Today we welcome Carolyn Miller for Fiction Friday. Carolyn has also offered a giveaway of one of her books. Thank you Carolyn for visiting with us today.
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! I’m a mum of four (3 teenagers and a ten-year-old!), wife to one, author of inspirational historical fiction living in the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia. I’ve worked as a church pastor, and a high school English and learning support teacher. I love Jesus, reading, movies, travel, gardens, music, and the opportunity to share stories of flawed people who experience God’s grace.
2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?
As a redhead I suppose it was inevitable that I loved Anne of Green Gables, and other books by LM Montgomery. Other classic authors I enjoyed include Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, Aussie author Mary Grant Bruce, and the Trixie Belden & Nancy Drew series. One of my favourite books was The Janis Project by Nancy Rue – it’s authenticity and God-factor really spoke to my teenage heart.
3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and to write?
I love historical fiction, especially historical romance, and now have two Regency Brides trilogies released with a third series releasing this year. I really enjoy the way historical fiction can teach us about the past without cramming it down our throats like in school. It can be so interesting to learn some of the reasons for why our culture and society is the way it is. I also enjoy contemporary romance, and have a number of pre-published works in this genre, too.
4. Did you have any favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?
I think LM Montgomery’s vivid descriptions first influenced my love of words, and appreciation for authors who can evoke a sense of time and place. Other authors I grew to love include Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, both of whom have a delicious wit and a fabulous way of showing the intricacies of family and small-town relationships.
5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I’ve always loved reading and had a pretty vivid imagination, and wrote way-longer-than-needed stories in primary school. But I never really did anything with it (thanks high school!) – even despite a vocational guidance test showing that writing topped my recommended careers. It wasn’t until after a few years of high school teaching that I wondered about the practicalities of being an author, and started my writing journey.
6. How did you go about becoming an author?
I started writing after watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics closing ceremony and wondering whether the story I’d created about two of the athletes might be of interest to anyone else. As I wanted impartial feedback, and started entering online writing contests, where the feedback was definitely unbiased! Then I started writing other stories, and entering yet more contests, and started to improve, and then started to win.
By this stage I had a number of contemporary stories and a few historicals, so when an agent judging one of the contests wanted to sign me, I was able to offer her a historical, which she then was able to present to US publisher Kregel Publications, a great family owned Christian publisher, which led to my first published novel, The Elusive Miss Ellison.
Thanks to a session Narelle Atkins led at the Omega Writers Conference in Melbourne I was able to work my stories into a series, which then led to another series, and then a third. This has led to a LOT of writing in the past few years, as I’ve woven my previous stories in with newly written ones. My advice for those wanting to be an author is just keep writing!
7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?
Working as a (well-paid!) artist or a musician. Or a songwriter. Or an architect. I love design and creativity.
8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?
I love movies, and enjoy the beach (although my fair skin doesn’t love it so much). I also enjoy travel, especially with my family, and seeking out new adventures.
9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?
I’m feeling the need to return to England. I visited in 2015 and pretty much every place I travelled to I have now written about, so it’s time to go back and search out new and interesting places to incorporate into my stories.
10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?
Wow! Well, I think it’d be very interesting to have a chat with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as it’d be fascinating to have her insights into the workings of the royals, and what it’s been like as a non-royal marrying into ‘the family’. And if it was a meal at Buckingham Palace, well, all the better! I’d also like to chat with Becky Wade, as I’d love to talk books and writing and God and authentic faith.
And, as I’m not sure my husband would find these two as enthralling as I, then I’d probably want to have my sister, Roslyn, accompany me, as she’d find both of these women fascinating too, and then we could spend the rest of our lives talking about this amazing time together.
Finally can you tell us about your latest release. Where can buy the book and where can we find you on the web?
My new Regency is A HERO FOR MISS HATHERLEIGH which released on March 19.
Can a very proper noble lady find a future with a fossil-hunting man of faith?
As the daughter of Viscount Aynsley, Caroline Hatherleigh knows every rule of society—and she’s always followed them precisely. When she visits south Devonshire and encounters a fossil-hunting scientist and his sister, her assumptions about what is right are shaken. She is suddenly confronted by questions she has never considered about the importance of friendship and faith—and her comfortable understanding about how the world works is thrown off balance.
Gideon Kirby loves science, and hunting down proof of past lives is a joy he won’t willingly give up. But his scientific leanings are being challenged by both his personal beliefs and by local smugglers in the Devonshire countryside. And every day his sister’s illness is becoming more desperate and her care grows more demanding. Adding a proper Viscount’s daughter to the mix is a complication Gideon never expected—especially since he has a secret that demands he stays far away from this young woman he’s falling for in order to protect his beloved sister.
When a mysterious stranger visits the village, that secret is set to be exposed, no matter how Gideon fights. Then tragedy strikes in a smugglers cave. And the threat of scandal may lead to broken hearts and passionless propriety. Will the shaky bond these two have managed to build be strong enough to overcome their differences—or will the trust they’ve withheld from each other end up tearing three lives apart?
All of Carolyn’s books are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Koorong, etc
Connect with her: website | facebook | pinterest | twitter | instagram
Giveaway
To enter the giveaway just leave a comment or question for Carolyn by March 29 and the winner will be announced in the April Latest Releases.
Love hearing about the background. I like that this one looks like a marriage ‘down’. Keep writing Carolyn. We need good writers in most genre. I look forward to hearing more of ‘what’s next?’ when you know yourself.
Thanks for stopping by Christine I loved learning more about Carolyn too. I myself would love to read the book inspired by the winter Olympics.
HI Jenny! Thanks so much for this. Yes, I’d LOVE to see the Winter Olympics book happen one day, but it’ll have to be a ‘one day’ when the timing is right. But it is a pretty fun (and interesting!) story!
Hi Christine! Thanks so much for your encouragement. As for what’s next, well, stay tuned: there might be another historical series on the horizon… (and yes, one day I’ll get to the contemporary stuff – when it’s the right time!) 😊
L M Montgomery is one of my favourites as well. And I’m just started on your new book so I was wondering where you got all the information about the cliffs and beaches of the south coast of England. Obviously you’ve been there.
HI Meredith! Oh, yes, I think it was inevitable that as a redhead I would enjoy Anne fo Green Gables, although I love other of her books also, especially The Blue Castle. As for the research for A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh, I have a confession to make: I haven’t been there! It was all online, with a number of research books too. I was fortunate enough to discover a pictorial guide from the early 1800s of that area, and using those resources (plus some online photographic images) created a world that I hope is pretty close to what is there. Of course, with the ravages of tide and time the area of today is not quite what would have been there 200 years ago, so I’ll use that as my excuse should someone complain!
I loved Mary Grant Bruce although I turned 16 when mum gave me the first couple for my birthday. I loved them and then ended up buying most in the series. Mum had read them as a child herself. I Love the Little house on the prairie books also but have to admit I was to young when I was given Anne of Green Gables to read (I read below my age) I did however love the Pollyanna books. Again both of these series mum read as a child which shows books can last for generations (Mum grew up during the depression).
Carolyn, thank you for the interview!
“Do you ever make faces in a mirror so you know how it looks when your characters react to things?” 😉
Blessings!!!
Hi Natalya! Well, I don’t think I have made faces in the mirror, but I suspect I’m about to start! Ha!
Hey Carolyn,
Your book sounds so amazing, I would love to one day visit Australia 🇦🇺 I just absolutely love your accent. Have you ever pet or held a koala bear??? They are my favorite along with kangaroos. Do you have a favorite kind of food you like to eat or favorite kind of chocolate?
Hi Danie! I think I’ve patted a koala but not held one (you’d likely need to be in a zoo to do something like that!). I’m trying to be healthy (well, sometimes I am!) so my favourite food is low sugar yoghurt with strawberries and blueberries. But when I’m not being healthy then I love Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. Yum!
Hi Carolyn! Loved this interview. Reading through all of it, I am beginning to wonder if we’re long lost twins just slightly separated by a couple of years!
I grew up with Laura Ingalls Wilder, Jane Austen, L. M. Montgomery and Georgette Heyer and I really believe that these beloved books lead to my becoming an “old soul” because of the beautiful values of faith, family and freinds woven into them.
I joined you for your Facebook live the other day and was so excited to hear that part of this book takes place in Australia!
Your book and life sounds interesting. I would love to come to Australia one day. My parents sent me to Ireland for my birthday. I went on a ten day tour, there was several of the group from Australia. Those were the ones I hung out with. Loved their personalities and their accent. Can’t wait to read your book.
Hi Joy! How wonderful it must have been to visit Ireland! I’ve only been for a long weekend, so I’m sure ten days would have been wonderful! I hope you enjoy reading A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh xx
Hi Stassi! Well you know what they say about great minds… 😉 It’s actually the first little part of my ninth book (Misleading Miss Verity) that takes place in Sydney. It was lots of fun to research Sydney in this time period. Hopefully I can one day see more Aussie-flavored books released!
Great interview Jenny and Carolyn – thanks for sharing with us. 🙂
Carolyn, I’m waiting for you to publish a book with an Aussie setting – historical or contemporary! I’m glad my Omega workshop was helpful for your writing journey.
Loved hearing the background story of your writing, Carolyn. Can’t wait to read this new novel, especially because the two main characters sound so extremely different to each other!
But also, would be super keen to read the story inspired by the athletes!
Hi Lays! I don’t know what it is, but it seems that nearly every contemporary story I’ve written has a particular sport or athlete featured. Maybe it’s wish fulfillment! (Ha ha!) I do hope to see them published one day. 😊
Thanks every one for coming by to bless Carolyn
I loved learning a little more about your writing journey. I had no idea you had some contemporary stories as well. I would love to be a fly on the wall when you meet Becky Wade and see the workings of two master story tellers.
Hi Brandi! Thanks so much for your kind words. That would certainly be a fun conversation! And I hope that one day we’ll see something published from my contemporary stories! ❤️
Good Morning, I enjoyed the interview and learning a little about Carolyn and her writing experience. Thank you so much for sharing some of your life, sounds like you are an Awesome person. Your new book sounds really good and I Love the cover. Best of luck to you with all your endeavors. Take Care. I am looking forward to reading your books.
Hi Alicia! Thanks so much for your kind words. Kregel do a great job with the covers, don’t they? I hope you enjoy reading them one day soon 🙂
I love how you say that books can help you learn historical facts without cramming it down your throat in school. That is exactly how I feel about historical Christian fiction! I can actually learn something and it’s enjoyable. I definitely enjoyed the interview.
Hi Perrianne! History is filled with fascinating details isn’t it? I hope you enjoy reading A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh! 🙂
Great interview Carolyn! Congratulations on the release of A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh! I would love to visit Australia one day.
I love L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables too. Laura Ingalls Wilder and Louisa May Alcott and are favorites of mine as well. As a young teenager I loved reading Nancy Drew books.
Blessings, Tina
Hi Tina! Oh yes, so many great authors and books you’ve listed there! When you do come visit Australia let me know! I hope you enjoy reading A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh xx
Thanks for the interview. Love your books. Looking forward to reading this new book.
Hi Faith! Thanks so much for your kind words! I hope you enjoy reading A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh 🙂
Loved hearing a little bit about you Carolyn.
Thanks so much Patricia! Happy reading xx
Hello Carolyn 😀 Several of your favorite authors are favorites of mine as well. I have been an avid consumer of the written word since I …well…learned to read LOL Growing up I was often found with my nose in a book. As a teenager my Mother would force me to go outside to get some fresh air and sunshine. Little did she know that I usually found a way to secret a book in my clothing and I would just go find a shady spot to read some more.
Great interview! England breathes history – there is inspiration everywhere. I’m looking forward to reading Miss Hatherleigh’s story!
Thanks for the fun interview!! I think my favorite redhead is ‘Anne with an E’ as well! 😀 I am so excited for the release of your newest book, A HERO FOR MISS HATHERLEIGH!! Thanks for the chance to win a copy!! I LOVE your books, Carolyn!! Keep them coming!!! 😊