Day 3: It's my turn!

Today I get to interview myself, in a way. I'm answering the 12 questions each of the other authors has answered about my novella A Silent Night. You may have read my post about how this novella came into being (which was a surprise), but in today's post I also explain how the story itself surprised me. (Which is going to be tricky because I don't want to throw out any spoilers!) It is a story whose characters I love and even miss at times, now that I'm not "working" with them any more. This author-ing is a strange and funny thing. I think I'll have to do more of it! *grin*  Also, as a side note, yesterday I learned that Amazon is releasing the collection a couple days early because of Labor Day weekend--so if any of you pre-ordered A Pioneer Christmas Collection from Amazon you should be getting it on Friday! How cool is that?! So without further ado I present: myself and my debut novella A Silent Night!

1. What made you write about your period in time?

In light of the fact that we were looking at westward expansion, I wanted to find a focus of heading west that is often overlooked--travel by water. The Erie Canal opened in the 1830s which brought a flood of people into Michigan Territory and beyond. So that time period sparked my initial interest.

2. How is Christmas celebrated in your family and what effect did it have on your writing this story?

Christmas is always about family gathering, coming home from hither-and-yon and collecting in one "home base" to be together. (My mother always says, "I love having all my chicks back in the nest!") However, most of those pioneering out West didn't have that luxury. They had only each other and folks they met along the way, those who essentially become family due to the circumstances.That is what I tried to capture in the Christmas scene of the story--the gathering and celebration of new-found family.

3. What research did you do to authenticate Christmas celebrations in your story?

Loads of research, specifically about Michigan Territory, went into this. As previously mentioned, families were forged on the frontier from more than just blood-ties, and it's curious to me how that seems to happen in times of struggle. Michigan Territory was incredibly wild at the time, with constant threat of weather, Indians, bandits, wild animals, and even trivial accidents that could change a person's life—yet the people still settled there, finding happiness and heartache along the way. I wanted some of that happiness to sidle in alongside my characters' heartaches.

4. When you dreamed up your story idea, what came first, the time period, the story, the location?

Time period, followed by location. I had a vague idea of the story, but it grew out of the setting.

5. What was the "germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out?

The germ was putting a woman in the kind of situation most women fear: helplessness. It's an abstract fear, but on the frontier becomes tangible quite quickly.

6. Would you like to have been there?

A part of me itches to see what it would be like on the frontier struggling for survival--something I obviously know absolutely nothing about. I think within each of us is a desire to know what it is that we're made of, to see the exact boundaries of our strength and fortitude. However, my husband assures me that I've not the makings of a frontierswoman, and I do believe he is right. I am quite handy with duct tape and Tacky glue, though.

7. What aspects of your characters are reflected in yours?

I think I have my protagonist's propensity to second-guess herself. Despite that self-doubt, she continues to drive toward self-reliance, a drive I also daily combat. (I gave my protagonist a daughter as well, whom I named after my own daughter--thus my character's struggles, as you can imagine, quickly became personal.)

8. Have you been to the locations in which your story is set?

The story begins in Edinburgh, Scotland, where my husband lived for many years and of which I have a working knowledge. Michigan, however, I visited only long ago--long before I knew I'd be setting a story there.

9. What surprised you the most about your story?

The ending. It turned into a completely different kind of love story than even I had anticipated. It actually came about after my mom made a comment on the original ending (nope, no spoilers here, folks) and it started the cogs turning and the story started to fly in a completely new direction.

10. Would you have made a good pioneer?

Uh, no. Though I'd like to imagine I'd put on a good show while I lasted.

11. Were any of your ancestors pioneers? If so, where and when?

At one time my ancestors pioneered across the Atlantic from Germany and Switzerland, but never made it beyond Pennsylvania.

12. What spiritual themes did you deliberately incorporate into your story? Which ones did you discover later? 

I had no clear spiritual theme as I began the story because I find that often the story itself has its own message it wants to forge. As I wrote, the theme of surrender seemed continually to appear, and it became obvious that the direction the story wanted to take was to look at the age old decision faced by every one of us: to hope that our own strength is enough to sustain us or to surrender to the One who loves us and pursues us beyond all obstacles.

3 more days to enter the Pioneer Christmas Giveaway!
You can choose any of the options below to enter (tweet, make a comment, "like" my FB page, follow me on Twitter) or you can do them all! The more you do, the more times you're entered into the Giveaway. Just follow the prompts below. 

Plus, each day you have a new opportunity to enter! 
Giveaway Prize: 
Copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 authors!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Last day to enter is September 1--winner will be announced on September 3. See you tomorrow!

 

Day 7: Meet Shannon McNear, author of Defending Truth

Today's author, Shannon McNear, offers a glimpse into her debut novella Defending Truth, a story set during the American Revolution. It is the tale of a surprising romance between a fugitive Tory militiaman, and a young patriot woman in charge of her siblings while her father fights during the Revolutionary War. Since my (Anna's) current work-in-progress is set during this same time period, I loved seeing how Shannon handled the historical components of her story!)

           

       1. What made you write about your period in time?

I’ve been researching on the Revolutionary War era off and on for about seven years now. The time’s political and cultural currents are fascinating to me, and it’s a natural setting for the emotional conflict inherent in good romance.
 
2.     How is Christmas celebrated in your family and what effect did it have on your writing this story?

 We try to go as non-commercial as possible, with a pretty even balance between spiritual focus, family time, and gift giving. We have our traditions, but they aren’t terribly elaborate. I used that as a starting point, of course, but I’d learned that Christmas celebrations tended to be more austere in certain regions for this time period. Just as our family is rather matter of fact about what we do, I could imagine that other families would be, as well.

 3.     What research did you do to authenticate Christmas celebrations in your story?

 Lots of digging around online, with as many primary sources from the time period as I could find. I belong to an online community comprised mostly of 18^th century researchers, reenactors, and living history experts, and they helped me tremendously!

4.     When you dreamed up your story idea, what came first, the time period, the story, the location?

The time period, because I’d been researching it already. Then the story (there’s much about the loyalist plight that grabs my imagination), and the location soon followed.

5.     What was the "germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out?

A few years back, a couple of other writers suggested I change the premise of a full-length novel I wrote, set in the same time period, from its focus on British/loyalist characters to a romance between a patriot girl and a loyalist boy, or vice versa. I didn’t follow through on that suggestion, but tucked it into the back of my mind, and it sprang to life for this story. :-) It’s a great concept: huge conflict, huge stakes. I also wanted to incorporate a battle I was already familiar with, and explore all the seeming contradictions in the behavior of the participants as they related to politics, since a study of real-life accounts doesn’t really support the whole “righteous patriot and heathen British” stereotype.

 6.     Would you like to have been there?

 Um, no. It was a harsh, terrifying time. It’s much romanticized now, or softened by political correctness—for instance, the issue of the conflict between Native Americans and European settlers—but the reality was that these people were all just struggling to live their lives, and the politics were as upsetting and confusing as today.

 7.     What aspects of your characters are reflected in yours?

 I can relate to Truth’s difficulty in accepting help, her struggle with pride. I also relate to Micah’s sense of unworthiness.

 8.     Have you been to the locations in which your story is set?

 Not the exact location, but I’ve visited east Tennessee several times, including a cavern that provided just a wee bit of inspiration for Micah’s hiding place.

 9.     What surprised you the most about your story?

 How much the characters came to life for me. How much fun it was writing a novella, when I’ve always favored longer stories. How difficult it could be to track down one single research factoid, like whether settlers of the time cultivated apples, so I knew whether Truth could offer one to Micah.

 10.  Would you have made a good pioneer?

 I like to think I would, but I rather doubt it. Although I always enjoyed camping and exploring when I was growing up, I’m very much a pampered modern. I’d probably have always been in trouble for dawdling and dreaming, when there was work to be done.

11.  Were any of your ancestors pioneers? If so, where and when?

I’m still in the process of tracking that down, but I’m sure they were. One branch of the family were Mennonites from West Prussia, who fled to Ukraine in the early 1800’s, stayed there for about 60 years, then came to Kansas in the 1870’s. My roots are also anchored firmly through Virginia, North and upstate South Carolina and Tennessee, and then into Texas and Oklahoma. I wish I knew some of those stories!

 12.  What spiritual themes did you deliberately incorporate into your story? Which ones did you discover later?

 The main themes of forgiveness and grace were deliberate, of course. Others popped up—the real nature of courage, humility, and hospitality. If I wanted to dig really deep, I’d say the ethics of war and self-defense, and by extension, defense of family.

       You can find Shannon at: shannonmcnear.com (Shannon is currently running a giveaway too--so mosey on over and check it out!) 

Have you entered my Pioneer Christmas Giveaway yet?
You can choose any of the options below to enter (tweet, make a comment, "like" my FB page, follow me on Twitter) or you can do them all! The more you do, the more times you're entered into the Giveaway. Just follow the prompts below. 

Plus, each day you have a new opportunity to enter! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway Prize: 
Copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection signed by all 9 authors!

Last day to enter is September 1--winner will be announced on September 3.