Are you as excited as I am?!?!?!? If you are part of the Christian Fiction World you know who Karen Witemeyer is. And if you know who Karen is, you love her and her books! She is just the sweetest and kindest soul out there. I am a member of her Facebook group called The Posse and it may be the greatest and most fun corner of the Internet! Who else is a member? (Let me know in the comments.) On that page Karen does things to brings us together such as, an ornament exchange at Christmas and contests and interesting articles throughout the year. Besides being a wonderful Christian person, she is a writer like no other. Her books hold within their pages the love of Jesus, wittiness that will make you laugh out loud, the love between a man and a woman, and so much more. Let’s not waste any more time and dive into her interview!

Interview with Karen Witemeyer

If you could read only one fiction book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This is such a hard question. Fiction lovers are voracious readers who love jumping into a new story as soon as the old one is finished. Being limited to just one story is a hard choice. Do I go for something deep that will keep me pondering new ideas? Do I go for something light that is guaranteed to leave me with a smile on my face? Or do I go for for a giant tome that will take the rest of my life to read so I never have to miss the “next” read? Ha! I think I will go for the deep choice and pick CS Lewis’s Screwtape Letters. It has depth and lightness, so even though it’s on the short side, it has strong re-readability.

What is your least favorite part of getting a book from research to sitting on a shelf?

My least favorite part of the process is the substantive re-write stage. About a month after I turn in a manuscript, my editors send it back to me with all the big-picture changes they recommend I make to the story. My book is always stronger for going through this process, so I value it greatly, but as a task-oriented person, it’s discouraging to have a project return to an “unfinished” state after I worked so hard to check it off the list as “finished.”

What is your favorite part of that same process?

My favorite part of the process is holding the finished product in my hand for the first time. My editor sends out a single copy to me with a note of congratulations every time a new book releases. This reaches me a week to a month before my box of author copies, so it’s extra special. It’s also the first time I get to see the back cover. Since traditionally published books are being placed in sales catalogs and sold to retailers 6-9 months before the actual release date, I know what the front cover of my book looks like while I’m still finishing the writing process. What I never see, though, is the back cover. My favorite reveal was for Head in the Clouds. On the front cover, the heroine is reading a book and not paying attention to where she is walking, and the back cover shows her heels over head with the book flying. I love it!

Your books are set in the 19th century. If you could choose anything from one of your character’s closet, shoebox, or jewelry box, what would it be?

Oh, boy. I would love to fill my closet with 19th century clothing! My favorite dress is Joanna Robbins’s pink dress on the cover of Stealing the Preacher. So I’d definitely start with that. However, I’ve always admired cameo brooches, so for the jewelry box, I’d love to borrow the cameo that Charlotte Atherton wears. The shoes I would love for the occasional dress-up, but I’ve grown awfully fond of the comfort of memory foam inserts for our modern footwear. Not sure I could wear 19th century shoes for long without crippling myself.

What can we expect from you in the upcoming year in the Cristian fiction world? I know your fans want to know, including me. 🙂

Coming in June 2020 will be the start of a new series. Hanger’s Horsemen is a series based on a group of four ex-cavalry officers who leave the military after the atrocities of Wounded Knee. They band together as mercenaries for good to help those the law is unable or unwilling to help. (Think The Magnificent Seven meets The A-Team.) The first book focused on Captain Matthew Hanger. Here’s the blurb:

Haunted by the horrors of war, ex-cavalry officer Matthew Hanger leads a band of mercenaries known as Hanger’s Horsemen who have become legends in 1890s Texas. They defend the innocent and obtain justice for the oppressed. But when a rustler’s bullet leaves one of them at death’s door, they’re the ones in need of saving.

Dr. Josephine Burkett is used to men taking one look at her skirts and discounting her medical skills. What she’s not used to is having a man change his mind in a heartbeat and offer to assist her in surgery. Matthew Hanger’s dedication to his friend during recovery earns Josephine’s respect, and when she hears of her brother’s abduction, he becomes her only hope for rescue.

Matt has stared down ruthless outlaws, betrayal, and injury, but when a bossy lady doctor crawls under his skin, his heart is tempted to surrender. And when she is caught in the crossfire, he may have to sacrifice everything–even his team–to save her.

Thanks so much for having me!

I have one more thing for my readers! You may have noticed something new in place of a regular picture when you came over to The Reading Daisy today. I have been so excited to share my brand new logo with you and the time has finally come!!! My logo was drawn by Lyndsey Huckaby over on Instagram/Bookstagram. Please check her out, y’all @lyndseydrawsitagain! She is an amazing artist and has a heart even bigger than her talent. Here it is! The brand new face of The Reading Daisy! Blessings Y’all! Mandy