Bio: A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Pamela S. Meyers lives
in suburban Chicago. She served on the ACFW Operating Board for five years and
has also served her local ACFW chapter in leadership roles.
Her debut novel Thyme
for Love released November 2011, and its sequel Love Will Find a Way is set to release in March 2013. Her
historical romance that is set in her hometown, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, releases in April 2013.
She has published many magazine articles and is a contributor in a non-fiction
compilation book.
You can often find her nosing around Midwestern small towns,
looking for story ideas or coordinating the ACFW Genesis writing contest. She
leads a woman’s life group in her church and enjoys reading and cooking.
Why do you write the
kind of books you do?
I began by writing contemporary fiction because that’s what
I was familiar with more than history. It was a good genre in which to hone my
writing skills and not have to rely on making sure my historical facts were
correct. When I began discussing the possibility of writing Love
Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, my editor suggested I write a
historical. I chose the 1930s because I could still have my characters use a
telephone and ride in cars. But it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with
writing a story from the past, especially as I read accounts of what life was
like back in 1933 in Lake Geneva . I came to
know my hometown in a way I never did before. Now I’m working on more
historical romance proposals set even farther back in time. Even so, two
threads remain constant in my stories—a spiritual arc for my main characters
and a romance.
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
In recent memory I’d have to say two days. First the day my
agent called to tell me my romantic mystery Thyme
for Love had contracted. I’d been seeking publication for a very long time
and when the call came I was in shock J. Then two months later
he called again to say that Summerside Press wanted to contract Love
Finds You in Lake Geneva. That was like the cherry on top of a very
tasty sundae. I’d dreamed of writing a story set in my hometown for a very long
time and God had surely blessed me in 2011 with my first contracted book and
then a short time later with a contract for my dream story.
How has being
published changed your life?
I’m sure busy now J. Marketing newly-releasing
books, writing book proposals and overseeing the Genesis writing contest for
ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), sometimes all at the same time,
forces me to be able to multitask. But I’m not complaining! It’s a fun kind of
busy.
What are you reading
right now?
The past couple weeks I’ve been too busy to read much, but I
most recently finished Wings of Glass
by Gina Holmes. Loved it, just like I’ve loved her other two books.
What is your current
work in progress?
While doing the research for Love Finds You in Lake Geneva,
I realized that my home area is very blessed with a unique history that goes
back to the 19th Century when after the Civil War and later, the
Great Chicago Fire, wealthy families from Chicago began building beautiful
mansions on the lakeshore for their summer retreats. Over the years, many of
these opulent mansions have either burned down or came down with a wrecking
ball. Quite a few still remain, but for how long? That thought inspired me to
write about a fictitious 19th Century family who moved to the lake
after the fire and take up residence in a beautiful lakeshore home, rubbing
elbows with some of the actual people who lived there in that time. I’m in the
middle of the first draft right now. I also have ideas for two more stories set
in Lake Geneva a little bit later in time.
What would be your
dream vacation?
It’s hard to describe one such vacation. I love going to the
mountains, and I also love the West coast and traveling the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San
Francisco . I love the Smokie
Mountains and the Gulf Coast
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
I seem to always set my stories in small towns, and all
three of my published novels are set in my home area in southeastern Wisconsin . I do have
other ideas for settings in Illinois ,
where I currently live, and out West. Right now, I’m loving the history of my
hometown and state and that is pulling me toward concentrating my work there as
much as possible.
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
That’s a hard one. I can think of plenty of people from the
past—I’ve thought about authors and there are many I’d enjoy spending time
with, but I have to say the one person that came to my mind is Beth Moore. I’ve
done many of her Bible Studies over the years. The one on the Fruit of the
Spirit impacted me the most. I attended one of her events when she came to my
state, but I’d love to be able to meet her personally and just sit and discuss
the Lord and have fellowship and prayer with her.
She is a very dynamic
believer in Jesus, for sure. What are your hobbies, besides writing and
reading?
Since writing became my full-time work it’s been hard to
find time for much else. I’ve always enjoyed crocheting and knitting, and do
have an incomplete afghan sitting here that I started crocheting almost two
years ago! I enjoy watching movies and doing Bible Study. I lead a women’s life
group through my church and also attend Bible Study Fellowship on Thursday
mornings.
I love to knit and
crochet, but I had to give up crocheting a few years ago when it started
bothering my arthritic joints. And this last year, I’ve almost completely
stopped knitting. The repetitive movement uses the same muscles and joints that
using a computer mouse does, and I’m having to limit that to just using the
computer. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome
it?
Not being so easily distracted. When under deadline I
literally have to turn off my email because if I see an email has come in, I
instantly go see who it is. It’s very hard for me to leaving it alone.
Sometimes I do need to leave it on because I’m waiting for an important reply
to something, and it takes great restraint to stay with what I’m doing J.
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
I always say to develop two things: Perseverance and
patience. I think they kind of overlap, but both are so important. When I began
pursuing fiction publication Bill Clinton was in the White House and gas cost
$1.15 a gallon. Lena , I think I first heard
this phrase from you, “God is never too early or too late. He’s always on
time.” That is so true. Looking back I see the reasons for the wait. My break
came at just the right time for me.
It always does, and
His timing often doesn’t match our timetable, but we look back and see where He
was right all the time. Tell us about the featured book.
As I said, my story is set in my hometown during the Great
Depression. Along with the developing romance between my heroine and hero, I
focus on the building of the town’s new recreational building, The Riviera,
that sits on the lakeshore next to the beach. Construction on the building began
in 1932 and its grand opening celebration took place in May 1933. It is in the
months leading up to the grand opening that my story takes place.
Will she lose her heart to the man who stole her job?
A young woman wants to work in a man’s world. It’s
1933, the height of the Big-Band era, and beautiful Lake Geneva is already well
established as a summertime playground for Chicago ’s elite. Local girl Meg Alden works
at the town newspaper, but she aspires to be a reporter—a job given only to
men. When a position opens up, Meg spies an opportunity to break into the
business. That is, until Jack Wallace, the son of a big-city newspaper magnate,
is hired instead. Jack is drawn to Meg and suggests they combine forces to
uncover a local scandal. But how will Meg be able to work with the man who
stole her job … and makes her pulse race?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
March 1933
Meg Alden closed the notepad and stuffed it into her
handbag. A whole hour spent on what would amount to a single paragraph on the
society page. Maybe by the next Garden Club meeting, her beat would be hard
news about the new building and not about which flowers should grace its
grounds.
She stood from the dining room chair the hostess had
provided and picked up the brown envelope that hadn’t left her sight all
morning. She grabbed her coat and gave a tiny wave to her mother before she
slipped out the front door. She had less than an hour to give what she
considered her best work to Mr. Zimmer.
This afternoon might be too late.
With quick strides, she arrived at the town’s main
intersection and peered down the street toward the lake. Thanks to the meeting,
she’d missed her daily check on the new building’s progress.
Even though the outside work was completed, she still loved
her regular walks past the brown brick structure, as she imagined tourists and
bathers enjoying its new bathhouses and food counters during the day and
energetic dancers kicking up their heels in its beautiful ballroom at night.
Meg shifted her attention to the traffic light suspended
over where Main and Broad intersected. In the
stiff March wind, the thing bobbed precariously. Pressing the envelope to her
chest, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. A gust smacked her in
the face, and she grabbed for her hat as the envelope slipped from her grasp
and spiraled upward.
It twisted and tumbled, lifted and dropped to the pavement
inches from a muddy puddle.
Meg darted into the intersection. A horn blared.She froze. Fred
Newman glared at her through the windscreen of his Model A pickup truck, his
lips pursed as if he’d just sucked on a lemon.
She snatched up the envelope.
He leaned out the window, his leathery face looking as
though it would crack if he smiled.
“You’d better watch where you’re going.”
Meg tossed him a wave and puddle-hopped to the curb. The old
busybody would have it all over town by lunchtime that Meg Alden had nearly
caused him to run her over in the middle of the street. Well, let him. She had
other things on her mind.
I love it already. How
can readers find you on the Internet?
My
blog/website is at http://www.pamelasmeyers.com
and I’m also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pamela.meyers
. My Twitter account is https://twitter.com/pamelameyersThank you, Pam, for sharing your heart with us today.
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Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
- paperbackLove Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
- Kindle(I noticed when I retrieved the link that the paperback is less expensive that the ebook today.)
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