Author Interview with Toni Shiloh

Sit awhile a read my interview with Toni Shiloh author of Returning Home. You'll be sure to learn some things you didn't know before! 

Happy Monday, Reader Friends!

Today I’m kicking off the week with an interview with the lovely Lisa J. Flickinger. She’s stopped by to talk about her historical novel, Fool’s Notion? Have you read it? If not, now’s a good time to learn more. Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and meet Lisa!

Interview

Toni: Welcome, Lisa! Thank you for stopping by Soulfully Romantic today. It seems Fool’s Notion is ripe with romance! Where did you get the idea for this story?

Lisa: When I was in grade four, my family drove eighteen hundred miles to California. We visited Knott’s Berry Farm and one of their displays was an interactive map of the Oregon Trail. I was fascinated by the miniature covered wagons (I have one in my TV room). From then on, I loved the idea of pioneering. As an author, the idea of a young woman making her way across the country was too hard to resist.

Toni: I used to love the Oregon Trail video game.  This takes place along the Missouri River. How did you do research for this historical time frame?

Lisa: I immersed myself in the 1880’s by reading women’s diaries, studying historical books, contacting libraries about the time period, and watching applicable movies.

Toni: Diaries?! That had to be interesting. Okay, mules are a focus in this book. Have you ever ridden one? Petted one? Owned one?!

Lisa: I’ve petted quite a few as our former neighbors raised prize winning mules. My own brief stint as a cowgirl ended when I was trampled by my horse and suffered a broken shoulder blade. During the writing of Fool’s Notion, I shared pots of tea with and interviewed the owners of Windy Ridge Farms to learn the nuances of mule’s behavior.

Toni: Ouch! What are three elements that are always present in your writing and why?

Lisa: Good question! I like to put an element of hope in our Lord in every novel so the reader has something they can take away for their “real lives”. Humor to lighten up difficult issues has also become more important in my writing. A gorgeous guy! Who doesn’t’ need more of those in their life?

Toni: Good elements! What is your favorite…
Animal?

Lisa: Black Lab – the most loyal pet ever.

Toni: Aww, labs are adorable! Body of water?

Lisa: Gull Lake – a beautiful lake we love to fish on.

Toni: Nice! Romance movie?

Lisa: Legends of the Fall – I think I need to watch it again.

Toni: I don’t think I’ve seen it. Era?

Lisa: The late eighteen hundreds – if only I could go back in time.

Toni:  And last but not least, what are you currently working on?

Lisa: I’m currently working on a story set in a late eighteen hundreds (of course) about a logging camp and a young woman named Isabelle who’s struggling with the after affects of a violent incident. She forms a friendship with a new-to–the-faith logger who is struggling with his own secrets from the past.