In honor of COURTING HER AMISH HEART, the first in my Prodigal Daughters series, releasing this month and in honor of the main character being named after my sister Kathleen, I thought it would be fun to interview her about one of my backlist titles.
ME: What did you think when your little sister first started writing books?
KATHLEEN: I was surprised because I didn’t know you wanted to be a writer, but I wasn’t surprised at the dedication and hard work you put into becoming a published author. When you first started writing, you would send Mom, Deb and I rough drafts to read. Your writing got better with each one I read. I remember reading Cinda’s Surprise and thinking “This is good enough to be published! It's as good as many published books I have read.”
KATHLEEN: I was surprised because I didn’t know you wanted to be a writer, but I wasn’t surprised at the dedication and hard work you put into becoming a published author. When you first started writing, you would send Mom, Deb and I rough drafts to read. Your writing got better with each one I read. I remember reading Cinda’s Surprise and thinking “This is good enough to be published! It's as good as many published books I have read.”
ME: I was surprised too. I didn't know I wanted to be an author until I started writing in my twenties, and got published in my thirties. You, Mom, and Deb helped me tremendously to grow as a writer. I couldn't have done it without you.
What is one of your favorite books that I've written?
KATHLEEN: When you first asked me this
question, the first book that came to my mind was LAKESIDE.
What is one of your favorite books that I've written?
KATHLEEN: When you first asked me this
ME: I wrote LAKESIDE while waiting for edits to come back on my first book published, NEWLYWED GAMES. In LAKESIDE, Lorelei Hayes returns to a lakeside cottage carrying a secret that has stolen her joy and hope for the future. Garth Kessel has waited ten years for her, but will he want the woman she has become?
My inspiration for this came from my husband's family's lakeside cottage in northern Michigan. The lake really is called Starvation Lake. They had a floating dock a short ways from shore, and I looked out at it from the deck, and before I knew it, the kissing bandit rose up out of the water and kissed a girl on the dock. Well, I had to know more about that story and so wrote LAKESIDE. Several small antidotes in this story are taken from stories my husband told me that he and his family did at this cottage, like jumping off their deck into several feet of snow.
What made this story stand out to you?
KATHLEEN: The heroine has to overcome some very big issues to get her happily ever after. I remember crying during one scene near the end where Lorelei has to confront a person from her past. It really touched me. However, although the book covers some heavy subject matter, there was also some wonderful humor. For instance, the discussion at the beach party about the kissing bandit and the dialogue where Garth and Lorelei are telling each other things about themselves that the other person doesn’t know.
My inspiration for this came from my husband's family's lakeside cottage in northern Michigan. The lake really is called Starvation Lake. They had a floating dock a short ways from shore, and I looked out at it from the deck, and before I knew it, the kissing bandit rose up out of the water and kissed a girl on the dock. Well, I had to know more about that story and so wrote LAKESIDE. Several small antidotes in this story are taken from stories my husband told me that he and his family did at this cottage, like jumping off their deck into several feet of snow.
What made this story stand out to you?
KATHLEEN: The heroine has to overcome some very big issues to get her happily ever after. I remember crying during one scene near the end where Lorelei has to confront a person from her past. It really touched me. However, although the book covers some heavy subject matter, there was also some wonderful humor. For instance, the discussion at the beach party about the kissing bandit and the dialogue where Garth and Lorelei are telling each other things about themselves that the other person doesn’t know.
ME: What did you take away from this story?
KATHLEEN: God is good and can give you a happily ever after even if you think it’s not possible. Also, forgiveness brings healing to both the forgiver and the forgiven.
KATHLEEN: God is good and can give you a happily ever after even if you think it’s not possible. Also, forgiveness brings healing to both the forgiver and the forgiven.
ME: What is your favorite part of the story?
KATHLEEN: As mentioned above, the scene that made me cry. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll leave it at that.
KATHLEEN: As mentioned above, the scene that made me cry. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll leave it at that.
ME: Which character would you like to see in a sequel. Why that character? What do you think it might be about?
KATHLEEN: Well, Garth’s sister, Gretchen, would make an awesome heroine of her own story, but I’d really like to see a continuation of Garth and Lorelei’s story. I would like to see them with a houseful of foster or adopted children, perhaps ones that no one else wants.
KATHLEEN: Well, Garth’s sister, Gretchen, would make an awesome heroine of her own story, but I’d really like to see a continuation of Garth and Lorelei’s story. I would like to see them with a houseful of foster or adopted children, perhaps ones that no one else wants.
ME: Let me tell you about Gretchen. She was supposed to be in exactly one scene as a walk-on then walk-off character. Every time I turned around, she kept showing up at her brother's place. I finally had to tell her that this wasn't her story and she needed to go away. She folded her arms and said, "Make me." After promising her, her own story, she relented and went off to her parents'. I came up with a whole series in my head for her, but I could never get that series off the ground and to sell. Maybe I'll come back to it one day. I do love Gretchen.
LAKESIDE was the first in a series of four stories set in Michigan and on Mackinac Island; LAKESIDE, THE ISLAND, THE GRAND HOTEL, and HERITAGE. Though I don't have any plans to continue Lorelei and Garth's story, they do make an appearance in book four, HERITAGE, that I think you'll be happy with.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about this story?
KATHLEEN: The supporting characters are very well written. I especially liked Garth's family. The banter between Garth and his siblings was great and made me want to be part of his family!
LAKESIDE was the first in a series of four stories set in Michigan and on Mackinac Island; LAKESIDE, THE ISLAND, THE GRAND HOTEL, and HERITAGE. Though I don't have any plans to continue Lorelei and Garth's story, they do make an appearance in book four, HERITAGE, that I think you'll be happy with.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about this story?
KATHLEEN: The supporting characters are very well written. I especially liked Garth's family. The banter between Garth and his siblings was great and made me want to be part of his family!
I loved Garth's family too. When the time came to put three of the four stories in a collection called MICHIGAN WEDDINGS, the publisher wanted an epilogue with a wedding scene. As I wrote the scene, I cried all the way through it. I was so happy for Lorelei. Then when I went back to edit it, I cried some more. As a quick refresher, because it's been a long time since I thought about this story, I reread the epilogue. Guess what? I cried again.Thanks, big sis, for a great interview!
Latest release: COURTING HER AMISH HEART is a contemporary romance, the first in the Prodigal Daughters series.
A doctor or an Amish wife? She can choose to be only one…Kathleen Yoder comes home after fourteen years in the Englisher world. Practicing medicine means sacrifice—no Amish man will want a doctor for a wife. Widowed Noah Lambright offers a cottage as her new clinic, seeing how much Kathleen’s skills can help their community. But as their friendship deepens, could love and family become more than a forbidden dream?
#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance
MARY DAVIS is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. She has five titles releasing in 2018; "Holly & Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection in January 2018, Courting Her Amish Heart in March 2018, The Widow’s Plight in July 2018, Courting Her Secret Heart September 2018, & “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in MISSAdventure Brides Collection in December 2018. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.
Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-three years and two cats. She has three adult children and one incredibly adorable grandchild. Find her online at:
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