Interview and give-away with Laura V. Hilton!

A Christmas romance...A new beginning...A resurrected past...

A White Christmas in Webster County

Hi Laura! Welcome to The Diamond Mine!  

I really enjoyed your book, “A White Christmas in Webster County.”  How did you get your idea for the characters of Abner and Mercy, and their histories? 

  Thank you, Nancy.  Abner is the twin brother of the hero in Awakened Love, Abram.  I knew Abner’s backstory when I started the book, because he shared most of it with Abram. The part that I didn’t know, Abner was willing to share.  Mercy, I read an article about Amish going fishing on Lake Michigan. And the what if questions followed from there.

That's interesting! In your books, are your Amish characters based on people you know, parts of yourself, pure imagination, or a combination of these?  

Probably a combination of all three.  I am a quiet/shy person by nature, but I am fully capable of standing up for myself, too.  Amish are not so different, human-nature, than “Englisch”. 

I can tell that from your characters! I see that most of your books are about Amish people. What inspired you to take that direction with your writing? 

  My maternal grandparents were Amish.  But that wasn’t what did it.  Someone mentioned on American Christian Fiction Writers that we should write what our favorite genre is.  I love most Amish fiction, so when my agent gently suggested I give it a try, I was willing. And I love it.

And readers do, too! Do you have a lot of readers who are Amish?  

No, not too many Amish read about the Amish. Not a lot of Amish. It is mostly Englisch who read it.

I’ve always wondered if practicing Amish are flattered or puzzled by the interest so many readers have in their lifestyle. What’s your opinion on that? 

  I think they are puzzled.  To them, their life is normal, what God commands. Flattery would mean pride, and pride to the Amish is a sin.

Good point! I see that an upcoming book of yours, “Swept Away” releases this month and is somewhat of a departure from what you usually write. How did that come about?

    I love contemporary fiction and wanted to write for the Quilts of Love.  However, to be honest, Swept Away is not mine so much as it is Cindy Loven’s.  Cindy came up with the Grandma and heroine idea, and the quilt, and she told me most of their story.  I tried to write it the way she wanted it.  Drew, however, was my invention and his story is all mine. 

 Can you describe the book a bit?  

I actually have three new books out this fall.  A White Christmas in Webster County, The Snow Globe, and Swept Away.  

After our interview, I'll post a blurb from each!  I'm curious. Do you have a favorite among your stories or characters?   

My favorite male characters are Troy Troyer in Surrendered Love, and Viktor Petershiem in The Snow Globe.  My favorite female characters are Shanna in Healing Love, Esther in The Snow Globe, and Janna in Surrendered Love.

What are you working on now, Laura? 

I’m writing the third book in the Amish of Jamesport series,  The Birdhouse. 

What is the main message you’d like your readers to get from your books?   

I leave that up to God and the reader.  But I hope they hear the gospel of Grace. That they are accepted in the Beloved. That God loves them, despite everything. 

That's a wonderful thought, Laura. Thank you for sharing your answers with us on the Mine. Now, here are some descriptions of Laura's latest books! Since we're showcasing "A White Christmas in Webster County" I'll  start with that one:

A White Christmas in Webster County

Wanting to relocate from Shipshewana to somewhere new, Mercy Lapp answered an ad in The Budget to work as a mother’s helper for Matthew and Shanna Yoder in Seymour, Missouri. Mercy relocated from Shipshewana to give herself space and time to heal after the death of her beau in a fishing trip on Lake Michigan. Abner Hilty fled Shipshewana to Montana to work on a ranch after he and his twin brother witnessed a murder. Now that the killer is safely behind bars, Abner decides to visit his brother Abram in Missouri where he’d settled with his bride of one month. Mercy is surprised to see Abner there, and equally surprised by how much he’d changed physically since she’d last seen him. Even though the two live in different districts they occasionally see each other in town and form a fledging friendship. As Christmas approaches, an unexpected heavy snow lets Abner and Mercy spend a lot of time together in wintertime fun. Abner hopes to interest Mercy in a more permanent relationship. But then Mercy has a potentially life changing discovery. Will she return to Shipshewana to answer the summons of the past? Or settle in a new place? 

The Snow Globe

Victor Petersheim has left the Amish and works on a river boat on the Mississippi River, spending three months on the river then having three months off. During his off-work months he returns home to his Amish community and helps out on his grandparents’ farm. When he returns home after his most recent absence, he discovers his grossmammi has developed health problems and they’ve hired Esther Beachy to be a “mother’s helper.” Victor is unsettled by this woman living in their home, but has to accept it. Esther loves listening to Victor’s grandmother’s stories and while puttering around in a store while the grossmammi’s in the hospital, she discovers a snow globe that depicts an area where the Petersheims used to live. She buys it as a gift for the grossmammi to cheer her up during her hospitalization. Victor is touched by Esther’s gift and her care for his grossmammi, and strives to be friendlier. Will Esther’s gentle heart draw him back to the community? Or will he return to the river once again?   

Swept Away

He survived a life-altering event. She is facing one.

Sara Jane Morgan is trying to balance teaching with caring for her grandmother who doesn’t want to be cared for. When school lets out for the summer, the plans are for Grandma to teach Sara Jane to quilt as they finish up the Appalachian Ballad quilt Grandma started as a teenager. But things don’t always go as planned.

Andrew Stevenson is hiding from his past—and his future. He works as a handyman to pay the bills, but also as an artisan, designing homemade brooms. When Sara Jane’s grandmother hires him to renovate her home, sparks fly between him and his new employer’s granddaughter.

It doesn’t take Sara Jane long to see Drew isn’t what he seems. Questions arise, and she starts online researching him. What she discovers could change her life—and her heart—forever. 

Sounds like a lot of great reading coming our way from Laura V. Hilton! Remember to leave a comment for Laura, and you'll be entered to win a free copy of A White Christmas in Webster County!

Here are contact and purchase links for Laura:

http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q 

visit my blogs: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/  & http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/ 

twitter: @Laura_V_Hilton

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

Purchase Laura's books:

Amazon   http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q 

CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=laura+hilton&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/laura-hilton?store=allproducts&keyword=laura+hilton

Deeper Shopping http://www.deepershopping.com/index.php?query=laura+hilton&x=0&y=0&module=productsearch&_logmode=Y&querymodule=SPX