Carrie Fancett Pagels Guest Posts -- GIVEAWAY!!!

Recently, I had the privilege of reading Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance, the debut release of my new friend, Carrie Fancett Pagels. Today’s blog post is authored by Carrie, so please make her feel welcome!

What Surprised Me About My Debut Publication

That was one of the topics Andrea gave me and a pretty easy one to answer.  If anyone had told me a year ago or even at Christmastime that a Civil War novella would be my debut release I would have laughed and told them they were crazy.  You see in all my submissions out there (two-three book proposals, a stand alone full-length novel, and a colonial novella that I put on hold and another colonial project that got canceled because of the publishing house’s changes and another novella as part of a package out for two years now) I had only ONE Civil War blurb.  Not even a manuscript. But I’d had the idea in my head for a while and had percolated it.  And I have another Civil War story I’d like to do but it was not historical romance but a women’s fiction, so… 

Also if you’d told me I could finish the research, write the story, and have it published in under six weeks I’d also have thought you needed therapy.  And as a former psychologist (for twenty-five years) I might have offered it to you!  But God really provided!  I’d just pulled one three-book submission back to offer one of the stories to a publisher who requires exclusive consideration.  That left two orphan stories.  One was my Civil War story set at Shirley Plantation, a place I love to visit—the staff there is amazing!

I was surprised at how Julian Charity’s book “Courage at Home and Abroad” (which is a military history of Shirley Planation) helped me frame the backdrop for my story and how this young historian’s knowledge and helpfulness gave me the confidence that what I had was historically accurate.  I include information in the Editorial Notes about this process and some deviation in history.  This was, after all, a fiction. But I have been to Shirley so frequently that I feel I “know” these people who are long gone to be with the Lord—like Mary B. Carter, who really sounds like one of the godliest women and a mother with a burden for the Lord. 

I write mostly colonial fiction, have a blog “Colonial Quills” and founded the Colonial American Christian Writers group several years ago.  I live in the historic triangle of Virginia, known for its colonial and American revolutionary war history.  I can drive mere miles and be at many historic sites.  Most, however, were also the places where the Civil War took place.  So perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised after all….

Carrie Fancett Pagels writes “romantic” historical fiction. Her debut, Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance, is a Kindle Civil War best seller. She and her family live in Virignia.

Please visit Carrie at her website: www.carriefancettpagels.com

GIVEAWAY: Carrie will be giving ONE person (chosen at random) a packet of beautiful Shirley Plantation notecards by artist Clark Goff. In order to be eligible to win, you must “Like” Carrie’s Facebook Author Page AND leave a comment here on this blog.

(Due to postage costs, this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents.)

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carrie-Fancett-Pagels/317053071710640?fref=ts

YOUR TURN: What is something that surprised YOU about the job you currently have?