Book Talk with Cara Putman

In this episode of Book Talk, I have the pleasure of introducing you to my friend Robin Jones Gunn. Robin is such a light — I adore spending time with her even if it's constrained to Zoom. Today we're talking about her brand new novel Tea with Elephants. We've both had the privilege of traveling to Kenya and going on safaris (mine much shorter than hers). Tea with Elephants is a story of friendships and the value we gain when we give each other the gift of ourselves. This story is a beautiful exploration of what happens when we strip down life that has gone too fast and take the next step of showing up.

I really love Robin's writing and her heart, but her writing rhythm might kill me. For years she got up to write from 3 to 7 a.m. She did this for 15 years y'all! that is one committed writer. Her advice to new writers applies to all of us regardless of where we are in life. Trust God and stop worrying.

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Y'all, I have been a huge fan of Irene Hannon's romantic suspense for years. I have so many of them on my bookshelf and can't get rid of them. It is a delight to host her on Book Talk today to talk about her latest book, Over the Edge. She first started writing at ten — and is now approaching 70 books published. That's pretty prolific! We share a love for Nancy Drew that propelled both of us into writing romantic suspense, but she started with contemporary romance. So if you love either genre, she releases a book a year you'll enjoy.

Irene gets her ideas not from a folder of ideas she curates, but from browsing the internet, looking through the paper, listening to conversations, and building a spiderweb from the ideas that spark her interest. She looks for that seed or thread that she can pull on and build from. Her favorite part of writing is the dialogue — she feels like a stenographer taking dictation. And the first sentence/scene is what she slaves over. Getting that and the characterization right sets the scene for everything else. I can't wait for you to get to know Irene Hannon in this conversation.

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Today it's delightful to welcome Mesu Andrews to Book Talk. In our conversation, Mesu shares how she never imagined being a writer. Then one day she got sick and needed to teach. The rest is history. Mesu likes to write about the unknown women in the Bible. That's exactly who she focuses on in her latest book, Brave. In this book, she explores what the life of one of King David's unknown wives might have been like. I really enjoyed the opportunity to dig deeper into Mesu, her books, and her writing. Her advice to writers? Don't be in such a hurry. Writing is a marathon. And get used to rewriting. The act of writing brings her joy as long as the collaboration. She loves editing and making things better because the first draft is about getting the story out. I know you'll love getting to know her.

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Welcome back to Book Talk, ya'll. In this episode, I have the pleasure of introducing you to my friend Michelle Griep. I love her historical romantic mysteries and our conversation was so much fun. We talked about her brand new novel Of Gold and Shadows, which is set in 1888 England. This one may have been inspired by Indiana Jones and the Mummy with its heroine who's an archaeologist who's focused on Egypt. You'll find the research tidbit that Michelle shared that she couldn't include in the novel. It was grossly fascinating.

Michelle is one of those writers who write in the morning and loves to craft stories that are really good adventures with intrigue, romance, and Biblical truth. She wants to get the words right the first time and would tell her younger writing self not to stress so much. Instead, she'd write for the joy of writing and turn to the next story more quickly.

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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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