Historical Fiction: Unpacked

Today I'm sharing a conversation with Amanda Cox. We discuss her latest book, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery and how this novel brought out the dynamic between mothers and daughters. We also talk about her background in counseling and how that affects the development of characters in her books.

Here's a description of the novel, from Revell:

How do you respond when hidden things are revealed? Professional counselor and author, Amanda Cox plunges readers into a dual-time tale in The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery. This masterful work weaves together the lives of three generations of women, exploring the dynamics between mothers and daughters and the way the secrets they kept shaped the women they became. After tragedy plunges Sarah Ashby into grief and unresolved anger, she decides to return to her hometown to follow her long-denied dream of running Old Depot Grocery alongside her mother and grandmother. But when she arrives, her mother, Rosemary, announces that she is planning on closing the store. The present time line weaves with the past when Sarah tries to uncover the real

reason behind her mother’s decision but instead stumbles across a love letter intended for her grandmother. Each woman must face how their lives have been altered by false information and secrets and discover the healing power of telling the truth.

Purchase The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery on Amazon (affiliate).

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Check out Amanda's website, Facebook, and Instagram!

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Today's episode is a long-overdue chat with Joanna Politano about her book A Midnight Dance. We discuss how Joanna comes up with the intricate mysteries in her books, what was going on in France during the Victorian era, and how she went from knowing nothing about dance to being able to write a book set in the Victorian ballet.

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Check out Joanna's website, Facebook, and Twitter!

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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!

Karin Tanabe and I talked about her book, A Woman of Intelligence, which released last summer. In this episode, Karin shares that she wanted to write about the difficult aspects of motherhood. We also discuss the inspiration for her novel, the fact that the protagonist is based in part on American spy Elizabeth Bentley, and how historical fiction is a lovely way to learn about history.

Purchase A Woman of Intelligence on Amazon (affiliate).

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Check out Karin's website, Instagram, and Twitter!

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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!

Milree Latimer is a Canadian expat from Ontario who currently lives in central Oregon. On today's show, we talk about her latest book, Out of Place, which released last year. We discuss Irish Home Children, PTSD, and the importance of person-to-person research as well as Milree's own story of finding a second chance at love and a new career as an author.

Purchase Out of Place on Amazon (affiliate).

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Check out Milree's website and Facebook!

Join my community and help support the show on Patreon!

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

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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's episode is a BONUS episode! I talked with debut author Janyre Tromp about her novel Shadows in the Mind's Eye. This book deals with combat PTSD after the Second World War, and Janyre is a fount of knowledge about PTSD, anxiety, and panic disorder. You don't want to miss this fantastic conversation, which I'm sharing today in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. Neither do you want to miss Janyre's book. Find it via the links below.

Purchase Shadows in the Mind's Eye on Amazon (affiliate).

Purchase Shadows in the Mind's Eye on Bookshop (affiliate).

Also mentioned:

Electric Shock Therapy (Please understand that I don't know enough about this to condemn or condone it. I provide this link solely for informational purposes.)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Please see my note regarding Electric Shock Therapy. The same goes for EMDR.

Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us Out of Anxiety, Stress & Survival Mode  by Aundi Kolber (affiliate)

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk (affiliate)

Check out Janyre's website, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook!

Join my community and help support the show on Patreon!

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

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

Follow the show on Instagram!

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!

Like last week's episode, this episode focuses on nature. Ann H. Gabhart was a delight to speak with. Her sweet southern accent soothes the soul. Our discussion ranged from ravens delivering gifts to little girls to the way the Lord uses nature to heal our pain if we allow him to. Ann's newest book, When the Meadow Blooms, releases next Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Get it via the links below!

Purchase When the Meadow Blooms on Amazon (affiliate).

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Here's the link to my last interview with Ann.

Check out Ann's website, Instagram, and Facebook!

Join my community and help support the show on Patreon!

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

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And here is the 10K Downloads Giveaway!!!!

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Regina Scott is the author of more than 50 works of warm, witty historical romance. A lover of history, she has driven four-in-hand, sailed on a tall ship, and learned to fence. In today's conversation, we talk about her novel A View Most Glorious, which released last October, and was inspired by Fay Fuller, who was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Rainier.

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More about Fay Fuller.

Check out Regina's website, and Facebook!

Join my community and help support the show on Patreon!

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

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And here is the 10K Downloads Giveaway!!!!

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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's conversation is with Todd M. Johnson. He has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years. Todd’s passion for writing blends well with his legal career, and his novels are drawn closely from his personal experiences as a trial lawyer. We talk about the real life inspiration for his novel, The Barrister and the Letter of Marque, why this book is set during the Regency Period, and how our faith is woven into the fabric of our writing.

Purchase The Barrister and the Letter of Marque on Amazon (affiliate).

Purchase The Barrister and the Letter of Marque on Bookshop (affiliate).

Also mentioned: Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961 by Nicholas Reynolds (affiliate)

Check out Todd's website, Instagram, and Facebook!

Join my community and help support the show on Patreon!

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

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

Follow the show on Instagram!

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 a conversation with multi-published award-winning author Renee Ryan. Her novel The Widows of Champagne released last July. "For readers of Lilac Girls and The Lost Girls of Paris comes a captivating novel of resilience, as three generations of women battle to save their family’s vineyard during WWII."

In this episode, we discuss the themes in Renee's books, including how character is revealed under pressure and embracing the people we love even when we have nothing in common. We also discuss how historical romance differs from the greater genre of historical fiction.

Purchase The Widows of Champagne on Amazon (affiliate).

Purchase The Widows of Champagne on Bookshop (affiliate).

Check out Renee's website, Instagram, and her Step Into the Story group on Facebook!

Join my community and help support the show on Patreon!

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

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

Follow the show on Instagram!

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's episode is a conversation with Adele Myers, author of The Tobacco Wives. We discuss the tobacco industry's deceitful ad campaign, along with Adele's family history, which inspired this novel.

Adele Myers grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and has a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently works in advertising and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, son and their rescue dog, Chipper. The Tobacco Wives is her first novel.

Here's a description of the novel:

“A sparkling debut” (Publishers Weekly) set in 1946 North Carolina that follows a young female seamstress who uncovers dangerous truths about the Big Tobacco empire ruling the American South. A fourth-generation native of North Carolina, Adele Myers has mined her own family history—including her grandmother’s experience as a private hairdresser for some of the richest women in tobacco country—in order to craft a story that re-imagines, from a feminist angle, one of the largest corporate frauds of the twentieth century.  Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is a deeply human novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth.

Purchase The Tobacco Wives on Amazon (affiliate).

Purchase The Tobacco Wives on Bookshop (affiliate).

Check out Adele's website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Join my community and help support the show on Patreon!

Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook!

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

Follow the show on Instagram!

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!