LESSONS ON LOVE - Kathleen L Maher - One Free Print or Ebook (see info below)

Welcome back, Kathleen. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

Amen! With God’s help, I hope to continue my Sons of the Shenandoah indie series, and pick up more contracts through Barbour. So many causes, stories, and thoughts are clamoring to be shared. All to give the glory to God.

He is so good to fill our heads with stories. Tell us a little about your family.

My family is my life. I was a single mom to my oldest son for seven years before the Lord brought me my kinsman redeemer. John and I have been married for 21 years. We have another son and daughter together. Katie is at Alfred University, in her second year studying art. My oldest, Dan, teaches digital media arts for the local vocational tech school. And my middle son, Andrew, is a budding author and erstwhile game lounge lizard. Our family is complete with an embarrassment of riches in the pet department—four dogs and four cats.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Yes, sadly I find I am able to read less often, which is disappointing in many ways. So many great stories are begging to be read, but I seem to have so little time. I learn from each book and author I read. I intend to spend less time on social media and more with a good book. But then, there’s marketing demands…. There’s always a trade-off, isn’t there?

Yes, I’m not sure I’ve found the correct balance yet. What are you working on right now?

I am beta reading for a talented new writer, Candace West. She writes stories set in the Ozarks. And I am plotting and putting together proposals for novella collections and possibly some full-length novels. I have two projects I started that need attention. I’m a bad story mom to my book babies—some of them have been suffering neglect. Book 3 in Sons of the Shenandoah is underway, and I hope to have it done for Nanowrimo next month.  Gulp! Wish me luck and discipline.

I spent several of my growing-up years in the Ozarks. Be sure and tell Candace, I’d love to feature her books when they are published. What outside interests do you have?

Painting has been a hobby of mine for many years, and I’ve recently dabbled in other crafts, such as homemade cinnamon dough ornaments. I paint and create animal art for gifts and keepsakes. I tell my husband it keeps me out of trouble.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Some of my stories are set in my hometown, some are set in places I have visited or where family history occurred. And sometimes, a place I have never been draws me to explore it through imagination and photos and research. Settings help me create atmosphere and almost become another character as I am shaping stories. I try to immerse myself in the sights, scents, sounds and details of each place.

I spend a lot of time researching my settings, too. If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

Believe it or not, I would choose Melania Trump. She and her husband are shaping history in amazing ways, and I would love a glimpse into the woman of grace and refinement behind the man of great power and controversy.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

I wish I had thought to save a list of story ideas over the years, even before I committed to write them. I’ve always had vivid dreams, almost like watching movies, and many of those inspired ideas have been lost to my poor memory.

That’s why I have a pad and pen in each room of my house. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

It has taken many years for my husband and I to find a vital fellowship where God’s calling on our lives is affirmed. We are learning body life all over again, and it’s a very sweet season. But in the midst, we are crying out for our children to find the same, and the theme of trust and intercession continues. God’s faithfulness never ceases to catch my breath.

James and I have started looking for God in everything that happens, even the things that could be considered bad. What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

I don’t consider myself successful yet, since I still have so much to learn. But certain things have been indispensable to me in my writing journey. Narrowing it down to three, I’d say:

Have at least one good, honest critique partner, and give good, honest critiques for them as well. Cheer for one another, pray for each other, and grow in the craft as a team.

Grow your social media presence and engage with people! Love on them, weep when they weep, rejoice when they rejoice. So many are looking for connection and I believe that is one of my primary calls as a writer—to offer genuine connection in a lonely and disengaged world. Word of mouth is still the best way to build an authentic brand.

Maintain a hunger for new ideas and embrace the fact that learning never ends. The influx of fresh ideas helps with crafting more original plots and memorable characters, out of the box marketing, and sharpening craft in general. If you can cultivate a relationship with a mentor, even better!

Tell us about the featured book.

Lessons on Love is a 4-in-1 novella collection of historical romances centered around schoolteachers. The talented and award winning authors Carrie Fancett Pagels, Suzie Dietze, and Rita Gerlach each contributed a story as well as me, to offer a diverse and enchanting sampling of classroom romances, from 1840 New York, 1870 Kansas, 1896 Michigan, and turn of the century Virginia.

“4 Teachers Find More Than They Bargained for in Their Contracts”

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Something Old, Something New”

Cortlandt, Westchester County, NY

September 1840

“Hadassah, hurry, it’s almost sundown.”

Gilda turned from the stairwell cupping her hand in front of the taper as she moved so the flame wouldn’t sputter out. Keeping one ear attuned for her younger sister’s response from the upper floor, she set her focus on her other sibling.

“Hannah, do you want to be late for Papa’s Kaddish?”

 

After this first year, only four Yizkor dates on the Hebrew calendar provided for mourning. Would it be enough to memorialize Eliezer Jacobs? To light his candle and commemorate a life which had shaped her entire world?

She passed the looking glass hanging in the dining room and instinctively faced it, but a white sheet met her gaze rather than her appearance. Of course, the looking glasses were all covered. She was certain hers would have been a disheveled reflection anyway, running around and making all the preparations for Mama as she was, and giving no thought to vanity on this day. At least, not much thought.

Mama sat, as she had for weeks since Papa’s passing, in her rocking chair by the hearth. The slats made a rhythmic sound over the polished wood floor as she rocked slowly, enshrouded both in silence and her black shawl.

Gilda set her candle in its holder next to the Yahrzeit Mourning candle on the lampstand and approached Mama softly. “Would you like to conduct the Minyan, Mama, or should I?

Deep brown eyes shuttered, and a long sigh escaped her mother’s petite frame. “You say it, Gilda. I have no breath to recite.”

Gilda fixed the shawl that slipped from Mama’s shoulders and nodded assurance. “I’ll do it.”

The click of hardware and tread of boots announced a guest entering the front door. A sigh similar to Mama’s threatened to pull from Gilda’s chest, but she cleared her throat and attended to her mitzvahs—her sacred duties.

“Shalom, Miss Jacobs.”

“Aleichem Shalom, Mr….”

She looked up from her woolgathering to meet a piercingly blue gaze. This man, she’d never met before. Startling and yet heartwarming, that a stranger to her thought enough of her Papa to come. His tailored waistcoat of gray blue fit his trim figure, accentuating a narrow waist and broad shoulders. He could not have been much older than her own age of twenty-one, mayhap a year older. This man was not of great height, apparent once he removed his top hat, nor did he have the rough hands of a laborer. He was neither neighbor, schoolmate, or synagogue congregant. Was he a business associate of Papa’s?

Surely this man, she would have remembered.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I love hearing from readers! They can reach me at my:

facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/KLMaherAuthor/
pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kathleenlmaher/boards/
goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2531698-kathleen-l
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kathleen-l-maher

Thank you, Lena! I am blessed to be invited back to your blog and look forward to sending a print copy of Lessons on Love to any of your readers within the US, or an e-copy to a winner outside the United States.

Thank you, Kathleen, for sharing this collection with my blog readers and me. I am reading the book right now. I absolutely loved your story. And I like that the second one has Swedish characters. I’m ¼ Swedish.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Lessons on Love: 4 Schoolteachers Find More Than They Bargained for in Their Contracts - Paperback
Lessons on Love: 4 Schoolteachers Find More Than They Bargained for in Their Contracts - Kindle

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