Laurie is a graduate of Asbury University with a degree in English and French, and Seton Hill University, with a masters degree in Writing Popular Fiction, she also writes articles in writers publications, teaches writing workshops, and gives inspirational talks. To date, she has sixteen books in print with five more under contract for release over the next two years. Eight of her books have been published in large print editions, one as a Crossings Book club hardcover edition, and one book has been put into Braille.
She lives in Texas with her husband, dogs, and cats. She enjoys long walks, all too rare rainy days, and knitting—rather badly—while watching movies or listening to music.
My guest today is sister novella-writer Laurie Alice Eakes. Thanks for joining me today, Laurie!
Steamboats! Your novella "A Moonlight Promise" is a fascinating story with lots of steamship ephemera. Have you always had a passion for that mode of transportation of the 1820s?
I rode on a steamboat as a very young child and the paddle wheel fascinated me. And then I read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn more than once apiece, so that was an interest. So I don’t know if I’d say passion, but a definite interest in steamboats, steam engines in general. And the Hudson is such a magnificent river steeped in history, writing about it was great.
And you wrote of it so well! What would it have taken to procure a cabin on a steamship during the opening of the Erie Canal? I found your character's surprise about where the crew slept to be a surprise for me too!
I didn't find anything specific about that, though read enough that most boats were standing room only unless you could sit on your luggage. So getting one was likely difficult.
One could hope for a short trip sitting on luggage!
Was your protagonist Camilla unique in finding an empty cabin?
Most definitely, so I had to come up with a plausible reason why she would have found one, which led to the captain using the space for delicate cargo, which led to why he would want to make so much money so fast, which led to…the story.
Google Books was a wealth of information. I found state records and books written at the time, a few law suits and a quantity of writing about the pros and cons of steamboats, and, yes, many pages about cargo and passengers and fees. I also found some great on-line resources from people who are truly passionate about the history of steam, including one that had midi files you can click on and hear the whistle, bell, even someone speaking through the speaking tube to the engine room.
Like most of us, I bet you have way more material than you were able to use in your novella. But that means maybe we'll find more steamships within your writing. Where did the idea of a letter from a friend come from?
I started thinking about what would bring a lady from England to America and on to the Northwest Territory around the great Lakes. Well, maybe a desperate need to get away and an offer she didn’t think she could afford to lose.
Intriguing... What are you working on now? I am writing the second book in The Cliffs of Cornwall series for Zondervan/Harper Collins Christian Publishing. The first book comes out April 22.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing some of your time with me. It was great to share a novella collection with you!
Laurie enjoys hearing from her readers! Connect with her here:
Website (read about her new release A Lady's Honor)
Revell has provided an excerpt of Sincerely Yours. A chapter from each author can be found here: Sincerely Yours Excerpt
A Blog Tour & other Giveaways happening!
If you would like to read some blogger reviews (and some are giving away the book as well) go here to see the list of bloggers posting over the next week or so. Be sure to tell them you are dropping in from my blogJane's Giveaway!
Meet each of the authors and enter to win a pen & stationary gift set! A copy of Sincerely Yours will also be included. There are entries that can be done each day, so be sure to do as much as you can to increase your chances to win.Giveaway runs from April 1- April 8.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Winners must have a US shipping address. Email addresses will NOT be sold to anyone, however each author will receive a list of all entries. They will NOT sell the email list either.
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