Catch a Falling Star by Beth K. Vogt

Casey Herringshaw was right! Beth K Vogt’s newest novel, Catch a Falling Star, is even better than her first novel, Wish You Were Here. (and I really liked WYWH).

In Catch a Falling Star we meet Dr. Kendall Haynes and air force pilot, Griffin Walker. Both have given up on daydreams and fairytales because of life’s hard knocks. Kendall is beginning to think she’s reached her expiration date and Griffin is sure he’s long over due.

But suprises…and near-death experiences, bring these two together – an unlikely pair who believed their wishes would never come true.

I love Kendall’s personality. Her tenacity and directness is a perfect fit of Griff’s introverted strength. So fun to read the banter between these two.

Also (thank you BETH) for a lovely hallway kissing scene. I love teasers

Find out more about Beth’s books (and the wonderful author herself at www.bethvogt.com

Who’s Got Character with Siri Mitchell

My first introduction to contemporary fiction was reading Siri Mitchell’s fantastic novel, Kissing Adrien. I’d decided never to write a contemporary novel up to that point, but something about the humor, suspense, and excitement drew me in, not to mention Adrien and France. Two years later, I’d completed my first contemporary romantic comedy. Funny what God uses to shock us into his plans J Kissing Adrien is one of those books where you read the last chapter about seven times before you can put the book completely down….sigh.

Siri Mitchell doesn’t just write in the contemporary vein. Her most recent novels have been more historical, with enough emotion pumped through them to create a reality t.v. show. Each novel seems to hold a deep message that spans the years to relate to our struggles in our lives and cultures of today.

To learn more about Siri Mitchell, visit her website at: http://www.sirimitchell.com/

Time for Q & A:

1. Who is your favorite heroine & hero you’ve ever written? Why?

I have to say Claire and Adrien of Kissing Adrien. That book was my first in print and the writing experience was magical. Their relationship was so tender and playful. The story nearly wrote itself and they both seemed to sparkle. Some of my other characters in later books have been deeper and more complex, but those two characters were just pure fun.

2. What is the ‘behind the scenes story’ for the creation of that hero & heroine?  

I was an American living in France, just as Claire was. Although all of the cultural differences she noted and spiritual thoughts she had were mine, I have to say quite firmly that she was not a re-creation of me. It was fun to place my experiences into someone else’s life and see how they would change the course of events. The book was derived from a non-fiction manuscript I had previously written and the point of both was to examine how sometimes we mistake our culture for our Christianity. Adrien was a conglomerate of all of the French men I had the good fortune to meet. It was fascinating to watch how they interacted with the women in their lives.

Siri’s novel, She Walks in Beauty has one of the BEST heroes in it and boasts of Siri’s usual historical detail, but her brand new release, Unrivaled, has a hero of similiar stuff. You won’t want to miss either of these Siri Mitchell historicals!!! I think they might be my favorite of her historicals.

Kissing Adrien is still my FAVORITE contemporary of hers.
Character Creation Tip for the Day:

Joy. Don’t discount the joy of writing amazing characters. There’s a lot of hard work involved, maybe even some heart-ache, but the bottom line is that memorable characters are written from the passion that flows from the author’s pen. There may be frustrations along the way, but if you’ve been following the posts for the past month, all of the authors expressed the fun and joy they experience when breathing life into their heroes and heroines.

If there is no joy behind the process…no excitement in the creation by the creator, then maybe you’ve lost the purpose behind your writing. Joy of the author sets the pulse of the character.

 

Being Brave

My six and seven year old were having a conversation that went like this:

“You won’t believe what I did?” The seven year old leaned close to his sister, his blue eyes as wide as a monster-truck wheel.

His six year old sister caught the flare of excitement from him. “What?”

“I touched my eyeball. Just like this.” And he proceeded to demonstrate his amazing skill with a little probing for good measure.

His little sister, mouth hung in appropriate awe, replied, “You are so brave.”

We may snicker at this example and think of a time when kids in our memory did something in the same way. A ‘small’ adventure carried the excitement and energy of something as grand as stepping on the moon – and then we’d shrug it off as inconsequential – but in the world of the small, small things are big.

Now I’m not saying big deals shouldn’t be important or small things shouldn’t be put in proper perspective… but I AM saying ‘proper perspective’ matters a great deal.

One of the things that amazes me about Jesus is how he sees the needs of our hearts. He knows the ONE thing which will bring us the most joy and comfort (his love), but he also knows what we must overcome to find the perfect path to peace.

He knows the great or the small things that make our spirits tremble and He can provide the courage necessary to surmount the odds.

Do you remember the story of the Rich Young Man in Matthew 19? He came to Jesus and asked how he could receive eternal life. BIG deal, right? Eternal life! And according to the laws of the Pharisees, the man was pretty good at keeping the rules too. He had a ‘perfect’ record. A spotless checklist.

But even with a track record of gold, he still came to Jesus because something in him warned him he wasn’t good enough yet. He wasn’t secure. He wrestled uncertainty…aka- FEAR.

Christ hits him right at his heart. Speaks to that deepest fear with the accuracy only divinity can claim.

Jesus tells him to sell everything he has and follow Him.

The young man leaves sad, because he is very rich. He didn’t have the courage to release the temporal world for the eternal one. His ‘life’ was wrapped in HIS life – instead of a life wrapped in God.

One of the most beautiful and frightening things about Christianity is the truth that we must give everything up to gain everything. We must release our good things (dreams, hopes) as well as our bad things (sins, selfishness) to Christ and have the courage to trust His plans.

Is it easy? Some days it can be easi-er.

And other days? Not so much.

But the great thing about Jesus is – if he asks us to be brave, he doesn’t just leave us to find our own courage. He provides the opportunity AND the ability.

We are not left without the resources to do the BIG and the small things He calls us to do.

“Courage is not the absense of fear. It is the judgement that something is more important than our fear.” Ambrose Redmoon

(Isn’t that how God sees it too? His love, his strength, the opportunity to serve him becomes more important than our fear?)

Sometimes the biggest act of courage is a small one. ~Lauren Raffo

(service? love? finding a band-aid?)

People are made of flesh and blood and a miracle fibre called courage. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s Notebook, 1960

That miracle fiber? Jesus.

He displayed the ultimate courage on the cross, so we could pull from His reserves…

in the BIG or the small.

Who’s Got Character with Linore Rose Burkard

From the Archives

Known for her witty Regency romances, Linore Rose Burkard introduces 21^st century readers to the fun, frolick, and faith of earlier readers. Her motto: Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul. So it’s a truth universally acknowledged that a lover of all things Jane Austen will know about memorable characters.

Not only is Linore an author, but she also encourages other writers by presenting about Character Creation and Marketing, as well as sharing her wealth of knowledge on the Regency era and Jane Austen. Plus, she’s super sweet.

So, her favorite characters? Let’s find out.

Who is your favorite hero and heroine you’ve ever written? Why?

I haven’t written that many, but I suspect that no matter how many I go on to write, Ariana Forsythe and Phillip Mornay, from my Regency series, will always be tops.

What is the behind-the-scenes story for these characters?

With Ariana, I don’t have much of a back story except that I wanted a heroine who was smart and spunky enough to stick to her guns when it mattered most. I really wanted to show “faith under fire,” and then have a heroine who could handle it. My “hidden agenda” if you will, was to share the gospel with unbelievers in such a way that they wouldn’t feel preached at, but be able to hear the message uncritically.
With Phillip, I had an idea of needing him to be rather rotten in the beginning, but not so bad that he couldn’t be “reformable.” So he starts out intimidating and stand-offish, to say the least, but by the end of the book every reader wants him to marry the heroine.

Pepper: Marry the heroine AND he becomes one of the dreamy heroes the readers ‘sigh’ over. Go Phillip. I like him even better in the second book because he’s very in love and still so much the man from the first book. His development is wonderful…real.

Thanks so much for being a part of this, Linore.

To read a review on Before the Season Ends, check this link out: http://www.5minutesforbooks.com/1245/before-the-season-ends/

To read my review of The House at Grosvenor Square click here:http://pepperbasham.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/the-house-in-grosvenor-square-by-linore-rose-burkard/

Character Creation Tip of the Day:

Strong – As I’ve mentioned before, some of the most memorable characters have an inner strength which drives them through to the end of the story. Think about some unforgettable characters: Scarlett O’Hara or Rhett Butler, Heathcliffe & Catherine, Darcy & Elizabeth, Indiana Jones…

All of these characters have emotional muscles, willing to fight for what they believe is right OR what they want.

Wimpy heroes or heroines can only survive in a novel (and in a reader’s mind), if they are changing into stronger characters.

 

The Importance of Knowing WHO

I was at a writer’s conference once and started chatting with the person in line behind me. No surprise there. My dad says I could carry on a conversation with a block wall. It’s a family trait

Anyway, this lady and I had a pleasant conversation about life, family, her writing, my writing. Nothing spectacular. I didn’t think anything more of it than a friendly moment in time.

I finished getting my food and sat at a table when one of the other guests touched my arm.

“You looked like you were having a pretty good conversation with Angie Hunt.”

Angie Hunt? Angela Hunt! Award winning author of over one-hundred books!!

So the pleasant little conversation suddenly changed to one of those shocked moments that you write down in your journal to share with all of your posterity and even devote a blog-post to it

Knowing WHO she was, changed the way I saw the situation.It wasn’t just a sweet little moment in my day. It was momentous. Knowing WHO she was made a BIG difference on my perspective.

There’s a familiar story in the Bible about Jesus calming the sea. (And though Angela Hunt loves Jesus, knowing her and knowing HIM are two very different things

To paraphrase the Gospels, here we go:

The disciples follow Jesus onto a boat and they head out onto the sea. A big storm whips up out of nowhere, so dangerous that the disciples start to freak out. They start crying out for help, and where is Jesus? In the middle of the howling wind, crashing waves, and pelting rain…sleeping!!

The disciples wake him up and say something like, “Don’t you care that we’re all going to die?”So…Jesus tells the storm to hush up. And it does. Then he looks at his disciples and says, “Oh you of little faith. Why are you so afraid?” 

Now some Gospels put Jesus’ rebuke before the calming of the storm and some after. Just imagine Jesus waking from his nap to the hurricane-like conditions and screaming through the wind at the disciples. “Why are you afraid?”

I can only imagine the disciples giving him a look like Jesus, have you seen the size of those waves? This is NOT a dream. We’re going to DIE!

When Jesus calms the storm with his words, the disciples start to freak out in a very different way, because they suddenly were struck with the truth about WHO Jesus really was. The external storm on the water suddenly flew inside their hearts. Whoa! Jesus’ words brought calm to the chaos, as God- The Creator’s- words brought order to the chaos of the universe. Proving that he truly was, who he’d said he was. Spectacular.

So, in one respect, Jesus is saying: If you guys really knew who I was, you’d be able to sleep through a storm too.

There are a few poignant truths in this story.

1. The storm wasn’t a shock to Jesus. He knew it was going to happen and went to sleep anyway.

2. Knowing who Jesus really is, helps us see the storms of life from a new perspective.

Jesus leads us into storms sometimes to refine our faith. So the question is, how do we respond in the middle of the storm? It’s easy to view in hindsight, or predict your response in foresight, but what about in the very middle when the hurt, fear, worry, and grief are the greatest?

This was convicting to me, because if I really know Him, worry becomes obsolete and fear melts into a minor obstacle. His peace settles a heart during the most frightening storm or by streams of living water and green pastures. My heart should find rest in either/or.

The great thing is – he wants us to get to know him better, because he wants us to rest in him.

Psalm 62:1 reads: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.”

Psalm 119:1: Blessed are they that keep his statutes and seek him with all their hearts.”

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

When we know WHO holds us, who loves us, who guides us through the storm – then our perspective on the power of the storm changes and our security in the Maker of the storm overcomes our fear.

May we take this verse to heart and find rest in His promises:

Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Who’s Got Character with Denise Hunter

From the archives with Denise Hunter

Known for her beautifully crafted love stories of emotional growth, spiritual renewal, and ‘rescue’, Denise Hunter combines a wonderful trilogy of faith, humor, and romance to wield a story with memorable value. The rescues that happen on her pages are rescues of the heart.

Most of her stories are about a man wooing a scared or broken woman, so it’s easy to fall in love with her heroes. There is a beauty in the faithfulness of the male characters  and their struggles to break through the walls of hurt that the woman they love, or grow to love, has built around her heart. Oh…and her kissing scenes are FABULOUS!!

Now that I’m sweating, let’s get onto the questions:

Who is your favorite hero &/or heroine from any book you’ve written (They don’t have to be from the same novel) and why are they your favorites?

I’d have to say my characters from “The Convenient Groom”, Kate Lawrence and Lucas Wright. Both of them arrived in my mind more fully developed than most characters do. Kate, all prim and starchy; Lucas, relaxed and easy-going. I pictured Kate as Selma Blair

and Lucas as James Tupper.

What is the behind-the-scenes story behind these two characters? Where did you get your ideas for them?

I knew Kate was a relationship advice columnist who lived on the island of Nantucket and was getting ready to release her new book “Finding Mr. Right for You”. I wondered, what’s the worst thing that can happen to a woman who advises women on finding their soul mate? And then I had my answer: She is jilted at the altar by her own soul mate. It’s definitely a worse case scenario for any public figure, much less one who thinks she’s got it all figured out like Kate.

I wanted Lucas to be the perfect foil for Kate. In many ways, he’s her opposite, and this makes for great conflict. Plus, Kate is so sure she knows what’s right for her–a professional hazard–and it’s sure not Lucas. (Or so she thinks!)

(To read a review of Seaside Letters check out this link: http://greatchristianfiction.blogspot.com/2009/09/seaside-letters-by-denise-hunter.html

Check a review for the Convenient Groom here: http://greatchristianfiction.blogspot.com/2009/03/convenient-groom.html

And Sweet Water Gap:  http://greatchristianfiction.blogspot.com/2009/01/sweetwater-gap.html

Character Creation Tip:

Conflict. Denise writes ‘what’s the worst thing that can happen’. Adding conflict develops not only your story but your characters as well. What do they do when life throws them a curve? How do they respond when they are hurt or angry?

Just as in real-life, the truth of a person’s personality comes out in trial, so a good way to see what your characters are made of is…hit them where it hurts.

Next Week?

I have a whole new line up of great authors for next week, starting with Robin Lee Hatcher on Monday. Stop by and find out which characters she loves the most.

A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

Without a doubt, this has been one of the best fiction books I’ve read this year – and I’ve read some GREAT books!!!

Jody Hedlund inspires a beautiful “real-life” fairytale in this intricate and powerful story about a ‘prince’ who’s lost his courage and a ‘princess’ who has lost her dream. In 1880 Michigan, Annalisa Werner is a young widow in a German community where her marriage was cold and disappointing. If she had the choice to remain single and take care of her own farm she would, but single women were not given that choice. Now she’s forced to wait for a husband from the Old Country who is ‘supposed’ to rescue her from a harsh landowner anxious to retake his property and her livelihood.

Carl von Reichart worked hard…as a physicist and inventor, but his unusual occupation lands him in unexpected trouble with a guillotine. To escape his wrongful accusors, he escapes to a small German community in America where his manservant’s family live and works on Annalisa’s farm as he waits for a promise of ‘new life’ in Chicago.

What Carl finds is the courage to become a noble groom for an unloved woman and her child, but the promised groom from the Old Country and Carl’s secret may destory a happily-ever-after.

If you are looking for a FANTASTIC story and an even BETTER hero, you cannot go wrong with this book. Drama, humor, and a beautiful tug of God’s grace nestle your heart and pump your pulse with the story of Annalisa and Carl. Carl is one of the best heroes I’ve ever read. He squeezed my heart in nine places!! He is tender, funny, and has enough of his own insecurities to make him realistic. I LOVE the way he talks to God and wooes healing for Annalisa!

GO FIND THIS BOOK!!! This is Jody Hedlund’s best yet!