Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
When I was seven or eight years old, my parents must have seen some spark of creativity because they gave me a writing tablet and package of pens and told me to go to town. I’ve been scribbling ever since. I love all things historical with the WWII being my favorite ear to read and write about, although the Civil War era is a close second. I’ve written about ten books, some of which should never see the light of day. However, I have published three romance novellas: Love’s Harvest, Love Found in Sherwood Forest, and On the Rails: A Harvey Girl story. Under Fire, the first in a trilogy about WWII war correspondent/amateur sleuth Ruth Brown, will be released on July 2017 by eLectio Publishing. My books are Christian fiction.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
On the Rails is my latest book. It is set during 1910 and is about a young woman whose well-planned life falls apart when her boyfriend breaks up with her. Tired of being gossiped about she jumps at the chance to take a job as a Harvey Girl in Arizona. I was inspired to write the story because of a visit I took to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. There I heard about the many young women who came from all over the country to work for Fred Harvey as waitresses in his restaurants. I began to imagine why the women would leave their homes and perhaps travel long distances to take a job.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as a teenager, and it greatly affected me. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a published author and affect others the same way. Because my books are set in the 1940s I read a lot of books written back then: Dashiell Hammett, Graham Greene, Raymond Chandler, etc.
What are you working on now?
I am currently writing a mystery tentatively called Murder of Convenience. It is the first book in a series about five friends who each join a different organization to serve during WWII. This story is about a vision-impaired woman who joins the USO to escape a marriage her parents have arranged. When her prospective fiance turns up dead, she must solve his murder in order to prove her innocence.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had great success marketing my books through Celebrate Lit – they have a variety of promotional opportunities including blog tours and FB blasts.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t listen to the naysayers. It’s easy to get discouraged, but write what you love and stick to it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Archer Mayor said the key to success is your butt in the chair. Just keep writing.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Graham Greene’s This Gun for Hire
What’s next for you as a writer?
I need to finish the five book series and develop speaking opportunities.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Only three or four books, huh? Okay, here goes: the Bible, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Gone with the Wind, and the Lion and the Lionhearted by Joanne Bischoff.
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