 Glouestershire 1816 Carolyn Miller has captivated my rapt attention yet again with this first of A PROMISE OF HOPE series. Heartsore, Miss Catherine Winthrope’s world tipped its foundations and caused her very lifestyle to be redefined, relocated, and raked over by grief; which equates to a story that I would love to see turned into a quality movie. The hero, Johathan Carlew, is such a serious and worthy hero. These characters are unique and diverse and have to face the challenge of forgiving when they both have deep offences to overcome. I have enjoyed their journey, the humor sprinkled within the scenes, and the witty conversations that made me smile! I encourage you to give this author a try! With Carolyn’s talent for creating believable characters whom many will identify with and a plot that won’t let me put my book down—I acknowledge this fresh series will be one that remains on my book shelf. I’d read the novel earlier within the year when I had pink eye and it grieved me to have to throw that book away. I downloaded the Kindle version and I’ve been enjoying this novel again—so very soon for me to revisit a story when I have a stack of unread novels waiting—yet I’m still enjoying the character’s journey as though it were a first read. Carolyn displays a beautiful writing style and instinct for creating a Regancy world that offers enough details and historical information to adorn the challenges and interactions of her characters. I am a reader who will gladly watch for Carolyn’s next novels, for these will be the sort I will purchase posthaste and give as gifts! QUESTIONS FOR CAROLYN: Your stories are diverse and interesting. How long did you play with these characters to get them just right? I knew Catherine Winthrop needed to have different personality qualities to Lavinia Ellison’s forthrightness, and Lady Charlotte’s headstrong ways, and couldn’t be too similar to Clara DeLancey, either. I wanted Jonathan Carlew to be a different type of hero to my previous heroes, which is why he’s a man of business, with some questions over his heritage. Did you model any of these characters after someone from the movies or real life or imagination? Winning Miss Winthrop is a bit like my homage to my (equal) favorite Jane Austen novel Persuasion. Catherine Winthrop is not dissimilar to Anne Elliot, with her quiet, somewhat retiring ways, who is often overlooked by others. I see Jonathan Carlew as being quite similar to Persuasion’s Captain Wentworth, in looks and temperament. For his appearance and deep voice and demeanor I was also inspired by one of my best friend’s husbands. Of course, he might not see himself that way! I’m thankful for your including past characters! This is always fun to see how they are getting on with life in the imaginary world. Is it difficult for you to limit the amount of involvement with previous characters? I want each story to be a standalone, so a reader can enjoy the story without feeling like they are missing much. But it’s also nice for those who started at the beginning of my first Regency Brides series with The Elusive Miss Ellison to catch up with some of their favorite characters and see what’s happening in their lives these days. So while there are a few mentions of other characters we’ve met before, this is a new story with the focus squarely on Catherine and Jonathan. But I hope readers of my other series enjoy catching up with some old friends! What is the theme in this story that you want your readers to realize the most? One of the key themes is that of trusting God, that He’s worth believing in even when all hope seems lost, and trusting that He has good plans for His children, even when we can’t see what He’s doing. I’ve seen this in my own life, and I hope readers are encouraged by this too. Do you picture these characters and the locations when you write them? (I sure do picture them when I’m reading them.😊) Yes! It always helps to have a sense of where and what I want readers to see. (And I’m so glad!) I use Pinterest to help provide clarity – unless it’s a film I might watch several times to help get in the mood! Have you been to Bath and seen any homes and interesting places that you have included in this story? Yes! I was very blessed with the opportunity to visit Bath in 2015, and loved my (all too brief!) time there. Pretty much every place in Bath that I mentioned in Winning Miss Winthrop is a place I have personally visited. In fact, on my website I have a ton of photos from my visit so readers can see exactly what “A Day in Bath” might look like. Check it out at www.carolynmillerauthor.com Do you have any news to tell your readers? Yes! This past week I’ve just finished writing my first draft for a Christmas novella which will be part of a Regency-era Christmas novella collection releasing from Kregel next year – woohoo! Next week I’ll get back to writing the first book in my new Regency series which will launch in 2021. The series is titled ‘The Wallflowers,’ about single, slightly older women of the Regency era and the challenges they faced. I’m also looking to dip my toe into the contemporary market one day soon, too! What are the books in the rest of this series called? Winning Miss Winthrop is the first book in my second series Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope. The next two books in this series are Miss Serena’s Secret (about Miss Winthrop’s artistic, younger sister) and The Making of Mrs. Hale, which looks at what happens after an elopement! Do you have another series ready to launch? This year (2019) has seen the launch of my third Regency series, Regency Brides: The Daughters of Aynsley, which features three sisters. The first of these books came out in March this year and is titled A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh, which looks at Caroline Hatherleigh (the eldest daughter of the Viscount Aynsley) and her experiences hunting for fossils with an undergroundologist! The second book in this series came out recently and is titled Underestimating Miss Cecilia, and explores what happens after the prodigal son returns (and also includes a country house party!) which has received lots of lovely reviews. And the third releases in November and is a super fun romp (set in Scotland!) and is titled Misleading Miss Verity. Just got to say this is a really fun book! Where do you wish for your readers to connect with you? www.carolynmillerauthor.com https://www.facebook.com/CarolynMillerAuthor/ https://twitter.com/CarolynMAuthor https://www.pinterest.com.au/camillering/ https://www.instagram.com/carolynmillerauthor/  Thank you Carolyn for yet again another fine, fun and informative interview! I feel as though I'm getting to know you better with each new connection! I'm ever so glad to be blessed by your gift of story! God's Richest Blessings and Joy to you, Carolyn!
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Susan Marlene is the author of Sisters & Friends, HEARTS FOREVER FAITHFUL and SHORT STORIES, Some Fanciful, Some True, A Collection from Various Time Periods & Adventurous Tales, as well as Splashes of Hope, A Trio of Short Stories. Categories |
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