Historical Fiction: Unpacked

Today I'm sharing my interview with Michelle Ule. Michelle is the bestselling author of multiple novellas and the biographer of Mrs. Oswald (Biddy) Chambers. On the show today, we discuss her recent WWI coming-of-age novel, A Poppy in Remembrance. 

Purchase A Poppy in Remembrance on Bookshop (affiliate).

Purchase A Poppy in Remembrance on Amazon (affiliate).

Also mentioned:

"In Flanders Field," the poem by John McCrae.

Visit Michelle's Facebook, Twitter, and website.

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

It's just Alison this week! I wanted to share a solo episode discussing more of my own writing journey and how I landed the contract for my first book, One Traveler. I also answer the famous question I ask every guest: How do you think learning about history through story helps us approach life in the present?

Purchase One Traveler from Amazon (affiliate).

Purchase One Traveler from Bookshop (affiliate).

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

Check out The Bible Recap to see the plan I've been using to read the Bible this year.

Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Amanda Cabot is a bestselling author of Inspirational Historical Romance. Her latest novel, Dreams Rekindled, released on Tuesday, March 2. It's the second in her Mesquite Springs series and is set right before the Civil War began. I spoke with Amanda back in December, and today I'm sharing our conversation. We talked about the role that newspapers played at that time--for many they were the only reading material available, aside from the Bible! We also discussed women's roles, beautiful Texas Hill Country, and Amanda's path to becoming a published author. 

Purchase Dreams Rekindled on Amazon or Bookshop (affiliate links).

Visit Amanda's website, Facebook, and Twitter account.

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Jill Eileen Smith is a bestselling and award-winning author of biblical fiction. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill's latest book, Miriam's Song, releases on Tuesday, March 2. 

In this episode, we talk about her new book and why it was so difficult to write, what Jill learned from Miriam, and how she got into writing biblical fiction. Each author is unique, but every interview encourages me in many ways. 

Preorder Miriam's Song on Amazon or Bookshop (affiliate links).

Visit Jill's Facebook, Instagram, and website.

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Today I'm sharing my conversation with bestselling, Christy-award winning Kristy Cambron. Kristy is a vintage-inspired storyteller, writing from the space where art, history, and faith intersect. Her eighth novel, The Paris Dressmaker, released this past Tuesday, February 16.

We talked about her new novel, the research process, how she marries art with World War II history, and the path her career has taken. We also delved into what it's like to be an introvert and how she has built her self-confidence over the years. Kristy has a wonderful take on living out her creativity alongside her walk with God. I loved talking with her, and I hope you enjoying hearing our chat!

Purchase The Paris Dressmaker from Bookshop.org (affiliate).

Purchase The Paris Dressmaker from Amazon (affiliate).

Find out more about joining the Kristy Cambron Paris Experience here!

Kristy's Christy-winning novel The Painted Castle on Amazon & Bookshop (affiliates).

Also nominated (along with Kristy) for the Christy Award in 2020, were Roseanna M. White and Sarah Sundin. Roseanna appeared in the very first episode of this podcast, and Sarah Sundin was on the show just two weeks ago! You may enjoy those episodes if you haven't listened to them already.

Learn more about Verse Mapping at this link.

The ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference

Visit Kristy's Facebook, Instagram, and website.

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Jennifer Deibel is a Middle school teacher, author, and former Expat to Ireland and Austria. Her debut novel, A Dance in Donegal, released last Tuesday, February 2. I talked to Jennifer about her inspiration for this lyrical historical romance novel, the time Jennifer spent living in Ireland, the ten years it took to write the book, as well as how she eventually attracted an agent and landed a book contract.

Order A Dance in Donegal from Bookshop.org (affiliate).

Order A Dance in Donegal from Amazon (affiliate).

Check out Jennifer's website, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Also mentioned:

Author Jamie Jo Wright

Author Tricia Goyer

Author and Literary Agent Cynthia Ruchti

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Sarah Sundin's latest book, When Twilight Breaks, released this past Tuesday, February 2, 2021. This novel portrays Nazi Germany before WWII, and I absolutely loved it! 

Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the adventure and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling author of historical novels, including When Twilight Breaks and the Sunrise at Normandy series. Her book The Sky Above Us received the 2020 Carol Award, The Sea Before Us received the 2019 Reader’s Choice Award from Faith, Hope, and Love, and both When Tides Turn and Through Waters Deep were named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” A mother of three adult children, Sarah lives in California and enjoys speaking for church, community, and writers’ groups. 

Purchase When Twilight Breaks from Bookshop.org (affiliate).

Purchase When Twilight Breaks from Amazon (affiliate).

Visit Sarah's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and website.

 

Also Mentioned:

William L. Shirer's book Berlin Diary (affiliate)

Mount Hermon Writers Conference

Author Lauraine Snelling

Author Lee Roddy

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

I'm back! We're starting the new season with a wonderful conversation with award-winning, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher. Her new novel, The Moonlight School releases on Tuesday, February 2.

Here's the book description: In 1911, Cora Wilson Stewart was the first female superintendent of education for an Appalachian county in southeastern Kentucky, a corner of America with a shocking rate of adult illiteracy. Cora devised a plan to open Rowan County’s rural schoolhouses on moonlit nights to illiterate and semi-illiterate adults. On that first night, she hoped for 150 adults. To her shock and delight, over 1,200 men and women, aged eighteen to eighty, made their way over the hills and hollows to learn how to read and write. Within two years, adult illiteracy was virtually eliminated in Rowan County, and a movement to eradicate illiteracy in the entire nation was underway. The Moonlight School is a fictitious retelling of this startling and heart-tugging glimpse into American history.

 

We also discuss illiteracy in the U.S. today, which is alarmingly widespread. Suzanne shares about her writing career as well–how she got started and the highlights through the years.

Preorder The Moonlight School on Bookshop (affiliate).

Preorder The Moonlight School on Amazon (affiliate).

Visit Suzanne's website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Also mentioned:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee on Bookshop and Amazon (affiliate links).

If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland on Bookshop and Amazon (affiliate links).

Suzanne's nonfiction book Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World on Bookshop and Amazon (affiliate links).

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

This will be the last episode for a while, as I'm taking a five week break! Don't worry, I'll be back, and better than ever, on January 28.

Today I'm sharing a conversation with Laura Frantz. I'm sure you can tell from my enthusiasm that I was super excited to chat with this wonderful author about her upcoming book, Tidewater Bride, which releases January 5. 

One of the fringe characters in Tidewater Bride is based on Pocohontas, so we discuss how Laura handled the portrayal of Native Americans, as well as her feelings on trying to represent any real person from history when writing fiction. Reading this novel is a wonderful way to get a glimpse of the USA's infant years. We also talked about our writing processes as Laura prefers to write her first draft by hand. 

Get 40% off (and free shipping) if you preorder Tidewater Bride from Baker Book House.

 

Preorder from Bookshop (affiliate).

Preorder from Amazon (affiliate).

Visit Laura's website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Also mentioned:

The Christy Awards Official Site

Historical Romance Christy Award Winner Archives

Laura's Christy Award-Winning Book The Lacemaker (affiliate)

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Starr and I discuss how she got into writing later in life. Her debut novel, For the Love of Emma, released last week, on her 72nd birthday! This time-slip novel was inspired by love letters she found among her mother's possessions after she passed away. 

We talk about how to write fiction based on real life as well as the importance of having a writing community. Starr has an entrepreneurial spirit, and her story is inspiring. She says, "We're never too old to begin something new." 

Purchase For the Love of Emma on Bookshop (affiliate).

Purchase For the Love of Emma on Amazon (affiliate).

Visit Starr on Facebook and Instagram, and check out her website.

 

 

Also Mentioned:

Starr's former agent: Les Stobbe

Starr's current agent: Cyle Young

Starr's publisher: Mountain Brook Ink

I talked to Mountain Brook's founder and owner, Miralee Ferrell, in Episode 6.

Be sure to visit Alison’s Instagram, Facebook, and website.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!