It’s St. Patrick’s Day and Kelly Goshorn is “BACK” ON THE MINE!

WELCOME TO THE DIAMOND MINE, KELLY . . .  AGAIN!

I asked my church to point me toward people that might be isolated, people I could reach out to and pray for. I volunteered with the local food pantry and once a week I make deliveries with a friend from church to families in need. This helped me shift my attention away from myself and toward others—to ‘count my blessings’ as it were rather than focusing on whatever I perceived I’d lost or had changed since COVID-19 came into our lives.

RENEE: I’m grateful to the Lord that you recognized the depression and acted upon it with the Church. Our Christian Family if people would simply recognize it, are caring and loving people God places in our lives for much more than Sunday and Wednesday (and simply to be a thorn in our side as so many in this fallen world believe.)

It’s also in the hard or tough times that we take the small things for granted like the Sunday morning person who sits in the pew behind us with the ever-faithful smile for a greeting, that creek-bed we used to fish in as a child and haven’t done so for years, the mountains we see on our drive to work every way but don’t have time to bother take our children for a weekend picnic... 

Yeah, it’s times like these that we “count our blessings” and remember the things we have around us not for the first time but have had all the time and have simply taken advantage of or forgotten along the way.

That’s a lesson I learned quite a while ago when I became disabled and unable to work or do much else. Instead of the mountains I loved to run around and play in, I picked up other hobbies like painting and making soy candles!

I don’t have much time or ability to write my books, although I have been researching brainstorming on two new series involving the genres of historical and science fiction. Can you believe that, Kelly? Science fiction! That’s me, eclectic! LOL

You know me, I can’t just wilt into the bed or recliner, my mind is constantly going even if I can’t remember what I’m doing half the time. I have even begun advocating for those with Chronic Pain and Rare Diseases like mine, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or Causalgia. So many of us are not receiving adequate pain management that I couldn’t keep silent any longer and had to say something as an educated medical provider, a pharmacist, and a patient.

So, your turn! What’s happening in your wheelhouse? Any new series, books, or exciting news for us to know about? I know you are a busy woman as well!

KELLY: I’m so proud of you for getting involved and advocating for Chronic Pain and Rare Diseases. I think it’s wonderful that you’re working hard to improve life for yourself and others, some of whom may not be able to advocate on their own behalf.

As for me, I’ve been working on a three-book series set locally in historic Loudoun County, Virginia, where I grew up and which also provides the setting for my debut novel, A Love Restored.

Loudoun was a border county in a border state. While the county as a whole voted for secession, the western part of the county that borders what would become the state of West Virginia, was home to many Quakers. As you may have guessed, they voted to remain in the Union. This gives a historical romance writer like myself plenty of tension-filled scenario opportunities including the historic Burning Raids which will be featured in book one of the series.

In late November and early December 1864, Union cavalry troops tore through the area burning barns, confiscating crops and livestock, and slaughtering what they couldn’t take with them—anything they thought could be used to aid the enemy whether the civilians were Confederate sympathizers or not.

Writing historical romance requires a lot of research and if the procrastination bug bites, my faithful Welsh corgi, Levi, always manages to herd me toward the computer again.

He helps me keep my website in order though. Oh, and if you and the folks want to learn more about my upcoming releases or follow the ups and downs of my writing journey, you can subscribe to my quarterly newsletter at https://KellyGoshorn.com/mywriting/newsletter.

RENEE: I can see why you love historical if you have things like that spurring you along! Not the bugs, but Levi! He’s a great research buddy to have along. LOL I do have one question for you and may sound a little “controversial” but since I want to write historical and our readers love it as well, I’m going to go for broke!

Life in the USA Today

As you know, life isn’t easy for me or many people lately. I could list the things wrong, but one things that’s always been right has been the Lord.  He remains my strength and guiding Light.

In today’s environment of “cancel culture” and freedom of eliminating, rewriting, or simply ignoring whatever incidents in the present, or past that we don’t like, how do you see His Light affecting the world and in essence, you?

Sin is consuming this world like it did with Sodom and Gomorra in the Bible. Please tell the fans and readers your opinion of the future of this country amidst the decadence around it and us. Is there reason to retain hope?

Is Love and Hope Still Around Us?

KELLY: While I do have serious reservations about the direction our country is headed with the current level of political discord and what I consider a dangerous trend toward curtailing free speech, we need to remember that our hope isn’t found in the latest social or political movement nor is it found in government mandated policies. I think our culture places too much value on the opinions of trending celebrities, political movements, and even men and women in elected office. These things, these people won’t save us. Who are they but sinful human beings, just like us, but most of whom are not connected to the source of truth? The enemy will use anything or anyone to stir up fear, so we turn our eyes, and eventually our hearts, away from God—our only source of lasting peace and joy no matter our circumstances. 

Instead, I find hope in the knowledge that God is working behind the scenes for our good and His glory. Nothing that happens takes Him by surprise. And despite the upheaval of the last year, I see that His people are resilient because our lives are built on a firm foundation, one that doesn’t shift and can’t get “canceled” no matter how unpopular our views become in our culture. His Word is that foundation and the only source of peace and truth I know. “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5 (NIV)

RENEE: Thank you, Kelly. Even though we know it in our hearts, it’s good to hear someone else say the words aloud. We may not see God working. The enemy’s actions are evident for all to see because he is pompous and arrogant . . . Loves attention and hates God. And oh, yes, our hope does come for the Almighty Lord Jesus. Thank you for the words. I needed to hear them touch my ears.

Before we go, is there something you would like to say to the Mine about you and your life? Writing? After all, you are an awesome Christian author and don’t want anyone to miss out on the chance to become a fan, Kelly!

KELLY: I’d sum up my life as a work in progress. Although I’ve been a Believer for over 40 years, I’m still learning whatit means to walk with God faithfully, to fully submit my desires to His will. As God reveals those areas of my life that I need to surrender to Him, I’ve often found that my personal journey unfolds in my books.

In fact, that is the very idea behind the working title for the series I mentioned above, Surrendered Hearts. Through themes of surrender and sacrifice, I examine what happens when God calls us to lay down those things we hold most dear—our dreams and ambitions, our pride, a relationship, and ultimately our hearts as God recklessly pursues each of us.

My characters discover, just like I have, that this journey with God that we call life has the potential to transform us and to restore our relationship with othersand with Him if we are brave enough to submit our stubborn will to His.

My deepest hope is that God will carve a similar path for those readers who take the journey with me in the pages of my stories.

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RENEE: Kelly, it has been a true pleasure interviewing you for the Diamond Mine and I pray that your new book and series is a success. Thank you for all that you are and do for Christian Fiction. Once again, you show the world what having a relationship with Jesus Christ means.

KELLY: Thanks so much for chatting with me today. Perhaps those who are interested in entering the giveaway for a paperback copy of A Love Restored, could share a verse that has been a comfort to them during the past year.

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§§§ GIVEAWAY §§§

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WIN ONE PAPERBACK COPY OF KELLY’S GOSHORN’S

A LOVE RESTORED

Kelly asks that you enter this contest

 by sharing a verse that has given you particular comfort

during the last year of the Pandemic’s isolation and trial.

(All entries must include a valid email address and name

to facilitate contact if it is drawn as the winner

seven days from 03/17/2021 by random selection.)

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Giveaway Ends 03/24/2021

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About the Author, Kelly Goshorn:

Kelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith, and family set in nineteenth century America. Her debut novel, A

Love Restored, won the Director’s Choice Award for Adult/YA fiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in 2019 and earned recognition as both a Selah Award finalist in the Historical Romance category and as a Maggie Award Finalist for Inspirational Fiction. 

Kelly earned her B.A. in Social Studies Education from Messiah College and her M.Ed. in History from The Pennsylvania State University. She has been enjoying her own happily-ever-after with her husband and best friend, Mike, for 31 years. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, binge-watching BBC period dramas, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi. 

 

Purchase on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Zx8Vg5

 

You can connect with Kelly on:

 

Her website: http://kellygoshorn.com/

 

Newsletter: https://kellygoshorn.com/my-writing/newsletter

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.j.goshorn/

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyGoshorn

 

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18023325.Kelly_J_Goshorn

 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kelly-goshorn

 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KellyGoshorn/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyjgoshorn/

 

 

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About the Miner, Renee Blare, RPh

Best-selling author Renee Blare has hung her hat in several states but only calls home to one . . . Wyoming.  A bookworm by nature, she began her

writing journey late in life, but her first book, Beast of Stratton became a semi-finalist in the 2015 ACFW Genesis Contest before publication and after publication, a best-seller on Amazon. Her second and third books joined it with the same high ranks.

With five books now in publication and all best-sellers, Renee is known as an inspirational writer who paints the page with words, pictures, and real life.

A pharmacist of over twenty-four years, she has served veterans, Native Americans as well as well as those who lived around her every day. Now disabled with the most painful disease known to man, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Type 2 or Causalgia, Renee survives excruciating pain and advocates for those with her same plight and that of her husband— Chronic Pain and Rare Disease in a world insensitive to both.

To relax and find what joy she can from life, she’s a die-hard fisherman (woman), hunter, and loves to explore the history of her country and family. When she’s able to does all of the above and teaches herself to paint, learn new crafts such as making soy candles, and learning to diamond paint. Renee also enjoys to learn new and exciting skills which don’t invite pain but knows life without pain is unavoidable. Even picking away on her old classical guitar is not without a twinge or two.

Discover what life with this special person, living with the pain of life, and disability produces at her website and blog, Inyan Kara Studio. You may even want to take a piece home with you.

Inyan Kara Studio Website: https://www.InyanKaraStudio.com/

The Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction: https://DiamondsinFiction.blogspot.com/

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5 (NIV)

Finding Balance and Paying it Forward with Sara R. Turnquist + Giveaway

Welcome back to the Diamond Mine. Are you settling back into your routines after the holiday break?

This week our guest is someone who lives less than 100 miles from me but we met at an ACFW conference in Dallas, TX a couple years ago. Please welcome Sara Turnquist.

First, an introduction

About Sara Turnquist

I'm a coffee lovin', word slinging, clean Historical Romance author whose super power is converting caffeine into novels. I love those odd tidbits of history that are stranger than fiction. That's what inspires me. Well, that and a good love story. 

But of all the love stories I’ve read, mine is my favorite. I live happily with my own Prince Charming and our gaggle of minions. Three to be exact. They sure know how to distract a writer! But, alas, the stories must be written, even if it must happen in the wee hours of the morning.


I have authored some enticing historical fiction with meaningful romances, including: The Lady Bornekova, The General’s Wife, Hope in Cripple Creek, Off to War, A Convenient Risk, Leaving Waverly, The Lady and the Hussites, and An Inconvenient Christmas.

Connect with Sara: 

Website: http://saraturnquist.com
Twitter: @sarat1701 - https://twitter.com/sarat1701
Facebook: AuthorSaraRTurnquist - https://www.facebook.com/authorsararturnquist/
Pinterest: SaraVTurnquist - https://www.pinterest.com/saravturnquist/

Welcome, Sara. We're so glad you could join us this week. Let's warm up with a few easy questions.

SW: Ballpoint, Uniball, or fountain pen? 

ST: Ballpoint


SW: Early bird or night owl? 

ST: Night owl most of my life…but I worked in zoo education for a while and those shifts start EARLY


SW: What are three things you’ve used as a bookmark? 

ST: Pen, receipt, movie ticket stub


SW: Fill in the blank: Some day I want to... 

ST: return to the Czech Republic


SW: Tell us a bit more about Sara 

ST: Sara is a bit quirky. But she is outgoing, friendly, and a strong leader. She loves nothing more than sharing her gifts and talents to edify others. And she’ll do almost anything for a laugh.


SW: We’ve talked before about one of your former jobs, so share with us what the worst job you’ve ever had was. And the best one? 

ST: THE WORST: I’ve really enjoyed most of my jobs…perhaps the worst was waiting tables. I don’t handle “on the spot” stress very well. And when you have 12 people all wanting 3 things from you and NOW…that gets stressful. And some people can be so rude. It seemed like the roughest tables were the ones who left you a handful of change. 


SW: I have always known I wasn't cut out for the food service business so I never aspired to waiting tables :)

Me with Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Education Team – I’m on the back row, third from the right

ST: THE BEST: I loved working as a Zoo Educator at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It was so much fun. Sharing my love and knowledge of wildlife and wild places…okay, and Disney…was amazing. And making a difference for wildlife. If some of my guests listened to half of what I said and took me seriously, they went home and did something toward conserving our world.



Do you have any secret talents? 

ST: Okay…I always get strange looks…but I can unwrap a starburst in my mouth in under 20 seconds. Yeah…that’s totally going on the resume.


SW: Hahaha! That's a great secret talent! 

Name a place you would like to visit that you haven’t been to yet. 

ST: I’d love to take one of the Historical Tours of the Biltmore Estate. I hear they are just fascinating.

SW: Yes, they are. I've been on one (at Christmas) but would love to go again!


As a mom of three children, how do you balance writing and home life? 

My three kiddos: Audrey, Aiden, and Andrew

ST: It is not easy…when all three of my kiddos were at home, I did most of my writing during quiet time/nap time (even when my kids outgrew naps, we still insisted they have “quiet time” in their rooms…perhaps more for our sake than theirs) and in the evening after bedtime. Now that two of them are in school, the time to write is much more…plentiful. You just have to write when you can. If it’s important, you will make time.

SW: Who makes up your tribe (supporters, mentors, uplifters, prayer warriors, etc)? 

 Me and my number one fan, my husband, Greg

ST: I am part of a MOMs group that has moms who are further along the journey than us of younger kiddos. They are praying for me I know. My husband is a big supporter for me. My family is, too. As well, my critique group encourages me along the way. My beta readers are pushing me along, kindly critiquing my work. And my writing mentor, author Hannah R. Conway, offers unending support.












SW: Tell us a little about your reading and writing habits.

ST: I am a fast reader. I alternate between fiction (mostly clean Historical Fiction/Romance, but I try to read in other genres as well…Science Fiction being my early first love) and nonfiction (usually craft or spiritual growth books). And I always have one of those Barbour Collections of novellas in case I just want to consume a story in an afternoon. (Novella is generally a 2 hour read for me.)

SW: Those Barbour novella collections are great, aren't they. I'm actually reading one right now. A novella here and there between my other reading.

ST: Writing…I have always been a pantser (write by the seat of my pants…no planning or outlining). But I have become more of a “plantser”. I do stop and do some preliminary character planning/development. I find that taking the time to do so creates more three-dimensional characters and deepens the story. Some of the novel is outlined based on what kind of historical event/person I am involving. Then I pants my way through the rest. 

And I have come to love Scrivener…especially the “compose” mode, which blocks out the whole screen except your word processor and puts an image you pick in the background. Great for distraction-free writing. I have also come to love the set up my husband designed for me – two monitors! I use one for my writing and one to pull up research as I need to.

(image courtesy of Amazon.com)

SW: What is the first book you remember reading or the first one that made an impact on you? 

ST: I remember reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods. I was so drawn into the story. I fell in love with her life and the trials they faced and it so captivated me I read the whole series. (Though I have never watched any of the TV series.)






SW: Share some of your writing habits. Do you have a favorite place to write? A favorite time? Must-have snacks or drinks? 

ST: I have a great set up for writing in my office at home. I have my storyboards there, my two monitors, and all my tools. But I love being able to get away to the local coffee shop and sit in a booth with a cup of coffee and tap away on my laptop. At home sometimes the things that need to get done in my other job (housewife and mother) nag at me. So, getting away from the house helps. I generally do most of my writing mid-afternoon or in the evening. But whether at my house or elsewhere, I have to have the coffee…always the coffee.

SW: What is your writing kryptonite? 

ST: Facebook…ahhh….


SW: You are not alone in that one! 

You’ve worked with a small press and independently and now have signed with an agent. Give us the highlights of each of those avenues (per your experience).


SMALL PRESS: I so enjoyed working with Clean Reads, a small press. They were so personable and really did the right amount of hand holding to ease me into this step of my journey. The owner is just amazing. I cannot say enough good things about her. But I wanted to try things on my own.

PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY: My husband and I decided we wanted to get our feet wet with indie publishing. And it worked well for us. The amount of marketing you do for publishing with a small press and publishing independently is pretty much the same. And publishing independently, you retain your rights and don’t split the revenue. I would not recommend it for someone fresh out of the gate though. I think the lessons I learned from my time with the small press were so valuable and I will maintain my relationship there as much as I can. 

AGENT: I love having someone who really knows the industry to bounce ideas off of. And who is looking out for me. It is a new partnership for me, so I haven’t gleaned as much as I can yet to really speak to this.


SW: In addition to writing, you also speak at writing conferences and women’s groups. Tell us what you love most about sharing with others? 

ST: I am all about passing on your knowledge and experiences. I believe that is why you go through things. Positive and challenging…so you can touch others’ lives with the things you learned. For some, that is having coffee with a hurting friend or a lunch with your cousin who is an aspiring author. For me, I have a strangely loud voice and good stage presence and command. So, I speak.


SW: Share with our readers more about your books.

Who was your favorite character to write?

ST: I loved writing Katherine from “Hope in Cripple Creek”. She had some of my personality in there, but definitely more spunk, you know? She had a fire in her that I admired.

Order Hope in Cripple Creek at Amazon














SW: Historical fiction requires a lot of research and detail. What is the craziest/most interesting/funniest thing that’s happened to you while researching a book. 

ST: I was in the prep for Hope in Cripple Creek and I was planning the major details of the story. Namely, the location. My husband had spent some time in Colorado, where I wanted the story to be set. We were driving and I didn’t have internet on my phone at the time, so I asked him “What sounds like a good name for a town in Colorado? Just make one up.” He thought and said, “Cripple Creek…sounds like something I would hear around there.” Well, later, when I was researching gold mining and mining strikes, a key component of the novel, I found that the last gold rush to Colorado, preceding a major, rather well-known strike, was in Cripple Creek, Colorado, a REAL town. He had probably heard the name somewhere along the way and forgotten that it was a real town. At any rate, I found it interesting…the town name he “made up”.

SW: I've actually made up a town for a state I've never visited before only to find it on Google!

Tell us a little about your most recent release. 

ST: This past December I released my first Christmas novella and a companion to “A Convenient Risk”: “An Inconvenient Christmas”. I call it a “companion” because it’s not really a sequel. I didn’t leave any “loose ends” to be tied up at the end of “A Convenient Risk”. I went back and found a thread that could be continued and enhanced. Either way, “An Inconvenient Christmas” is a peek into Amanda and Brandon’s happily-ever-after. Christmas will be a time to share with their little family and maybe experience some much needed peace on earth. But that’s when the letter comes. And everything is turned upside-down. Nothing is as it should be and tensions mount. Will they make it through this holiday season unscathed? Or will they be torn apart by the time Christmas Day comes?

SW: What are you currently working on? 

ST: You might laugh…I am currently working on four books. Yeah…I am notorious for working on multiple projects at a time (usually one in editing, one writing, and one resting). But this is a bit much even for me. I have two that I am processing edits on: “Among the Pages”, a time slip that focuses on the Woman’s Suffrage Movement and “Trail of Fears”, which follows a white missionary to a Cherokee village and what transpires from the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830 to their forcible removal in 1838. I am researching and writing the third installment to The Lady Bornekova Series. And I am researching for a book set during the Biblical era.

Order The Lady Bornekova Series on Amazon

SW: Wow, I'm worn out just thinking about keeping all of that straight. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking time out from all of that to visit with us today.

About the Books

He never imagined her heart would be so hard to reach.

Forced into a marriage of convenience after her husband dies, Amanda Haynes is determined she will never love again. Not that it bothers Brandon Miller. He needs her husband’s cattle. She needs financial stability and long-term support for her son and herself. But she never expected to care so much about the running of the ranch.

Butting heads over the decisions of the ranch, adding to her frustration and grief at her loss. Her wellbeing is soon threatened as their lives become entangled with Billy the Kid and his gang. What has she gotten herself into? What kind of man has she married? Is there any way out?

Amazon

A companion novella to "A Convenient Risk"

Brandon and Amanda are ready for their “Happily Ever After”. This Christmas will be a time to share with their little family and maybe experience some much needed peace on earth.

That’s when the letter comes. And everything is turned upside-down. Nothing is as it should be and tensions mount. Will they make it through this holiday season unscathed? Or will they be torn apart by the time Christmas Day comes?

Amazon

Giveaway

Sara is graciously giving away a fabulous prize pack that includes:  Signed  paperback copies of The Lady Bornekova and The Lady and the Hussites with bookmarks, an ebook copy of Leaving Waverly, a notebook, and some swag (Continental US address only)

To enter, comment below and tell us what historical period you love to read about. You'll get a bonus entry if you follow Sara on social media and tell us you did so. Be sure and leave a way for us to contact you if you win.

***The legal stuff: Contest is not valid unless five (5) unique individuals leave a comment. Ends Tuesday, 1/16/18 at midnight EST. Valid only for those with a continental US address.