This Week's Winner!

The winner of Cara Putman's A PROMISE KEPT is Erica! Congratulations! Thanks for your comments this week, everyone. See you next week!

Cindy

Review: A Year Down Yonder

A Year Down Yonder
Richard Peck
Puffin, 2000

A Year Down Yonder is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago. However, this is not a novel in stories. Nor is it narrated by Joey Dowdel. No, A Year Down Yonder is the story of Mary Alice, the little sister that is almost-but-not-quite all grown up.

The year is 1937. The Depression is making life difficult both in urban and rural areas. It is economic necessity which prompts Mary Alice’s parents to send their daughter away. (Joey is sent away also, but not with Mary Alice.) Mary Alice is being sent to live with the vivacious, one-of-a-kind, sometimes embarrassing Grandma Dowdel. How will this “city” girl fit in with these country bumpkins? Will they accept her? Welcome her? Not if the Burdicks have their way!

A Year Down Yonder is a treat. It’s rich in detail, rich in humor, rich in heart and humanity. The characters, the place all come alive. Richard Peck is a pro when it comes to capturing the good, the bad, the ugly, and the laughable. Mary Alice does have a few adjustments to make, but this book captures her unforgettable journey, her coming-of-age in small town America.

If you haven’t read A Long Way From Chicago, this book does stand alone. In case you’re wondering. But I would recommend reading both books. Both books are such a joy, a treat, a delight.

Becky’s Book Reviews
Operation Actually Read Bible
Young Readers

Cara Putman Interview Day Two

We're back with Day Two of the interview with novelist Cara Putman.

Cara Putman is the author of 5 novels, with three more set to release in the next year. She has also authored the Complete Idiots Guide to Business Law. An avid reader, she writes historical romance and romantic suspense. She currently serves as the Membership Officer for ACFW and teaches business law at a Big Ten university when she isn’t playing with her kids or writing.

What are you working on now?

I am writing the third book in the Promises series. This one highlights the All American Girls Professional Softball League in its inaugural season. It has been fun to write, but a stretch since I’m having to learn about baseball. ☺

I’ve also got several proposals out, so am excited to see what God has next in this writing journey.


A reader once asked me this question, and I thought it was a good one. Is there ever a time when you feel like your work is truly finished and complete?

No, but I’ve also reached a point where I know it’s time to send it in. I know that my editors will find areas to improve the book, but I’ve reached a point that on my own, I no longer see those spots. I love editing because it makes the book stronger!

Describe your workspace.

I have a desk with hutch and matching file cabinet set up in our office. To the left is the treadmill, behind me is my husband’s desk, and all around me are books, research, teaching materials, etc. It’s mildly controlled chaos!


Describe your dream workspace.

A room filled with bookshelves where I can organize my research and have it at my fingertips. For some reason, each book I write requires me to buy more research books. And I can’t part with them since someday I might need that book again☺

I absolutely can relate, Cara!
If you could be a character from your favorite historical novel, who would you be?

Scarlet O’Hara. Love those dresses at the beginning of the book.


What is the biggest misconception the general public has about authors?

That we make millions of dollars. Just doesn’t happen, folks.


What is the biggest misconception beginning writers have about being published?

That the road is easy. Instead, you have to have tons of commitment and dedication. Talking about writing won’t accomplish anything. You have to sit down and do it when everything else sounds so much better.

What would you like readers to gain from reading your book(s)?

A sense that God is active in our lives. That He cares deeply about us. And that He is always there, even when we think He doesn’t care or doesn’t see.


Thanks for joining us here on Favorite PASTimes. Any final words for readers or writers?

Thanks so much for having me. Feel free to check out my website for more information about me and my books: http://www.caraputman.com. And I’m always giving away books on my blog, http://carasmusings.blogspot.com, so be sure to check it out as well.


Leave a comment by THIS Friday at 8:30AM for a chance to win a copy of Cara’s A PROMISE KEPT. Leave your email ID in your comment like this: name at domain dot com.

Interview with Cara Putman

Cara Putman is the author of 5 novels, with three more set to release in the next year. She has also authored the Complete Idiots Guide to Business Law. An avid reader, she writes historical romance and romantic suspense. She currently serves as the Membership Officer for ACFW and teaches business law at a Big Ten university when she isn’t playing with her kids or writing.

Welcome to PASTimes, Cara! Tell us a little about what you write.

Thanks so much for having me.

The more I write, the more I realize I write books where the setting plays a large role. My books often grow from finding a setting first, researching until I find a plot hook, and then imagining characters that interact within the setting and hook. To that end, I write World War Two historical romances and contemporary romantic suspense.


Are you a full-time writer or do you hold a day job? What is the biggest challenge/obstacle you face in protecting your writing time?

I’m a hybrid. I practice law when a case interests me. I teach business law classes at Purdue when they need me. I homeschool two of my kids and have a 13 month old, so I try to be home and available for them. I’m far from perfect on that front though. But my primary writing time is from 9 p.m. on. It makes for long nights and a tired me ☺. The biggest challenge in protecting my writing time is not focusing on the writing or research at the expense of my children. I’m home most of the time so I can be a mom first. But some days I forget that. Finding balance is a struggle.


What historical time periods interest you the most and how have you immersed yourself in a particular time period?

I LOVE World War Two. There is something romantic and magical about the early 40s. I’ve always loved the music and movies. And the struggle seems so clear – a clear evil that had to be fought. But there’s such complexity that layers into that time, too. Women entering the work force. Ongoing segregation in the United States. Interment of Japanese-Americans. The more I learn, the more I want to continue to explore those complexities.


Introduce us briefly to the main characters in your most recent book.

A Promise Kept is my married romance, women’s fiction, historical. Josie and Art Wilson marry in the opening scene. It was a challenge in a fun way to explore what early married love looks like. This book also pushed me deeper because of the women’s fiction angle – Josie experiences a miscarriage. This grows out of my own experience with a miscarriage a couple years ago. Even though I had two children then, three now, that miscarriage was the most painful experience of my life to date. I still grieve for the child I won’t know this side of heaven. Our family is incomplete, yet God has turned even that into good. Don’t worry, the book doesn’t preach about miscarriage, but how the couple handles the experience plays an important role in the book.

The historical hook is that they welcome a distant cousin from England into their lives. More than 2000 children were evacuated to the United States, with many more families ready to welcome them before the Germans torpedoed a ship containing evacuated children, ending the program. I read some fascinating books filled with stories of these kids’ experiences and the research on the impact. Great stuff!

What are you working on now?

Come back tomorrow for the answer and part two of the interview with author Cara Putman. Leave a comment by THIS Friday at 8:30AM for a chance to win a copy of Cara’s A PROMISE KEPT. Leave your email ID in your comment like this: name at domain dot com.

Thoughts on a Monday

I hope you all had a great weekend. It's Monday so it's time to get back to talking about historical fiction, history, and books in general.

Last week, after receiving a tutorial from my buddy and fellow writer Brenda Nixon, I signed up for a Twitter account. I had been holding out for some time because Facebook was already taking up more time than it probably should. But Brenda explained the benefits of Twitter she's seen as a freelance writer and speaker. Even so, I'm still skeptical. Do readers find authors and purchase their books because of Twitter? What about you?

If you're a freelance writer like me, you might be interested in this page of tips. Of course you're all welcome to follow me on Twitter, but understand that since I'm trying to protect my writing time, I'm not following many people back, especially those I've connected with in other places. Facebook, however, is a totally different story! ;-)

Rest assured that I won't be using Twitter the way author Alice Hoffman did when she responded to a review of her latest novel.

For an explanation on why he does not Twitter, read Mike Duran's post on Novel Journey.

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, may not be considered a historical novel, but since it was written before many of you were born (me included) I thought I'd mention that the reclusive author is suing over a "sequel" someone is trying to push through copyright laws as a parody. I admit this story caught my eye because I just finished reading Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella. This is the book the movie Field of Dreams was based on. If you saw the movie, you remember the character James Earl Jones played, Thomas Mann the reclusive author. In the book, however, the character is none other than JD Salinger. Apparently the movie producers were afraid of being sued. I wonder how Kinsella got away with using him in the book (It's a great book, by the way. I recommend it.)


Some odds and ends:


If you're a fan of the Renaissance Era, you might be interested in this magazine.

If you'd like to learn more about women in the UK during WWII, you should check out this web site.

Everyone's heard of Civil War re-enactments. Did you know there are WWII re-enactments as well? I didn't until I saw this on the web.

That's all I have for you this week. If you come across some news I should share here, please email me using the link on the left. Have a great week, everyone!

Cindy

Happy Birthday to us!/And a winner!

Today is Favorite PASTimes third birthday! Wow, does time fly! Happy birthday to us all!!!


Abi is the lucky winner of Delia Latham's Goldeneyes. I have already sent you an email.

Thanks for your comments this week. Be sure to come back next week for more! Have a wonderful weekend.
Cindy

Review: A Bride in the Bargain

A Bride in the Bargain
By Deeanne Gist
Bethany House, July 2009

From the Publisher

The wedding is all planned. Someone just needs to tell the bride.

In 1860s Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure 640 acres of timberland for free.

Joe Denton doesn’t have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle, and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride—one of the eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.

Anna Ivey’s journey west with Mercer is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook—not a bride. When she’s handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before he loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to become his lawfully wedded wife?

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, A Bride in the Bargain. There isn’t a single book Deeanne Gist has written that I haven’t totally adored. In fact, this may very well be my favorite book that she has written thus far. It wasn’t as “edgy” as several others, but it was a truly fabulous love story with a deep emotion theme and powerful choices each character had to make. For me that makes any story a real page turner.

I found the conflict 100% believable, and I was so involved in the stories I felt the characters’ emotional pain. Tears literally welled into my eyes on several occasions. The attraction between the characters sizzled, but it wasn’t merely physical in this story. I think that is what I enjoyed most about A Bride in the Bargain. The hero and heroine fell in love with each other as individual people too. My heart pounded as they discovered each other, and I felt a real sense of loss when things went awry. My heart also got all warm and fuzzy inside as they worked things out.

Isn’t that why we ladies read romances to begin with? We want to smile and feel breathless and fall in love while reading a great romance. This story delivers on all counts. I highly recommend it.

Michelle Sutton
http://www.michellesutton.net/
http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com/
http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/