The author discusses her 3-in-1 romance collection
Kentucky Weddings (Romancing America): Three eligible bachelors become the unlikely answer to prayer for three women with big dreams.
Q:Your ‘Romancing America’ book
started out as separate titles for the Heartsong Presents readers. Tell us how
the individual novels are linked together into a larger picture.
Kentucky Weddings is about three siblings in a large
family.
The books show the connections between friends and siblings and
address
the faith struggles each have as they deal with the things
happening to
them. Each individual book had its own story to tell, with the connection being the characters and themes of each story.
Q: What
was your inspiration for the original series?
The series came about as a result of my friend who lives in
Kentucky. She told me to propose a Kentucky series and she’d
help me
research the area. I flew into Louisville to visit her and
her husband and
they showed me their Kentucky. I decided I wanted a
horse farm
and Paris, Kentucky became the perfect locale.
Q: How does your faith influence
your writing?
I give God complete credit for my success. I wrote for
twenty years before I
sold my first book. I wrote secular books and had positive
comments but
always got rejected. In 1991, I lost my parents and in 1992,
I was diagnosed
with cancer. When I chose to give my life over to God, that
included my
writing. I prayed and told God He’d need to give me a market
if He
intended for me to keep writing. Within days I received a
card packet with
a mailer for Heartsong Presents. I became a club member and
knew I
wanted to write for this publisher. I submitted and sold my
first book
twenty years to the month of my first rejection.
Q: What do you most hope readers get
out of your fiction?
I want every reader to know God loves us just as we are, and that they
can
reach out to Him in their time of need.