Interview with Patti Hill and book-launch giveaway!

Today we welcome Patti Hill, one of my all-time favorite voices in Christian fiction. When you pick up one of her books, you’ll see why. She has a fresh, beautiful voice – lyrical without being ostentatious, heartfelt and whimsical and easy to read and emotionally complex all in one. Oh, and did I mention funny? It’s no wonder she’s multi-published and a Christy award finalist. Not only that, she’s just the sweetest person you’ll ever meet. I’m so thrilled to have her with us at the Alley on this extremely exciting day!

What’s that? Why is today exciting? You mean you didn’t know? Today – drumroll, please – is the official launch of Patti Hill’s newest release, Goodness & Mercy! To kick off with a bang, Patti’s novel will be FREE on Amazon in e-book form for three days only, starting today! If that’s not enough, Patti will also be giving away a paperback copy to one lucky commenter – all details at the end. Without further ado, here’s Patti:

Bio: Patti Hill is an unlikely novelist. Books played only a small part in her life until her high-school years. And she only remembers her mother reading to her once. Her mother’s voice flowed like water.

Always resistant to sleep, young Hill created stories to entertain herself until stories of galloping Arabian stallions and pirate ships segued into dreams.  That was the beginning. Then she discovered people enjoyed hearing her stories—real or imagined. She loved having an audience. Still does.

She didn’t think to write a story until she read a novel so beautiful that when it ended, she was bereft.  A passion to orchestrate words, characters, and stories consumed her. Fortunately, she’d married a man who thought leaving a good-paying career to write novels was a splendid idea. In other words, she is a kept woman.  Happily so. In Colorado. She is the author of six novels. Writing is one way she worships Papa God.

Welcome, Patti! We’re going to pick your brain a little today. Goodness & Mercy is your first historical fiction. What challenges did you face in this new genre?

I had a terrible time stopping the research phase. I interviewed people, picked peaches, spent hours in the oral history department of the local museum, anything to get into the skin of the people who lived during WW II and insert myself into their lives of the people of Palisade, Colorado. I met the most amazing people, like a 95-year-old man who ascended Mt. Belvedere with the 10^th Mountain Division.  Everyone was generous. The bonus was learning so much about my own valley.

I can just about smell those sun-warmed peaches. You actually make research sound like fun. (Can you tell I’ll never be an historical fiction author? Love reading it, but phew – hard work for the author!) Why did you decide to try historical fiction?

Over the years, my mom had asked me repeatedly to write her story. Writing my family’s story, including six siblings and all of their children, scared me to death. There were too many perspectives on what had happened. So, I borrowed the premise of my mom’s story.

In 1946, my grandmother was declared an unfit mother, and my grandfather was institutionalized for a mental breakdown. At sixteen, my mom quit school and set about being breadwinner and caregiver to her six siblings, ranging in age from 2 to 14. The state eventually stepped in and took her siblings to orphanages.

Although dispersed, Mom managed to keep her siblings a family. I have relationships with all of my aunts and uncles. Thanks to Mom, we are a family.

I love the tenacity Mom demonstrated, and I put that quality in my main character, Lucy. She has twin siblings, Goody and Mercy, a boy and girl, when her parents are killed. Lucy tries to be all the twins need, but the state steps in and the 8-year-old twins head off for an orphanage. When a farmer and his wife decide to adopt Goody, the question becomes: How far will Lucy go to keep her shrinking family together?

I love your premise. The fact that it’s based on a real-life story is goosebump-worthy. What a rich vein of family lore you have to mine. Okay: let’s get down to the nitty gritty. What is your writing day like?

Since I work in my home, I like to have my ducks in a row before going to my desk. For me, that means time with Papa God. I talk back to Him daily in my journal. It’s a great time. Then I take my Australian shepherd, Tillie, for a long walk. We both need to work out the kinks. Once I’ve cleaned up, I do a household job, and then it’s off to work. I unplug the phone, look at the pages I wrote the day before, and write three more. It’s amazing how quickly the pages add up. When I reach my writing goal, I’m out the door to meet a friend for a cold drink or spend time with my dad. This is how I regenerate.

Sounds like you’ve achieved a great work/ life balance. Did you always want to be a writer?

Heavens, no! I told my 8^th grade math teacher I didn’t need to solve for X because I was going to be an entertainer. I left my ingénue stage in time to marry and have two sons, so I stayed home with the boys for most of their growing-up years before I returned to college for my literature degree. I was born a teacher, so I taught elementary school for a while.

But I’d read that beautiful story. And I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do. I quit teaching—the original plan was for a year—but I hadn’t even written the first page after one year. I was discovering that writing was hard work. I buckled down, got the first chapter written. Within months, I had a book contract for Like a Watered Garden.

You realize we all hate you right now. Or at least, we would if you weren’t so completely loveable. Seriously, it’s a credit to the caliber of your writing that you snagged the attention of a publisher so quickly. I’m impressed. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Don’t make publication your goal. Make writing God-honoring stories your goal. Be willing to put the time and sweat it takes to be a good writer. Take classes at your local college or attend writers conferences to hone your skills. Keep learning. Never be satisfied, but never go safe either. Above all, persist. Persistence is the secret ingredient to being a good writer. And one more thing I wish someone had told me: Start small. Write short stories or novellas. They’re a great way to experiment with ideas, and if your experiment tanks, you haven’t lost all the time and effort a novel requires.

Great tips, Patti. There’s a lot to chew on there. I’m so pleased you could come and hang out with us today.

The best to you!

***

Isn’t she lovely? So here’s the lowdown. To win a SIGNED paperback copy of Patti’s novel, please comment below with why you would like to read Goodness & Mercy. One winner will be announced in the weekend edition.

Then after you’ve commented, skip right on over to Amazon and click yourself a FREE copy of the e-book. (Don’t forget – it’s FREE for three days only! Help spread the word!) 

If you win, you can keep one and give the other as a gift to a book-loving friend. Or keep it just to sniff the pages (I know you still love the smell of paper and ink, even if you ARE a Cool Kid with a Kindle). Or leave it casually lying around on your coffee table, open to the autographed flyleaf, so everyone can be suitably impressed by your authorial connections.

Whatever the case, we are determined to get Patti’s newest novel into as many hands as possible, so get commenting and get clicking! And if you read it and enjoy it, please help spread the word by writing a review or recommending the book to a friend!

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Wisdom from the Author of 60+ Novels, Robin Lee Hatcher

Robin, thank you so much for being with us today! I have heard you have published over 60 novels, correct? Would you care to share a bit of your writing style?

Yes, I’ve released over 60 novels and novellas. I’m currently working on what will be my 65^th release. Although I have written contemporary women’s fiction and love telling those kinds of stories, I am focusing right now on historical romance. That’s the genre where I started my career. It’s a natural fit for a history buff who is also a romantic at heart.

My style? The two words that turn up most often in reviews are “heartwarming” and “emotional.” When I analyzed what I do best some years ago, I realized that, more often than not, I make readers cry. Not because the stories are sad (hey, I’m a romance writer!), but because readers come to care what happens to my characters.

Do you travel to the location of your novels?

I love to travel, although I don’t do much of it anymore. Since I set most of my books in Idaho and the Mountain West, an area that is very familiar to me, not a lot of travel is required. I really must come up with a new series idea that takes place somewhere exotic. LOL!

What is the best piece of writing advice you like to give to new writers learning the craft?

Read, read, read. Read how-to books. Read biographies. Read newspapers. Read the kind of novels you hope to write. Analyze as you read. If you get so caught up in a book that you forget to analyze the first time through, that’s really great. Now read it again. Use different colored highlighters and study the best novelists by marking hero dialogue in blue and heroine dialogue in pink and action in green and narration in orange, etc. When a writer evokes a certain emotion in you, ask yourself how they did it.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Brainstorming. I love the beginning of a book when everything is possible. I especially love to get together with other writers to toss around ideas for books.

I have heard you mention because of your style you don’t have critique partners, what do you do in your writing to make up for not having a second pair of eyes?

I’m not sure I know how to answer this. I learned, when I did try working with a critique group, that it absolutely messed with my confidence and my ability to hear my characters talking to me and telling the story in their own way. This was around novel #10 or #11. So I returned to doing it without a first reader or critique partner. One of my editors told me years ago to trust my gut. Because I’m an intuitive writer, this is solid advice for me. A great deal of my creativity takes place in my subconscious, so I’ve learned to listen to that voice in my head.

You have written primarily historical fiction, correct? What is your favorite time to portray and what draws you to historical fiction?

Yes, I’ve written mostly historical stories. The vast majority of those historical novels have been set in America in the Victorian and (extended) Edwardian eras, primarily from 1860 to 1919. What draws me? A passion for history, all eras, all places. I love discovering new favorites, like The Kite Runner. I really didn’t know a lot about Afghanistan until I read that novel. Then I was hungry to learn more and more. Philippa Gregory is responsible for the Tudor kick I got into a couple of years ago. Not only did I read all of her novels about Henry VIII and his wives and daughters, but I rented every Netflix documentary and movie about the Tudors. I love learning new things, and no matter how much I read and study, I will never run out of something new to discover.

Generally, where do the ideas for your stories come from?

There is no “generally.” So many different ways. I’ve had a couple of books come from dreams. I’ve had several start with a line of dialogue or narrative popping into my head (twice that I recall when I was driving and once when I was in the dentist chair with the drill going). Some have started with a piece of history I’ve read. The Victory Club started with a sudden desire to write a story about four women friends during WWII who all worked at Gowen Field. Ribbon of Years was birthed during the Columbine tragedy. The book has nothing to do with a school shooting, but I found myself watching the news and wondering how people live out their faith in the midst of something so horrible, which then morphed into the question “what does it mean to walk by faith?” And then my heroine, Miriam, entered my imagination and the book was born.

 What led you to write for the Christian market?

In the early 1990’s, as God restored my relationship with Him, healing hurts and forgiving sins, a desire to write stories that honored Him grew in my heart. And as my walk of faith was strengthened, I became more and more frustrated when God and faith were edited out of my books for the general market. Finally, the right doors were opened and I stepped through.

Thank you so much for being on the Alley with us today. It was a pleasure to meet you at the Idaho Book Extravaganza and I wish you the very best in your writing today and always! 


Website: Robin Lee Hatcher

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She discovered her vocation 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 60 novels. Her historical romance Catching Katie was 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 plays under the stars. She makes her home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon, and Princess Pinky, the kitten who currently terrorizes the household.

Special Guest Saturday: MaryLu Tyndall

How to make history come alive for your readers

by MaryLu Tyndall

When I wrote my first Christian pirate series (yes, you heard me right!), I knew nothing about the culture or history of the 17th century Caribbean. Of course writing any novel requires a great deal of research, but writing historical novels involves so much more than just researching the facts about a specific locale. Much of writing a good book is getting the “feel” for the location and time in which your story takes place. But how can you do that when it happened nearly 400 years ago? How can you transport your reader to an era that you’ve never experienced yourself? But the truth is, you can experience it in a sort of virtual way by surrounding yourself with things that affect each one of your senses.

First, however, you must do your research. I devoured every book I could find on the history of the Caribbean and the history of pirates. I searched through libraries, local and online. I used Google books to look for out of print books on the topic and/or any original documents I could find. Original documents such as newspaper articles and diaries are great sources of the mindset, language, and culture of the era in which you write.

Secondly, I read great fiction either written in the time period or written for the time period. Fiction written in the time period is best because it gives you a feel for the language and phrases used at the time. I highly recommend reading fiction set in your time period during the entire writing of your book. That way you will be fully immersed in the language and culture. For me, I read Raphael Sabatini’s Captain Blood—the best and most well written fiction set during the era in which I was writing.

Thirdly, if possible, travel to the spot where your story takes place. Everything else will have changed, but you’ll still be able to get a feel for the weather and the flora and fauna. And visiting local museums is a must! For me, I grew up in South Florida so I was already familiar with tropical climates. For my series set in Charles Towne, I spent a week in Charleston, South Carolina, tasting the food and visiting old homes and museums.

Fourthly, prepare and eat food from the time period. This can be quite fun and interesting and will give you a way to describe the tastes and smells of local food in your book. Can anyone say grog?

Next, when you begin to write, surround yourself with as many things from the era that you can: pictures, historic replicas, maps etc... For me, I own a replica of a 17th century sword and a 17th century flintlock pistol. I also had lots of pictures of the Caribbean around me, including an old map I bought off the internet. I had a stuffed parrot (Morgan) sitting atop my computer screen for inspiration. In the picture, you can see my sword and pistol, my exact replica of the USS Constitution, my pirate flag, painting, and other things.

So far, we’ve touched on the senses of sight, taste, touch (replicas). Now all you need to do to complete the experience is add hearing and smelling. To recreate the sounds in my book, I played a DVD of sounds of the sea as well as the soundtrack from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies while I wrote. But you could use any music from the era or from a movie set during your time period. When I was writing a battle scene, I put on sounds of cannons firing. When I wrote a storm scene, I put on sounds of lightning and thunder. I also placed sea-scented candles around me and filled my writing room with ocean smells. These days there are candles for just about any scent you want.

Although I, for one, would love to travel back to those adventurous pirate days to do my research, immersing myself in the era through intense research and then surrounding myself with things which affect each one of my senses is the next best thing to being there!

Author Bio
M.L. Tyndall, a Christy Award Finalist, and best-selling author of the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series is known for her adventurous historical romances filled with deep spiritual themes. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. MaryLu currently writes full time and makes her home on the California coast with her husband, six kids, and four cats. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures that not only entertain but expose Christians to their full potential in Christ. For more information on MaryLu and her upcoming releases, please visit her website at http://www.mltyndall.com/  or her blog at http://crossandcutlass.blogspot.com/

Guest Post: Historical Accuracy with Jill Eileen Smith

Historical Accuracy

by Jill Eileen Smith

History is story. And stories are about people. Take historical facts, keep them accurate, then dress them up – one in blue, the other in gray and set them at odds with each other in the same family during the Civil War – one defending a livelihood, the other defending a people, and you’ve just snagged my interest. But if you want to keep that interest, the author’s attention to historical detail must carry through the entire novel.



Case in point. I was reading a historical novel set in biblical times a few months ago, which included scenes involving religious rituals of an ancient culture. The descriptions were rich and colorful, and put me there. The religious ceremonies (though foreign and pagan to biblical thinkers) were interesting to “see” and understand. If the author got her facts straight, she was doing a great job of letting me envision a different culture.



But when she got to some of the facts in the Bible, I found some blatant errors. Where the Bible named someone specifically as having done something, she had the act done by someone else. Since I believe the Bible to be accurate history, she lost me with those errors. Writers of historical fiction need to do their homework and double and triple check facts to make sure they get things as right as possible. That is not to say we will never make mistakes, but we should do our best not to.

This carries over into little things a writer might at first overlook. For instance, if I’m writing about 1000 B.C. during King David’s reign, I’m stepping into a whole different world. While the characters may live and love and struggle as we do today, they were not modern in the things they used. In truth, they would not even think as we do today, though figuring out their mindset can be much harder than understanding what implements they used in daily living.



The writer of historical fiction must be aware of all of these things, but one of the easiest to overlook are modern terms we use without thinking. For instance, we might be used to saying A minute later…but “minute” should be “moment” because they would not have measured time in minutes then. The same is true for words like miles, inches, yards. Fabrics were never mixed in Israel, and cotton did not grow there. Rayon and polyester and other synthetics, of course, were unheard of and undiscovered. It’s debatable whether they knew of silk at the time. Their clothes were made mainly of wool or linen. These may seem like small things, but they add up to credibility. Even verbs like “inched” as in, She inched closer to the door, straining to hear, can’t be used because “inch” was not a unit of measure at that time, so the verb would not fit.

Thanks so much to Jill for stopping by to write such a helpful articale! I know we can all of us who have written or writing historical fiction know how hard it is to keep things acurate, so thank you!
 
Do you have a question for Jill? She will be visiting us here on the Writer's Alley today, so don't be shy!