Christine Hill Suntz author of Heiress and the Woodsman is our guest today.
Welcome Christine welcome to Australasian Christian Writers. Thank you for spending time with us today.
When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?
As a child, I was definitely a reader. There were two series that captured my imagination: the Little House on the Prairie series, and (a few years later) the Anne of Green Gables series. I spent hours with these books.
Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and to write?
I’m sure my love of historical fiction began with those books I read as a child. Nowadays, I’m a big fan of historical romance. I love reading and writing about characters’ emotional journies from estrangement and brokenness to healing and love.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I became fascinated with the life of L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. Around age 10, I decided I wanted to be an author. This dream was on the backburner for many years while I pursued a career in teaching and started a family.
How did you go about being published?
I started writing a historical romance, intending it for the Love Inspired Historical line. Around the time I finished and was ready to submit, Harlequin cut this line. I put writing aside for a few years until I got up the courage to edit my book and start querying agents. I also attended writing conferences and pitched my story to editors and agents. That’s how I met my agent, Rachel McMillan.
What inspired you to write Heiress and the Woodsman?
I read the memoirs of two early Canadian settlers (and sisters), Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill. Their vivid depictions of settler life in the backwoods grabbed my imagination and became the backdrop for my stories.
How has the writing process been for you?
It’s challenging to find time to write around a full-time job and a busy family life. The best time of day for me is early in the morning, before the house is awake. Still, it takes hours to write and revise…and revise again. I need breaks and long walks to clear my head when I hit a wall. Great writer and editor friends are key to help me spot weaknesses in my work and find my way out of plot holes.
What do you hope readers will take home out of your books?
I hope my stories can be a source of connection and healing for readers. The world can be dark and it’s hard to find stories that uplift. I hope my books can help readers see the world through the eyes of another. My characters overcome their initial judgements and differences and come to value and love each other. I believe our world would be better if we better understood the universal challenges and experiences that make us all human.
If you could have a meal with 3 living people, who would you choose and why?
I would have a meal with two women, an aunt and a good friend, who are both in their nineties. I would ask them to tell me what life was like when they were children. I love listening to their stories from the Great Depression and the War. It puts all the things happening in the world these days into perspective.
As far as someone famous, I’d have lunch with Daniela Amodei, cofounder and president of Anthropic. I don’t like AI and I don’t understand it. I don’t use it and I try to pretend it doesn’t exist…but I can’t ignore how the world has changed. I want to understand how a former English Literature major is now the head of Anthropic and how she plans to protect the future of creative industries.
Where can buy the book and where can we find you on the web?
The Heiress and the Woodsman is available at local Koorong bookstores and Amazon. The best way to find me is through my website, www.christinehillsuntz.com. I’m also active on Instagram at christinehillsuntz and on Facebook at Christine Hill Suntz Author.
Finally, can you tell us about your latest release.
The Heiress and the Woodsman follows Charlotte Carruthers, the daughter of a wealthy Toronto family who has fallen on hard times, as she journeys through the backwoods of Upper Canada in search of her disgraced brother. She enlists the help of a rugged woodsman, Joshua Robertson, to guide her through the bush. Though he knows a spoiled city girl will slow him down, he can’t refuse the money. As Charlotte and Joshua face the dangers of the wilderness and are caught in the crossfire of rebellion, they must decide if the futures they’ve fought for are truly their hearts’ desire—or if something unexpected awaits.