Interview and Giveaway with Kathleen L. Maher

 Happy Saturday everyone! I'm excited to introduce you to an author I have known 'virtually' for most of my writing career, Kathleen Maher. I was first introduced to her writing through her novella Bachelor Buttons, which was a really great story and hooked me on her writing. She now has released not just one but TWO books this month and is here to share the joy with us at Stitches Thru Time. 

Welcome Kathleen! We're so glad you could visit us today. Tell us about your book.

Thank you Amber!  It’s such a thrill to be here and share about my new arrivals. I have twin book babies, actually. One is a Civil War romance The Abolitionist’s Daughter, and the other is a novella in Barbour’s beautiful new Victorian Christmas Brides collection.

 

Where did the inspiration for your story come from?

 Both stories center on history from my hometown Elmira, NY.  Elmira is little known, but played key parts in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and in women’s rights. I felt this history was in danger of obscurity, and wanted to capture it in story.

That sounds fascinating. What was the funnest thing about writing this story?

I love research and visiting sites and talking with people who have kept history alive. But hands down, the biggest thrill for me was learning of a group of people dedicated to creating a museum to preserving and promoting local history. Kindred spirits! I just recorded a brief video on site of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp Museum. It can be found on my facebook author page FB.com/KLMaherAuthor

How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing? 

History really is the story of God’s courtship with the human race, and to tell stories without that heavenly hand of influence would be revisionist or lacking, in my opinion. I see even in academic texts and first-person narratives the work of Divine Providence. It is my delight to show the ways I have seen the Lord work, even in the stories of fictional people. God is always righting wrongs, and lending aid and guidance when we get tangled in our human folly! It can be tragic or funny, or just plain inspiring. I love it when God hits a home run!

Why did you choose this genre?

Romance appeals to every part of my heart. I believe God’s relationship with us is a divine romance, and the love of a woman and a man symbolizes the ways He attempts to woo us and capture our hearts.

And for me, there is a nostalgic thrill in exploring times past, where people were more connected to animals and nature and simplicity. I love a hero who works hard with his hands, loves animals, and proves himself to his woman!

What are you working on next? 

I have already written the sequel to my Civil War romance and will be editing it for Indie publication. I also have a few novella proposals out that I hope to hear back on. But I’m really excited about an idea I’ve been working on—it’s a departure for me. It’s a comedic romance, something on the order of Shrek meets the Princess Bride, with a Medieval setting. I hope to write it as a playfully satirical look at how people with disabilities have been viewed in times past and even today, exposing superstitions, ignorance and misunderstanding. I guess all of my works have a social awareness message.

 

Oh wow. That's very interesting. Looks like you have some great stuff going on. Thank you so much for being with us! 

Thanks Amber! It’s been a pleasure being your guest.

I’m offering a giveaway of winner’s choice of one of my books, plus a rafflecopter during my blog tour now through November. http://gvwy.io/48sxkxc

Would love to chat with your readers a bit. QUESTION: What story or movie tugged on your heartstrings about a social justice issue? Did it change your perspective?

Good luck to everyone! 

About Kathleen:

Kathleen L. Maher has had an infatuation with books and fictional heroes ever since her preschool crush, Peter Rabbit. She has a novella releasing with BARBOUR in the 2018 Victorian Christmas Brides collection, featuring her hometown of Elmira, New York. Her debut historical, Bachelor Buttons, blends her Irish heritage and love of the American Civil War. She won the 2012 ACFW Genesis contest for her Civil War story, releasing this summer under a new title The Abolitionist’s Daughter. Kathleen shares an old farmhouse in upstate New York with her husband, children, and a small zoo of rescued animals.

Follow Kathleen

on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KLMaherAuthor/

on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mahereenie

and on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kathleenlmaher

Cover Reveal - The Captain's Challenge

Hello, lovey readers. I’m pleased to reveal the cover of my next release right here on STT.

Some covers are more difficult than others. For example, my mail-order bride series was easy-peasy. Readers’ expectations are pretty much set in stone for romance, and especially sub-genres like mail-order brides. Not so with mixed genres like my Wolf Deceivers series. Book 3, The Captain’s Challenge starts out in Savannah, one of the most romantic places in the world, in my humble opinion. But like the other books in this series, it’s a mix of historical, romance, and suspense.

I wanted a Southern background since the story is set in Reconstruction Georgia. Most of it takes place in Macon, Georgia, where the heroine’s family townhouse is located. I used the Hay House, a lovely antebellum house in Macon, as my model. I’d toured the house twice so I had a good feel for it, including those beautifully restored rooms.

Actually there are many antebellum houses in Central and South Georgia, and those further south have those moss draped live oaks I knew would create that sinister touch my story 

needed. However, the background can’t compete with the models representing the book’s characters. After finding the models that looked similar to my hero and heroine, I wisely left the rest up to my cover designer.

 Army Intelligence Officer, Alex Blaine, is tasked to uncover the ring-leader of an anarchist gang that’s endangering the residents and thwarting the new Georgia government. Gillian Carey has lived in England for the past eight years. Returning to her home in Reconstruction Georgia, she intends to search for her brother, still missing from the war. But Gillian is shocked to find a different world from the one she left as a twelve-year-old, her father a broken and brooding man. She turns to the handsome army captain to help her find her brother, not realizing her father is one of the suspects Alex is investigating. Or that he may have been responsible for her brother's death.

What’s the first thing you notice about a book cover?

Comment on any post now through July 1st to get your name in the drawing for Wedding Barter by Alice Aranz! Winner will be announced in the July 2nd issue of the WeeklyWindup.

Mail-order Brides + Cover Reveal!

Though women had been travelling to meet unknown husbands as mail-order brides throughout the early half of the the 1800s, when the Civil War stripped the eastern States of ~664,928 Federal soldiers, and over 483,026 Confederate soldiers, many women were widowed or left without the prospects of marriage. To make matters worse for these woman, the west was opening up to men who wanted land and a new beginning. Or Gold. While a few men went with wives and families, most opted to tame the west as bachelors...until they realized some things remained wild without a woman's touch.

For the next four decades, single men took what avenues were available them to bring future wives and mothers into their homes. Churches, relatives, newspaper ads, and matchmaking organizations lent a hand in arranging these marriages. Many single women, whether maidens, widowed, or runaways, went eagerly wanting a home and to start a family or adventure. Some found what grew to be happy and prosperous unions, while others were painfully disappointed.

With letters often the only way to court, and even the Pony Express's top speeds making lengthy waits between such correspondences, most couples did not know their future spouse very well. That is where my novella, releasing April 26th, differs from most mail-order bride stories. While the groom might not recognize the woman he is about to bind himself to, the bride not only knows her intended, but has planned to make his life as miserable as hers has been. She wants revenge.

Elizabeth Landvick knows of one man to blame for her family’s loss of fortune and her parents’ deaths. Now, she will stop at nothing to take her revenge and recover their wealth. Even travel across the country to marry the man’s son.

With his focus on his sprawling Arizona ranch, Axel Forsberg has little time for wooing a woman, so when his father finds him a bride from the east, he trusts he won’t regret the convenience. Until horses go missing, barns burn to the ground, a range war begins…and he loses his heart. 

I am so excited to share this story with everyone. Please mark your calendars! And pop by my website for updates, or follow me on Amazon and Goodreads. Also, a huge shout out and thank you to my amazing cover artist, Jessica Sprong of Creative Junkie!