Discover more about

Lauraine Snelling

and her historical romance

Harvest of Hope

Bethany House

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A book character that sticks in my mind is… Why?

Maisie Dobbs because she came from a poor background, overcoming such odds and solves crimes by using her mind and her training in relaxing and focus. She is so real and I so want to meet her and sit down for a long chat time. Oh the questions I would ask her. The way I am reacting to her, I am on book ten in the series now, shows me how my readers react to Ingeborg. I am learning WW1 and later history in England in a most entertaining way. Maisie is such a woman leading her times. The first book about her is her name, Maisie Dobbs.

The last book that made me cry was…

The one that made me cry the most was writing To Everything a Season. I dare not read it again or I am sure there will be another crying jag. I probably cry the easiest in animal stories and since I’ve been captivated by elephants, the amazing story of a real elephant named Modoc, what a gallant and astounding creature, probably affected me the most.

The last book that made me laugh out loud was…

I remember laughing out loud but right now I can’t remember the book. It’ll probably jump into my mind at 1 a.m., when I wake up for a potty break.

I’m completely immersed in their storytelling, whenever I read a book by…

Sandy Dengler, I love her woman sheriff in The Sheriff of Laido County and the following books. They are only on ebooks but I order them immediately. The most current one is Maisie’s author, Jacqueline Winspear.

The first person who encouraged me to pursue my writing was…

The first person was my mother, who kept everything she could get her hands on in my early years. But a teacher, Mrs. Jen Southworth told me one time, “Lauraine, if you would ever focus on ONE thing, you could do anything you want.” That line has lived with me all my life and not only with writing but other things I’ve attempted. The big problem for me is focusing on ONE thing because I LOVE doing so many things. Writing is my major focus, but I love to paint and grow things, flowers especially, sew, crochet, bake, you get the idea. Now I do not let myself start a new hobby or craft or any of the other things that beckon me. BTW, Mrs. Southworth, I never could call her Jen, read my books to those interested at her retirement home. I sent her every one that I published up to the day she went home to heaven. She also encouraged my public speaking and teaching. Ah, yes, so many things….

If I wasn’t a writer, I would be…

A full time public speaker with a side of painting. I love entertaining and teaching people. Rel, you ask hard but interesting questions. Of course, out speaking, I get to hug on more people. Writing and speaking go hand in hand, each one assisting the other.

I write stories because…

I can’t not write. I am a story teller from birth, I am sure. After all there had to be experiences in utero? “Mom, what ARE you doing? I just got a bump.” Hmmm. Think about it. Life is all about stories, God built into us the love and need for story as a way to learn about life and how to live it. The entire Bible tells wondrous stories of God’s adventures with His people and the amazing ways He takes care of us. There are enough plot lines in the Bible to keep a score of writers busy for life.

A Harvest of Hope

Miriam Hastings has her future plans in place…
But Trygve Knutson is intent on changing them.

Just a few short weeks into her year-long training at the Blessing Hospital, Miriam Hastings is called home to Chicago, where her mother is gravely ill. With siblings to care for, Miriam pleads to be allowed to finish her training in Chicago. Her nursing supervisor grants her a brief reprieve but extracts a promise that Miriam will return to Blessing and fulfill her one-year commitment.

While in Chicago, Miriam has tried to get Trygve Knutson and Blessing out of her mind, but his letters make that impossible. Trygve is busy building a house, hoping he can convince Miriam to return to North Dakota and marry him. Torn between Trygve’s love and her family’s needs, she doesn’t know what to do.

When Miriam finally returns to Blessing, she buries herself in her work. But no matter how hard she tries to put it off, she has some life-changing decisions to make about her future, her family… and the man who is never far from her thoughts.

What will it take to convince her to stay?

My latest novel can be described by these 5 adjectives…

Oh fiddlesticks, may be I won’t answer this one. Questions like this are far easier to answer for someone else’s book. Readers have said Harvest of Hope is: comforting, enjoyable, too short, inspiring, and “when will the next one be out?” More than five words but I always have been a bit of a rebel.

My main character is… 

Since I usually do three Point of View characters, in Harvest of Hope, Miriam and Trygve take the spotlight, with Ingeborg who is a central character in all the Blessing books. The year is 1905 in Blessing and everyone is experiencing growing pains, even the town which has also become a central character through the years. With immigrants coming to help with the building boom, even more housing and jobs are needed, in this up to now, primarily Norwegian settlement. Growing pains aren’t easy for people, let alone a town. Years ago I used Mt. St. Helens as a character, even with her own separate pages, here I have grown a small town. You never know what’s coming.

My main character/s resemble….

People always ask me if my characters are based on real people and usually I say no. But sometimes I include real people, ie. Teddy Roosevelt, as a minor character in the Dakota Treasure’s series. I didn’t realize this at first but Ingeborg really started as a combination of two of my personal heroes, my mother Thelma and her older sister, my Aunty Inga. Ingeborg has grown in stature through the years and is her own self now—I want to be like her when I grow up.

My story’s spiritual theme is…

Forgiveness. God gave us the strongest tool for learning to live together when Jesus came and not only taught us, but died for us. We must forgive each other and ourselves to become all He plans for us to be. The alternative brings only misery.

The most recent movie or tv show I loved was… Why?

I was going to write Mom’s Night Out but that was some time ago, so I will vote for Into the Woods. I loved the way the screen writers took five well known fairy tales, combined them into one small community story and then twisted each one. The music, the cinematography, the characters, the acting all came together superbly. I think all writers should see this, not only for great ideas but for the delight of it.

The story I’m currently working on is…

I just turned in Streams of Mercy, (big time relief) book three in the Song of Blessing series, due out next fall. On Monday I dive into book four and I cannot for the life of me remember the title. I just know I loved it when my editor suggested it for this book. It sounded more like a final book in a series title for me, so we chose Streams of Mercy for book three.

You may not know this about me, but I…

Love to read? Oh, you probably already guessed that. I am not a big fan of housework? I’d rather write, in fact I’d rather do about anything else. Unless of course, I am supposed to be writing or weeding or ???? Aren’t we weird? I learned that I am not the only one who can procrastinate like this, another big relief.

I might go all fan girl if I met…

I remember one time at the ICRS convention, the big one for Christian publishers, and I met Brother Andrew. THE Brother Andrew, smuggler of Bibles into Russia and many other places. I got to shake his hand. He laughed, me too, after I adjusted to the idea that he was a very ordinary looking man.

If I could travel back in time, I’d go to…

I have no idea. But if we were to discuss who I’d like to talk with, that’s a different story. Madeline L’Engle, Corrie Ten Boom, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Louisa May Alcott. Hmmm most of them are writers, isn’t that interesting?

I get lost in the music when I listen to…

Old hymns on a grand piano with a grand pianist.

A long held dream of mine is…

I can’t do just one.

To be a lady rancher surrounded by horses, a donkey, cows, pigs, chickens, but with someone else to do all the hard work.

Another is real face time, close up and personal, with elephants.

See Michael Angelo’s David and his other creations.

Thanks Lauraine

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Breaking Free and No Distance Too Far
Character spotlight on Cassie & Ransom
Visit Lauraine’s website
Buy at Amazon: A Harvest of Hope ( Book #2) (Song of Blessing) or Koorong

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