Romancing the Genres: 2024-05-12

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Inspirational Romance with Carmen Peone

I'm excited to have an author I call a friend starting off our 3rd Saturday romance subgenre posts.

I met Carmen Peone at a book signing we were both booked for at a wonderful bookstore in Clarkston, WA. We found we had several things in common and I had been toying with a character who is Native American. She was very helpful in allaying my fears and helping me with my first murder mystery series.

Carmen Peone is an award-winning author of Young Adult and Inspirational Western Romantic Suspense and lives with her husband in Northeast Washington and on the Colville Confederated Indian Reservation. With the love of history and the Western woman's lifestyle, she weaves threads of healing, hope, and horses that lead to happily ever after.

Here is my interview with Carmen.

Paty: Because this interview is about a subgenre of Romance, why do you write Inspirational Romance?

Carmen: Thank you for having me on Romancing the Genres today! I’m blessed to be here. To answer your question, I love faith threaded throughout a good book. My faith is important to me, and I like to share the love and hope of God with others.

Paty: I believe when an author writes about what intrigues or moves them their books are better. Your books in the Seven Tine Ranch series deal with issues of abuse. Why do you write this into your books?

Carmen: I wrote this series because of a fatal family event that included domestic violence, or DM. This tragedy turned me into an advocate for DM Awareness because I’d hate to see another family struggle through the trauma our family struggled with and continues to struggle with. On my website, I have resources for anyone who needs them. Please feel free to check them out if you or someone you know is in danger.

Paty: We both have the desire to help other women. I try to put something in my mystery books about MMIW and the violence toward First Americans. Most of your books are set in Eastern Washington State. Why did you pick that area for the setting?

Carmen: The guest ranch in Book 1, Captured Secrets, of the Seven Tine Ranch Romance is set in Eastern Washington State. The ranch ties the three heroines together. It’s a place of safety and security for First American women who are in need. Broken Bondage, Book 2, is also set in Pendleton, Oregon, and on the Umatilla Reservation, as well as in other parts of Oregon, Idaho, and Las Vegas.

In the beginning, Renewed Hope volleys between Eastern Washington and Montana, but most of the book is set in the Polson, Montana, area and on or near the Flathead Reservation. You can visit my blog, https://carmenpeone.com/category/native-american/, to find out more.

Paty: Many of your characters are Native American. Why did you choose this culture to write about?

Carmen: I chose to include First American characters in my stories because I’m married to a member of the Colville Indian Reservation in Eastern Washington, another reason I set the Seven Tine Guest Ranch in Eastern WA. My children are tribal members, too, and we’ve lived for a little more than three decades here on the eastern portion of the reservation.

Paty: Every author who writes a series has a favorite character. Who is your favorite returning character in the Seven Tines Ranch series?

Carmen: Sydney Moomaw Hardy will always be my favorite. She stomped onto the page broken, discouraged, and angry. But as the story and series rolled on, she softened and became an anchor to the ranch. She went on to help other women and the ranch hands and cook in so many ways. To me, she’s an inspiration and a hero. She’s a survivor.

Paty: Who are some other Inspirational Romance authors you enjoy reading?

Carmen: I love to read Shanna Hatfield, Karen Witemeyer, and Mary Connealy. These lady’s books are comical, include strong female characters, have threads of faith, and show down-right rugged small-town or Western living that always has a happily ever after.

Paty: Those are all good choices. And I agree they are all great at writing comedy and strong females. What is the one thing you hope readers take away when they finish a book in this series?

Carmen: I hope readers can grab hold of threads of hope, courage, and love as they traverse the hard times. Life can be tragic, and we need something to get us through. God’s always there for us. He takes us as we are. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Paty: Your books did make me think more about how many women are in danger that we lucky ones never know about. Just for fun – Tell us what is your favorite thing to do besides writing and reading, because we know those are a given.

Carmen: I enjoy riding horses, taking pictures, and posting morning Japanese Haiku poems on social media. But most of all, I love family time. I love watching my 12 grandkids grow and thrive. I love my adorable husband who supports my writing dreams and goals.

Paty: Carmen, thank you for sharing about you and your books with us today. Here is a look at her book Renewed Hope.

Can they find her son in time?

Sophie Cayes is on the road to success as an artist. Until her ex-husband threatens to sue for full custody of their son. Upon learning of a guest ranch in Eastern Washington that keeps a room open for women in need, she grabs her son and bolts.

Although Chad Davis loves starting colts on the Seven Tine Guest Ranch, his goal is to have his own spread. Everything’s on course until a woman and her preschool son show up. He’s not thrilled about helping out. Until the boy comes up missing. On his watch.

Along with a tribal cop, they head back to Montana in search of the boy, knowing his dad was the one who kidnapped him. Sophie prays they find him before her ex-husband and his new wife go on the run. Taking her son with them.

Click Here to Grab your copy of Renewed Hope

Connect with Carmen

Give Away

Carmen is giving away a signed copy of Renewed Hope and a few photo cards of the Montana setting. All you have to do is tell her what state you’d like to visit. Drop your answer in the comments.

Thursday, May 16, 2024

National Get Caught Reading a Book

It's National Get Caught Reading a Book month, which I thought was a perfect topic for a blog. And what better month than May, when it's starting to warm up, and makes me want to flop in a lounge chair, and sit in the sun with a great book. I can't think of anything better on a spring day.

As I was thinking about this, my all-time favorite book that is on my bookshelf came to mind—The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger. I adore this book because it has it all. It's funny, sad, uplifting, and it leaves me feeling good at the end. It's written in letters between a 12 year-old Jewish boy, Joey, and a professional baseball player, Charlie, set in New York City during World War II.

I've often wondered what it is that makes this book so special to me. I think it’s the characters which is always the most important part of any movie, television show, or book. While story is important, a mediocre story with memorable and loveable characters is always a winner for me. This book offers all of that. Joey is being raised by his mother and aunt, and he’s desperate for male attention, so he starts sending letters to a professional baseball player.

I love the humor and the mom and aunt. They just have this way of making you laugh until you cry. But then again, so do Joey and Charlie. You can't help but love them all. And even though it’s set in one of the most tumultuous times in recent history, it still just makes me feel wonderful every time I read it. I highly recommended this book.

As I wrote this blog I wondered what makes truly memorable characters. When I think of characters that stay with me I think of shows like Gilmore Girls. One thing I’ve noticed about this show and The Last Days of Summer is even the most unlikeable characters have redeeming qualities like Lorelai’s parents. While they turn their back on their daughter when she gets pregnant and are always worried about status, they still deeply love their daughter and granddaughter even if I don’t like how they show their love at times. I think it’s the imperfections that make these characters stand out.

The same is true in Last Days of Summer. There are flawed characters, but they all have some kind of redeeming factor that makes you love them.

As a writer this is a great lesson because it’s not easy to give an unlikable character redeeming factors, but it’s something I want to work on because I believe it will give my stories more depth and readers that ahhh factor when they come to the end of the story. I also hope it will bring them back to read more of my books.

What’s your all-time favorite book and what’s put it on your keeper shelf?

I’m currently working on the third book in the Vermont Christmas Romance series. I’m still working on the rough draft, but I’m lacking unlikeable characters that I could redeem. So now I’m thinking about how I can incorporate that into the story. Since it’s a Christmas book I like the idea of a Scrooge type character that is changed by love and attention from my main characters.

If you’re into a Christmas read check out Santa Comes to Snowside.

Santa Comes to Snowside
What music do Santa’s elves like the best? Wrap music!

Annie Murphy, a transit bus driver in Snowside, Vermont, loves scavenger hunts and the corny jokes her riders share. She has a heart as big as the city and gave up college to raise her orphaned nephew without a second thought. But so far true love has eluded her.

A downturn in the economy five years ago sent Jack Davidson down a path to enlightenment. Giving up a lucrative career in finance and his swanky high-rise apartment, he invested all his savings to start Job Hunters 4 You, a nonprofit that helps the unemployed find work. The only thing missing is that special someone in his life.

Jody and Nick Claws arrive on Jack’s doorstep in matching red and green plaid flannel shirts, the spitting image of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. The pair are on a mission to work their Christmas magic on two lonely hearts—Annie and Jack.

Grab your copy today because nothing kicks off the holidays like a match made in heaven.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and you can follow me @

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

13 Momentous Years by Eleri Grace

Happy 13th Blog-O-Versary to Romancing the Genres and its wonderful founders Judith & Sarah!

In thinking about all the changes in my own life over the last 13 years -- divorced, saw my two fabulous kids mature into young adulthood and pursue their own dreams with passion and energy, strengthened some friendships and made new ones, reentered the workforce, launched my dream of becoming a published author, and founded a thriving and growing entrepreneurial venture (my college counseling business) -- it occurred to me to wonder what the 13 year time periods around WW2 looked like for many Americans.

The years spanning 1933- 1945 profoundly shaped our history and national spirit in so many ways.

FDR was President for just under 13 years during these defining years
Hitler ascended to power in January 1933
In March 1933, in his first inaugural address, President Roosevelt notably assured Americans that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
By the end of 1933, FDR had launched the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Public Works Administration, and the Public Works of Art Project, formed the FDIC, and signed the Securities Act of 1933.
Notable accomplishments over the next few years included the Social Security Act, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Rural Electrification Administration, the National Labor Relations Act, the US Housing Authority, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and a host of federal programs aimed at preserving our national heritage and its cultural/artistic works
Even as the American people finally began to feel some relief from the years of poverty and want, the winds of war are swirling around the globe, and by the end of 1941, the US, with the attack on Pearl Harbor, enters the war
It will take nearly another 4 years and millions of lives lost before the war at last comes to an end in August 1945

Since we're all about books here, I also thought it would be fun to highlight a few of the bestselling books of this 13-year slice of time.

In early 1933, as FDR took office, the bestseller was Ann Vickers by Sinclair Lewis (interestingly, I just finished Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray, centered around the life of FDR's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins (first female Cabinet member). Perkins was a romantic interest of Sinclair Lewis at one time, and she was incensed when she learned of Ann Vickers, convinced their mutual social circle would assume the protagonist was based more on her own life than was strictly the case.

Here's a sampling of a few more of the bestselling books during the Great Depression and WW2 years (not in any particular order):

I should also note that among my personal favorites are the Little House novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which were published from 1932 - 1943 (roughly corresponding to these dates)!