OFF THE GROUND - Catherine Richmond - One Free Book

Welcome back, Catherine. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write the stories that come to me. Looking back, worthiness stands out as an overarching theme. You are worthy of God’s love, even if you’re shy like the mail-order bride in Spring for Susannah, even if you fail at your mission like Sophia in Through Rushing Water, even if your boss thinks you’re incompetent like Mabel in Gilding the Waters, even if you have a child with a disability like Caroline in Third Strand of the Cord. And in Off the Ground, my heroine hopes her parents will finally recognize her worth if she sets an aviation record.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

This Christmas was incredibly happy. I was blessed to celebrate Jesus’ birth with my adult children and extended family. We sang, cooked, hiked, played games – nothing elaborate, but everything meaningful because we were together.

How has being published changed your life?

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?  I feel time pressure to write more, market more, do more. Phillipians 4:19 says God will meet all our needs according to the riches of His glory. I need to trust Him for time to write. And stop reading articles entitled “Five Secrets of Publishing Success!”

What are you reading right now?

I recently finished American Eden by Victoria Johnson, about an 18th century physician who built a botanical garden to research the use of plants as medicine. Nearly everyone involved in the founding of the United States crossed his path. In fact, he was the doctor present during the Burr-Hamilton duel. I’m excited to start An Uncommon Woman by Laura Frantz, one of my favorite historical authors.

What is your current work in progress?

The decade before the Civil War saw a number of communal settlements in the US. The most well-known is the Amana Colony in Iowa. I’m writing about a smaller, more obscure group. Why did people join these sects and why did they stay? How did membership impact an individual’s spiritual journey?

What would be your dream vacation?

Many places on my bucket list are inspired by my reading. The Morse Museum in Winter Haven, Florida, was prompted by Deanne Gist’s Tiffany Girl. Ca d’Zan made the list after I read Kristy Cambron’s Ringmaster’s Wife. Dorothy Love’s historicals have me exploring Savannah and Charleston.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

The story chooses the setting. Off the Ground is based on a black diamond my grandfather sold early in his career as a jeweler. His story starts in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area and ends in Royal Oak, Michigan, so that’s where Off the Ground is set.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I’m scanning my bookshelves and thinking how delightful it’s been to meet so many authors, including  Mary Connealy, Lynn Gentry, Lorna Seilstad, Dawn Ford, Julie Lessman. I haven’t met Joanne Bischof, but I’d love to!

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love to travel! In 2018, I was blessed to tour the Holy Land, to see the places the Bible tells about, to walk where Jesus walked. All those Bible stories are now in color and 3-D!

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Find a good critique group. Feedback from other writers will refine your skills. You may not find a good fit in the first group you visit, so try more than one. Writers who build each other up are worth their weight in gold.

Tell us about the featured book.

As the Roaring Twenties come to a close, Mac McFarland falls head over heels for live-wire Corrie Tinley. Now that she’s graduated, they’re allowed to date. But before he can sweep her off the dance floor and into his life, her father gives her a winged death-trap – a biplane. Refusing to stick around to see her crash, Mac leaves without saying goodbye.

Corrie’s family treats her like a dumb Dora, but her former basketball coach is respectful and attentive. Mac has a noble air like Lindbergh and dark hair waving over his forehead like Gary Cooper. She can’t wait to take him flying in her new biplane, but he’s disappeared. If she can’t find him, is she destined to fly solo the rest of her life?

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Swanky.” Miss Sackett, school librarian and girls’ basketball coach whistled. “Corrie’s papa has some heavy sugar.”

“Hope Miss Klemfuss doesn’t hear you.” Mac maneuvered his Tin Lizzie between a Pierce Arrow and the Chrysler parked on either side of the road. One scratch would cost his next paycheck.

Miss Sackett blew a raspberry. “We can sling slang to our heart’s content. No one invites the school secretary to their graduation party.”

He lowered his voice. “Miss Klemfuss hears all, sees all, knows all.”

“Class of twenty-nine! More than fine!” chanted three fellows in slacks and shirts as they crossed the road. None wore a suit coat or tie. Mac let out a breath. He’d borrowed a light-brown suit from Mr. Smooth’s closet. The cuffed slacks fit well, but the double-breasted coat was too big in the shoulders. He’d leave it in the car.

“Which house is it?”

Miss Sackett peered at the library catalog card on which she’d written Corrie’s address. “The big white one. Go ahead and park.”

“I’ll let you out by the front door.” He inched past another long touring car. Who in Omaha could afford a Duesenberg? “Haven’t spent all winter coaching your basketball team to have you hurt your leg again.”

“Ankle’s better than new.” She poked him with her cane. “Park now or I’ll bean you right in the kisser.”

Mac squeezed into the next spot. “What’s your hurry?”

“You got to take your shot before the other guy.”

“What other guy? What shot?”

“Mac McFarland, you’re not fooling anyone. You’ve been carrying a torch for Corrie since the day you met.”

I love the conversation that is authentic to the time period.

How can readers find you on the Internet? I love to hear from readers! Please contact me at www.CatherineRichmond.com or https://www.facebook.com/catherinerichmondfans/

Thanks for having me on your blog, Lena!

My pleasure, Catherine. I know my blog readers will be interested in your book.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Off the Ground - Paperback
Off the Ground - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

GILDING THE WATER - Catherine Richmond - One Free Book

Dear Readers, here’s another author who is new to this blog.

Welcome, Catherine. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

All my worries! In Gilding the Waters, my heroine got my angst-dump about my body. No, I’m not six foot tall, but I might as well be, considering the size of my feet. They’re huge! And getting bigger all the time! I’ve ruined them by wearing too-small shoes. Poor abused feet. Why can’t I accept God gave me exactly the right feet? Why not be happy with all the places they’ve taken me - like the Appalachian Trail (the southern half of Maryland - don’t be too impressed) and the cobblestoned streets of Europe?

1908, when Gilding the Waters was set, was a turning point for women’s body image. Corsets shrank and loosened, and activities like tennis and swimming replaced lounging on the fainting couch. On the downside, magazines promoted the Gibson girl as the ideal. What if your hair wouldn’t poof? What if your figure curved in different places? What if nothing sold in stores or catalogs fit you?

Gilding the Waters is a love-letter to everyone who doesn’t fit the mold. You are beautiful! Celebrate all the amazing things your body can do, take good care of it, and thank God for how wonderfully you’re made!

I’ve always been shorter than most women, and women in my family tend toward heavier bodies, so I understand. I’m so glad you wrote this book. What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I’m more practical than quirky, but I did wear bunny socks to work Sunday - they matched my uniform!

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

My mom is a librarian, so I learned early the joy of escaping into a great story. But I thought authors had to be British, male, and dead, so I became an occupational therapist. Then a folk song about a mail-order bride took me into a new world - I felt the wind across the prairie, smelled the creosote in the railroad ties, saw this stranger introduce himself as her husband - and I had to tell her story.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

One of my first writing mentors recommended reading the award winners - learn from the best! Every year I try to read the RWA Rita and the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol award winners. Reading outside my genre gives my creativity a boost.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

What sanity? My Australian shepherd thinks run, run, run is a great idea, but she’ll put up with my walk, walk, walk.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

My heroine’s name, Mabel, showed her stodgy and practical side. The hero helps her get in touch with her worth as a woman and gives her a new name.

Gilding the Waters is a road-trip story. I found character names in cemeteries near each stop of their trip. My favorite was Destamonia! Isn’t that an intriguing name?

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My children! My daughter is a physician working with patients who are impoverished. My son is a writer whose third book releases in March. They’re delightful, fun, and a joy to be with!

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate! I never know what to say on my Facebook author page, so I talk about chocolate.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Let’s see … what animal eats chocolate?

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Confidence! How can I be an author when I’m not British, male, or dead? Fortunately I’ve met a diverse group of writers who busted that myth!

Tell us about the featured book.

Mabel Easterly is doomed. President Teddy Roosevelt commissioned Wade Hampton Alexander to guard her as she tests the mineral springs of Virginia. To quash Mabel’s research, Wade unleashes every weapon in his arsenal - sweet-talking, pouring on the charm, and flattery as embellished as his resort’s advertisements. She’s a scientist - she’s too smart to fall for his nonsense. Then why on earth is she considering kissing this rascal?

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Pretty as a peach,” drawled a deep voice above the burble of the creek.

           

Mabel glanced over her shoulder. Sunlight through the elm trees outlined a lanky man wearing a limp-brimmed hat, plaid shirt, and tattered pants. A long-eared hound panted beside him. The man couldn’t possibly be speaking to her, but no one else occupied the mountain laurel grove encircling the spring.

           

The current pulled the Erlenmeyer flask from her hand and floated it out of reach. “Quick! Before it breaks. Do you have anything—”

           

The mountain man carried a firearm.

           

Mabel held out her hand while watching the container bob in a circle. “I can reach it with your gun.”

           

He stepped backwards, which, given the length of his legs, put him out of range. “Warrenton House sells bottled water.”

           

Stubborn hillbilly. She worked her way downstream, estimating the trajectory of the container. If it didn’t crash against the rocks— “I must collect my own sample.” Here it comes. “It’s the only way to ensure—” Just a bit closer. “For scientific integrity, one must-”

           

“Those rocks slippery as deer guts.”

           

“Your warning is duly noted.” Mabel stepped over a cluster of yellow flowers, found a flat spot of moss beside the creek, and knelt. The rotten-egg smell of sulphur tweaked her nose. “So who you fetchin’ samples for?”

           

“President Theodore Roosevelt.”

           

He chuckled. “Suppose the asylum’s missing you ’bout now?”

I’m loving this opening. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My webpage is www.CatherineRichmond.com 

My Facebook chocolate, er, author page is www.facebook.com/catherinerichmondfans/
On Twitter @WriterCatherine

Thank you, Catherine, for sharing this new book with us. I love your writing style, and I know my blog readers will, too.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Gilding the Waters: A Novel of Lost Causes and Found Love - paperback
Gilding the Waters: A Novel of Lost Causes and Found Love - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com