Meet Jessica White

Hi, Diamond Mine readers. Julie B Cosgrove here. 

I had the privilege of helping to edit Jessica White's second novel, Bound by Brokenness. So, being hooked on the story, I had to read the first, Surviving the Stillness. 


She has made me an historical Christian fiction fan. Her characters are so three dimensional that you keep reading, joining them in their triumphs and heartaches. Plus it is VERY obvious she did a ton of research about medicine in the 1920's Dakotas and Montana, the societies of West Virginia and Chicago,  the native American culture and prejudices, and the religious thinking of the time.

I think you will feel the same. Welcome, Jessica.

What spurred you to write the Healing Seasons Series? And tell us a little about each book so far.

In 2013, I was knee deep in academic research to finish my degree and mentally exhausted. I decided to write a fictional story, which combined a dream of a boy falling down a flight of stairs with the story of two orphans from West Virginia I’d come up with in middle school. it morphed into Surviving the Stillness, the first book in the Healing Seasons Series. 

God revealed to me that Abigail (one of the orphans) and Matthew (the son of the doctor) were running from their problems. As winter sets in, Matthew falls down the stairs and breaks his ankle, and Abigail contracts a case of fever that exacerbates other health issues she’s been trying to hide. Forcing them to be still, God brings the two together in a way only He could arrange. Together they learn to be still and trust in Him to heal their scars. 

I originally intended to write one book, but as I reached the end of Surviving the Stillness, I knew there was more the readers would want to see play out. The biggest question left unanswered was—does Dr. Mason, Matthew’s father, ever get past his grief of losing his wife and forgive God? 

Bound by Brokenness became my quest to answer that question. This book opens on Easter Sunday,

ten years after Helen died. His broken promise to be by her side when she faced death again drives him to keep the residents of Bear Valley healthy and out of Death’s reach. But as he circuits through the foothills, he finds he can’t do it alone. 

The other character, I wanted to give more attention to was Abigail’s younger brother, Samuel. His personality really came out at the end of the first book and I loved how spontaneous and funny he was. So I pondered what trouble could he get into while his sister was out on the circuit with Doc? I also wanted to incorporate the repercussions of Prohibition laws which went into effect two years earlier in Montana than the Federal law. So Sam gets a chance to prove to his sister he’s learned from his past mistakes, but he also learns that money can’t fix everything that’s broken.

I really liked Sam. I understand you pray over your characters. That is so cool. Tell us more about that.

Honestly, this was a byproduct of my own prayer life. I love to intercede for others and the characters in my head are so vivid. It was natural to pray for them when I couldn’t see how God was going to move their hearts or get them out of certain circumstances. It has become a tool I rely on while I write. I know I’ve found the right scene when it comes through answered prayer. Almost every scene in Bound by Brokenness surfaced from this method. In fact, the original plot I’d come up with was totally different from the one God had me write. 

In reading your books, it is obvious you spent a great deal of time researching the history and medical practices of the 1920's adn life in rural Montana. Tell us about that experience.

I can honestly say I know more about medicine in the early 1900’s than I ever really wanted to. I started with a text called Taylor’s Practice of Medicine. I was actually trying to come up with a medical condition for Abigail to have, but there was no simple solution, which actually played into the plot line. She suffers from three different things in Surviving the Stillness. But all that research led me to so many other interesting facts and resources. 

When I decided that Dr. Mason was a trained surgeon, I scanned the Harvard Journal of Surgery. The carnage of the Great War (WWI) invented so many advancements in medicine that I wanted to show some of them. A big one was blood transfusions and advancements in blood typing, so I worked that into the second book. 

I also wanted to preserve Helen’s (Dr. Mason's deceased wife) Native American roots, so I had her pass the knowledge onto Matthew through journals. The way she handled births and deaths and relied on plant based medicines, over all the new pharmaceutical solutions of the early 1900’s, is uniquely Helen’s. And I’m anxious to share how she intertwined her knowledge from her early years growing up in a Lakota family and her medical training in Book 4. 

I'm glad you have plans to continue this series. What do you want the reader to take away from your books?

From Surviving the Stillness, I want readers to walk away understanding that God is always with us. That even when everything is taken from us or circumstances have lasted longer than we expected, He is still working it out for our good. That He bears His scars as a testimony of His love for us and that the scars we bear are testimonies of what He can carry us through. 

From Bound by Brokenness, I want readers to realize that we weren’t made to be isolated from one another. We’re the body of Christ. That brokenness opens the door for us to minister to one another and show God’s love. That our wounds physical, emotional, spiritual, are never too bad for God to heal. 

Both pertinent and potent lessons. What have you gained from writing these two books?

I’ve learned that this is my calling, and it is impossible to do apart from God. That I best be prayed up and hedged in by my prayer team because the enemy doesn’t like books that are centered on who God is and what He can do. 

I also learned that I have to step inside these characters’ lives and experience all the highs and lows and the closeness and distance from God. Bound by Brokenness was difficult to write because neither character is exceptionally close to God at the beginning. 

I had to pull back after the intimacy of book one and remember what it feels like to keep God at a distance. To not feel worthy of His love or mercy. To make decisions in my own strength and handle the consequences of being outside His will. But I know that the story will resonate with readers because we all go through those periods in our walk with Christ.  

Wow, that must have been a challenge for you. You are so serious about your writing and learning to understand your characters, and it shows. Will there be more in the series? Give us a peek.

There are two more books in this series. The next one is Dispelling the Darkness. It’s the story of Abigail’s return to West Virginia to debut among high society. Matthew goes with her, knowing this is probably the last summer he’ll get to spend with the girl who’s become his best friend. But he wants to make sure she doesn’t lose the person she’s becoming under the weight of the expectation of marriage. 

Samuel also returns home and is swept up in the glitz and glamour of society life. He rubs elbows with people who could help him pursue his dream of being a world-traveling reporter, but some of the miners are eager for him to step into his father’s shoes as owner of Morgan Coal and restore safety. But whispers abound about a family curse, and he has to put his sleuthing skills to work to find the truth before he and his sister are the next victims.

Oh, that sounds intriguing. I'm hooked again! Write fast! Where can readers find out more about you and these books?

The best place to find me is my website—http://AuthorJessicaWhite.WordPress.com

At the top you’ll find links to all the places I’m on social media and down below is a link to my newsletter sign-up which will keep readers up to date on my writing, releases, and sales. 

My books can be found exclusively on Amazon. LINK-goo.gl/S7zK3S

Thank you Jessica. I am proud to present your books to the Diamond Mine readers. I am sure they will enjoy them as much I have,

Meet Mary Manners

If you're a fan of novellas, Mary Manners has a treat for you this week. She's giving away e-copies of not one but three of her novellas. Keep reading to find out how to enter.


About Mary Manners

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing. She has two sons and a daughter, as well as three beautiful grandchildren. She currently lives along the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach with her husband Tim.

A former teacher as well an intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades teaching math and English to students from kindergarten through middle grades. While growing up in Chicago and as a student at the University of Illinois, Mary worked her way through a variety of jobs including paper girl, figure skating instructor, pizza chef, and nanny. Many of these experiences led to adventures that may be found between the pages of her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs—she’s completed three marathons—ocean sunsets and flavored coffee.

Find out more about Mary on her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Welcome to the Diamond Mine, Mary! We're thrilled you could join us this week and share a little more about yourself with us and our readers. 

I’m from the Nashville area and have visited the Smokey Mountains a few times over the years. It’s a place filled with God’s beauty. What’s your favorite thing about living there year-round? Do you dread or look forward to tourist season?

Before recently retiring to North Florida, I lived at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains for 35 years and loved every moment of the beauty. When I moved there from Chicago more than three decades ago to begin my teaching career, there was only one stoplight on the twenty-five minute drive between my home and the school. Of course, this has changed over the years, but the beauty of the mountains remains just as majestic as ever. Nothing compares to the Smokies, and people flock there to share in the wonder. I never minded tourist season, as the height of it occurred while I was off from teaching for the summer.

You taught algebra and reading. In my experience, writers aren’t usually math-oriented. Why the variety in subject matter?

I chose to teach math because I wanted the kids who were not very good at it, who actually despised it, to learn to love it. I taught in ways that brought an understanding of the concepts. Although I am a writer, I am actually quite organized in my thinking. This crosses over to teaching math quite well.

How do you balance writing during the school year when you’re busy teaching, grading papers, and preparing tests?

I used to say that the day I signed a writing contract would be the last day I taught. But when my first contract came nearly eight years ago, I could not bear to walk away from the students. So I learned to balance by waking up very, very early in the morning and putting in several hours of writing before heading to school. I wrote at night and on weekends and holidays. I wrote while I waited at my daughter’s band practice, and in the car while my husband drove. I wrote on summer vacation. I learned to adapt. When you love writing as much as I do, you find a way.

Last June I retired from teaching (the last three years I was an intermediate school principal) to full-time writing. I love the freedom to immerse myself in writing every day, as well as the time to network with readers and fellow authors. It is a dream come true for me.

Since you used to teach middle school-aged students, have you ever considered writing YA fiction?

Yes, I have! One of my books, Wisdom Tree, was actually written when I was in middle school. It was the first full-length book I wrote. The first draft was from Corey’s—the middle-school-aged brother’s—point of view. Over the years, through editing, that changed to what Wisdom Tree is today. But that book remains the story of my heart, and it was my first book to make the shelves of brick and mortar bookstores across the country.

Where is your favorite place to write? Do you have any necessities you require with you?

I have an office, but I often wander to other parts of the house to do my writing. As I pen this response, I am seated at the kitchen counter. I don’t really have any necessities, but I love to write with a breeze and sunshine filtering through the windows. A cup of flavored coffee is really nice, too! I don’t write to music—I like the sounds of nature and nothing more. My brain is already too busy with my story characters ‘speaking’ to me!

What would you like readers to come away with when they read your books?

 

I would like for my readers to come away from my books with a sense of renewed hope that the world is a good place to be. I’d like them to feel warmed by faith, friends, and a touch of romance.

You have several books and novellas published. Which do you recommend to someone who has not read anything by you before?

For a quick taste of my work, I recommend one of my shorter Christmas stories, such as Angel Song. For a series, I think my Sweet Treats Bakery Series is a good place to start. For a longer book, I recommend Wisdom Tree.

Sidenote, here, I love reading Mary's Christmas stories! They're all short and sweet!

Tell our readers a little about your newest series.

My Honeysuckle Cove series is a 12-book collection of shorter-length stories that will release one per month throughout 2017. Honeysuckle was chosen for its meaning…Bond of Love/I Love You. I feel that honeysuckle is a symbol of God’s grace—always present, unfailingly strong, and eternally loving. Honeysuckle Cove is a tight-knit community of imperfect believers and though generally lighthearted, each story relates a real-world message of grace. The stories are all set in Honeysuckle Cove, a fictional town in the Southeast. Portions of the town, especially the property upon which Honeysuckle Cove Inn is seated, meanders along the shores of Wanderlust Lake. Honeysuckle Cove Inn, a historical gathering place, is the anchoring point of the stories. Readers are sure to fall in love all over again, every month of the year!

Thank you for taking some time with us this week, Mary. It's been a pleasure having you!

More details about a couple of the Honeysuckle Cove books:

Sunrise at Honeysuckle Cove

Honeysuckle Cove Inn has been in the Brennan family for three generations. When Maggie Brennan’s parents retire, they call her home to Honeysuckle Cove and hand over the reins of the historical inn. If Maggie successfully maintains the business over the course of a year, the inn is hers forever. Maggie considers the timing perfect, with one exception—she finds her path entangled once again with that of Dylan O’Connor.

Dylan has made a name for himself as the go-to guy when it comes to renovations and repairs in Honeysuckle Cove, and he’s waited nearly a decade for high school sweetheart Maggie Brennan to return home. But his handyman skills will be put to the test when it comes to rebuilding the bridge between Maggie’s heart and his, and designing a future…together.

Beyond the Storm

Recreational Therapist Ava Kennedy is in charge of Valentine’s Day festivities for shut-in patients at Honeysuckle Cove Children’s Hospital. When a winter storm threatens to derail planned events and steal the children’s joy, Ava calls on longtime friend and firefighter Nick Jones for rescue. The two have been close, platonic friends since kindergarten, but Ava soon finds her heart whirling like the drifting snowflakes outside her office window.

Nick Jones is skilled at extinguishing fires, so he doesn’t count on kindling a flame with lifelong friend Ava Kennedy. But he’s got a sweet spot for kids and women…especially when one particular woman—Ava—possesses a soft heart and laughter that draws like an electron magnet. Despite Nick’s valiant efforts to resist, he finds himself caught up in the attraction.

Will these friends’ new feelings weather the shifting tempest…or is this simply a passing storm?

And now for the giveaway!! Mary is graciously offering one of our readers e-copies of the first 3 books in her Honeysuckle Cove series. The two above, and her March release, Honeysuckle Cove Secrets. Simply let us know how to reach you (email) in the comments below in case you win. Five people must comment in order for contest to be valid.