Interview: C.C. Warrens

When you walk into a bookstore, you make a beeline for what section?

Christian fiction, of course! I need to see what new and exciting suspense books my fellow Christian authors have come out with. After that, I meander over to the fantasy section, because I have a heart for those as well.

Favorite place to write:

Outside in nature, especially in the spring and fall when the colors are bold and beautiful. I love relaxing on our back patio.

Go-to writing snack or drink:

I love homemade matcha lattes or coffee-free lattes. When my health lets me, my absolute favorite drink while writing (or reading, or watching a movie, or anytime I’m awake…) is marshmallow hot chocolate. And I don’t mean those baby marshmallows. I like the torch size ones.

What does your writing nook look like?

I have my writing room where I cozy up and write in the winter. It’s filled with book inventory, stickers, bookmarks, bookworm pillows, my amazingly comfortable chair . . .

Talk about a dream writing space! All the twinkling lights and candles. You have me thinking of changes I could make to my own nook. 🙂

Something you must do or have to write:

Silence is a must for me while writing. I’m easily distracted by random sounds or changing songs. In the summer, when I sit down to write, the neighbor inevitably decides to mow 😂 And then I have to wait 30 minutes to start writing.

 Favorite (doesn’t that word just make you cringe?) writer resource:

I actually don’t have any 😬 I don’t read books about writing. I just write. If I start analyzing what I’m doing, it flips the over-thinker switch in my brain, and all progress comes to a grinding halt.

Clearly your process is working. I’m making my way through the Holly series and WOWZERS! You’re crazy talented.

What book is currently on your nightstand?

“Targeted” by a group of my favorite suspense authors, and “Break of Day” by Colleen Coble.

Hard copy, e-reader, audio book:

All of the above! Audiobooks are, by far, my favorite though. With a great narrator, I get to enjoy a book while working out and cleaning. Paperbacks are best at night when I want to turn off the electronics but do something other than stare at the wall. E-books are best for traveling.

What was the inspiration behind Crossroads?

I don’t want to give away too much about the plot, but when I was growing up, I knew a man who could convince just about anyone of anything. He could twist the truth as easily as the wind blows, and because people didn’t know any differently, they believed whatever he said. It’s so important to seek the truth ourselves, to ask questions, and to stand up for what’s right even if we stand alone. And that man and his manipulative, deceptive ways, inspired the plot for Crossroads.

Favorite part of writing Crossroads:

My favorite part is always bouncing ideas with my husband while out on a walk. He helps me brainstorm, and we have so much fun dreaming up ideas.

Hardest part of writing Crossroads:

The hardest part was actually the plot itself. Because it’s a personal subject for me, I wanted to avoid it, but I also felt compelled to write it and weave in the truth.

If Crossroads was turned into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Oh goodness, what an idea.

Jordan would definitely be Theo James.

*Swoon* I just fell a little more in love with Jordan.

Holly is harder to pin down because of her size. The women I would’ve once chosen are too old for the role now. Kristen Bell or Hayden Panettiere.

I think Holly is hard to pin down because, at this point, no one other than your cover model could play her. 😂

What is next?

Next, I’m working on some novellas about Holly and Jordan as kids, a second book in the Cherry Creek Mysteries, and brainstorming future Holly Novels and a Liam Duggard series.

 Wow! You are busy, and I’m excited! I can’t wait to experience these.

What else would you like readers to know?

My husband is mentioned in every one of my Holly Novels. He plays himself—a wheelchair athlete and business owner—and Holly, the main character, struggles to remember his name. Our pizza restaurant is also the setting for an important scene in the third Holly Novel. I am mentioned as “Warren’s wife,” the person who made the paintings on the wall. I did actually do the paintings in our restaurant 😊

I remember this! Well, I remember Holly not remembering the athlete’s name. How did I miss that this character was your husband? What a fun tidbit. Thank you for sharing.

About the Story:

RUN AND DON’T LOOK BACK.

I’LL FIND YOU WHEN IT’S SAFE.

Those were the last words Holly whispered to her six year old foster sister before the little girl fled into the trees and disappeared from existence.

Fifteen years later, Cassandra Ward is still missing.

Holly is haunted by the possibility that she sent her foster sister running from one monster and into the clutches of another. How else could a child vanish without a trace?

Determined to find her, Holly sifts through her own dark memories for clues, revisits her past, and chases a lead across the country with Jordan by her side. But the search for Cassie takes a dangerous turn when an altercation in the mountains leaves them stranded, cut off from the outside world, and running for their lives.

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Interview: Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall

Cindy, what inspired you to write Until Then?
I had a strong heart’s desire to explore how we as humans often have unmet longings and dreams to develop gifts or talents that might be outside what our family or community believe we should pursue.

How did you decide to combine Amish fiction with time-slip fiction?
In many ways the Amish live in a different time, but to send an Amish person back to the 1800s added a new dimension of deliciousness. Would an Amish person adjust easier because of their way of living? In our time, the Amish are known for being separate from the world, but they were in the thick of social justice and political battles in the 1800s. A time-slip setting for this story allowed me to dive deep into the history of 1822 and write about the bravery and diligence of the Amish and Quakers when it came to fighting against slavery. Because the Amish and Quakers would never bear arms, their history is very different, and that difference had an impressive impact on quiet, unseen lives.

Can you give us a sneak peek into the main characters in the novel, Celeste and Vin Lantz?
Oh, man, are they in love! But Vin has secrets, and when Celeste learns of them, they argue like two people who’ve forgotten they love each other. Each one is a strong and vulnerable character in their own ways, and those strengths and vulnerabilities work for and against them. My favorite character to develop was Vin. He felt the power of being a competent and successful Amish man, but when he wakes in darkness, at the foot of an unknown mountain with no sign of civilization in sight, he quickly learns how little power he has. Within a few days, he’s close to death. If two escaped slaves didn’t cross his path when they did, he would’ve died. After helping Vin survive some critical hours, those men have to move on without him, so he’s left in a predicament where he could still die before finding civilization.

How is the romance thread in this story different than other romance novels?
The romantic couple is separated by time, and Celeste, believing Vin has died, is vulnerable to a new love interest.

What are you most excited for your readers to experience by reading this story?
I’m most excited that as the story unfolds, we see both Vin and Celeste learn to trust in God differently than ever before, to accept what is and make good use of the time they are living in as opposed to fulfilling the dreams they shared.

As an author, what did you particularly enjoy about writing this story?
I’ve never written anything with a historical thread in it, so I loved diving deep into the history of that time, including 1822-1823 Lancaster, Pennsylvania. What was hard about writing it? Researching all the roads during that time, mapping out how Vin and a few others would cross from central Ohio to eastern Pennsylvania in great specificity. My husband brought home a lot of plats with historical road maps. With all that information in hand, I began writing the story, but as events unfolded, I eventually discovered that the characters couldn’t use ANY of those roads since they went through slave states occupied by patrollers.

You are a mother and daughter-in-law writing team. Can you describe your writing process?
Our usual tag-team writing method was tossed out the window for this book. Typically, we each choose a main character or two, and through hours of brainstorming and outlining, we develop our character(s). But because of this particular story and the new difficulties of two storylines in two different times and the amount of research needed, I wrote, and Erin edited. We talked on the phone a lot to clear my head and help me to stay true to myself, my readers, and my genre. See, Louis L’Amour kept trying to take over! Decades ago, I read his works voraciously, and as I wrote this book, each time I slipped back in time to the 1800s, Mr. L’Amour showed up, trying to write the story from a male point of view with superheroic efforts. I got that out of my system and was able to hear just my voice. Finally, months later, I sent Erin the last five chapters of the book. At the time I had Covid and was quarantined in Canada, unable to return to the States. Erin read the chapters and called me, apologizing as she told me that those chapters didn’t work. The problem: I was coming from a place of being weary and irritable, and she pointed out that the characters were in love and needed to show a level of gratefulness and trust in order to be true to who they were. So, L’Amour hadn’t shown up, but Grumpy Author had arrived on the page. I told Erin if she could call her sick mother-in-law stuck in a tiny hotel room with no food service while trying to meet a deadline and gently speak the truth, she could do anything in life! I love being a team with her!

About the Story:

In 1985, Old Order Amish couple Celeste and Vin Lantz have been married for six years. Vin is a carpenter by trade but an artist in his heart. He is especially captivated by drawing portraits, which the Amish consider idolatry. Knowing they could be shunned, Celeste is shocked to discover that Vin has secretly been sketching her and their sons. When she confronts Vin, they argue and Vin storms off . . . and seems to disappear, leaving Celeste to wonder if he chose his art over his family.

When he leaves the house that night, Vin seeks peace on his favorite mountain overlook. But he takes a fall and wakes to find himself injured and lost. Vin soon realizes just how far he has traveled—not only in distance but back in time, to 1822 Ohio, a place that provides the freedom he craved but where he is separated from his beloved wife and children. Vin is saved by the kindness of strangers and gradually learns to survive and even to use his skills to help his new friends in this unfamiliar time and place. But all the while he prays desperately for God to return him to his family, before Celeste makes a new life without him.

Connect with Cindy through her website, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Interview: Sandra Byrd

What was your inspiration for Heirlooms?

I love the intersection of one generation impacting the next—positively or negatively, knowingly and not. I wanted to bring a broader understanding of the intrinsic worth of every person. I wanted to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and bring home in our money-driven world that the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life are the most valuable of all.

Why did you choose to explore Korean American culture in this book?

My affection and respect for Korean Americans and their culture sparked when I taught in a Korean American Hagwon, an after-school prep school of sorts. I taught English, essay, and preparation for the SAT. I grew in affection and admiration for my boss, students, and their families as I knew them better and learned more about their culture. I not only came to love their delicious food, courteous manners, beautiful language, sense of humor, devotion to achievement, and customs, but the sacrifices made for the children also made a huge impression.

As an author, what did you particularly enjoy about writing Heirlooms?

Oh, just everything! I loved exploring women’s lives through the more traditional arts such as gardening and cooking, child raising, but also through progressive and self-driven career choices. The choices we make in life overlap and zigzag across others’ lives and generations, like a beautiful spirograph, creating a design unique and beautifully our own.

I had two wonderful grandmothers, and now I am a grandmother myself. So I’m intentional about the heirlooms I’ll leave for my granddaughter and the other grands who will follow her.

I also loved plotting so that readers would discover characters and situations from one era before the characters in the other. As a reader, I love knowing things before the characters do, as long as there are no reveals!

What was the most challenging part of this writing project?

Managing the tremendous amount of research—including dozens of interviews and perhaps nearly one hundred other sources of information—involved in bringing so many times and cultures to life in an appropriate, sensitive way. Carefully weaving story threads so as not to reveal too soon.

About the Story:

Answering a woman’s desperate call for help, young Navy widow Helen Devries opens her Whidbey Island home as a refuge to Choi Eunhee. As they bond over common losses and a delicate, potentially devastating secret, their friendship spans the remainder of their lives.

After losing her mother, Cassidy Quinn spent her childhood summers with her gran, Helen, at her farmhouse. Nourished by her grandmother’s love and encouragement, Cassidy discovers a passion that she hopes will bloom into a career. But after Helen passes, Cassidy learns that her home and garden have fallen into serious disrepair. Worse, a looming tax debt threatens her inheritance. Facing the loss of her legacy and in need of allies and ideas, Cassidy reaches out to Nick, her former love, despite the complicated emotions brought by having him back in her life.

Cassidy inherits not only the family home but a task, spoken with her grandmother’s final breaths: ask Grace Kim—Eunhee’s granddaughter—to help sort through the contents of the locked hope chest in the attic. As she and Grace dig into the past, they unearth their grandmothers’ long-held secret and more. Each startling revelation reshapes their understanding of their grandmothers and ultimately inspires the courage to take risks and make changes to own their lives.

Set in both modern-day and midcentury Whidbey Island, Washington, this dual-narrative story of four women—grandmothers and granddaughters—intertwines across generations to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life.

Connect with Sandra through her website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Interview: Courtney Walsh

What inspired you to write What Matters Most?

I’ve been carrying around this story idea for a very long time, and I was thrilled to finally get to write it. I think the moment I started thinking of the characters and scenario I’d already created living in Nantucket, the whole thing finally came together for me. It was like the missing piece the story needed.

Emma, the protagonist of What Matters Most, is a young widow. How was writing her story different from writing your previous main characters?

I tend to give all my main characters deep wounds in their backstory. However, Emma’s was especially emotional, but the approach I took to writing her was the same as always, which is pretty in-depth. Character creation is truly my favorite part of writing, so I take great care at that stage and just fall in love with my heroes and heroines!

The main characters in this novel are keeping secrets about their pasts— is it challenging as a writer to gradually reveal these things within the story? If so, in what ways?

I think it’s important to a story to have secrets that are gradually revealed because that keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages. I DO think knowing when to reveal these secrets is the challenging thing, simply because there are so many different ways to do that. You want to make sure it makes sense to the story and you don’t want to drag it out too long or it will frustrate your reader. I tend to stop in the middle of writing every single book and go back to the beginning to read simply to get a handle on the pacing. Then I finish the last third of the novel with that in mind. For some reason, this always helps!

Who is your favorite minor character in this story?

Emma’s father-in-law. I love writing older, wiser characters because I think there is so much to be gained from listening to their perspectives. I loved their relationship and the way he helped her navigate her faith journey, and I loved that he ultimately wanted her to be happy.

What did you learn from writing this story?

That I really want to go back to Nantucket! But also, I think writing a book like this reminds me how important grace is. Not only for other people, but for ourselves and our mistakes. We can so easily convince ourselves that we are beyond redemption, but that’s never, ever the case.

About the Story:

Emma Woodson is hoping the cobblestone streets of Nantucket and the charm of her late husband’s family cottage will be the fresh start she and her young son, CJ, need. Securing a dream job at an art gallery is one more step along the path to a new life . . . and away from a piece of her history she hopes will never be revealed. Falling in love with the kind and handsome guy she hires to clean out the rental apartment above the garage wasn’t part of the plan.

Jameson Shaw came to Nantucket for one reason: deliver his letter to Emma and never return. But when he sees an opportunity to help her, he takes a chance, desperate to atone for his past. He never planned to keep his connection to her husband a secret or to fall in love with her. After all, he knows that their new relationship might not survive the discovery of who he really is.

Connect with Courtney through website, Facebook, Facebook Reader Page, Twitter, and Instagram.

Interview: Syrie James

When you walk into a bookstore, you make a beeline for what section?

This question fills me with nostalgia, because I haven’t been inside a bookstore since the Pandemic began. I hope to remedy that soon, because bookstores are like a little slice of heaven to me. I usually head straight for the Recommended Reads section. I love to see what the staff is reading. I enjoy checking out the display tables; there’s always something awesome there. After that: fiction, historical fiction, romance … followed by a lot of general browsing.

Favorite place to write:

I always write in my home office at my computer. It’s bright and comfy and I have a lovely view of my garden and the neighbors’ treetops.

Go-to writing snack or drink:

Chocolate. It’s all about the chocolate.

Something you must do or have to write:

Quiet and no disruptions.

Favorite (doesn’t that word just make you cringe?) writer resource:

Dictionary.com, thesaurus.com, and Google.

What book is currently on your nightstand?

“The Pride of the Peacock” by Victoria Holt.

Hard copy, e-reader, audio book:

Both hard copy and e-reader. I love audio books but prefer to read words on the page.

What was the inspiration behind Floating on Air?

Floating on Air is a very personal story. It’s inspired by the early days of my romance with my late husband. I wrote an entire blog on the subject! Read it here.

 Favorite part of writing Floating on Air:

The romance scenes. I love writing about love at first sight, because it happened to me and my husband.

Hardest part of writing Floating on Air:

The challenges of Kyle and Desiree’s long-distance relationship. My husband and I lived in different parts of the state when we first met and experienced all the same heartaches whenever our precious weekends together were up.

What is next?

I’m working on a novel that I’m very excited about. All I’ll say is that it’s set in 19^th century England (my happy place!)

What else would you like readers to know?

To keep up with my book news and blog posts, I invite readers to visit my website, sign up for my newsletter, and follow my blog! I blog about the inspiration for my books, historical topics of interest, and I review my favorite books.

To stage the stage for reading my Struck By Love series, check out my fun blog “8 Things I Love About the 80s!”

These romances are open door. However the love scenes are tame by romance standards, with the emphasis on love and romance. I’d call the heat factor modest.

About the Story:

A siren called.

He answered.

A successful radio deejay embarks on a thrilling, long distance love affair with a charismatic entrepreneur, a relationship that plays havoc with her carefully controlled life—and heart.

On a hot summer’s day in 1986, Southern California radio deejay Desiree Germain is hosting a contest on the air when she’s entranced by the deeply masculine voice of caller number twelve.

Voices never matched faces. Desiree knows that better than anyone. As KICK’s hottest radio host, she has a sultry voice that leads people to expect a tall, voluptuous bombshell. Petite in every sense of the word, she hardly lives up to that image.

To Desiree’s surprise, caller number twelve turns out to be Kyle Harrison, a handsome, wealthy businessman from Seattle. Kyle has come to claim his prize—and her heart.

They are soon involved in a whirlwind love affair that makes Desiree’s heart sing. Is it worth the risk? All the rules say that long-distance romance and radio don’t mix.

But a man who is answering a siren’s call doesn’t care about rules!

Connect with Syrie through her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Struck By Love Series:

Floating on Air (previously published as Songbird)

Two Week Deal (previously published as Propositions)

Read as a stand-alone or enjoy the series!