me.” He wagged his head. “Oh, they are an evil lot, those

Sundbergs and Martins. Same as the Indians.”

Indians? Curiosity got the better of her, and Kristin swung

around in the wagon to get one last glimpse of Sam Sundberg.

She could hardly believe he was as awful as her uncle described.

Why, he even removed his hat just now and gave her a cordial nod.

“Turn around, niese, and mind your manners!” Uncle Lars’s

large hand gripped her upper arm and he gave her a mild shake.

“I . . . I am sorry, Onkel,” Kristin stammered. “But I have never

seen an Indian.”

“Sam Sundberg is not an Indian. It is his father’s second wife

and their children. Oneida half-breeds is what we call them.”

“Half-breed, eh?”

Kristin glanced over her shoulder and saw Peder stroke his

chin.

“Interesting,” he added.

“How very interesting.” Kristin couldn’t deny her interest

was piqued. “Are there many Indians living in the Wisconsin

Territory?”

“Ja, they trespass on my land, but I show my gun and they

leave without incident. Sundberg brings his Indian wife to

church.” He wagged his head. “Such a disgrace.”

“And the Territory officials do nothing?” Mr. Olstad asked.

Uncle Lars puffed out his chest. “As of three months ago, we

are the State of Wisconsin—no longer a territory.” Uncle Lars

stated the latter with as much enthusiasm as a stern schoolmaster.

“Now the government will get rid of those savages once

and for all.” He sent Kristin a scowl. “And you, my liten niese,

will do well to stay away from Indians. All of them, including

our neighbors, the Sundbergs. You hear, lest you get yourself

scalped.”

“Ja, Onkel.”

*     *     *

Threads of Hope is available for pre-order at amazon.com. CLICK HERE for details. In the meantime, all 4 books in my series called, Seasons of Redemption are available now in both traditional print and e-book formats. CLICK HERE for more info.

Remember: Books make great Christmas gifts! Have a safe and merry Christmas, everyone!

~AKB

The Reality of Evil

With Halloween approaching, October is a good month to remember that evil truly exists. I think one of the most frightening things I ever read can be found in a book, titled Crying Wind by Crying Wind (yes, that’s her name). It’s the true story of a Native American (Kickapoo) girl’s journey from darkness into light during the mid-1960s and early 1970s. 

In it, Crying Wind describes an unforgettable time when she was about ten years old. She wrote: 

"I knew that there must be dark, shadowy things, bad things that Grandmother and my uncles talked about when I was supposed to be asleep, but I didn’t know what they were. Even though I was curious, I wasn't sure I really wanted to know everything that went on around the reservation."

Crying Wind goes on to say that a man came to the door one night. He'd been newly wed, but his wife died of pneumonia. So he had gone to the medicine man on the reservation and was told he could raise his wife from the dead if he did the following: 1) Took off his clothes and slathered his body with mud; 2) Waited for the full moon to rise; 3) Went to his wife's grave and covered it with a coyote skin.

The man did this and reported that in the third hour of his waiting, the ground began to shake and something ugly and horrible rose from out of his wife's grave "so terrifying that his mind couldn't grasp it." He knew it wasn't the spirit of his late wife and sensed the spirit was despicably evil. The man went screaming off into the night, the evil spirit right on his heels. He went from house to house, seeking help, but found no escape.

The story continues:

“What’s happening, Shima Sani (Grandmother)?” I whispered as I watched the man disappear.

“He shouldn't have done that,” she said quietly and shut and bolted the door.

*     *     *

Conjuring up spirits? Frightening stuff!

But, all right, I'll admit it. I'm a big honkin' chicken. It's hard for me to enjoy Christian thrillers without feeling the hairs on my neck stand up and my limbs go numb from fright. I, personally, don't enjoy being scared out of my mind.

But the plain truth is the spirit world is alive -- and about half the authors on this blog write about that very subject! Native Americans especially, I think, are aware of this fact. Crying Wind’s journey ended with her conversion to Christianity and her desire became to share God’s plan of salvation with others. She is featured on Indian Life Ministries web page.Click here to find out more.

This month when store aisles are lined with ghosts and ghouls and enough candy to make my blood sugar soar to the stars, my big honkin' chicken heart can take comfort in the words of my Savior. Christ said, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” (Luke 10:20 NASV) 

So what's the scariest thing you've ever read in a book -- or, for the Christian horror and thriller authors, written in a book? How did that impact your life?