A Chat with Author CAROLYN MILLER (And her new CONTEMPORARY RELEASE: THE BREAKUP PROJECT!)

Debra: Hi Carolyn! Thank you for visiting the Inkwell Inspirations Blog and agreeing to some questions! I can't be the only one surprised to see contemporary romances (*with hockey!) from an author whose historicals have been so popular. Which genre did you write when you first started?

CAROLYN: The first book I ever wrote (before writing any historicals) came from watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010, when I saw an Aussie female athlete holding hands with a US male athlete as they entered the closing ceremony. I was struck by how two people from different countries and (presumably) different sports could meet, let alone sustain a relationship, especially given the gruelling nature of their elite athlete training schedules and all those time zone differences. Despite my best efforts, I never found out who they were, so I made up 'their' story, which became Love on Ice, an Olympics-focused book about an Aussie short track speed skater (bc I like stories about tough chicks), and an ice hockey player (also tough – but handsome ;). Love on Ice is now the second book in the Original Six series, and The Breakup Project precedes it, and incorporates some of the same characters I’d used all those years ago. So yes, even though my historicals were the first published, I’d written maybe 4-5 contemporaries prior – so it’s wonderful to finally return to my writing roots and see these books get the chance to shine!

New Year. New Resolution. New Romance?
What happens when the best-laid plans break a friendship?

As the twin sister of hockey’s hottest forward, romance-loving Bree Karlsson is used to being ignored, leading to a New Year’s resolution to not date any athlete in her attempt to find Mr. Right. But what happens when the man who might prove to be her personal Mr. Darcy is her brother’s hockey-playing best friend?

Mike Vaughan might be happy playing in Boston, but he’d be even happier if Bree could one day see him as more than a good friend. He agrees to help Bree with a special project in the hope she’ll finally see him as something more. But when a misunderstanding ends in a Valentine’s Day disaster, Bree realizes that her breakup project may have broken her friendship with Mike in two. Can she ever redeem her mistake?

This friends-to-more romance has plenty of heart, humor, and swoon-worthy kisses in this first book of the Original Six, a sweet, slightly sporty Christian contemporary romance series.

Debra: What's the best part of having two genres in your wheelhouse?

Carolyn: I love the refreshing nature of switching genres. I’ve recently just finished edits on my next historical (Midnight’s Budding Morrow, out May 31) so it was great to dive back into contemporaries having had a mental ‘palate cleanse.’ I think readers are coming to expect certain things from my books (solid ‘unapologetically Christian’ themes, some banter and humor, relatable characters, and touching on grittier issues) so I think they’re looking for that kind of story, and aren’t super fussed on whether it’s set in contemporary times or 200 years ago in England.

Debra: Can you tell us why you chose hockey for the first of the 'sporty contemporaries'? and what's to come from the rest of the series?

Carolyn: This series is a hockey based series, mainly because I think the sport is awesome! It’s a tough sport with 82+ games per season, and I’m awed by the physicality and skill of skating at huge speeds, the danger and excitement of the games, and the stories behind the players who play at an elite level. The first book is set in Boston, one of the original six teams of the National Hockey League, with the other stories set in other cities of the original six (Detroit, Chicago, Montréal, New York and Toronto.) Each book can be read as a standalone, but the interconnected characters (NHL players who are Christians involved in an online Bible study – which I was thrilled to discover is a legitimate thing!) add some extra fun factor as people read through the series. I hope readers enjoy travelling to these places (four of these cities I’ve visited) as I have, and learning a little more about this sport. But don’t worry – early readers who aren’t hockey fans tell me it’s not too sporty, and have described the romance as ‘swoonworthy!’

Debra: I know we are looking forward to it! Carolyn, what's something you'd like to share with our readers about your life or hobbies?

Carolyn: I’m something of a creative, and I have long enjoyed playing music and creating through art. It’s been fun to write songs and albums and incorporate some of these things into some of my stories. Two of the books in this new series see my characters involved in these activities, such as leading worship and doing artwork in Checked Impressions (which might also see some of my love of the Art Institute of Chicago from my visit there), and what it’s like to play music and write songs in Muskoka Blue, the sixth book in the Original Six series.

Debra: If you could do any travel in 2022, where would you like to go?  

Carolyn: I visited England and the UK back in 2015, so I feel like it’s really time to revisit some of the wonderful places I’ve seen, and explore some new places too. But next year also sees my 25th wedding anniversary so France would be ideal, please.

Debra: Thanks so much for participating! We wish you the best with both series!

Carolyn: Thanks so much for having me!

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and LM Montgomery, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her contemporary romance series includes the Original Six hockey romance series, and the Independence Islands series, and her historical series include the Regency Brides and Regency Wallflowers series.

Connect with Carolyn at:   website | facebook | pinterest | twitter | instagram

BUY THE BREAKUP PROJECT at AMAZON 

 

HERE'S THE PATH TO PURCHASE ANY OF CAROLYN'S BOOKS!

 

The Case of the Beleaguered Bride by Debra E. Marvin #Release Day

Heather's introduction to life across the pond saw her quickly involved in proving her innocence in THE CASE OF THE CLOBBERED CAD. Things calmed down and her friendship with Professor Tom Brown, her landlord Mrs. Kintyre, and Mrs. K's dear friend Moira saw Heather through her first year as a graduate student. Now, Of she's eager to visit Ireland for the wedding of Moira's son Dan!

Can’t Heather go anywhere without being caught up in a murder investigation?

THE CASE OF THE BELEAGUERED BRIDE

After enduring an unexpected test to her sleuthing skills in Edinburgh, American Heather Munro looks forward to attending a restful family wedding in County Cork, Ireland. But delight turns to dilemma when the bride’s ex-fiancé shows up pleading for a second chance…then dies under mysterious circumstances.

Heather’s travel itinerary didn’t include snooping through family secrets or being caught up in international politics, but she can’t stand by when a rush to judgment points the blame at an innocent man and derails the upcoming nuptials. An outsider in the stunning harbor town of Cobh, Heather’s determined search for answers is thwarted at every turn. But Heather has never been one to give up, and she’ll do all she can to get the wedding back on track and the murderer behind bars before he or she strikes again. Even at the risk of her own life.

Inspired by the famous Girl Detective, the members of the Olentangy Heights Girls' Detective Society, affectionately known as the Nosy Parkers, spent their formative years studying criminology, codes, and capers. Opportunities to practice their unique skills were thin in their little corner of post-war suburbia, so they eventually grew up to pursue more sensible careers. Yet mysteries seem to follow them wherever they go.

NOW AVAILABLE in digital ebook and paperback!  The full length cozy mystery novel ebook is $3.99!

BUY THE CASE OF THE BELEAGUERED BRIDE TODAY! 

Like it on Goodreads! 
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CAMEO COURTSHIPS Release Party! #giveaway

Deb and Susie here, welcoming you all to our release party!  This latest novella collection is fresh off the presses from Barbour Publishing, thanks to a great idea Susanne Dietze came up with!

Look at us in Gettysburg, PA!

We'll be giving away a paperback, but before we get busy chatting, please let our waiters offer you a sweet! Let us know if you've had a chance to read and what you think!
Or buy it now!


PINNED ABOVE HER HEART by Susanne Dietze
1851 – Pittsburgh, PA
After receiving the Victoria Cameo, aspiring journalist Clara Newton works to expose a smuggler, but reporter Byron Breaux must break the story first or lose his job. Working together is out of the question until they learn secrets that threaten Clara’s father. . .and her heart.
**
Susie here! I'm so glad to celebrate Cameo Courtships with you! Allow Pittsburgh native Joe Manganiello to serve you.

Mt. Lebanon's own! https://images.app.goo.gl/TXudoY6iZL9fV23y8

Ooh, what do we have here? Choose between a Primanti Brothers' sandwich with french fries inside, Pittsburgh-style, and join us for the party!

YUMMMMMM. https://images.app.goo.gl/o9RVB9HPoFi1EB8x8

Seriously, do not knock the fries on the sandwich thing if you haven't tried it. It is fabulous. So are Pittsburgh-style salads, which are served with french fries on top! YUMMM. If you'd like some ketchup, we have Heinz 57...from Pittsburgh, of course.

Deb's and my stories may be set in Pittsburgh, but the Cameo Courtships story begins in London, England, at Buckingham Palace. In the 1844 Room, to be exact!

James Roberts

Queen Victoria and her pet Deckel make special cameos in the scene. (Sorry for the pun. Couldn't resist.)

Deckel the Royal Dachshund! What a cutie. By William Bambridge.

We quickly move from London to Pittsburgh, however. Pinned Above Her Heart begins on the banks of the Monongahela River. 

Public Domain

When I was first married, I lived near Pittsburgh and fell in love with the city. This story was a fun opportunity to revisit it.

I was also excited to work with a group of friends on stories that were inter-connected. The process took a bit of brainstorming, lots of communication, and multiple efforts on my part to create a decent family tree (for some reason, I couldn't get it to work well on my computer).

While I didn't get to go back to Pittsburgh to do any research, I had fun learning more about the city and its various industries, including glassmaking (which plays a large role in my story). Here's an example of cameo encrustation on a decanter. 

Bakewell, Page and Bakewell Decanter, circa 1826-35 Public Domain. The decanter features a sulphide portrait (cameo) of Benjamin Franklin.

Moving on to Deb, who recently visited Pittsburgh!

Click here to Tweet and Make Our Day!

Here's some behind the scenes photos! The Carnegie Library is part of the connected buildings housing the Natural History Museum and Art Museum, and the Music Hall. I visited in May of 2018 to see firsthand where Bertie and Russell would spend much of their time in my story.

LENDING MY HEART by Debra E. Marvin

1895 – Pittsburgh, PA
​The arrival of a handsome Scottish administrator ruins Miss Bertie Hart’s dream to oversee the new Carnegie Library children’s department. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take wearing the Victoria Cameo to see he’s the perfect foil for the rest of her grand plans.

The Carnegie Library on Oakland

The current Children's Library

An old photo of the Children's Library

The original sink built into the wall for use by children who needed to wash their hands before touching the books! (insert "researching-author" squeal. Of course I used it in my story!)

One of the hallways in the Carnegie building. I can hear Bertie's heels echo as she storms away from that frustrating Mr. Smart.

Deb's research partner standing near the museum's most famous skeleton!

In between Susie's and Deb's stories are these two from multi-published authors Jennifer Uhlarik and Kathleen Y'Barbo:

TAMING PETRA by Jennifer Uhlarik
1875 – Colorado Territory
Trouser-wearing frontierswoman Petra Jayne Hollingsworth has no intention of donning the heirloom cameo, but when a crooked brothel owner steals the treasure, securing its return becomes Petra’s highest priority. Assisting her, Reverend Dustin Owens is appalled to learn the price of its ransom is that Petra must work in the brothel. He may save the woman’s virtue, but can he help Petra regain her cameo and rediscover her faith?

MEET ME AT THE FAIR by Kathleen Y’Barbo
Spring 1885 – New Orleans during the 1884 World’s Fair and Cotton Exposition
It takes a Pinkerton to find a Pinkerton, and Ethan Butler has been charged with finding Elizabeth Newton. Just when he locates her, the cameo he is to deliver is stolen. It appears his previous case has discovered his presence in New Orleans, but he can’t return to that case until the cameo is found. With Miss Newton as a reluctant partner in crime fighting, can Ethan Butler locate the cameo and its thieves without losing his heart?

Please comment on our blog post before July 1 and let us know what you think of:
1.) the new Barbour Four-in-one format
2.) do you like/loathe Rafflecopter giveaways
3.) if you follow Susie or Deb on social media and where
4.) how much you'd love to follow Susie or Deb on social media and have jumped on the chance
Seriously. Amuse Us. Actually answer a question!

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*Get emails for each new post from Inkwell Inspirations by going to the SUBSCRIBE button at the top of the page. 

One commenter who'd love to win a paperback of Cameo Courtships will be randomly drawn on July 2. (Ebook only for outside those contiguous U.S. states)

INTERVIEW with Jaime Jo Wright / The Reckoning at Gossemer Pond

Deb: I'm pleased to interview Jaime Jo Wright as she celebrates her new release!

Hi Jaime! Congratulations on all of your success with these fabulous novels. Ace Reviewer Paula Shreckhise and are thrilled to have you visit.

When did you decide to work toward publication, and was there a specific event or book that gave you the push?

Jaime: I wanted to be a published author since I was 13. I’m not sure there was a specific event so much as I just loved telling stories. :)

D: It's great that you had that focus all along!

Besides coffee...ahem...what's the one thing you do for yourself that gives you a much needed "Ahhhh" moment when you really need one?

J: Time with my family. I love our privacy, I love our time together. They are my fuel.

courtesy Pixabay/free download

D: What old classic and recent book release would make the best fictional mashup?

J: OOO wow. Now I’ve gotta think. Probably Last of the Mohicans meets Lori Benton’s Many Sparrows.

D: Oh, I love that idea! One of my favorite eras and Lori Benton is phenomenal. (Maybe she has this in the works?!)

Tell us a bit about your writing process. Do you plot and spend a lot of time with your characters first or do you jump in and let them take you for a journey?

J: I plot a lot in my head. The skeleton of the story is written there, so when I start writing, the framework is established.

D: I want to say 'me too' but now I have to 'write most of it down' at the same time or lose it. Isn't it wonderful to have that story bouncing around in there and nagging to get out on paper (er... screen)?

If we could give you an afternoon of peace and quiet alone, what movie and meal could we provide for you in our secret Inky Cave?

J: I love a good cheesy pizza with everything on it (sans anchovies and olives) and probably a Lord of the Rings marathon.

D: That we can do. And the leather sofas are quite comfy!

D: And lastly, what's next on your author horizon?

J: January 2019, The Curse of Misty Wayfair is released. So I’m super excited for you all to meet the next set of super-ladies: Thea and Heidi as they journey through an old asylum for the mentally insane, and try to resolve their own personal experiences with anxiety and mental illness.

D: I've seen peeks and hints, and posted it as one of my #CatchyCovers / #BeautifulBooks choices.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR the virtual visit.   I can smell the pizza!

-->

Full Bio: Professional coffee drinker and ECPA/Publisher's Weekly best-selling author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing spirited romantic suspense stained with the shadows of history. Coffee fuels her snarky personality. She lives in Neverland with her Cap’n Hook who stole her heart and will not give it back, their little fairy Tinkerbell, and a very mischievous Peter Pan. The foursome embark on scores of adventure that only make her fall more wildly in love with romance and intrigue. Jaime lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures atjaimejowright.com

Short Bio: Daphne du Maurier 2018 finalist and ECPA/Publisher's Weekly best-selling author Jaime Jo Wright, pens romantic suspense stained with history’s secrets. Coffee drinker by day, and coffee drinker by night.

Social Media Links:

Web site: www.jaimejowright.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaimejowright

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaimejowright

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jaimejowright

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/jaimejowright

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/13916081.Jaime_Jo_Wright

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Jaime-Jo-Wright/e/B01421H0JQ/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

About The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond:

For over a century, the town of Gossamer Grove has thrived on its charm and Midwestern values, but Annalise Forsythe knows painful secrets, including her own, hover just beneath the pleasant facade. When a man is found dead in his run-down trailer home, Annalise inherits the trailer, along with the pictures, vintage obituaries, and old revival posters covering its walls. As she sorts through the collection, she's wholly unprepared for the ramifications of the dark and deadly secrets she'll uncover.

A century earlier, Gossamer Grove has been stirred into chaos by the arrival of controversial and charismatic twin revivalists. The chaos takes a murderous turn when Libby Sheffield, working at her father's newspaper, receives an obituary for a reputable church deacon hours before his death. As she works with the deacon's son to unravel the mystery behind the crime, it becomes undeniably clear that a reckoning has come to town—but it isn't until another obituary arrives that they realize the true depths of the danger they've waded into.

Two women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the borders of their own town before it's too late and they lose their future—or their very souls.

 

THANK YOU Paula Shreckhise, Kristen Crumm and Jamie Jo Wright! 

HERE IS PAULA's REVIEW

Have you read Jaime's debut, The House on Foster Hill? Are you as excited as I am about this new genre with a gothic twist? 
What question would you most like to ask Jaime?

Debra

THE BACKCOUNTRY BRIDES COLLECTION Release Day

Backcountry Brides Collection makes its debut at Old Fort Niagara

Love on Colonial America’s Frontier

Travel into Colonial America where eight women seek love, but they each know a future husband requires the necessary skills to survive in the backcountry. Living in areas exposed to nature’s ferocity, prone to Indian attack, and cut off from regular supplies, can hearts overcome the dangers to find lasting love?

Shenandoah Hearts by Carrie Fancett Pagels
1754 - Great Wagon Road, into the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia)
As the French-Indian War commences, Magda Sehler wonders if Jacob Owens lost his mind to have abandoned his Philadelphia business and moved to the Shenandoah Valley. Or has he lost his heart?

Heart of Nantahala by Jennifer Hudson Taylor  
1757 - (North Carolina)
Joseph Gregory plans to buy a lumber mill, but Mabel Walker becomes a formidable opponent. When she’s forced to make a painful decision, she must choose between survival and love.

Her Redcoat by Pegg Thomas
1763 - Fort Michilimackinac (Michigan) during Pontiac’s Rebellion  
Laurette Pettigrew grew up in the northern frontier. Henry Bedlow arrived against his will. Their chance meeting changes everything. Will a deadly clash of cultures keep them from finding happiness?

A Heart So Tender by Debra E. Marvin
1764 – (New York)
As thousands of Native warriors converge on Fort Niagara, jaded British Lieutenant Archibald Walsh and idealistic schoolmistress Susannah Kimball learn the greatest risk lies in guarding their hearts.

A Worthy Groom by Angela K. Couch
1771 - Sapling Grove settlement on the Holston River (Tennessee)
The Cowden temper has been Marcus’s lifelong bane. A trait Lorinda Cowden curses. Now, winning the heart of his bride hinges on fighting a war without raising a fist.  

Across Three Autumns by Denise Weimer
1778-1780 – (Georgia)
Fighting Loyalists and Indians, Jenny White settles for strength over love . . .until Scottish scout Caylan McIntosh leads her family on a harrowing exodus out of Georgia’s Revolutionary “Hornet’s Nest.”

The Counterfeit Tory by Shannon McNear
1781 – (South Carolina)
Tasked with infiltrating an infamous Tory gang, Jed Wheeler has no wish to endanger the leader’s cousin, Lizzy Cunningham. He risks not only his life. . .but his heart.

Love’s Undoing by Gabrielle Meyer
1792 - Fur Post on the Upper Mississippi River (Minnesota)
When Englishman Henry Kingsley meets Abi McCrea, the daughter of a Scottish fur trader and Indian mother, will their worlds keep them apart, or have they finally found somewhere they truly belong?

Debra here...
I chose Fort Niagara for a number of reasons. It's the oldest continually occupied fort in North America for one thing, and the incredible building known as The French Castle was indeed built by the French in the early 1700s.  The setting in stunning--the very corner of what is now New York State, where the Niagara River flows in to Lake Ontario. But my inspiration for this story was two compelling events after the French and Indian Wars (Seven Years' War) while the British army held the fort. Locally the settlers and the native Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) lived in guarded peace. But Pontiac's Rebellion waged on in the west. An event known as The Massacre at Devil's Hole, along the river south of the fort, caused Sir William Johnson, the Indian Agent for the British Crown, to call on all tribes to come to Fort Niagara for 'The Great Gathering" for peace. Johnson lived quite happily in Mohawk country to the east, but Fort Niagara was in Seneca country, and most Seneca villages sided with the French rather than the British.  And it was a group of Seneca warriors responsible for the Devil's Hole Massacre.

Reenactors at a recent Patriot's Day event

Map of The Niagara River running from Erie to Ontario, separating Ontario, Canada from New York.  We took a hike down into the gorge to take a look!

A HEART SO TENDER features a British Lieutenant forced to face the very warriors he holds responsible for his friend's death. Worse, he is charged with the safety of a young British woman who has come to the fort as a guest of Sir William--a woman who longs to work with the Indian people she so admires and wants to help.

Check out my Pinterest Page for more photos and images

Find out more about this collection at Amazon

Today there are multiple giveaways over at the Colonial Quills blog where I'm giving away one paperback to one random commenter who answers my question. Visit The Colonial Quills blog today!

Tonight, I'm part of an online Facebook Party, where I'm giving away an ebook version of Backcountry Brides.  The party runs from 1- 8 pm east coast time. I'll be hosting from 4-4:30, but stop in anytime and comment!

I'll be giving away a paperback to one random commenter who answers my question.  What question, you ask? Visit the Colonial Quills blog to find out!

Last year, I visited the FRENCH and INDIAN War weekend at Fort Niagara. This is the view from the South Redoubt (blockhouse) toward the French Castle.

There's room for everyone to sleep - barracks style. When you're on your work shift, someone else will sleep in your spot!

Actor Ray Milland - my inspiration  for Lt. Archibald Walsh.

While I pour the tea, consider signing up for my newsletter. I have a promotion (during the months of May, June and July) for new subscribers. One will randomly win a $25 Amazon Gift Card to help me celebrate the release of Backcountry Brides!

The two colonials who accompanied me to Fort Niagara!

And, if you'd like to get in on the fun, here's a Rafflecopter promotion for a Kindle Paperwhite and other prizes, hosted by the Backcountry Brides Authors.
a Rafflecopter giveaway