What type of research was required for writing your book?
The research actually helped me shape my story in many ways. I had a loose plot in my head when I began researching, and as I looked into the house I chose for my setting, I found several interesting secrets that overlapped perfectly with my story and were included in the novel.
The most fascinating part for me, though, was researching vineyards. The deeper I dug into it, the more amazing spiritual implications I found.
I spent a lot of truly sacred time pouring over Victorian-era farming manuals and diagrams, piecing together the deeper meanings of many vineyard-related verses in Scripture. Many of those aspects came out in the book as the heroine struggled to understand God and His pruning of her.
Who is your favorite character in A Rumored Fortune?
I enjoyed many of the characters, including the heroine whose art is not contained by canvases, but my favorite character is the hero, Donegan Vance. He’s so blunt and practical, but so deeply kind and loyal—all of which is in stark contrast to most other characters in this story.
The reason he’s so dear to me is that he’s patterned after my own husband, and the love story in this novel is our relationship dynamic. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to flesh out the start of our romance and see with new appreciation the hero of my real-life love story.
What do you hope readers gain from your book?
I’m hoping readers gain a new, hopeful perspective on difficult circumstances in their lives, and they’ll get a glimpse, as my heroine did, of God’s sovereignty and deep, deep love for us. The story takes place in a vineyard, which lent itself to wonderful spiritual implications and depth.
My desire is that readers will learn about vineyards and then read the passages in Scripture concerning vines with fresh eyes and a heart bursting with the reality of God’s love for them.
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