Book Talk with Cara Putman

On this episode of Book Talk, I have the pleasure of introducing you to author Holly Varni. She carries a joy that is effervescent and carries through in our conversation. Holly writes books that might remind you of Jan Karon's Mitford series because of the small-town setting and strong sense of community. She also has strong senior citizens who bring their wit and wisdom to the young characters who need their help whether or not the younger characters realize it yet. When she started writing, it was to create simpler stories of joy and community for her mother, who was going through chemotherapy. As a hospice volunteer, Holly would also read her stories to these patients, and when the families would call and ask her to come on her off days to share the next segment of the story, she knew they were accomplishing shat she hoped because you can focus on agony and curiosity at the same time.

When she's writing, Holly is going for a laugh and smile which means the stories tip toward the ridiculous in a way that readers love. Her characters are forming community and family in the way that we all long for. She also creates strong female leads that have a unique strength. In The Blooming of Delphinium, it's a sweet strength that allows Delphinium to see the heart of people's character in a way others can't. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I won't say more. 🙂

Her advice to writers (and her younger author self) is to write for the joy of it. Writing is a sweet communion between her and the Holy Spirit, and if she were to lose that, it's time to stop. Writing has been a gift for her to cope with the challenges of life and it's been a sacred gift, she doesn't take lightly. She's got some fabulous writing advice that she shares as she talks about her journey to publication. I know you're going to enjoy our conversation and learning more about Holly and her books.

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I love celebrating, and today we're celebrating Kit Tosello's debut release The Color of Home. While we initially bonded over the teas we were each sipping, what we really connected about was the way that home and its theme resonated for each of us. Kit uses the power of story to ask important questions like am I where I belong in this season or am I playing it safe? Am I making my home in things? Such important thoughts to probe, no?

Kit loves to write in the morning, because she and her husband are entrepreneurial and have a tea shoppe and other endeavors she works with. She's more of a panster than a plotter because she needs to know her characters and then lets them go. She's always known she was a writer, so it's a joy to be at this stage in the process of her first book being released. I know you're going to love meeting Kit and learning more about her delightful contemporary novel.

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Welcome back to Book Talk, everyone. In today's episode, I'm delighted to introduce you to Melissa Koslin, who writes some really great romantic suspense. Her next novel, The Lost Library, started with the hero/aka the Beast, and she built the story from him. I love how for each author and each story, the genesis of the story can be so very different. After focusing on the beast, she looked for a historical mystery to build suspense around. I don't want to give too much away, but you'll love learning more about Melissa's writing and her process.

She's at at stage in life where she gets to write in short bursts and make the best of the moments she has. Because of it, Melissa is a plotter with flexibility. She gets joy in creating the background stories and interplay between characters, and it comes out in the writing.

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Today it is my pleasure to host my friend Carrie Turansky on Book Talk. Carrie writes the best books set in England during the Edwardian period. Her most recent book A Token of Love is set in the Foundling Hospital and Foundling Museum. I love the story of how she found the what-if for this book — but you'll have to listen or watch to learn all about it. 🙂 One of the questions she does like to ask herself though is what were Christians doing at the time and in the context of the book she is writing. It shows up in a real way in this time.

Originally, Carrie wrote contemporary novels, but she went to a conference and an editor told her she was interested in a book set in Downton Abbey England. Carrie had always loved classic English literature. She'd loved traveling to England and it shows up in the authenticity of her books.

This interview is packed with tips for aspiring writers and moments that readers are going to love of going behind the scenes in her writing. Carrie started writing at 12, but it was when she joined ACFW that her writing took off. She might never love getting a revision letter, but her books will always transport readers into a world they will love.

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Today I'm delighted you to Amanda Cox. Her fourth novel, Between Sound and Sea, is one that I'm excited about because one of the threads takes place during the Uboat attacks along the North Carolina coast. As you can imagine, the two of us geeked out on all the cool research we did on this topic—her for this novel and me for my novella Across the Shores. She also wondered what it would be like to be a lighthouse keeper during blackouts...and that's what led to her modern heroine doing a renovation of a lighthouse. Between the Sound and Sea is a story of hope, healing, and finding a sense of belonging told between the two storylines of Joey and Mae.

When I asked her what she would tell her younger writing self, she said to trust her process. Such great advice for any writer. Your process is your process. She's been a writer since she wrote and illustrated her first book as a seven-year-old and got her first rejection then too. Her biggest challenge is getting through the rough draft. I can relate to that one too! But the most fun is when the story thread clicks and she finds the symbolism.

You're going to love getting to know Amanda!

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It's always so fun to talk with Connilyn Cossette, and today's episode of Book Talk is a delight. In her latest novel, Shield of the Mighty, she brings a character from her prior series back — only now he's a grown-up soldier in Saul's army. The heroine is a widow who hates everything about Saul, so there is a clash from the first moment the two meet. Fundamentally this book is a story of moving from brokenness to healing, from vengeance to a place where you leave it all to God. She loves balancing the warrior mindset with romance and a bit of humor.

Connilyn has always wanted to be a writer, but she didn't have the confidence to attempt it until she was in her thirties. Now she would tell her younger self to read broadly so she could pull those ideas into her books earlier. As you listen you'll see that procrastination is a big challenge, but deadlines help immensely... There's so much good content in this episode, I can't wait to hear what you think!

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Jocelyn Green is one of those authors that I always love to talk with. She's such a smart writer who cares deeply about the history and characters of the books she writes. I love her books, but I love even more digging into why she picks the stories she does. Today we're talking about The Hudson Collection, her latest novel that is about a woman who is an ornithologist who is assigned to catalogue a bequeathed collection of stuffed birds for her museum. Elsa is a fascinating character who has so much depth and quiet beauty. And that's highlighted as she's next to the quiet hero, who has this depth that is so attractive.

There's an element of mystery, romance, threads of friendship and so much more woven into this book. It's a storm that will tug you in and not let go. And the research helps the story come to life. Those details pull us deeper into the story world but don't drag us out by slowing down the reality with too much information.

You'll love this Book Talk for how Jocelyn shares writing advice with us as well. Jocelyn shared the advice she would go back and give herself as she was starting to write. Just because it's hard doesn't mean she's doing it wrong.

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Today I have the fun of bringing together three of my writing friends for a conversation where we talk about our books, how we research, and whether our genres chose us or we chose them. Janine Rosche writes contemporary romance with women's fiction threads, and her latest book The Road Before Us released in May. Janyre Tromp writes historical, primarily WWII, with gritty realism and a thread of romance, and her latest Darkness Calls the Tiger also released in May. Susan Tuttle writes contemporary romance, and in her latest The Rare Jewel of Everleigh Wheaton, she adds romance and almost a caper. We're all so different, and it's such fun to chat about how we got our story ideas -- they are different, y'all.

I also asked them about how they got their covers, because each is PERFECT for the latest novel and I wondered how the publishers arrived at the covers. It's fun to learn some of the details my friends knew they wanted on their covers, and what was pure marketing magic. I think you're going to love this conversation as we delve into our love of books, writing, and research.

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Rachel Hauck is one of my dearest writing friends so it is always a treat to have her on Book Talk. I had such fun talking to her about her newest book Meet Me at the Starlight. We got all nostalgic about rollerskating and the place rollerskating rinks played in our growing-up years. Rachel's process is a little different than mine. She likes to just keep writing and trust that the story will reveal itself. I'm not that trusting I guess!

With her books, she tends to write about the types of people that we don't normally interact with. Princesses. Singers. Actors. She wants to take us into the life we don't nomally live or look into. I think that's part of what we love. If she were to give advice to her younger writing self, it would be to know her process and know that she will hate the book at one point but that it will be good eventually. Don't get paralyzed there. Great advice for all of us!

She also loves writing groups because writing is a solitary life and Rachel needs the water cooler time. She likes hearing about the business and staying up on trends. There's so much in this episode, y'all!

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Jen Turano is one of my favorite authors of the Gilded Age rom-com. She starts with a bang and romps through to the end, usually with a swirl of mystery and fun. Meeting Her Match is no different, so it is a delight to have Jen back on Book Talk. It was so much fun to talk about how she likes to have something happen to her characters — on steroids and then amp it up even more. She's currently writing a book every nine months, which gives her a little more time to breathe, as she cycles through writing, edits, marketing, and creating new ideas from her box of ideas. We talk about how you become more critical of your writing the longer you write and apply more pressure to yourself as you go. And how her heroes need to be genuine and flawed while also saving the heroines, who are no wilting damsels in distress. I think you will love this conversation!

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