RoguesAngels: Christmas Comes to Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard

Please welcome Charlotte Hubbard author of Christmas Comes to Morning Star

Charlotte Hubbard be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. In addition to the GC, the author would like to select one female reader's name to use in her upcoming book, HIDDEN AWAY AT PROMISE LODGE.

Christmas Comes to Morning Star

byCharlotte Hubbard

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GENRE: Amish/Inspirational romance

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INTERVIEW:

What elements are necessary components for this genre?

For stories to be considered authentic in the Amish genre, the author must be familiar with worship practices, clothing, acceptable behavior (before and after young people join the Amish church) and the rural lifestyle that defines Plain communities. Although some of these matters differ from one Amish community to the next—which allows you a little wiggle room when you write about breaking the “rules” of the Amish faith—many tenets of this religion remain strictly in place. This “wiggle room” allows me to create towns like Morning Star where my characters can behave the way they need to in a story, but they must still follow the basic ways of the Old Order religion.

For example, very conservative Amish wear only dark colors (always solids, no prints) and fasten their clothing with pins because buttons and zippers are forbidden, where in more lenient settlements like Morning Star you’ll see folks wearing pink, yellow, and other bright colors (still no zippers, though!) Amish may not own cars; you’ll see Pete Shetler driving an old pickup in CHRISTMAS COMES TO MORNING STAR, but that’s because he’s dragging his feet about joining the church! Old Order Amish avoid electricity because it can bring the outside world into their homes via TV, but they’ll allow storekeepers like Molly and Marietta Helfing to have a solar-powered credit card processor in their noodle shop so they can run a successful business. In some towns, Amish women aren’t allowed to work after they marry—and this becomes a major issue for my Morning Star heroines as they wonder about their future running The Marketplace shops they’ve worked so hard to establish.

What expertise did you bring to your writing?

Before I began writing Amish romances, I did a lot of on-site research in Jamesport, MO and I studied nonfiction books about the Amish. I also subscribe to The Budget, which is the national newspaper for Amish and Mennonite communities. It’s there (in the obituaries, especially) I locate names that are authentic Old Order names, because those folks use a specific, limited number of German-style surnames (like Detweiler and Fussner), and their first names are often from the Bible, or are names you heard back in previous centuries (like Enos or Lovina).

I was also an English teacher before I became a novelist, so I like to think I have a pretty good handle on sentence structure, punctuation, etc.—although every copy editor who’s worked on my manuscripts has her own opinion about where the commas should go! Go figure.

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

My first published stories were confessions, for such magazines as True Confessionsand Modern Romances—which gave me a lot of practice at story crafting before I tackled book-length fiction. At the time, I didn’t know about joining writers’ groups, so I was researching stuff like marketing on my own. Luckily, I landed a good agent to help me sell my books to publishers. My first book came out in 1991, when you still used a typewriter and carbon paper to write a manuscript, and you boxed it up and sent it to a publisher in the mail. Things changed a lot when we got computers and the internet!

Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

Maybe I’m stubborn and vain, but I’ve never seen the benefit of having other people—no matter how well-intentioned they are—tell you how to rewrite your story. They invariably have different opinions about your work, so who do you believe?? The only writing advice I follow comes from the person signing my checks. I listen closely to changes my editor and my agent ask me to make, and I listen to my own instinct. All those other voices just tend to confuse the matter!

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

It’s a good idea to “write what you know” because when you fake it too much, a reader will call you on it. For instance, I love writing these Amish books because mine are set in rural Missouri, where I grew up, so I know the lay of the land and how their homes look, and how the odor from those pigs in the barn lot can make your whole house stink on a hot day.

The worst piece of advice involves “write the book of your heart”. While you should indeed write stories you believe in, that come from your soul, you’re in big trouble if you don’t pay attention to whether that sort of story willsell. My agent taught me a lot about that early on, because he refused to represent books he felt he couldn’t sell. You can waste a lot of years and effort on dead-end books if you don’t know about salability—but then these days, you can self-publish anything. Many self-published writers make a lot more money than I do because they know how to market their work effectively on social media, etc. Good for them! That’s just not the way my career has gone.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

Both! In order to get a contract from my publisher, I must turn in a fairly detailed synopsis of each story in the series—which is a big help when I begin to write each book. A synopsis is about 15-20 pages long, however, which means a lotof the book gets written because I sit down and “just start writing.”

If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

I’d like to be more like Pete Shetler, the easy-going carpenter who falls in love with Molly Helfing. Pete made me laugh a lot as I wrote CHRISTMAS COMES TO MORNING STAR, and he and his rowdy Golden retriever, Riley, are just a lot of fun to be with—even if this means Molly wonders if Pete will ever wake up and realize he’s in love with her. Pete’s also able to sketch out a floor plan and then build a house from it! What a great talent to have.

Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

Molly Helfing’s my favorite character because she’s such a can-do person who doesn’t allow doubt to stop her. I admire her a great deal because when her twin sister, Marietta, lost all her long hair during her chemo treatments, Molly shaved her head in support—even though this boldly defies the Old Order rule that says women are never to cut their hair. And because Marietta believes she’s “damaged goods” no man will ever want to marry after her double mastectomy, Molly vows never to marry, either, so she can always help her twin as they support themselves with their noodle making. Now that’slove and loyalty!

How do you maintain your creativity?

I’ve learned over the years that there really is more to life than work (although, during the pandemic, I was so thankful to have books to write. Work can keep you sane). I spend a lot of time each day walking my border collie, Vera, and I cook a lot, and I enjoy reading (but I read historical mysteries, not Amish stories!) and crocheting and other crafty things. Sometimes when I get stuck, not knowing where to go next with a story, the repetitive motion of crocheting loosens things in my mind so the ideas flow again. I’m also very active in church—and it’s amazing how often an idea in a sermon will give me things to add to a story! We also take vacations and cruises to get away from home and see fascinating places. When we come back, I feel mentally refreshed and ready to write again!

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

As you read this, I’ve finished the 4^th/final book in the Morning Star series (LOVE BLOOMS IN MORNING STAR, 8/2022) and have returned to Promise Lodge to write two more stories in that series (#6 FAMILY GATHERINGS AT PROMISE LODGE, and #7 HIDDEN AWAY AT PROMISE LODGE, both in 2023). I’ve toyed with the idea of retiring, but I’m cogitating on a new series idea, still in the Amish romance genre, because I learned during the pandemic that retiring probably isn’t a good idea for me yet. I need the structure of having something with a deadline to work on.

BLURB:

Founded by five unmarried and enterprising Amish maidels, the new Morning Star Marketplace in small-town Missouri is preparing for a joyous Christmas season. But will the holiday also bring
unexpected tidings of love?

Twin sisters Molly and Marietta Helfing are eagerly anticipating Christmas, with Marietta fully recovered from cancer and their noodle making business thriving. But Molly clearly misses having former tenant Pete Shetler and his rambunctious dog, Riley, around. Marietta can’t ignore Molly’s feelings for Pete—or the anxiety it stirs within her. Convinced her illness has made her unmarriageable, Marietta wonders what kind of life she’ll have if her sister marries—despite Molly’s promise never to leave her behind. . .

Then a fire destroys the home of Amish neighbors and Molly and Marietta graciously make room for widower Glenn Detweiler, his dat, and his two young boys. When Pete returns to help the family rebuild, Molly relishes her reunion with the handsome carpenter, while Marietta delights in mothering Glenn’s boys—and is surprised by her poignant bond with their quiet, brooding father. Soon everyone is wondering if this season will bring the blessing of a merry double wedding to Morning Star . . .

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EXCERPT:

When she glanced at her sister, who was placing a strip of noodle dough into the roller, Marietta noticed a rare frown on Molly’s face. “Penny for your thoughts, sister.”

Molly shrugged. “Sure is quiet without Riley and Pete around.”

Marietta’s eyes widened at her sister’s wistful remark. For several months, Pete Shetler and his golden retriever, Riley, had rented one of their two dawdi hauses. Pete had done some much-needed maintenance around their farm—while his active young dog had mostly dug up Mamm’s flower beds, chewed the belts on their noodle making equipment, and found other trouble to get into.

Pete had moved into his uncle’s house, however. Although Marietta appreciated the return to a quieter routine without their renter, she sensed Molly had secretly adored the muscular blond carpenter and his rambunctious dog.

“Maybe you should pay Pete a visit,” she suggested. “I bet he’d be tickled if you took over a pan of noodle pudding—”

“Why would I do that?” Molly blurted. “It’s not as though anything would come of a relationship—even if Pete took the hint and asked me out.”

“Why not?” Marietta paused, hoping to express her concerns carefully. “Just because I’ll never marry doesn’t mean you should forfeit a potential romance. Sure, Pete’s clueless most of the time but he seems trainable. And he’s awfully cute.”

“Let’s not forget that Pete refuses to join the Amish church, so a romance would be pointless—even if he knew the meaning of the word,” Molly shot back. “Truth be told, I like Riley better than Pete, anyway. I intend to remain here on the farm with you, sister, like we’ve always agreed upon. We’re turning thirty-five next month, so why would I want to change my life—and my attitude—to accommodate a husband?”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story.She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 50 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.

www.charlottehubbard.com

Facebook -- www.Facebook.com/Charlotte.Hubbard1

Zebra Books •• ISBN-13: 9781420151831 •• ISBN-10: 1420151835

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