"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."-- Edmund Burke; British Statesman and Philosopher who is generally viewed as the philosophical founder of modern political conservatism.


AmHis

The American Historical Christian Fiction blog hi-lights books by Christian authors who are led by the Lord to write about characters and stories set in America's past. They are exciting stories of romance, adventure and suspense, written to inspire and encourage.

If you're looking for a book for yourself, a loved one, or those who may need an uplifting message woven through an entertaining story, please consider new monthly releases in inspirational historical fiction found here--the kind that take you on a journey into our country's past (from early colonial times to WWII) and illuminates the trials, beauty and blessings of our great nation.

This week it's my pleasure to interview Author of the Week: Naomi Musch and to present her February release: "The Green Veil"








Title: The Green Veil
Author: Naomi Musch
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing



Colette loved Manason long before he came back into her life. But in Wisconsin's virgin pine country where lumber barons ruled private empires, her vow was to his enemy.

Lumberman's daughter, Colette Palmer has always loved timber cruiser Manason Kade -- even though he only remembers her as a child. Leaving Michigan to settle with her family in the Wisconsin wilderness, and separated from him by miles and years, compassion compels her to marry another.

Manason longs to plant roots of his own in Wisconsin Territory. But when he stakes his claim and challenges the illegal log harvesting of a rival company, Colette's husband will stop at nothing to ruin him. Then one day Manason and Colette meet again. Now, she will have to choose between her first love and her commitment to her marriage vows, while her faith and an empire in pine hang in the balance.

As hi-lighted author on American Historical Christian Fiction this week, Naomi has graciously offered to share some thoughts about her journey as a writer and author.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was 10 years old when I began announcing my plans to become a writer. I submitted horribly written ghost stories to my 4th grade teacher, and went on to write equally atrocious Nancy Drew-esque mysteries in later grades. I moved on to romantic tragedies in Jr. High. Thank the Lord, He grew me after that! But the cool thing is that I did learn a lot about story structure in those childhood years, simply because I loved storytelling as an art.


How did you prepare? College courses? Workshops? Books on Craft?

I've gobbled up books on craft galore, and I've huge archives of The Writer magazine. In early adulthood, my focus moved to journalistic and essay style writing, and I focused most of my high school and college courses around those things. But I've always come back to writing fiction, then re-writing, and re-re-writing. That's how you learn.


Were you writing fiction before you got published?

Is this the correct spelling for "drawersful"? Or is it "drawers full"? 


How many years/stories did you write before the first one was accepted?

I didn't try submitting the first 3 novels I wrote. To me, those were training ground. The 4th I published by print-on-demand out of a pure need for closure. (I'd only submitted it one time, and had what writers consider a very "good" rejection. But I was impatient.) It took me more years than average, uh... whatever average is... because writing time was intermittent between homeschooling my five kids through high school.


Why do you enjoy writing historicals? (and anything more you want to add to this--anything special about time/settings etc.)


School is very good at teaching you to dislike things. In grade school, I learned to dislike history -- or at least I thought I did. As a newlywed, I began reading more historical fiction and realized I really loved history when it was set before me in a palpable way. I began to think about historical occurrences in light of what they really meant to the people who lived through them.

Certain periods of history really jump out at me, and usually they're periods that aren't heavily written about in terms of historical or inspirational fiction. I love the broad canvas I'm finding in writing about the pioneer logging era in my state of Wisconsin. What a time rich with historical fabric -- as much so as the gold or land rushes of the west!

Another time I love studying is the early American period of the French and Indian Wars. My book The Casket Girl is set during that time. I also am intrigued by the Voyageurs of the Great Lakes, and have a book spinning around in my head that I intend to eventually write in that time period.


What's your next book/release date we can look forward to? (A quick sentence or two of what it's about to whet our appetites? :)


The Green Veil just released in January, and the sequel The Red Fury will release in October of 2011. They're part of a 3-book, Empire in Pine series from Desert Breeze Publishing. (The 3rd, The Black Rose, is scheduled for summer 2012.)

The Red Fury picks up 20 years after The Green Veil. In the story, Colette's daughter Lainey believes herself a shrew. Breaking society's rules, and living life on the edge to defy a string of heartaches, she strikes up a camaraderie with a pair of brothers who are civil war veterans fighting their own levels of "soldier's heart" (post traumatic stress). As their relationship begins a confusing firestorm in her heart, the most devastating conflagration in American history strikes the young state of Wisconsin. Millions of acres are destroyed in the fury, thousands of lives taken. Will either brother be able to overcome his own torment to break through the walls around Lainey's heart? Can they escape Peshtigo's flames? And what of the fury in a heart afraid to love?


Thank you, Naomi. A giveaway of "Green Veil" in a downloaded e-book format is available to the winner of a drawing at the end of the week if you leave a comment!


Historic Flash Facts

Curious about what happened on your birth date one hundred years ago....(wouldn't it make a great theme for your birthday party?) Or are you searching for an historical event to include in a story you're writing? Check out Historic Flash Facts; new entries will be added weekly to keep you "up-to-date".

Feb. 13, 1861
Abraham Lincoln was officially declared winner of the 1860 presidential election as electors cast their ballots.

Feb. 13, 1935
A jury in Farmington, N.J. found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-slaying of the son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. (Hauptmann was later executed).

Feb. 14, 1778
The American ship Ranger carried the recently adopted Stars and Stripes to a foreign port for the first time as it arrived in France.

Feb. 14, 1912
Arizona achieves statehood.

Feb. 14, 1920
The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago; its first president was Maud Wood Parker.

Feb. 14, 1929
The "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" took place in a Chicago garage as seven rivals of Al Capone's gang were gunned down.

Feb. 15, 1820
American suffragist Susan B. Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts.

Feb. 15, 1879
President Rutherford B. Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court.

Feb. 15, 1898
The U.S. battleship Maine mysteriously blew up in Havana Harbor, killing more than 260 crew members and bringing the United States closer to war with Spain.

Feb. 15, 1944
Allied bombers destroyed the monastery atop Monte Cassino in Italy.

Feb. 16, 1862
During the Civil War, some 14,000 confederate soldiers surrendered at Ft. Donelson, Tenn. (Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's victory earned him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.)

Feb. 16, 1868
The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks was organized in New York City.

Feb. 17, 1801
The U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice-president.

Feb. 17, 1864
During the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sunk in Charleston Harbor, S.C., by the Confederate hand-cranked submarine H.L. Hunley, which also sank.

Feb. 17, 1897
The forerunner of the national PTA, the National Congress of Mothers, convened its first meeting in Washington, D.C.

Feb. 17, 1947
The Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.

Feb. 18, 1861
Jefferson Davis was sworn in as provisional president of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama.

Feb. 18, 1885
The first edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in the U.S.

Feb. 18, 1911
The world's first officially sanctioned airmail flight was completed as Fred Wiseman, carrying three letters, arrived in Santa Rosa, Cal. in his biplane a day after leaving Petaluma, Cal. (engine trouble forced an overnight stop).

Feb. 19, 1942
President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the military to relocate and intern U.S. residents, including native-born Americans of Japanese ancestry.

Feb. 19, 1945
During WWII, some 30,000 U.S. Marines began landing on Iwo Jima, where they commenced a successful month-long battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces.




"May the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: may the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." Num.6:25-26 (KJV)