A Place to Call Home is the first in a series of three novels set in the early 1900’s, in the sleepy little town of Laurel Heights where readers follow the lives of the Ellis family. Elaina Ellis is the oldest of six daughters who has recently fled to Philadelphia to escape a secret that she tries to keep from her family. Convinced that no man or God should dictate how she ought to live her life or what her future ought to be, she lives life on her own terms. With the sudden death of her father, however, Elaina is forced to return to Laurel Heights and face the secret she has been trying to hide and reencounters her family’s religiosity, which she mildly tolerates. It is here where she is introduced to the handsome and yet bothersome new shop keeper John Stanton. Suspicious of him, as well as every other man in town, she hurries back to the safe distance of Philadelphia, only to find that she can’t return to her life there as it was. Something is missing in her life now. Dissatisfied and disillusioned, Elaina is ultimately faced with a decision that will change the course of her life forever.
Where is your novel set and why did you make this specific choice?
Laurel Heights is a fictitious town near Columbia, Pennsylvania and Lancaster County. Growing up on the East Coast, I had traveled all over New England, and when I moved to the Midwest as a teen, the forested landscapes I passed stuck with me as reminders of where I’d been, and I knew that when I wrote this series, I wanted to incorporate the sights of the East Coast, just not all the cities and towns which had already been written about countless times. I spent a great deal of time researching which State would be the most likely choice that would not only fit my story line, but also make sense with the historical setting. I placed Laurel Heights in its vicinity based on climate conditions and the proximity to places the characters would frequent such as the Pennsylvania Railroad lines and the Millersville Normal School (known today as Millersville University of Pennsylvania).
How did you come to write this particular book?
Originally, the story line for this book was completely different than it is now, and was at the time I had first envisioned it (when I was a teen), a whimsical tale of nine orphaned sisters who banded together to overcome the odds and be successful with the life they were given as is. But over the years, I was influenced by a plethora of experiences, particularly as I became a Christian writer. Before then, I’d written fiction, poetry, and articles, never anything religious, until my youth group leader challenged me to write about my experience about being a Christian in a public high school – which resulted in my first published article in a Christian magazine. Even so, for years I kept my Christian devotional content completely separate from my fiction, until I started reading inspirational fiction for the first time. That’s when something clicked for me in turning my story line into something redemptive, yet entertaining, and true-to-life. I love that I can relate to a little of each of the characters in myself, and even some of the things that happened to them were because of things I had happen, too. Writing A Place to Call Home was, at times, both torturous and cathartic for me.
What are your writing habits?
I’ve always been told I’m a very inquisitive person, bent on asking the deeper questions of “why?” things are the way they are, rather than settling for the norm. My love for research, culture, human behavior, and abstract reasoning comes out in my writing, and I find it fun to portray experiences I’ve had or have observed in others as I weave tales about issues to which readers can relate. I also live for learning new facts everywhere I go, because you just never know when that information can be useful! In childhood, I did a lot of traveling to other U.S. States and countries, all of which made an impression on my faith and how I viewed the world at large, and in my teens I spent a lot of my time babysitting and mentoring peers. In adulthood, I found that customer service is where I excelled, because I loved helping people. So for a lot of years, the writing I did in my spare time consisted of self-help articles and how-to’s based on what people wanted. Writing fiction took a backseat, so that when the opportunity for my current book came to light, I had to relearn how to practice the craft! It’s so different from writing articles, because those you can write last-minute, following a hard set of facts to produce content. I’d become accustomed to cranking out handfuls of articles on a daily and weekly basis. But with writing fiction, I have to become my characters in order to write about them – which sometimes can take me a while. Some days I can write several pages, and on others I can write only a few pages but spend hours writing them. Then there’s the constant struggle of trying to fit the rest of life in while I write. I’ve had to become creative in how I beat things like writer’s block, interruptions from my family, and meeting deadlines. Since then, not only have I honed my skills, but I’ve even learned new ones, all of which have found their way into my fiction and non-fiction works.
Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc…)
I’m married to my high school sweetheart whom I met and started dating over 20 years ago, and our most recent wedding anniversary was our “baker’s dozen.” We have one daughter who will be turning the big 1-3 later this year, at the same time our loveable cat will be 10. While I was still in high school, I took a correspondence course to obtain certification in freelance writing, and then one to become a teacher’s aide. Instead of college, I threw convention to the wind and worked whatever jobs I could find, obtained another correspondence course certification in desktop publishing and design, and wrote articles based on the industries from which I gained my experiences. Then, thanks to marriage, motherhood, and two health crises, I added those topics to my repertoire. In my down time, I love to make memories with my family, conduct genealogy research for my diverse work-in-progress family tree, read, knit, cook, binge-watch shows on Netflix, surf the Internet, attend church online with Life.Church, play various interactive and puzzle games, and listen to music for fun or while exercising. I play guitar, with my biggest inspiration being Sir Paul McCartney and other legends from his era, I’m an advocate for Breast Cancer health and awareness, and I enjoy looking for ways to help my local community through an initiative I call The Barbie Girls Project.
Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?
From day one, my mom has been my biggest supporter. She has read just about everything I’ve ever written, while the rest of my family – my husband and daughter included – remain supportive in that they encourage me, and provide me with tools I’ve needed along the way, but they don’t necessarily read what I produce. But that’s ok, because I also have some really great friends who have been my former teachers, colleagues, classmates, and friends from church who do. Some of them are also writers themselves, who’ve been able to be my sounding board, and they rein me in when I get too wordy.
What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
I tend to think of love and romance as two separate things, with the kind of content I like to write about being where two people have more of an emotional connection for readers to experience, rather than anything overtly physical. Because I prefer to write Christian fiction and romance, you won’t find me writing sex scenes, but that’s not to say my characters don’t have passionate moments that elude to intimacy left unsaid.
Who are some of your other favorite authors and genres to read?
The authors I read today are a result of the strong heroines found in my childhood favorites from Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, LM Montgomery, Janette Oke, Ann M. Martin, Mary Downing Hahn, Carolyn Keene, and Joan Aiken – so that’s everything from historical and general fiction, to supernatural, suspense, autobiographies, and even mystery! These days you’ll find me reading Colleen Coble, Melody Carlson, Hannah Alexander, Kristin Billerbeck, Tracey Bateman, Julie Carobini, Denise Hunter, Tracie Peterson, or Kacy Barnett Gramckow, and an ongoing list of whoever else strikes my fancy within the realm of inspirational fiction, historical fiction, suspense, Amish fiction, and chic lit genres.
Among your own books, have you a favorite? A favorite hero or heroine?
Between stories I’ve written but never published, my current book, and those yet to be completed, I have to say that the character of Elaina Ellis has grown on me. We share some similar traits – we both have black hair, are the firstborn child, and we have lost a sibling – but she also possesses many more differences – such as her taller stature! When I first wrote about her, she was not exactly the same sort of personality I envisioned, so to see her evolve into who she is now and will eventually become has been a real thrill for me to write so far.
Which of your books has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
Hands-down, the second book is already so much easier to write, because a lot of my struggles came from kicking off the series. Once I got the proverbial monkey off my back, ideas have been so much easier to come by. I do have fun with planning out what will happen down the road in other books for the series, so I will have to say that the most fun book to write will have to be determined at a later date!
Which comes first, the story, the characters, or the setting?
The characters definitely come to mind for me first, with their stories following close behind. Once I determine what they are up against, then I can start to place them in the most appropriate setting. Coming up with new names always somehow triggers me to establish a plot.
Are you in control of the characters or do they control you?
They definitely have a way of getting under my skin! Their mannerisms can also rub off on me, which is why I think I’ve come to develop new hobbies and interests thanks to them!
What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
Being able to provide a voice of validation to my readers, where they can identify with something I’ve described or provided for information that helps them in some way, is why I write. Where there’s a need, I look to fill it. I feel rewarded when someone shares how what I wrote was useful or enlightening to them. Of course, being a Christian also means that when I write anything spiritual, I do want to give God glory, but I try hard to avoid being preachy. Additionally, anything I’ve ever written – be it mainstream or spiritual – often comes in a burst of sudden inspiration, sometimes as ideas and phrases I wouldn’t have thought to say, but feel burdened to jot down. The only way I can explain it is to say that it in itself is a spiritual experience for me, directed by God, who gives me the words to write. So many times I don’t have a clue in advance for what I will write, and then suddenly next thing I know – I’ve written an entire paragraph, thought, or page that isn’t just a bunch of babblings or unfinished musings.
Fill in the blank favorites – Dessert. City. Season. Type of hero. Type of heroine.
Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. Anywhere with a good view of nature or water. Summer. Physically and mentally strong, with a compassionate side. Physically and mentally strong, with a heart for following her dreams.
