Featuring Author S. Dionne Moore and Her New Release!

Today it is my pleasure to feature my good friend Sandra Moore who writes under the name S. Dionne Moore. Sandra is also one of my critique partners, and I can attest to her ability to spin a good story.  

Her latest release, Promise Brides, is a compilation of three novels, and is published by Barbour Publishing.

Anyone who has written historical fiction knows the countless hours of research that is required for any story. Sandra is going to discuss some of the things she learned as she researched for her novels.

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One of the most interesting elements of my research for Promise of Time, one of three historical romances in newly released Promise Brides, was discovering that Abraham Lincoln was not the featured speaker at the Gettysburg National Cemetery dedication ceremony. Edward Everett was so honored, and he was scheduled to speak before the president on that cloudy day in November of 1863. Everett was a man noted for quality speeches and deliveries, his reputation for excellence in speech-making already established, as well as his tendency toward being long-winded. President Lincoln must have known this, for he planned his speech to be short, coming in at about two minutes compared to Everett’s two hours!

Even with two hours of talk time, Abraham Lincoln’s speech became the most well-remembered of the two, probably in great part because of its brevity.

The only known photo of Lincoln at Gettsyburg, the president is shown in the circle. His bodyguard is on his right. 

In my past blogs for my books, I’ve talked at great lengths about the historical facts used to make stories come to life. But what about my characters? Who are they and how do I develop them? Evolve might be a better word. My characters generally develop traits based on what will be happening in the plot and what hurdles they will have to jump in order to reach a satisfying ending.

In Promise Brides, specifically for Promise of Time, the idea of two people falling in love across the lines that divided our nation in 1863 fascinated me. Ellie is a Northerner, Theo a Southerner, but Theo is first and foremost a man. A young man thrust into the atrocities of war because of the things he saw his family and friends suffer at the hands of the Yankees. He had watched the North wreak havoc on everything in the South and he wanted to fight to protect what was left.

From this I delved deeper into who I wanted this man to be. How did the realities of war affect him? Theo would, like many, be unprepared for the stark realization that it had become his job to shoot at a men just like himself, but labeled his “enemy”.
But what if he months of war, of death and destruction became too much and he couldn’t take it anymore? What if, on the eve of watching yet another friend die, he also saw a man who was his “enemy,” but also a relative, murdered. . . ?

You can see the mire of questions I used to develop Theo into the character he became for Promise of Time. I wanted Ellie to be understanding of his mental anguish, thus she had experience working with the wounded in the aftermath at Gettysburg. But in spite of her compassion, wouldn’t the idea of falling for a Rebel be repugnant to her. . .or could she see what others could not. That Theo was a man first, then a soldier.

Promise of Time is available now on line at Christianbook.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble as well as at your favorite retailer.

Sandra Moore writes as S. Dionne Moore, and was named Favorite New Author in the 2011 18th Annual Heartsong Awards. A compilation of three historical romances released in November 2011, titled, Promise Brides. Stories include:  Promise of Tomorrow, a 2011 Carol Award Finalist, is set in Johnstown, PA, Promise of Yesterday, is set in Mercersburg/Greencastle, PA, and Promise of Time, in Gettysburg, PA.

Winter of 2012 watch for A Shepherd's Song, the first in her Wyoming Historical Romance series, followed by The Cattle Baron's Daughter (summer 2012) and Valley of the Heart (winter 2012).

Sandra resides in the rolling hills of Cumberland Valley, PA--a transplanted city girl and glad of it! She enjoys ferreting out little-known historical details and crafting a story around them. To learn more about Sandra and her work, visit her athttp://www.sdionnemoore.com/.

Great World War II Read by Sarah Sundin

World War II stories are becoming more and more popular everyday. Having already written one historical romance myself that’s set in 1933, I’ve become intrigued with both the 30s and 40s, and for that reason, I excitedly opened author Sarah Sundin’s Blue Skies Tomorrow. I did not read the first two books in her three-book Wings of Glory series, but the story presented well as a stand alone, and anyone who enjoys WWII romance stories will love this story.

Evidence of Sundin’s extensive research into setting and WWII, both at war and on the home front, is very evident in this book. From detailed descriptions of hero, Ray Novak’s war experience as a bomber pilot to the home front where heroine, Helen Carlisle, lives in Antioch, California, the entire time period and the characters come alive to the reader.

The only drawback I found with this novel, is that the pacing of approximately the first third of the book to be a bit slow. During this time, Ray’s army assignment is at nearby Port Chicago, and even though he and Helen, a war widow with a toddler son, knew each other growing up, they've gone their separate ways. They become reacquainted toy with the idea of pursuing romance, but the emotional baggage they both carry prevents them from a committed relationship before Ray ships out to England.

At that point the pacing picks up and the story seamlessly moves forward at a fast clip between Ray’s war experiences and Helen’s struggles at home during which they both grow in their faith walks and overcome many obstacles. So much so, I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it!

I highly recommend this book, for the complex characterizations and the realistic depictions of life during WWII. For those who read the first two books in this series, you will especially want to read this as the storyline includes Ray’s two brothers, Walt and Jack, who were the heroes in  books one and two, to catch up on their lives.

You can find Blue Skies Tomorrow on line and at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore.

I will definitely be looking for more from Sarah Sundin. 

About the Author: Sarah Sundin is the author of A Distant Melody and A Memory Between Us. Her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England during World War II. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review from Revell Publishing. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and no one else’s.

A Matter of Character by Robin Lee Hatcher - A Matter of a Good Read!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Matter Of Character

Zondervan (May 25, 2010)

by

Robin Lee Hatcher


The third book in Robin Lee Hatcher's Sisters of Bethlehem Springs Series is a delightful read. Even though it is the third in the series about three women living in a small town in Idaho in the early 1900's, if you haven't read the previous two books, you won't miss a beat.

A Matter of Character takes place in 1918 when dime novels, a kind of precursor to today's mass market paperbacks that range from romance to mysteries to stories of the wild west. Heroine Daphne McKinley, a cultured single woman, writes such novels based on the wild tales she's heard for years of a man who used to live a less than stellar life. But Daphne must keep her authorial work a secret because no dignified woman would be caught dead writing such fluff. No one knows she is D. B. Morgan, author of the Rawhide Rick series that is flying off the shelves.

Enter Joshua Crawford, grandson of the man once known as Rawhide Rick, who has only known his deceased grandfather as the God-fearing Richard Terrell. A man who once changed by his coming to faith in Jesus at the age of 50, kept his past shenanigans secret. Joshua is determined to find D. B. Morgan and force him to retract his imaginative stories that debase his grandfather's reputation.

I have always loved Robin's stories, both historical and contemporary and I'm especially fond of the 1900s. As a writer I loved the little writerly way of authors that Robin characterized Daphne with. For those who aren't writers, it will give you insight as to how a writer of fiction thinks.

Below is more information about Robin Lee Hatcher and the book.

You can buy it at Amazon!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Lee Hatcher discovered her vocation as a novelist after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction (Whispers from Yesterday), the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance (Patterns of Love and The Shepherd's Voice), two RT Career Achievement Awards (Americana Romance and Inspirational Fiction), and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of over 50 novels, including Catching Katie, named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Library Journal.

Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. She is passionate about the theater, and several nights every summer, she can be found at the outdoor amphitheater of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, enjoying Shakespeare under the stars. She makes her home outside of Boise, sharing it with Poppet the high-maintenance Papillon

ABOUT THE BOOK

It's 1918, and Daphne McKinley, heiress to a small fortune, has found contentment in the town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho. But Daphne has a secret.

A series of dime novels loosely based on local lore and featuring a nefarious villain known as Rawhide Rick has enjoyed modest popularity among readers. Nobody in Bethlehem Springs knows the man behind the stories ... except Daphne.

When newspaperman Joshua Crawford comes to town searching for the man who sullied the good name of his grandfather, Daphne finds herself at a crossroads, reassessing the power of her words, re-thinking how best to honor her gifts, and reconsidering what she wants out of life.

Robin is conducting a contest for the new book. Join in the fun HERE.

If you would like to read the Prologue and first Chapter of A Matter Of Character, go HERE.


The third book in Robin Lee Hatcher's Sisters of Bethlehem Springs Series is a delightful read. Even though it is the third in the series about three women living in a small town in Idaho in the early 1900's.

A Matter of Character takes place in 1918 when dime novels, a kind of precursor to mass market paperbacks that range from romance to mysteries to stories of the wild west. Heroine Daphne McKinley, a cultured single woman, writes such novels based on the wild tales she's heard for years of a man who used to live a less than stellar life. But Daphne must keep her authorial work a secret because no dignified woman would be caught dead writing such fluff. No one knows she is D. B. Morgan, author of the Rawhide Rick series that is flying off the shelves.

Enter Joshua Crawford, grandson of the man once known as Rawhide Rick, who has only known his deceased grandfather as the God-fearing Richard Terrell. A man who once changed by his coming to faith in Jesus at the age of 50, kept his past shenanigans secret. Joshua is determined to find D. B. Morgan and force him to retract his imaginative stories that debase his grandfather's reputation.

Writing Historical - A New Experience And I'm Having a Blast!

A few months back, I wrote about seeing my hometown of Lake Geneva, WI through new eyes as I delved into research in preparation for writing a book set there in 1933.

I finished the proposal on August first, and my agent sent it on to a potential publisher. In the meantime, I attended the ACFW conference in Denver, and then reworked my cozy mystery from a mystery with romance to a romance with mystery. It is now titled, Thyme for Love. With the proposal for that story out at several places, I finally have time to work on my Lake Geneva romance called Dream a Little Dream of Me. It's only a working title and often publishers will change titles to suit their preferences, so I hang onto it loosely.

Other than writing a short story for a creative writing class based on my grandmother's diary from 1900, I have never written historical fiction in my life. I have always loved writing about today, having my characters use their cell phones, computers, etc. and ride around in fast cars. But writing early to mid 20th century historical is different than writing historicals set in Colonial times or even at the turn of the century, 1900.

Today's Lake Geneva looks a lot different than the Lake Geneva I grew up in. First, the town has grown by about 3,000 people, and second, it now boasts a Super Walmart, McDonalds, Burger King, Home Depot and many other franchised operations. When I was a kid we had to drive to Milwaukee for a McDonald's burger. The lake, of course, is still there, but the beach has been improved and some of the large mansions have been torn down for smaller lots.

However, if you stop long enough to look, you'll still see vestages of the past. Enough mansions are still there, perhaps boasting several more coats of paint or a wing added on, but they are still the stately manors they were in the 19th century.

Stroll down Main Street and look up past the modern storefronts of shops selling gourmet foods, boutique clothing, and home decor and you'll see the architecture of a time gone by. It doesn't take much to imagine a butcher shop, food market, or mercantile that once existed on the street level.

Today what was once called the Slater Building houses a real estate company. When I was a child I went to the dentist on the second floor, and I can't remember what was on the first floor. Probably a different real estate company. That's the building on the right. Back in 1933, it housed the Lake Geneva News-Trib, the weekly paper where the hero and heroine in my novel meet and work. It's a special feeling to know that I've been in that building many times as a child, and now here I am writing a story set right there.

Oh if those walls could talk. I bet they'd give me fodder for more stories than I could write. And it would be a blast.