We have 2 authors promoting their books on The Diamond Mine today! We'll start with Lesa Henderson who has a Christmas book: Someone to Watch Over Me.
On the run this Christmas, Catlin faces danger at every turn—her life or her heart, which will she lose first?
After witnessing a violent crime, Catlin (Kit) McCormick is on the run. She's determined to lie low, find the family that’s unaware of her existence, and start fresh in the beautiful mountain town of Laurel Ridge. But disappearing is harder than she thought, especially when one of the first people she runs into is handsome U.S. Marshal, Cameron Grainger. There's no escaping the Marshal because he and Catlin are more closely connected than either realizes.
Cameron has trust issues and trouble of his own. He' s currently on leave and recovering from wounds suffered while on duty. Plus, his service in Afghanistan has left him emotionally scarred and doubting his own judgment. When the mysterious woman with hazel eyes and bruises on her neck collapses on the floor of his aunt's bed-and-breakfast, he's both intrigued and wary.
Will Catlin risk her identity being discovered and explore the overwhelming feelings she has for Cameron? Can Cameron trust his instincts enough to let down his guard and follow his heart?
Intrigue, danger and the questions of trust and loyalty keep the pages turning in this inspirational romantic suspense— a standalone follow-up to Someone to Trust.
Can you tell us some more about your book? Someone To Watch Over Me is a Christmas Story wrapped in romance and tied up with Suspense. It is the second book in the Laurel Ridge Series and it takes place during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays in the Smoky Mountains.
After witnessing the murder of her foster brother, Nikko, Catlin McCormick flees Florida with dangerous men on her trail. With Nikko, an FBI informant, dead and a backpack full of mysterious money in her car, Catlin seeks refuge with her estranged sister, Megan, in Laurel Ridge. En route, she encounters Cameron Grainger, a U.S. Marshal, and feels an unexpected connection despite her distrust.
In Laurel Ridge, Catlin blends into Megan's life but soon finds herself repeatedly crossing paths with Cameron, who is skeptical of her true identity. Their growing attraction is tested as Catlin grapples with her secret and Cameron's own trust issues stemming from past trauma.
Amidst holiday celebrations, their bond deepens until the men pursuing Catlin track her down, leading to a life-threatening showdown that reveals her true identity to Megan. Through their ordeal, both Cameron and Catlin reevaluate their faith and find solace in their newfound love, realizing they've always had someone watching over them.
How did you get your idea for this story?
It was birthed from the first novel in the series. As I neared the end of Someone to Trust, I began wondering what would happen if Megan had a sister she didn’t know about and what that sister’s life had been like.
That's very interesting!
What made you decide to be a writer?
As soon as I learned to read, I developed a love for it. At a young age, I was a voracious reader and fascinated with storytelling. Having a huge imagination helped. I entered and won my first writing contest at age ten and another two years later. I started fooling around with writing romances. Without much success, I might add - what does a 12-year-old know about romance?
Very True!! :)
What was your first story?
Oh my goodness…it was a romance that took place in Ireland. I think I called it Love on the Emerald Isle. Lol. I was 12.
I can tell you've always had an impressive imagination!
Do you write from an outline, or just from inspiration, or both? Mostly from inspiration. I used to think something was wrong with me, and I was doing it wrong when I heard other writers talking about the massive outlines they’d produced before beginning to draft their novels. And then I learned about intuitive writing (some call it writing by the seat of your pants- and it feels a lot like that!) I usually have a good idea or basic plot, a place, and characters that I have fleshed out, and then I let the story, characters, and the Holy Spirit take me where I need to go.
Sounds like you have a good mix of both approaches!
Do you have any underlying themes you want your readers to come away with?
The love and goodness of God. Also, forgiveness for self and others.
Those are beautiful goals.
Do your characters share any traits with you or someone you know?
Yes. Almost always, they share traits with me or someone I know. For example, In Someone To Trust the 1st book in the Laurel Ridge Series, Megan loves chocolate chip cookies filled with icing - a trait she inherited from me. She also tends to be pretty hard on herself, and I recognized my ability to do the same. I also share with Catlin (Someone to Watch Over Me) a love of Gone With The Wind and her acceptance and love for people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Do your characters ever surprise you?
Yes. My characters often surprise me. When I began writing Someone to Watch Over Me, I had no idea Catlin was a mechanic. A couple of chapters in, she told me.
I love asking that question of authors. It's almost always something they experience with their characters. Do you have a favorite character in your books?
One of my favorite characters outside of my hero and heroine in Someone to Watch Over Me is Digger, a Scotch/Irishman who lives in the Smoky Mountain Community where Catlin comes to hide. He is loosely patterned after someone I know, and with his permission, I used an incident with chickens that happened to him. I rearranged it a bit and changed the fox to a mountain lion. Digger wasn’t supposed to have as important a role as he does, but his character just took over.
Yes! I know what you mean!
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on several projects at once. However, one of those is Book 3 in the Laurel Ridge Series, Someone From My Past.
Lesa Henderson is an accomplished author, passionate storyteller, and award-winning filmmaker whose work reflects her unwavering commitment to inspire and uplift others. She is best known as the author of the beloved Laurel Ridge books, a series that has captured readers' hearts with its rich storytelling and heartfelt themes. Beyond fiction, Lesa has also made her mark as a non-fiction writer and journalist with her insightful pieces published in esteemed national outlets such as Woman's World and Ladies' Home Journal.
Together with her husband, Ken Henderson, Lesa co-directed & produced the award-winning documentary Hope Has A Name, a powerful and poignant film that shines a light on God's extraordinary love expressed in the lives of everyday people. Through her work, Lesa invites audiences to see beauty in the ordinary, to find hope in the unseen, and to live with purpose and intention.
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Emma Uranova enjoys her office job until her boss disappears with the investors' money. To avoid the media storm and false accusations, Emma flees to Whispering Creek, Tennessee to live on her best friend' s secluded property. When a temporary position opens up in Nashville, Emma leaves small-town anonymity to pad her depleted bank account. With a handsome new boss and a steady income, Emma believes life is looking up... until she discovers she has transported the scandal in her backpack. Where is God when her life is falling apart?
Wade Donoven is recuperating from a crash that sidelined him from the family electrical business. Worse yet, his prodigal younger brother is getting the glory for Wade' s accomplishments. Desperation, and physical setbacks, have him agreeing to let Emma help him manage the business office. But when trouble follows her to his doorstep, Wade must make some difficult choices. Sending Emma back to Whispering Creek may unknowingly place the woman he's come to love in danger.
What inspired you to want to write this story?
Emma Uranova is the best friend of my heroine in “Christmas at Whispering Creek.” Emma was the comedy relief and a wonderful best friend to Samantha. She needed her own story, so I sent Emma fleeing to Whispering Creek, Tennessee, when her life gets caught up in a scandal in Wisconsin.
I enjoyed revisiting my small town and the characters I created for book one. I discovered that writing a sequel has its challenges. I had to remember where the businesses were located and the color of my characters’ eyes. I need to do a better job of documenting details if I’m writing a series.
Emma’s story can be read as a standalone novel.
What made you decide to be a writer?
I had no plans to be an author. I was teaching Bible stories to elementary students in chapel and needed to modify my curriculum and write new lesson plans. I prayed to God for creativity, but I wasn’t specific that I needed help with only my chapel lessons. After the prayer, I had a prompting to sit down and write sweet historical stories. I finished three books before I started writing about little-known Bible characters. I should have started writing about what I was teaching each week. I guess I’m a slow learner.
I love writing about people in the Bible that many Christians haven’t met. I also enjoy romance stories. When I wanted to write a story about breast cancer, I knew I couldn’t write about cancer in Bible Times. That is when my contemporary romance writing began. I am blessed to be a nine-year breast cancer survivor. “Christmas at Whispering Creek” has a breast cancer story thread.
That will resonate with a lot of people.
What is the biggest challenge for you in being a writer?
I am part of the sandwich generation. I have family responsibilities for aging parents, and I like to be involved in the lives of my young adult children. As I have aged, those responsibilities have grown. Since visiting with family members involves travel, my writing time has shrunk, but the business of writing hasn’t shrunk.
I pray to God to multiply my time, so I can write stories that glorify Him. Hopefully, after all these years, I can write a story that needs little revision. My focus always has to be on God, and then family, and then everything else. This sounds easy, but it’s a work in progress.
Do you write from an outline, or just from inspiration, or both?
For me, inspiration is the key to writing a story. When plot ideas and characters keep emerging in my mind, I know I have the threads of a good story. I usually draft an outline and figure out who my characters are, and what they need to achieve.
I was taught to write with the goal-motivation-conflict model. A character must have a goal to achieve. The author must create believable motivations for their character. Conflict and tension must harass the character throughout the story…until they receive their goal and/or happily-ever-after.
That's a great summation of that approach!
Do you have any underlying themes that you want your readers to come away with?
I always have a theme for my books. In “Escape to Whispering Creek,” the theme is “Where is God when your life is falling apart?” God is always with a believer, but sometimes God can feel far away. That’s on us, not Him.
Emma’s key verse is Psalm 18:2a:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.” (NIV)
Emma leans on that verse and her relationship with God to get through the trials in her life.
That's a beautiful scripture to lean on!
Do your characters ever surprise you?
If I am working in historical times, my characters don’t surprise me as much. When I work on a contemporary story, I find my characters surprise me all the time. With technology, there are a myriad of conflicts that can happen in present day stories. As an author, you have to draft a novel so that technology doesn’t make your plot points obsolete. One nice thing about history is that it doesn’t change.Technology and modern transportation do make writing contemporary stories easier. Sometimes you have to figure how to take away the 21st Century communication to place your characters in peril.
That's very true! When writing historicals, I have to do a lot of research to get familiar with the very different pace of the past.
So, what are you working on now?
I recently finished a short story collection about Jesus and His ministry around the Sea of Galilee. I visited Israel in March of 2023 and was inspired by walking the paths that Jesus and His disciples took around the sea.
Of course, at the moment, I am getting ready for Christmas.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Thanks so much, Barbara!
Okay readers, here's some more about Barbara:
Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast, Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She is published in Biblical Fiction and loves bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Her contemporary romance series set in Whispering Creek, Tennessee, adds a faith thread to her love stories. Barbara is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and Romance Writers of America. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate.
You can connect with Barbara on her website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram or BookBub.
Thanks for having me back on The Diamond Mine, Nancy.
You can purchase “Escape to Whispering Creek” on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or wherever books are sold. Libraries can order it.
Book Video for “Escape to Whispering Creek”
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