No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer

Last month, I enjoyed a fun story written by Karen Witemeyer that features a women's colony. Here's my review, as posted on Goodreads and NetGalley:

FTC DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Boy, oh boy! Or should I say, Gal, oh gal!

This adventure featuring a women’s colony was a delightful tale that kept me in stitches from page one through the finale. I can hardly wait to get to the next installment or two. I really liked how it featured an explosives expert as well as the suffragette movement. Though the latter is not my favorite topic ever, and a couple of moments in the story were a tad abrasive in pushing women’s rights, I thought it was handled in a funny way in most instances, which took the sting right out of the women-only stance that irks me. Ms. Witemeyer’s trademark humor was laced into every aspect of this book, sometimes delicately while other times were in-your-face hysterical.

Be My Guest: Karen Witemeyer

This year is already flying by fast. Something else that goes by fast is a Karen Witemeyer novel. Somehow, I always zoom right through them. And I haven't met one yet that I haven't liked. I'm so excited to have Karen here at Writing to Inspire today!

Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?

by Karen Witemeyer

One of the most common questions readers ask authors is, "Where do you get your ideas?" As a creative person, I long to say that my ideas sprout naturally from the fertile soil of my imagination. But alas, I cannot make that claim with a clean conscience. So I'm going to share with you the deep dark secret hiding in my authorial closet . . .

I get my inspiration from other writers. Gasp!

I know, I know. I've completely disillusioned you, haven't I? Well, do not fear. I'm sure there are many successful authors out there who are creative geniuses, who produce unique plots and original characters with a simple flip of a neural switch in their mind. You may admire them all you like. But, me? Well, I'm like one of those chemical reactions you studied back in high school that needs a catalyst to get things started.

Now, I'm not talking about plagiarism or stealing someone's idea. Those are crimes deserving of flogging, to my way of thinking. What I'm talking about is the spark that ignites when you read a passage or watch a scene in a movie that sets the creative fires burning in new and exciting directions.

So here are some of the catalysts that set off the spark for my stories:

A Tailor-Made Bride – My heroine, Hannah Richards, is a 19^th century fitness maven who was inspired by Deeane Gist's cycling heroine in Deep in the Heart of Trouble. There's also a touch of reality television inspiration since Hannah is also a seamstress and works a little "make-over" magic on Jericho Tucker's sister, Cordelia.

Head in the Clouds – Inspired by my love of fairy tales and my favorite book from classic literature, Jane Eyre. I also had the idea of blending my two favorite types of historical novels (regency romance and western romance) into one. So I have a British nobleman running a sheep ranch in Texas who hires a governess to tutor his ward.

To Win Her Heart – The parable of the Prodigal Son. I know what you're thinking. Lots of stories have used this parable as a foundation for a spiritual thread or character arc, so how did I make this original? I asked, "what if". What if instead of ending my story with the hero repenting and returning to God, I started it there? Think of it more as an epilogue to the famous story. I wanted to know what life was like for the young man after the fatted calf was consumed and the party was over. How did he relate to his bitter older brother or the servants and townspeople who were only too aware of his past arrogance and wild living? I decided to explore these questions in a new setting—1880s Texas.

Short-Straw Bride – Inspired by the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. My story has four brothers instead of seven, and the men don't sing and dance while they do their chores. However, the spark came when I thought about this movie and then asked, “what if”. What if, instead of having the heroine agree to a marriage of convenience at the beginning of the story, the brothers drew straws to see who would marry her when a good deed goes awry? And what if, instead of all the brothers being named in alphabetical order after Bible characters, my four brothers were named for heroes from the Alamo?

 

Stealing the Preacher – This is a follow-up to Short-Straw Bride, so I already had my hero, Crockett, and I knew he wanted to be a preacher. But who should I get as a heroine? Who would provide sparks and humor and crazy situations? Why, an ex-outlaw's daughter, of course. Sparks fly not only between Crockett and Joanna, but also between Crockett and Joanna's father, Silas.

Full Steam Ahead – What inspired this story? My husband's love of action movies. Ha! I decided I needed to blow things up. Nothing adds more drama and excitement to a story than a good explosion. At first I thought I would make my hero a mad scientist with a chemistry lab, but my high school chemistry class was way too far in the past. So I did a little research and discovered the tragic but perfect-for-my-story history of riverboat explosions. Thousands of people died every year in the 1840s and 1850s because of boiler explosions. My hero's on a mission to change that. Oh, and just because I thought it would be fun, I threw in some piracy. My heroine is from Galveston, the home of legendary pirate Jean Laffite. She's on a mission to protect her family's legacy—the Laffite dagger.

Love on the Mend – This novella is a follow-up to Full Steam Ahead, so inspiration came from the previous novel. My hero started out as a runaway boy in Full Steam Ahead, then grows up to become a doctor. His past is hinted at but never revealed in the novel, so I had fun brainstorming ways to force him to return home after 17 years away. He returns to lay his past to rest, only to find his past still alive and kicking.

Love on the Mend is a digital-only release that became available February 3. It's available for all e-readers, or if you held out on the e-reader, like I did for many years, you can read it on your smart phone or computer with the free Kindle app. Click here to order.

·         So, do you ever try to rewrite endings to movies?

·         Does watching a television show spawn daydreams or story ideas?

·         When you finish a book, do you imagine the characters' lives continuing past the last page?

Maybe you are a catalyst-type, too. Yay! 


Christy Award finalist and winner of both the ACFW Carol Award and HOLT Medallion, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes Christian historical romance for Bethany House, believing the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher and makes her home in Abilene, TX, with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.


Karen, it's so great to hear how you find the inspiration for your spunky novels. Ideas can come from so many different places, and we know God works in mysterious ways to provide those moments of genius.


Readers, I'd love to hear your answers to the questions Karen asked at the end of her article. Share your stories in the comment section below!

Coming up:

Monday, February 23 – Season of Waiting: Part Two

Monday, March 2 – Book Review: The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below. And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.

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Favorite Quotes of 2014

By Andrea Renee Cox

It’s been a wild and crazy year that swept by without giving me a chance to catch my breath. Even though 2014 is winding to a close, my proofreading job is picking up speed. I started last January, by proofreading Dianne Price’s Broken Wings.

The publishing company that released it—Ashberry Lane—had put a rush on the job to try and beat death. Dianne succumbed to cancer one week before the release of the first book in her Thistle Series. Because Dianne’s journey had touched my heart, I felt moved to help promote her books. So I bought a copy of the first one as soon as it released and let the publisher know I would help spread the word about it. When Christina Tarabochia emailed me back, she asked me to keep my eye out for typos along the way. I took her seriously … and earned a spot on her staff.

Throughout this year, I’ve worked with her and a few other clients, and word is still spreading about what I do. Currently, I’m working on back-to-back-to-back jobs, with two overlapping a smidge. I’m thrilled to be so busy and to have the privilege of juggling my schedule to have Christmas off. Not only that, but the last one I’ll receive this calendar year will be my twelfth official proofreading job, which means that I had one for every month of the year. They may have been spaced out at first and bunched together at the end, but I think it’s really neat that, in my first year of this work, God chose to bless me with exactly twelve jobs, which matches the number of months within the year. This new career is such a blessing to me, and I thank God every day that He gave me a job I love and can do from home.

Now that I’ve summed up my whirlwind 2014, let’s take a look back at some of my favorite quotes in books I read in my free time. All of these books I enjoyed very much. If you’re looking for last-minute gifts for those book-lover friends or relatives of yours, I’m certain this list should get you started.

“In a period of only a few minutes, my life had been turned upside down.”

A Simple Change by Judith Miller

“Jesse was making a studied effort to let patience have its perfect work in him.”

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton

“My head is full of ideas and thoughts, and my mouth is never reluctant to share them.”

Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer

“But what was a girl to do when the memory of a kiss stalked her?”

You Made Me Love You by Beth K. Vogt

“Who knew a dream potentially coming true could feel so … scary? And yet, how long had she prayed for an open door?”

Here to Stay by Melissa Tagg

“Restaurants may have been my first love, but that didn’t mean we were meant to be.”

A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge

“Getting lost hadn’t been part of the plan.”

Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt

“Lord, how much more does my heart have to bleed?”

A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert

“… it seems that as we plan to teach others, God often makes us the pupil first, just so we get the lesson real deep within before we try to share it.”

The Kissing Bridge by Tricia Goyer

“Sometimes you had to know when to leave so you could fight another day.”

Shadowed by Grace by Cara C. Putman

“I’ve got a scream could peel the paint off the Titanic, you know.”

All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

“She’d managed to wring an address out of the postmaster, now all she needed to do was convince a madman to hire a female secretary before he blew her to bits.”

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

Marc: “I started to [pray], but it’s not like I can expect God to perform a miracle.”

Abe: “Why not?”

Second Time Around by JoAnn Durgin

“Faith isn’t just a matter of what you believe; it should be seen in the way you live and the way you treat others.”

The Daughter of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

“A man’s horse dropping dead in the middle of nowhere left a man with few options.”

A Cowboy for Katie by Debra Clopton

Phillip: “There’s a baby in here, buddy—not a bomb.”

Erik: “I’d rather handle a load of dynamite.”

A November Bride by Beth K. Vogt

“God made you with unique skills and talents. Ask Him how to use those for Him and His glory.”

White Christmas by Cara C. Putman

Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara C. Putman, and Sarah Sundin

 

“I guarantee no woman has ever fallen in love with me after one kiss. It takes at least twenty. I happen to be quite resistible.”

I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Sarah Sundin

Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara C. Putman, and Sarah Sundin

“Could her choice to be joyful make that big a difference to all the men around her?”

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Tricia Goyer

Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara C. Putman, and Sarah Sundin

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

What were some of your favorite books of 2014? Care to share any quotes that stuck with you? What books are you looking forward to reading next year?

Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below. And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.

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Full Steam Ahead

By Andrea Renee Cox

If you’re looking for a delightful read that will keep you riveted from beginning to end, look no further than Karen Witemeyer’s latest offering, Full Steam Ahead. Even though I’ve read two of Karen’s previous novels and knew enough to expect her spunky storytelling, I was quite surprised to see an even greater depth of character and history than usual from her hand. I especially admired the way she meticulously wove the truth about steamboats and boilers into the storyline in such a way that I didn’t even question whether or not she’d checked her facts. Such easy-to-read fiction isn’t an easy accomplishment, but rather speaks of a very talented author who dares to put in long, tough hours, tweaking and honing each chapter until they leap off the page.

During the Facebook book banter in which I won a copy of this book, I asked Karen how many drafts she goes through in the writing of her books. Her reply? Since she edits what she wrote the day before, she really only has one draft. One draft! Can you imagine? I can only dream of that ability at this young stage in my writing endeavors. (Thank you so much for answering a few of my questions during that chat, Karen. Thank you and Bethany House for the complimentary copy of Full Steam Ahead. I hope my review inspires others to pick up a copy next time they visit their favorite book vendor.)

Even though Full Steam Ahead takes place mostly on land, it has the feel of a pirate story. Perhaps that’s due, in part, to the fact that the lead female, Nicole Renard, carries a dagger in her garter. Or maybe it’s because the lead male, Darius Thornton, calls her his “little pirate.” Somehow I think it’s more to do with the adventure style of the tale. With plot twists, witty dialogue, and peculiar characters, it really isn’t much of a wonder why it has that high-seas feel to it.

Karen Witemeyer

In Full Steam Ahead, Nicole Renard faces a dangerous journey, with a couple of brutish men on her trail, to protect her family’s legacy and find a husband—who would become her father’s heir, as she is his only child. When circumstances cause her to cut her trip much shorter than she’d planned, she ends up working for a madman. Will she be able to see past his unkempt appearance and exploding experiments to the heart of this out-of-the-ordinary man? When trouble searches her out, will she trust the odd scientist with the truth of her identity and mission? Can she place her safety in God’s capable hands?

My favorite line in this book came in chapter five:

“She’d managed to wring an address out of the postmaster, now all she needed to do was convince a madman to hire a female secretary before he blew her to bits.”

That brought a burst of chuckles to my lips immediately. Many times throughout this book I found myself laughing and smiling. Definitely a keeper that I’ll be reading over and over again. Five stars, for certain.

Readers, what book have you read lately that found a spot on your bookcase for keeps? What was it about the story that stood out as fantastic? Was it a new-to-you author or a tried-and-true favorite?

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