Welcome, Carolyn Miller, author of Misleading Miss Verity, for an interview!

Now, please excuse me while I go do a Snoopy happy dance across the kitchen.

I’m super excited to have Carolyn on the blog today!

Almost done…

Okay, down to business. Thank you, Carolyn, for being willing to answer my questions. I love your answers.

What is the inspiration behind your writing?

So many things inspire me! I find people and the intricacies of their lives fascinating – there’s always a story to discover when you scratch the surface. History, news items, all sorts of things can inspire, but I suppose the main thing that gives inspiration is the stuff that occurs along the way with my God-journey. My husband and I pastored a church for ten years, so I’ve had to dig deeper with my faith, and have helped others wrestle with their understanding of God and His ways, but even though there have been many challenges, there has always been the bottom line of God loves us, He has good plans for His people, He is faithful and we can trust Him. So I suppose while I can dress my stories in historical ‘Pride and Prejudice’-type clothes or sassier contemporary settings, the underlying message and purpose of why I write is to know God more, and to share God’s hope and grace with others.

Do you have a favourite author or book?

If we’re talking when I was a child then it would be Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (I am a redhead after all!). As an adult I’ve loved the Regency-era fiction of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, who inspired me to write in this time period. Contemporary Christian authors I enjoy include Kara Isaac, Becky Wade and Susan May Warren. One of my absolute favorite books is My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade, as it has a redhead AND a hockey player in it – what’s not to love?

How have you surprised yourself during your writing journey?

I think I surprised myself with learning to write faster, in order to see more books released. I spent a LONG time tweaking my first (as-yet) unpublished contemporary novel, and in the past few years have written five 90,000 word novels, in conjunction with the editing and marketing rounds traditional publishing demands. It was a jump in the deep end, but I’m so thankful to God for giving me the opportunities and discipline to do so.

What book are you currently reading for fun and are you reading anything for research?

I’ve just finished my first Denise Hunter book, and I’m about to start (tonight!) The Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund. Research-wise, I’m reading lots of internet articles to do with the different stories I’m in the process of editing, a historical set in the Lake District of England, and my contemporary novella Restoring Fairhaven, which is part of the Independence Island novella collection.

If you could sit down for dinner with three authors, who would they be and what would you discuss?

I’d love to have a chat with Susan May Warren and talk about how she links her various series and the ins-and-outs of her awesome marketing and indie publishing ventures; Rachel Hauck for her wisdom on guarding one’s heart and avoiding envy (oh so easy for this little author!); and Chautona Havig, to peer inside her brain and see how she manages to write and release so many books, as well as deal with marketing, editing and a million other things.

Can you think of anything you wish you had known before you started writing?

I wish I’d known more about marketing, and how to manage the demands of social media. For someone who can write from broken spaces, the time-suck of Facebook etc and its insistence on likes can lead to feelings of comparison, which aren’t always healthy. I also wish I’d had more connections with authors in my genre, as sometimes I can feel a little isolated writing here in Australia, when most of my market and writing opportunities seem to be US-based. But time is a great teacher, and God has proved faithful, as so I keep trusting Him to open the right doors at the right time.

What’s next for you as a writer?

My next historical novel, Misleading Miss Verity, releases on November 26. This is a fun story set mostly in Scotland (!) and I love the fact I’ve actually visited the village and castle where it is set. (The castle is actually the one depicted on the cover – so beautiful!!!). I’ve also got a Christmas Regency novella that should be releasing as part of a collection next year, plus I’m working on my contributions to the contemporary Independence Islands novella collections, which will see my first novella, Restoring Fairhaven, release in December next year. So I’ve got lots of different stories cooking!

About the Author

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, Winning Miss Winthrop, Miss Serena’s Secret, The Making of Mrs. Hale, A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh, Underestimating Miss Cecilia, and Misleading Miss Verity, all available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, ChristianBook, etc

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If you would like to pre-order a copy of Misleading Miss Verity, you can do so here.

Verity Hatherleigh has a mind of her own—but her actions do not impress her viscount papa. When she gets into one scrape too many, he sends her off to the wilds of Scotland to rethink her headstrong ways.

Anthony Jardine relished his role as curate, but his new duties as laird of Dungally aren’t always to his liking. Though he thought his new inheritance would be a blessing, somehow he’s finding nothing but trouble on these estates. And the intelligent, compassionate, feisty lass who was sent to rusticate in his territory is one of the biggest problems. He’s falling in love with her, but she doesn’t share the faith that’s his foundation—not to mention he’s been lying to her about who he really is. For the truth-loving Verity, that may be unforgivable.

The tangled web these two have woven may spell disaster for their happiness—and for the tenants of Dungally.