Bio:Award-winning author Keli Gwyn writes stories that transport readers to the 1800s, where she brings historic towns to life, peoples them with colorful characters, and adds a hint of humor. A
California
native, she lives in the Gold Rush-era town of
Placerville
at the foot of the majestic
Sierra Nevada
Mountains
.
When Keli’s fingers aren’t hovering over the keyboard of her newfangled laptop, she enjoys strolling past stately Victorian houses in her historic town, burying her nose in reference books as she unearths interesting facts to include in her stories, and interacting with other romance readers. Her favorite places to visit are her fictional worlds, other Gold Rush-era towns, and historical museums.
Welcome, Keli. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
It seems each of my characters has at least one of my attributes. Tess, the heroine in Family of Her Dreams, loves to record her innermost thoughts in writing. Like Tess, I’ve often kept journals. Becky, the heroine in my second Love Inspired Historical, has a fondness for words and is quite attached to her dictionary, as am I. Callie, whose story I’m currently working on, names inanimate objects. If you were to visit my house, you’d find the Monster lurking in the hall closet, which is what I call our vacuum cleaner when I warn our skittish cats that it’s coming out of hiding.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I have several quirks, but one that draws attention is my ability to engage in Cat Speak. When people visit our house and hear our two cat brothers with their distinct voices and personalities carrying on lively conversations, they have varied reactions. The more reserved try to hide their surprise but are given away by the widening of their eyes. Some grin. Others laugh outright. I simply remind our guests that they’re in the company of a writer who’s in the habit of creating characters, so what can they expect?
When did you first discover that you were a writer?
At the age of seven, I had a light bulb moment when I realized that the books I loved to read were written by writers. My dream of being a writer was born that memorable day. Forty years later, I dusted off that dream and began writing my first romance.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
Historical romance is by far my favorite genre. I’m partial to stories set in the American West during the Victorian Era. Sound familiar? Yup. That’s what I write. My favorite tropes are mail-order bride and marriage of convenience stories. I do read some contemporary romances, and thanks to Sarah Sundin, I read the occasional WWII story. Hers are a must read.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
My sanity has done run out on me. At least there are days I feel like it’s left. Snicker!
Seriously, though, I have learned to embrace that itty bitty word “no.” I’ve come to realize I can’t do it all. I carefully evaluate how much I put on my plate. Even so, there are times when I take on too much, end up with an overflowing platter and have to do some paring. I suspect I’m not alone in this. Please, tell me I’m not.
I think all authors have to do that, probably more than once in their writing life. How do you choose your characters’ names?
I peruse lists of Victorian names, look in past issues of our newspaper, which dates back to
California
’s Gold Rush, and keep my ears open when people talk about their ancestors. My goal is to give a hero a strong, solid-sounding name. I tend to choose names for my heroines that have a dated feel but flow nicely off the tongue. If a name can be shortened, I consider that a bonus. That way my heroine can have a nickname. Since I’m a romance writer, I make sure to try my heroine’s first name with my hero’s last name. For example, Penelope (Penny) Baxter and Garrett Gwyn would never do.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
In regards to an accomplishment that involves others, I would say I’m proud of helping my husband raise a daughter who loves the Lord and is confident enough to be pursuing her dream of working in
Europe
. When it comes to a personal accomplishment, I would say seeing my first book released has made me the proudest. That milestone chiwas the culmination of a lifelong dream.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A chihuahua. I’m small, but I have plenty of energy. I’m also a big Taco Bell fan.
What is your favorite food?
I love Mexican food! During college, I often put away Taco Bell for both lunch and dinner. These days, I often make myself a bean burrito smothered in green sauce for lunch.
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Without a doubt it was—and is—self-doubt. While there are times when the words flow and I feel like I’ve written something halfway decent, there are others when I’m sure what I’ve splashed on the page is complete and utter dreck.
Tell us about the featured book.
Family of Her Dreams, my first Love Inspired Historical, takes place in a Gold Rush-era town not far from where I live in the Sierra Foothills. Here is the back cover copy.
A Family to Cherish
Headstrong Tess Grimsby loves her new job caring for the children of a recently widowed man. But she never imagined that she’d fall for her handsome employer. Yet Spencer Abbott is as caring as he is attractive, and Tess can’t help but feel for him and his family. Though, for the sake of her job, she’ll keep any emotions about her boss to herself.
Between his stationmaster responsibilities in a gold-rush town and trying to put his family back together, Spencer has his hands full. He soon finds his new hire’s kind personality warming his frosty exterior. But could he ever admit to seeing her as more than just an employee?
Please give us the first page of the book.
The pages of my book are small, so I’ll give you a wee bit more than that, since I’m eager for your blog’s readers to meet my handsome but hurting hero, Spencer Abbott.
July 1866
Shingle Springs
,
California
“Look out, ma’am!”
Tess Grimsby jumped back to avoid a fellow about fifteen pulling a baggage cart with far too much speed for the bustling rail station. She collided with a mother herding her four youngsters, causing the weary-looking woman to drop her wicker basket. Several children’s books slid across the wooden platform.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” Tess stooped to pick up the books that had landed at her feet.
The woman made sure her children were all right, dropped to her knees and reached for a copy of Little Bo-Peep. “It wasn’t your fault.” She scowled at the baggage handler. “He needs to watch where he’s going.”
The young man parked his cart beside the baggage car and sprinted over to them. “Sorry ’bout that. It’s my first day on the job, and my boss said to hurry. I’ve got to make a good impression.” He grinned, reminding Tess of one of the many boys she’d befriended when she lived at the orphanage.
She smiled. “No harm was done.”
A man with a voice as rich as Belgian chocolate addressed the teen. “Be more careful next time. Getting the baggage moved quickly is important, but Mr. Flynn wouldn’t want you to endanger our passengers, nor would I.”
“Right, sir.” The lad left.
“Come, children. We need to get home.” The mother took the books Tess had gathered, muttered something about troublesome teens and hustled her children across the crowded platform.
Tess slid her satchel back on her shoulder, straightened and found herself face-to-face with a broad-shouldered, golden-haired gentleman. He was younger than any of the men she’d worked for—and far more handsome with his strong chin and arresting sky-blue eyes, currently clouded with sadness. If he was Mr. Abbott—the widower she’d come to see—she could understand.
He held out her journal and said nothing for several seconds as he gazed at her, his expression unreadable. No doubt the tall man wasn’t used to looking a woman in the eye.
“Sir?”
The frown he’d worn faded, giving way to a hint of a smile that caused her breath to hitch. “I believe this is yours. It fell out of your bag during the commotion.”
“Thank you.” She took the diary from him, its pages so full of her hopes and dreams—as well as the mementos she’d tucked between the pages—that she had to grip it tightly to keep items from falling out. She would add her train ticket to the collection of memorabilia, a symbol of the new chapter in her life she was eager to embrace. “You must be Mr. Abbott, the stationmaster.”
Copyright © 2015 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover, cover copy text and excerpt used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited.
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
or its affiliated companies, used under license.
I love it. How can readers find you on the Internet?
I invite readers to visit my Victorian-style cyber home at www.keligwyn.com, where they can find my contact information and social media links.
Thanks for hosting me,
Lena
. Your questions were a lot of fun to answer.
I’d like to end by asking your blog visitor’s a question. I admitted to naming my vacuum cleaner. What is an inanimate object you’ve named, and why did you give it that name?
Thank you, Keli, for the fun interview.
Dear Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Keli's novel. Be sure to answer her question, and we'd like to know where you live, at least the state or territory.
Here are links where you can purchase a copy of Family of Her Dreams:
Family of Her Dreams - Christianbook.com
Family of Her Dreams (Love Inspired Historical)
Family of Her Dreams (Love Inspired Historical) - Kindle
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