Where Do I Get My
Ideas?
From the
beginning, this Seasons of the Heart
series has felt special—almost magical—to me. First, editor Alicia Condon at
Kensington invited me to write this
Amish series, which is so much easier than conjuring proposals and story lines,
then sending them to your agent and editors on spec. Because Alicia had
previously bought my Angels of Mercy
series, she already knew I could write faith-and-family stories and I already
knew I enjoyed writing for her. While she’s quick to say what ideas won’t work
for her, she’s also very enthusiastic once I send in finished material. Her
compliments inspire me to keep my rear in the chair even on days when writing
two Amish series for two different publishers threatens my sanity!
And when it
came time to research the Amish in Missouri, where my series is set, I came
across a magazine article that hooked me up with Jim Smith of Step Back In Time
tours in Jamesport, a large Old Order Amish settlement. Happenstance? I don’t
think so! Jim isn’t Amish, but he grew up in Jamesport and he knows all those
Plain folks—takes his tour buses to their stores—so my time riding around the
back roads of Jamesport with him gave me a bunch of great ideas and
understanding of the Amish culture. And as I write, Jim is only an email away
when I have questions about stuff like, how do they run the windshield wipers
on their buggies? Or, what color apron would a young girl wear to church? Jim
and I have become really good friends, and he promotes my books on his buses,
so when his guests get to the Christian bookstore located in the Oak Ridge
Furniture, they snap up copies to take home!
Then,
there’s the way ideas and characters have been coming at me from out of
nowhere! When I proposed this series and began writing about Miriam Lantz and
her three girls, I knew all these women would eventually find the loves of
their lives—that’s a given, in romance—but I had no idea that Ben Hooley would blow in during a storm in AUTUMN
WINDS and then bring his two maiden aunts, Jerusalem and Nazareth, to Willow
Ridge, along with four little goats! I got that idea when I spotted a book on
raising goats in Lowe’s, and I just knew I had to write about them! And while I
knew the bishop, Hiram Knepp, was arrogant and determined to marry Miriam
himself, I had no clue about how far he’d take his underhanded tactics. It was
sheer joy to bring Hiram to justice in WINTER OF WISHES—although he’s by no
means going to disappear. My readers, my editor, and I love to hate this man!
Even though he gets tossed out of Willow Ridge, he’ll be plotting his revenge
from afar, even into books 4 and 5.
Another
unexpected gift of writing this series has been the invitation to write a
Christmas anthology featuring novellas by Charlotte Hubbard and Naomi King (the
other me) which allow characters from both of my series to mix and mingle! AN
AMISH COUNTRY CHRISTMAS comes out October 1, 2013—another ingenious idea of my
editor. And just last week, she asked if I would participate in the Amish
holiday anthology slated for 2014. While lying half-awake in the wee hours this
morning, I got the idea for a Christmas pageant in Willow Ridge, again “out of
nowhere” and by 1:00 this afternoon I had sent the synopsis for my story. The
rabbits just seem to keep popping out of the hat without me having to tug very
hard.
In reality, however, I believe the
“ask and you shall receive” system is at work here. It is an act of faith to sit down and write a book.
Even now that I’ve been published for nearly 30 years, there’s no guarantee
that story lines and characters will show up when I need them, or that these fictional
people and their activities will entertain my readers. As I continue to write
the Seasons of the Heart series,
however, I will keep asking God for help and I’ll keep believing He’ll bring it
to me. He’s never failed me yet!
I’d be delighted if you’d read
WINTER OF WISHES and go to my website, www.CharlotteHubbard.com,
to check out my other books as well. You can Friend me as Charlotte Hubbard on
Facebook, and you can alsoLike my Naomi C. King author page. I appreciate any
comments or reviews you care to leave at places like Amazon.com, BN.com and
other online bookstores, as well. Thanks so much for your interest in my
stories! Together, we can keep this “magic” going!
"Seasons of the Heart" series
10/13: AN AMISH COUNTRY CHRISTMAS anthology
11/13: AMANDA WEDS A GOOD MAN
"Home at Cedar Creek"
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