Tricia's latest novel is By the Light of the Silvery Moon and is set aboard the Titanic. I just finished reading it last night and it's such a great book! My review will be posted on Saturday, so be sure to come back if you want to read a little more about it. Anywho, I know you didn't come to hear (read?) me ramble on and on, so without further ado, join me in welcoming Tricia Goyer to i blog 4 books!
Tricia Goyer: I love meeting new friends! I'm a wife, mom of four kids ages 2-22, writer, speaker, radio host and mentor to teenage moms. I was born and raised in the mountains of Northern California, lived near the Rocky Mountains of Montana for fifteen years, and now live in Little Rock, Arkansas where the beautiful trees and flowers nearly all year around help me to forget there are no mountains :). My husband works for FamilyLife and I volunteer there too as a MomLife blogger.
ib4b: Give us a little background on By the Light of the Silvery Moon.
TG: It's a love story set on the Titanic with the added twist of the prodigal son story. Here's a short blurb:
To Amelia Gladstone, this ship means promise of seeing family again. To Quentin Walpole, the Titanic represents a new start in America…if he can get on board. All seems lost until Amelia offers him a ticket, securing his passage—and bringing him face-to-face with his railroad tycoon father and older brother, Damian. As Amelia works to reconcile father and son, she finds herself the object of both brothers’ affection. Can she choose between two brothers? Or will she lose everything to the icy waters of the Atlantic?ib4b: The Titanic fascinates a lot of people. Why did you choose to write a book featuring the Titanic?
TG: The seed of the idea started years ago. First, the movie Titanic came out—and like much of America—the movie captured my attention. Yes, there was a love story, but the ship of dreams fascinated me even more. I read many books about the Titanic. I didn't think of writing a novel about it. At the time the only thing I was getting published was parenting articles. Still, I carried a love inside for that amazing ship and its passengers.
Around the same time I came up with an idea for a different novel. It was a contemporary telling of the Prodigal Son story. The prologue captured my attention. I saw this young boy whose carelessness caused his mother's death and brought division between him and his brother. The prologue came clearly, but the rest of the novel was a muddle in my mind. That idea got put onto the shelf.
Fast-forward to 2011. I was approached by an editor about coming up with an idea for the Titanic. April 15, 2012 was the 100th Anniversary—would I like to submit a novel idea for consideration? Of course! I was excited about the idea, but there were so many possibilities. I wanted an idea that was fresh, unique, and faith-filled...where to start???
One morning I was laying in bed praying about a "Titanic idea" when the prodigal son story popped into my mind. Was it possible that the seed of the idea I had thirteen years prior fit on the Titanic? Yes! The two elements melded in my mind and the rest is...history!ib4b: It's obvious when reading the book that you did tons of research before writing the book. Was there a story/person that you came across in your research that was especially memorable?
TG: I really came to love Edward and Ethel Bean. They were second-class passengers. Edward had lived in New York for a time. After waiting several years for his return from America, Ethel finally married Edward when he returned to England. The newlyweds chose Titanic to carry them to their new life together. When the ship starting sinking Edward helped Ethel into Lifeboat 13.
Here is their story from an article “Women Work Hard for Rescued Folk” in the New York Times, Sunday April 21, 1912:
Beane is a bricklayer, and Ethel, his wife, was maid in a Norwich household. Between them they had stored away $500, and sixty-five wedding presents were lost with the money. Beane stood back at the cry of, "No, only women!" when his bride was placed in one of the lifeboats. But as he stood back manfully he saw that boat pull off and it was only half filled. And he jumped into the sea and swam for that boat, and Ethel Beane's arms pulled him in.I love their story, and these real characters showed up in my novel, By the Light of the Silvery Moon. Mr. Bean was one of the few people who survived after being in the water. It's amazing that the woman he loved pulled him from the freezing waters!
ib4b: This IS a party, so what's your favorite kind of cake? I want to make sure I serve my guests their favorite. [Wink!]
TG: I love parties! I love chocolate, molten lava cake! Or a really good carrot cake :)
ib4b: Ooh! Molten lava cake! Yum! How do you celebrate special occasions in your family?
TG: We love having parties and opening our home to friends and family. When we lived in Montana our home was the one where we'd always have the family gatherings. It was common to have 40+ people in our home. We'd convert our garage into a dining room, decorate it, and celebrate!
ib4b: What fun! What's one of the most memorable gifts you've ever received?
TG: Well, this gift didn't come from a party so-to-speak, but a wonderful birth mom chose John and I to raise her daughter. We brought Alyssa home when she was 6 days old. She just turned two and it a great joy!
ib4b: That IS a wonderful gift! Now I can't let you leave without asking you a few bookish questions. What were some of your favorite books growing up?
TG: I love Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I read all the Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew books. I didn't grow up in a "reading home" but around the fifth or sixth grade I became addicted to books.
ib4b: What was the last "must read" Christian fiction book that you read?
TG: Ohhh...I really loved Shakespeare's Lady by Alexa Schnee. Alexa was 16-years-old when she wrote the novel. She was one of my writing students for years and I'm so proud of her! I'd never read a novel set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I before (late 1500s), and I really enjoyed it!
ib4b: Can you tell us a bit about what you're working on now? When can we expect to see it in stores?
TG: I just finished edits for The Memory Jar (Zondervan). It's the first Amish novel in my new Seven Brides for Seven Bachelor's Series! Here is a short blurb:
Every year, 30-40 young Amish men descend on the cozy little town of West Kootenai, Montana, arriving in the spring to live there for six months and receive 'resident' status for the hunting season in the fall. They arrive as bachelors, but go home with brides! Sarah Shelter has lived in West Kootenai for the last ten years and wonders if she will ever fall in love. Since the tragic death of her best friend, she carries her memories in a jar along with the small items connected to them. For just as long, she's also been carrying around her emotions instead of allowing them to penetrate deep into her heart. Now she's met a kind and gentle man who may be able to break down the wall. But can Sarah risk her heart to finally achieve her dreams?It comes out in October, but it's available to pre-order right now on Kindle and Nook for only $4.99!
ib4b: Wow! The Memory Jar sounds incredible! And I'll definitely be checking out your upcoming Amish series . . . your Big Sky series IS the reason why I decided I liked Amish fiction, after all! I've enjoyed our chat . . . thanks for stopping by!
Tricia Goyer Online
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
Because I enjoyed By the Light of the Silvery Moon so much, I'm giving my copy away! Fill out the Rafflecopter below. (Must be a US resident to win.)
I loved Beside Still Waters and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and some of Tricia's other books.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read a Tricia Goyer book but I have so many of her books (including this one) on my want to read list. This story just sounds really good and I like Titanic stories.
ReplyDeleteNot a book by Tricia I haven't liked. Would love to read/win her Titanic book. She's so thorough in her research and writing. Thanks.
ReplyDeletedesertrose5173 at gmail dot com
I love Tricia's books. Thanks for offering her book.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read one of Tricia's books yet, I've been teaching and have just recently retired and have time to read for pleasure now.
ReplyDeleteThank you for offering this book to one of us!
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