Meet The Author Monday – Karen Witemeyer

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Happy Monday!

Each Monday I would like to take some time to get to know some of our favorite authors. My hope is that this will help readers connect with the authors.

Today I would like to introduce you to: Karen Witemeyer!

Karen writes some excellent historical fiction! I have been working my way through her back list and have been enjoying every book that I have read!

Author bio:

For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Romance Author in 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a two-time winner of the ACFW Carol Award and three-time RITA® finalist. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more at www.karenwitemeyer.com or join her private Facebook group-The Posse.

To help us get to know her, I have given her some questions and here are her responses:

Q: How long have you been writing?

A: I started writing with intent to publish in 2003. After six years of learning and refining my craft, I signed my first book contract in 2009. My first book was published in 2010.

Q: What are you currently working on?

A: In between major book projects, I like to work on shorter novellas. I’m currently working on a Christmas novella that is inspired by the classic Dickens’ tale A Christmas Carol. I’m spicing it up with romance and bringing it home to Texas. There are three old curmudgeons playing the role of the ghosts, and I’m having far too much fun with the names. Evan Beazer is the scroogey hero, Felicity Wiggins is the cheerful Fezziwig-ish heroine. There will be other name plays throughout, such as a burly blacksmith named Tim who goes by the nickname Tiny and an adorable pet beagle named Humbug. And, of course, it takes place in London, TX, which is a real place, by the way. Down in Kimble County.

Q: What are some of your writing must haves? (Drink, snack, supplies, etc.)

A: I’m a hot tea drinker. I love different varieties of black tea sweetened with honey. A couple years ago, my daughter and I took a trip to Victoria, BC where we had tea and scones in an adorable little tea shop. They turned me on to Murchie’s Tea, a company that has been in business in Victoria since 1896. I brough home sample boxes of teas from that trip and loved them so much I started ordering larger supplies through the mail. Some of my favorite blends include the classic 1896 blend, the Queen Victoria, the Prince Charles, the Editor’s blend, and the No. 22. When I have a long writing day ahead of me, I break it up with a giant mug a tea at the halfway point. I keep my tea in an insulated cup so I can sip on it for 30-45 minutes while I work.

Q: What is your favorite time period to write about? Or read about?

A: Late 19th century is my sweet spot for writing. 1880s and 1890s most specifically. This was a key time of expansion and scientific breakthroughs. The railroad opened up the West and small town were springing up all over the place. I love setting stories in small, Texas towns that have the flexibility to be both rustic and modern, depending on which characters I choose to focus on. As far as my favorite time periods to read about, 19th century is still my favorite, but I include the entire century because I adore great regency romances as well as Victorian stories.

Q: What are some of your favorite books?

A: I enjoy books by Jen Turano, Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings, Kristi Ann Hunter, and Mimi Matthews.

Q: If you could spend a day with one fictional character, who would you pick and what would you do?

A: While Jane Eyre is my favorite classic heroine, I think I will choose Elizabeth Bennet Darcy to spend a day with. Mainly because I would love for her to show me Pemberley and to chat with her over a true English tea. Being an introvert by nature, I think I would do better with someone who knows how to put a guest at ease. Oh, and we would definitely have to take a walk by Darcy’s pond. Ha!

I have saved my favorite question for last!

Q: What would you like readers to take away from your books?

A: My goal for every book I write is to create a story that absorbs the reader and allows them to see bits of themselves in the characters. While they get swept up in the adventure, action, romance, and humor of the fictional tale, my prayer is that God will also speak to their hearts in reality and draw them into deeper relationship with Him.

To connect with Karen, please click on any of the following links: her website and her Facebook group called The Posse.

I’m also featuring her newest release, The Kissing Tree. Her story is part of this novella collection along with Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese. You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here and order a copy here!

About the book:

Bestselling novelist Karen Witemeyer joins award-winning authors Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese for this Texas-sized romance novella collection. Each of the authors’ unique voices is on display in stories where courting couples leave a permanent mark of their love by carving their initials into the same oak’s bark.

In Regina Jennings’ Broken Limbs, Mended Fences, a small-town teacher has her credentials questioned by a traveling salesman.

Karen Witemeyer’s The Kissing Tree Inn tells the tale of an unlikely woman building a very unexpected lover’s retreat.

From Roots to Sky by Amanda Dykes follows a young WWII naval airman who heads to Texas to meet the sister of a lost compatriot.

Heartwood by Nicole Deese is a modern-day romance where the aftermath of a giant storm brings changes for the owner of a historic inn.

Thank you Karen for your time! Please leave some love in the comments!

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