Tag: historical romance

An Interview with Demetria from As Sure as the Sea by Jamie Ogle

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment

Thank you for meeting with us at Novel PASTimes, Demitria. 

Demitria: You can call me Demi, if you like. Will this take long? I need to be out on my boat. The light’s good for diving today and Mersad won’t like it if I’m dawdling. Another dive team is trying to take over my boat, and I can’t afford to waste any diving opportunities now that my brother, Theseus, is injured. 

Don’t worry, we’ll make this quick.  I heard about your brother’s accident. How is he doing?

Demi: You know Theseus. Whenever his nose runs, he’s certain he’s about to die. Although, this is a little more serious than a dripping nose. I’m glad Pastor Nikolas arrived to help when he did. Some might call that a miracle. I know it felt like one at the time, though I certainly don’t deserve any of those after what I’ve done. Perhaps it was a miracle for Nydia. She’s in love with him, you know. 

            With Pastor Nikolas?

Demi:  No. Nydia is in love with Theseus, though her grandmother, Beatrix, is set on finding Pastor Nikolas a wife. Poor man. No singles in Myra can withstand her matchmaking efforts for long. 

            Do you have someone special in your life?

Demi: Not . . . not anymore. Not like that anyway. I was betrothed once to a man named Alexander. He was a lot like Nikolas actually. Handsome, charismatic, passionate about his faith. He’s dead now. Men like that don’t live long anymore. Not since Emperor Diocletian passed his anti-Christian edicts. Things have only gotten worse under the tetrarchy and Emperor Galerius. No one in the empire is allowed to buy or sell anything unless they first offer sacrifices to the emperor and the gods of Rome. It is . . . a dangerous time to live.  

How do you survive in times like this?

Demi: There are a few of us who find work here and there, and some employers and merchants who look the other way so long as the transaction benefits them. I try to provide mussels and clams for my friends, but my job is to harvest red coral and pearl oysters for Mersad. If I don’t make my quota, I’ll lose my boat. And I can’t bear to lose the boat. Aside from Theseus, my boat is the last piece of my family that I have, and it is the lifeline for our church.

Oh? How so?

Demi: Theseus and I take it upriver after dark to trade for supplies with Christians in the farming districts upriver. Without the boat, we would lose access to food we cannot get in the city, and all those upriver would be cut off from trade goods and salt. Since Theseus has been injured, Nikolas and I have begun making the trips upriver. 

That sounds dangerous.

Demi:  It is. In more ways than you can imagine. For one thing, Nikolas and I get along well. He’s actually very easy to talk to—and you wouldn’t think that would be a bad thing, but if Beatrix found out, she’d be matchmaking us next, and we could never be anything more than friends. 

Why not?

Demi: Because if Nikolas really knew me, knew what I’ve done, everything I hold dear would be stripped away, and I . . . I can’t bear to lose anything else I love. And, the other danger is . . . well, Nikolas doesn’t have the best history with boats. He sank his when he came to Myra, and I’m a little fearful he might sink mine too. We’ve had some close calls. But at least he hasn’t drowned the supplies like he did his entire inheritance. All that gold—right to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea—can you imagine? 

That gold would have been very helpful, considering what you told us about the state of things in the empire.

Demi: That’s why we’re trying to recover it—Nikolas, Theseus, and I. It’s tricky though. Theseus is still recovering and can’t dive yet, and Nikolas . . . well, at least he can swim. But if I’m searching for Nikolas’s gold, I can’t dive for coral, and if I don’t harvest enough coral, I’ll lose the boat, and then . . . I just have to find that gold. And soon.

Well, we won’t keep you from your boat any longer. Thank you for chatting with us today, Demi. I hope you find everything you’re looking for.

Demi: I have a feeling I will. But it might not be in the ways I expect. 

About the Author:

A person with long gray hair smiling Description automatically generatedJamie Ogle is a pre-dawn writer, homeschool mom by day, and a reader by night. Inspired by her fascination with the storied history of faith, she writes historical fiction infused with hope, adventure, and courageous rebels. Her most recent title, As Sure as the Sea, releases from Tyndale Fiction in February 2025. A Minnesota native, she now lives in Iowa with her husband and their three children, and she can usually be found gardening, beekeeping, and tromping through the woods. For more information about Jamie, go to her website: www.jamieogle.com. (Author photo by Jodi Sheller, Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved.)

Additional Links:

Tyndale Media Center: As Sure as the Sea

Tyndale Media Center Author Page: Jamie Ogle

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A Chat with Joanna Vaughn Richter from Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot

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Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot (Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing 3)

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July 16, 2024; ISBN 9780800740665; Ebook ISBN 9781493445493

Her career as a concert pianist at an end, Joanna Vaughn comes home to Sweetwater Crossing, widowed and unsure what the future holds. The arrival of a pair of newcomers stirs up a decades-old mystery, a shocking revelation—and the chance for Joanna to find true love.

Thanks so much for inviting me. I’m delighted to be here.

Tell us something about where you live.

For almost all of my life, I’ve lived in Finley House, the largest—and some would say the most pretentious—house in a small town in the Texas Hill Country named Sweetwater Crossing. I enjoyed living there and knew it would always be home, but about a year and a half ago I was given the opportunity to go to Europe. It should have been a dream come true, but it turned out … Let’s just say it didn’t turn out the way I’d expected.

Is there anything special about your name? Why do you think you were given that name?

If you’d asked my father, he’d have said there was something special about my name. My mother wouldn’t have agreed. All the while they were expecting me, Mama insisted that if the baby was a girl, she should be named Josephine, since my father’s name was Joseph. But when she died giving birth to me, Father wanted to be certain I’d never forget that my mother’s name was Anna, and so he called me Joanna.

Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?

I am—or, rather, I had hoped to be—a concert pianist. That’s why I was in Europe. I was studying with maestros, perfecting my skill. I loved everything about playing the piano, and the idea that my music could touch people’s hearts filled me with joy. But then everything changed.

Who are the special people in your life?

Without a doubt, the most special people in my life have always been my sisters. Even though no two of us have the same two parents, we’ve been as close as any three girls could be. Oh, there were times when I resented Emily’s bossiness—she’s the oldest—and when I thought Louisa was being spoiled because she’s the youngest, but most of the time they were my closest friends.

What is your heart’s deepest desire?

To make a difference in the world. I believe that each of us is put on Earth to make it better in some way. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a big way or a small one; what matters is that we change things for the better. I had thought I’d do that as a pianist, but now … Now I don’t know what I can do.

What do you expect the future will hold for you?

Oh, how I wish I knew! At first I thought the future would be concert tours, but that ended. Then I thought I’d have a happily-ever-after with my husband, but he was taken from me far too soon. Now the future is cloudy.

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s never to give up hope. My future may not be the one I planned or even the one I thought would be best for me, but I’m certain that if I wait and trust and never give up hope, God will lead me to the future he knows is the right one for me. 

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of After the Shadows and
Against the Wind, as well as several historical and contemporary
romance series, including Mesquite Springs, Cimarron Creek
Trilogy, Texas Crossroads, Texas Dreams, and Westward Winds.
Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards, the
HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers’ Best. She lives in Wyoming.
Learn more at AmandaCabot.com.

Interview with Lena Condotti from House of Honor by Margaret Ann Philbrick

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“Lena Condotti, thanks for stopping by Novel PastTimes today! Were going to get right into it, tell us what first attracted you to Orazio Bordoni?”

“Without a doubt his boyish, messy look. I’d like to say it was his artistic skill since we met in the studio, but his hair, the bomber jacket, his massive smile caught me first.”

“You were modeling for a life drawing class the day you met. Was that a little bit awkward?”

(Laughs) “Maybe for him, I’m used to guys trying to take me out after class. I usually say no, but I couldn’t resist him.”

“How would you describe your relationship?”

“We both love adventure and doing the unexpected. We explore unknown spots in Rome and on the coast. I love to dress up and go out to dinner and go clubbing. Orazio is more casual. We try to strike a middle ground. I think he’d love camping in the mountains, but I can’t imagine getting all wet and grimy.” 

“Has Orazio met your family? What did they think?”

“We haven’t been together long enough to meet my parents. Maybe after summer is over. I’d love to meet his parents though.”

“Any plans for that?”

“No, he doesn’t really talk about his family much. I don’t want to push him. I’ll meet them when he’s ready.”

“Tell us what is your ideal date with Orazio looks like?”

“Our first date, when he paddled me around the pond at Borghese Gardens and then we went to the museum was romantic and unforgettable. We could both spend the rest of our lives, looking and talking about art and being outside.”

“Who are your favorite Italian artists?”

“I’m more contemporary. Orazio likes the old masters. I love Modigliani, De Chirico and a few of the street artists around Piazza de Popolo.””

“At this point in your relationship with Orazio what are your hopes and dreams?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think that no matter how rough your family upbringing is, you still want children with the man you love. I do want a family someday, not huge, just a couple of little Orazio’s running around.”

“Oh boys! Does he want children too?”

“Yes, I think so. He can be a bit mysterious when talking about the future. One minute he wants to own his own gallery and the next he’s talking about leaving Italy for a long holiday, we’ll see.”

“What about you? What would you say are the influences that have guided your life up to this point?”

“Because of Papa, I despise politics. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time running from his spotlight. With Orazio, I’m free of that. He cares nothing for politics. I’m influenced by my heart and where it takes me.”

“Lucky you, I wish we could all say that. You’ve been quite a successful model, both in the studio and in Milan. Do you hope to keep modeling?”

“Definitely, as long as I can. Sophia Loren is my hero. She’s eternal, beautiful at every age.”

“You have a lot of inner confidence. Where does that come from?”

“Definitely my Nonna Condotti. My grandmothers practically raised me because Papa was traveling so much and Mama was busy at the theatre. I wear this Virgin Mary medallion to remind me that many mothers have blessed my life and made me strong.”

“Anything else you want to share?”

“Yes, thanks for chatting with me and I want readers to know, Viva Italia! Life is to be enjoyed. Don’t take it too seriously. Grazie!”

“Viva Italia! Thanks for your time today, Lena.”

Margaret Ann Philbrick’s first novel, A Minor: A Novel of Love, Music, and Memory received critical praise from Kirkus Reviews: “An emotional story . . . clear prose . . . delicately constructed . . . nuanced characters . . . breaks the mold.” She is the contributing editor of Everbloom: Stories of Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives, a collection of essays and poetry for women. Her poems and articles have been featured in numerous anthologies and publications, including Christianity Today, Relevant, The Redbud Hyphen, and Patheos. Her Christmas book, Back to the Manger, created in collaboration with her mother, has become a holiday classic. Margaret is a founding member of the Redbud Writers Guild NFP and a member of the Door County Published Author Collective. You can connect with her via her website, www.margaretphilbrick.com

You can learn more about the painting featured in House of Honor at www.whostolethepainting.com

Purchase Links below:


House of Honor: The Heist of Caravaggio’s Nativity

House of Honor: The Heist of Caravaggio’s Nativity|eBook

Meet Mira Covington from The Song of Sourwood by Ann H. Gabhart

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Mira Dean is reconciled to her life as a spinster schoolteacher until preacher Gordon Covington shows up in town with an audacious marriage proposal. Following him to the mountains takes courage, but Mira will see that doors she thought closed forever may be opening after all.

Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today, Mira.

Thank you so much for having me. I love to talk about The Song of Sourwood Mountain. It is so incredible to have people interested in my story. 

Tell us something about this Sourwood Mountain.

You should come visit. It is the most beautiful place with the best people. There is a Sourwood Mountain, but most of the people live in the hollow. The people there would shake their heads at me saying hollow. They would definitely say they live in Sourwood Holler. I am what they call “brought in.” That is, not from that area. I went there from the big city of Louisville. That was quite a change for me. In Louisville I lived in some rented rooms in the upstairs of a brick house. In Sourwood I live in a log cabin like everyone else. We are surrounded by trees, and in the spring the rhododendron bushes cover the hillsides in blooms. Wildflowers pop up everywhere. Of course, the same as anywhere, everything isn’t all good there.

Wait. Maybe we should back up here and let you introduce yourself and let us know exactly why you went from Louisville to this Sourwood Mountain. 

Oh dear, I should have told you that first off. You have to understand I’m a little nervous talking about myself. My name is Mira Dean Covington. I’m a schoolteacher. Most women schoolteachers have to be unmarried. The administrators for the city schools think that is best so a woman’s thoughts won’t be divided between her family and her student. Anyway, whether you think that is sensible or not, I was resigned to being a spinster after my fiancé died a few years ago. 

But an old schoolmate came to my church to talk about his mission in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian Mountains. He has established a church there and at the time, was hoping for contributions to help start a mission school as well. He needed a teacher, and before we had hardly said hello, he shocked me by saying the Lord had nudged him to ask me to be that teacher. I love teaching children, and when I thought about the poor children in those hills not having a way to learn to read, my heart was touched. Still, I might not have agreed to his outrageous plan – I hadn’t seen him for years – but I lost my teaching job and the rooms I was renting. It did feel as if the Lord was pushing me to be the Sourwood Mission schoolteacher. 

You say the place is beautiful, but somehow sourwood makes one wonder about that. Sourwood sounds unpleasant.

I suppose it does, but the name actually comes from a tree called sourwood that grows in the hills there. When they bloom, the trees are beautiful and the flowers have the most amazing scent. I know you would love the trees if you were to come to Sourwood Mountain in June when they are in bloom.

What do you like or dislike about being a teacher in Sourwood?

The children are what I love best about teaching. It’s wonderful when I see a child’s face light up when he or she suddenly understands something I’m teaching. I don’t like it when a child acts up or tries to bully another child. I make sure that doesn’t happen in my school, or at least I try to. Children, the same as any of us, are not perfect. They must learn proper behavior and good attitudes as well as arithmetic and reading.

Who are the special people in your life?

There are two children I do love more than the others. I try my best not to favor them over the others in the school room, but Joseph and Ada June are in and out of my house all the time. Joseph loves to be of help there and at the church. Ada June is a special little girl who lost her mother at a young age and has so wanted to be a true part of a family since then. She has the sweetest heart, and she has found a place in mine. 

What is your heart’s deepest desire?

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to have my own family. To marry and have children to love. And then the man I thought I would marry died of tuberculosis. I thought my dream was forever lost and that the children I taught would be the only children I would have to love. But sometimes the Lord opens a door you didn’t know was there and finds a way to give you the desires of your heart.

 Do you have a cherished possession?

I do. My mother had a ceramic blue bird that she treasured. Before she died, she gave it to me and told me to remember how much she loved me whenever I looked at it. It is on the mantel in my cabin in Sourwood. When I hold it, I somehow get courage to face whatever challenges come my way. I have to admit that I’ve held it so much over the years, that some of the ceramic feathers have lost a little of their blue. 

It’s so wonderful to see the blue birds in the mountains. One built a nest in a small hollow in the oak next to our school. Seeing them brings the happiness promised when you see a blue bird.  

What do you expect the future will hold for you?

I hope to teach for many years and learn more about my Sourwood neighbors. And that dream of having my own family may be in my future too. 

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?

Maybe what I have learned most about myself is that I should always trust the Lord and embrace the blessings He showers down on me and mine.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

Oh heavens, I think I have already told you more than anyone could ever want to know about me. I am simply so happy that the Lord opened the opportunity for me to teach the children in Sourwood. He aimed good for me and for that I am more than thankful.

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Thank you for inviting me over to talk with you.

Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of many novels, including
In the Shadow of the River, When the Meadow Blooms, Along a
Storied Trail, An Appalachian Summer, River to Redemption, These
Healing Hills, and Angel Sister. She and her husband live on a farm
a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys
discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her
farm’s fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dogs,
Frankie and Marley. Learn more at AnnHGabhart.com.

Meet Grace Deroy from The Mapmaker’s Secret by Jennifer Mistmorgan

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Thank you for having me! It’s a pleasure to be here.

Tell us something about where you live?

It’s a delicate situation. My family’s home in Lincolnshire, England, was requisitioned by the Air Ministry to function as a mapmaking facility. I had to clear out all our family’s possessions and watch while the Air Ministry converted the whole thing into offices. (They were absolute thugs when it came to the soft furnishings!) They even changed the name of the place from ‘Broughton Hall’ to ‘Bartondale’. I loved my job working in the map room at RAF Bottesford, but I wanted to keep an eye on my family’s home. So I ask for a transfer to the library at Bartondale. Now I work in what used to be my home, and live in what used to be our caretaker’s cottage with my companion Sarah and a child evacuee called Olive.

Do you have an occupation? 

I have to be careful what I say about it. Official secrets, you understand. But I can tell you that I work in the library, managing all the documents required to make the maps. I like putting everything in order.

What do you like about your work? 

There is a new American, Jack Marsden, who has started working with us. The girls and I call him O.A.F … Our American Friend. It was my job to show him around on his first day. He’s quiet, almost tongue-tied, with me even though he seems chatty with everyone else. He looks in pain every time he has to speak to me!

Who are the special people in your life?

The special people in my life are my parents and my two brothers, Peter and Teddy. Peter is my twin. Teddy is the baby of the family and has just joined Bomber Command as a navigator. I don’t think he is enjoying it very much. Then there’s my dear friend Maggie. We met when we worked together at RAF Bottesford and she’s been like a sister to me ever since. We tell each other all our secrets. Well, almost all of them. There are some things that I won’t tell anyone. Ever.

What are you most afraid of? 

It feels odd confessing this to you but I am most afraid of people discovering the very foolish thing I did at university. I am ashamed of who I was then, and for people to know about … I’m sorry I don’t want to say anything more about it. It’s too upsetting.

What do you expect the future will hold for you? 

It’s war, so there’s no telling what will happen! But if I’m honest, I’d love to get to know Jack a little more. He might be quiet but I sense he has a lot going on under the surface. 

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?  

I’ve learnt that I truly am a new creation in Christ and that I can do all things in His strength. And I’ve learnt to forgive. Trust me when I tell you that both are very hard lessons to learn.

The Mapmaker’s Secret by Jennifer Mistmorgan is a historical romance set during WWII. It is available in both paperback and ebook. 

Australian author Jennifer Mistmorgan sometimes feels like she was born in the wrong era. So she writes romantic historical fiction set in the 1940s, against the backdrop of WWII and its aftermath. She infuses her sweet romances with wartime drama and a dash of intrigue. She lives in Canberra with her family and a wonky-eared West Highland terrier.

Introducing Harl Adams from The Rejected Mail-Order Bride by Greta Picklesimer

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Name’s Harl Adams. I was born, raised and live in Harrisville, Kentucky in the southeastern part of the state. It’s pretty with rolling hills and mountains. I own and work the family apple orchard on our land. I enjoy the work. It keeps me occupied and helps keep my mind from thinking over things that happened and that I done in the war of the states. I’m not proud of what I done—killing men for the cause, but it’s what orders made me do. My father and me was on our way to sign up to enlist for the north when some renegade southern sympathizers cut him down. He took a bullet to the heart and dropped right there beside me. He was dead before he hit the dirt. I still have nightmares about it and headaches. I take each day as it comes and I don’t want to talk about that part of my life anymore. 

I live on the old homestead with my mother. She keeps an eye on me and me on her. She’s a sweet woman. She keeps hoping that when I marry I’ll settle down on the place with her. Marriage is the furthest thing on my mind. I haven’t been lucky in that way. Every time I find me a girl, she up and marries someone else. I’ve been in love twice in my life. One time to a girl I went to school with and one time to the new school teacher. Maybe the Lord don’t have marriage in the books for me. Then again I hope that ain’t the case. 

The other day I met a woman come down from Michigan to marry up with that town scoundrel, Cletus Tooth. She didn’t know what a scoundrel he was or she wouldn’t a come all this way. He took one look at her size and left her and her trunk standing on the train platform. Cletus threw her picture in the dirt at my feet as I was loading sacks of grain for the animals on the farm. He told me he left her there and didn’t want no part of her. So, I went over to the train depot and found her. Since she had come down on the last train for the day, I offered to buy her a room over at the hotel. She accepted. That night, we had us an ice storm to beat all ice storms. In the morning, she went out to check when the next train would be due, but fell and sprained her ankle. The doctor thought it would be best if she could recuperate with a family in the area is how mama and me got her to come stay with us. On the ride over to our place, she told me she doesn’t believe in God. I don’t know what to say about that. 

My deepest desire is to be married, but I think I need to keep on looking. This woman, Rose Henderson, ain’t no match for me lessen she turns her heart over to the Lord. I think the Lord’s got His job cut out for Him in that area. She’s a good woman and all once you get past all her lying and such, but being good don’t mean you’re saved.

Author Greta Picklesimer is Michigan born and raised by Kentucky transplanted parents. Besides writing, Greta spends time working on her scrapbook/art journal, reading audiobooks and dreaming up her next novel. She is owned by one rescue cat by the name of Pearlie Blue who was named after one of her father’s favorite Bluegrass songs. Greta spent many happy summer vacations with her family visiting relatives in the hills of Kentucky. She was so impressed by those visits, that her books are set in Kentucky. By day, Greta works as an office assistant. At night, she writes.

A Chat with Lily from Joanna Davidson Poltiano’s The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment
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Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Tell us something about where you live.

I live and work in the beautiful St. Anne’s Well Gardens of Bristol. This pleasure garden, once a healing springs, is a small haven in the midst of a bustling seashore town that actually contains—hidden away—an entire film production outlay. The old pump house has become the workshop of a brilliant producer, where he tints and cuts and splices film strips to create an illusion grander than his magic shows. Then, ifhttps://amzn.to/3Qc8xPJ one is brave enough to venture through the woods and up the hill, he would happen upon the most unexpected house made entirely of glass. That is where the films are set, on a rotating foundation, so that he might capture natural light from any angle, any time of the day.

I spend my days in that glass house, which grows quite warm in summer, pretending to be a fairy or a fair maiden. Then I spend my spare time buried in that pump room, splicing and tinting films with Smith and his wife. It’s a beautiful place to create, and I love it here. 

I shouldn’t be telling you this part, but I have a history in this place. When I was a girl, this place was my haven. I came here for the stories from an old rose gardener, and for escape. I did not like my real life in those days, so I lived in a fantasy one at St. Anne’s.

Is there anything special about your name? 

I chose the name Lily simply because the flower reminded me of what I’d like to become. Elegant, pure, and lovely. It’s the simplest name I’ve chosen so far, and it has stuck with me the longest. The name I was given, which I cannot divulge, was bestowed in honor of my grandmother. I rather like that, and I hope I can use that name again one day.

Who are the special people in your life?

I haven’t had anyone special in my life since Gordon Makepiece told me stories as a child. I suppose Gypsy Lee has been a boon to me and Mr. Smith, the illusionist, but that’s mostly because he needs me. And there’s something lovely about being needed. 

However—and you’ll have to keep this quiet—there’s a man. He appeared in the gardens one night for a show, and I all but kidnapped him. I pulled him into a waltz and had him spinning and twirling toward the woods, then running up an unseen path. And ever since then, I have felt as though he’s done the same to me. Twirling and spinning until I can’t see straight, then darting up a dark path to an unknown destination. And I’ve wondered ever since if it was I who roped him into a dance that first night… or if it was all his doing.

What are you most afraid of?

Leaking my real name. I’m terrified I’ll give it out without thinking, though it’s been years since I’ve used it. Or perhaps someone who knows it will happen upon me. That wouldn’t happen though, I don’t think. I’ve been ever so careful to cover my tracks.

Do you have a cherished possession?

There’s a large, inviting, leather-bound book of fairytales that I would pay handsomely to have back. The illustrations are mine, and the stories belong to the dearest person in the entire world. What I wouldn’t give to hear his voice again. Better yet, to hear the stories told in his voice, rather than on the page. Every time I turn those pages, I hear his voice in my memories and my heart absorbs everything he’d meant to tell me in those fairytales. But the guilt overwhelms me so much that I haven’t opened that book in years. Whatever became of the writer, I do not know.  

What do you expect the future will hold for you?

I feel I could succeed in any position, with my history. I’m an actress now, but I’ve been a milkmaid, a governess, a boy in the army, and even a lady’s companion. Next, I could be a pirate—that does sound amusing. Perhaps an illusionist.

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of Lady
Jayne Disappears, A Rumored Fortune, Finding Lady Enderly, The
Love Note, A Midnight Dance, and The Lost Melody. She loves tales
that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is
eager to hear anyone’s story. She lives with her husband and their
children in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan.

Get Connected:
Joanna Davidson Politano
www.JDPStories.com
Facebook
/joannadavidsonpolitano
Twitter
@politano_joanna

Meet Marybeth Kruger Vogel from Tracie Peterson’s A Love Discovered

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Marybeth and Edward are compelled by their circumstances to marry as they trek west to the newly formed railroad town of Cheyenne. But life in Cheyenne is fraught with danger, and they find that they need each other more than ever. Despite the trials they face, will happiness await them in this arrangement of convenience?

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Tell us something about where you live. 

My name is Marybeth Kruger…well now it’s Vogel since I married. Up until a few months ago we lived in Independence, Indiana, but now we live in the middle of nowhere in a railroad town called Cheyenne.

Is there anything special about your name? Why do you think you were given that name?

I was given the name because my mother liked the sound of it. There wasn’t anything really special about it, but she always said I looked like a Marybeth.

Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?

My full-time job is to care for my little sister Carrie. My mother died when I was young, and my father remarried.  Carrie’s ma died in childbirth and made me promise to care for Carrie as if she were my own. Since then, I’ve done just that. I’m the only mama Carrie has ever known, and I love her dearly. When our pa died recently some folks figured to take Carrie away from me since I didn’t have a job to support our family. But Edward Vogel came to our rescue, and we agreed to a marriage of convenience.

Who are the special people in your life? 

So many of the special people in my life have died, but Edward and Carrie remain.  Edward is my husband of convenience. He needed a wife, and I needed a husband in order to keep from losing Carrie. We’ve loved and cared about each other as friends for many years since Edward was married to my best friend Janey. After she died, however, we just sort of looked out for each other.

What is your heart’s deepest desire? 

To have true love in my life and raise my little sister in a happy home.

What are you most afraid of?

Losing my sister and Edward never really loving me as a wife.

Do you have a cherished possession? 

Not really.  Things have never been all that important to me. My mama taught me early on that things are replaceable, but the people in your life are what really matter.

What do you expect the future will hold for you?  

I’m not sure.  This town called Cheyenne is a wild place with lots of low-life criminals. Danger is all around us and I fear that Edward may get killed in his deputy job. I’m praying God’s protection over him, of course, but in a town where it’s not even safe to walk the streets, I worry that someone will take his life and leave Carrie and me without his support and protection. I pray all the time that God will keep all of us safe.

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story? 

I learned that God is truly faithful to watch over us and that love really matters. I thought I could live without love, but I was wrong.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you? 

I’m a woman of strong faith in God and that is what has seen me through so many bad times. Without God, I’d be all alone in this world, I’m sure.  His love for me has gotten me through all these bad times and I’m sure it will get me through bad times to come.

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than six million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.

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Tracie Peterson
www.traciepeterson.com

Meet Catriona Daly from The Irish Matchmaker by Jennifer Deibel

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Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Why don’t you introduce yourself.

Hi there. I’m Catríona. Catríona Daly.

Tell us something about where you live.

Oh, there’s not much to tell, really. I live in a small village in the west of County Clare in Ireland, called Lisdoonvarna. It’s a sleepy little place that only comes alive once a year. And that’s for the annual Matchmaking Festival. It’s been going on since 1847 and my family has been part of it from the beginning.

Big wigs from around Ireland and beyond come to try and make prosperous matches for their kids, and local farmers come hoping to find a wife to help around the farm now that the harvest is in.

Some might call it a quaint little place. And, in truth, it’s not bad. But I’m ready to see the world and live amongst the bright lights of a big city.

Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?

I’m a third-generation matchmaker by trade. My father was one, and his father before him. The trade has been around as long as Ireland has been, but since the Festival started, it’s become a sort of specialty for my family and a few others around the county.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling that comes when a match works out even better than I’d figured. I take my job very seriously—as if a couple gets matched, they’re together for life. But, when they get on far better than I anticipated, it gives me great satisfaction.

The hard part, however, is watching hundreds of people a week fall in love, while I’m still waiting for m’own match.

Who are the special people in your life?

Well, my Da, of course. It’s been just the two of us since I was a girl. My Ma decided she’d had enough of poor rural life and ran off to find adventure elsewhere. While Dad drives me crazy, I love him to death and am fiercely protective of him.

Also, in recent weeks, a wee girl named Sara has come into my life and captured my heart. She’s the daughter of one of my matchmaking clients. Her birthday wish was that her dad come to the festival. Anyway, Sara and I have gotten to spend some time together and she’s just a hoot. Very precocious and fiery. Reminds me a lot of me.

And what about her father? Is he special, too?

I’m sorry, what was the question again?

You said Sara’s getting to be a special person to you. How about her father?

…Eh….I prefer not to answer that one. *clears throat*

What is your heart’s deepest desire?

To find love, and get out of Lisdoonvarna. I feel there’s nothing else left for me here.

I see. And what do you expect the future will hold for you?

Well…I hope it involves falling in love with a wealthy man who can whisk me away to far off, exotic places. Places where we don’t have to smear dung on the walls to keep warm in the winter.

And what if that doesn’t happen?

*Sigh* Then, I suppose I’ll stay here, make as many good matches as I can, and take care of my father.

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?

I end up having to confront my biggest fears, and I learn that God’s plans are so much better than our own. And I learn that I wasn’t really afraid of living in Lisdoonvarna. I was afraid of being abandoned again—just like I was by my mom.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

I’m great craic, and I have a big heart. I may sound a little rough and tumble, but I really think you’ll enjoy coming along and spending time with me in The Irish Matchmaker.

Jennifer Deibel is the author of A Dance in Donegal (winner of the
Kipp Award for Historical Romance), The Lady of Galway Manor,
and The Maid of Ballymacool. Her work has appeared on
(in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine, and
in other publications. With firsthand immersive experience abroad,
Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of
culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in
Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and
their three children. You can find her online at JenniferDeibel.com.

Meet Sylvie from Laura Frantz’s The Seamstress of Acadie

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Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Tell us something about where you live. 

I’m Sylvie Galant, an Acadian, who lives in the contested territory of Acadie or as the British call it, Nova Scotia, Canada. My homeland is all I’ve ever known and my family owns the hectares of my great-grandfathers, a legacy of farmers, cattlemen, and fishers. With the mountains at our back and the sea before us, we dwell in what visitors say is one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

Is there anything special about your name? Why do you think you were given that name?

I’m named after my great-grandmother, Sylvie, who first came to the shores of Acadie in the early 17th-century. I’m delighted that my name honors my ancestry and we can keep my family history alive. I hope to name my own daughter Sylvie and, if I have a son, Bleu, after my beloved elder brother. My name is a bit of departure from tradition. Most Acadian women are named Madeleine, Cécile, Françoise, Anne, Jeanne, or Marie after their godparents. Interestingly, when Acadians marry, the women keep their maiden names their whole life long.

Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?

I am a seamstress. My mother always said I have a gift for stitches. My first project was a little sampler which she pronounced nearly flawless when I was only five. I have since sewn the clothing of my immediate family, both men and women, and have even been employed by Fort Beauséjour as a shirtmaker for the soldiers who occupy the garrison there. But my favorite garment to make is a fancy dress. I can usually stitch a detailed gown in ten days. 

I love all the choices of fabric to craft garments. Silks and taffetas and brocades are especially lovely to work yet challenging. I find it very rewarding when someone wears something I’ve made and takes pleasure in it. I dislike having to sew by firelight or low light during the day. It can wreak havoc on your stitches, not to mention your eyesight! 

Who are the special people in your life?

My little sister, Marie-Madeleine is the joy of our lives. She is sunshine to everyone she meets. I adore my older brother, Bleu, who is often away from Acadie working for Hudson’s Bay Company as well as his many other pursuits, some of which shall not be named here. And I cannot forget my other brothers, Pascal and Lucien, who remain at home and help my beloved father and mother with their many tasks.

What is your heart’s deepest desire?

To marry and have a family someday. I have not yet met the man but it is wonderful to imagine him out there, somewhere, prior to our paths intercepting. And I hope to use my gift as a seamstress to benefit others. I do not think of it as merely sewing but creating beauty and adorning whoever wears the garments of my hands and heart. Also, I long to know Christ better and better. To hear “well done, good & faithful servant” when my earthly race is done. 

What are you most afraid of?

Acadie has been fought over by the English and the French for hundreds of years. Both countries want us to take an oath of loyalty but my people remain peaceful and neutral. All we desire is to live in peace but turmoil is all I’ve ever known. I hope never to lose my homeland, the place Acadians have lived for generations. But the fighting continues and might result in something dire. 

Do you have a cherished possession?

That would be my sewing kit. It was given to me by my maternal great-grandmother when I was four years old. She brought it to Acadie from her homeland of Scotland when she was young and left it to me upon her passing. Though it looks quite plain being made of linen, it has all the tools of my trade within – needles, thread, scissors, thimble, and bodkin. 

What do you expect the future will hold for you?

 I sense my future might change violently and quickly based on the escalating war around us. I pray not, but these English who rule over the American colonies and parts of Canada seem to have a voracious appetite for more land no matter who it belongs to. 

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?

My story has caused me to examine my own life in a profound way. I now look at how I respond when circumstances are out of my control. What is my reaction to calamity? In what or who do I place my trust? If the worst happens, what do I have left? My priorities are shifting and centering more on my relationship with the Lord because that is the one constant in life. 

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

Though I appear quite serious, far moreso than my younger sister, I experience a great deal of joy in the natural world and plying my needle as a seamstress. I love my family and friends and my faith. I am quite blessed despite my fears and an uncertain future. 

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Laura Frantz is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of fifteen novels, including The Rose and the Thistle, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Lacemaker, and A Heart Adrift. She is the proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. Though she will always call Kentucky
home, Laura lives with her husband in Washington State.

Laura Frantz
www.LauraFrantz.net

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