New York City in 1880 is not a nice place to live. The hard life has driven Tarsie Raines and her friends Joss and Mary Brubache (along with their children) to make the trek west to Kansas. But the trail is also hard—harder than they could have imagined…
1. Where did you get the idea for A Home in Drayton Valley?
One day, in a tiny spurt of curiosity, I posted a question on Facebook: What
kind of story would you like to read next? One “friend” replied she’d love to read a
wagon train story. I was fairly certain I wouldn’t be able to sustain a 100k-word
book on the trail, but I liked the idea of incorporating a wagon train. So I began
contemplating reasons why people chose to leave one part of the country for
another, and soon the characters were coming to life in my head. So I must credit
Kelly from Facebook for planting the seed that led to this particular story.
2. Why is A Home in Drayton Valley relevant today?
I think most people have someone in their lives whose behavior or attitude causes
them pain. It’s easy to love those who don’t cause us hardship; it’s not so easy to
love those who make our lives difficult. Yet Jesus calls us to love our neighbor—
all of our neighbors—as ourselves. God’s unconditional love for me should
encourage me to love unconditionally…and while writing the story I had the
chance to reevaluate my means of dealing with the “difficult” people in my life.
3. Did the book involve special research?
I researched several different topics for this story: herbal cures, prohibition
(which took place in Kansas much earlier than in most states), wine-making,
and wagon travel, to name a few. It was easy to get caught up in the research and
forget about writing! The history lover in me thoroughly enjoyed exploring, and I
hope readers will enjoy uncovering bits of reality in this fictional account.
4. What is your goal or mission as a Christian writer?
Always, I want to tell a story that shows the reader ways to deepen his/her
relationship with God. I hope my stories are entertaining and will carry the
reader away to another time and place for a few enjoyable hours, but more than
that, I want the stories to edify. When a reader tells me something in the story has
opened her eyes to God in a new way, my heart sings.
5. What is the take-away message you want readers to receive after reading
A Home in Drayton Valley?
Very simply, God is the Healer. I can’t fix anybody, including myself. But He can.
I have to be willing to place myself and the situation that challenges me into His
keeping. God makes beauty from the ashes of my life when I find the courage to
let go.