Author Interview: Lauralee Bliss

Hey everyone. You're in for another Christmastime treat today! Lauralee Bliss, one of the authors of the four-in-one entitled A Quaker Christmas is here to share her behind-the-scenes information about this compilation. Since you had egg nog last week *wink*, grab a candy cane and enjoy!

Welcome, Lauralee! What type of books do you write?

I write Christian romance, both historical and contemporary, although right now I am working on a nonfiction book about my experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail (I have completed the trail in both directions)

Why do you write?

I write because I like my readers to experience romantic love God's way and not man’s way. That two people can experience adventure and love within the context of a sweet story. I also tend to throw in some curves within the storyline to keep things interesting. Trials beget blessings.

What is your new release about?

In the collection A Quaker Christmas the Christmas holiday is a simple matter among the Quakers of the historic Ohio River Valley, but can it be a time to welcome love into four households? In my novella, “A Crossroad to Love” Mary Hall’s family runs an inn for weary travelers, but some guests, like Silas Jones, pressure them to compromise their steadfast Quaker ways. Could it be that Silas just needs a reminder of why simpler ways are often better?

What do you hope the reader will take away after reading it?

That kindness can affect others for the better, especially those who suffer. There is a reason we are to practice hospitality. We can receive a blessing as well as bless others. I have experienced firsthand the kindness of others who invited me into their home while I was hiking the Appalachian Trail. I never forgot such wonderful hospitality, and it helped me accomplish my goal.

Which is your favorite character from your book?

I like the hero, Silas. He struggles with injustice and blames the wrong people for it. But he learns through the patience and understanding of others what he needs to do to come to grips with the injustice in his life that weighs him down and how to overcome it.

Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book?

This novella actually came into being while I was hiking the Appalachian Trail last fall. I received a call from my agent that my editor wanted me to write a novella for a Quaker Christmas collection. Here I am, out in the middle of nowhere, on the trail hiking, and a call comes in to write a novella! Talk about an unexpected crossroad in my journey but albeit, a most pleasant one. Of course I had to come up with an idea quick for the editor. It just so happened that at that same time, a wonderful couple had taken me into their home for a few days where I could enjoy nice meals and a real bed instead of a tent on the trail. From their kindness and the lending of a computer, I was able to formulate the idea of an inn taking in weary travelers. Thus my novella “A Crossroad to Love” was born.

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Lauralee Bliss has always liked to dream big dreams. Part of that dream was writing, and after several years of hard work, the dream of publishing was realized in 1997 with the publication of her first romance novel, Mountaintop, through Barbour Publishing. Since then, she's had over twenty books published in both historical and contemporary. Lauralee is also an avid hiker, completing the entire length of the Appalachian Trail both north and south, one of only 24 women to have accomplished this feat. Lauralee makes her home with her family in Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains where she writes and speaks. Find Lauralee online: Website: http://www.lauraleebliss.com; Blog: http://www.blissfullifejourney.com; “Readers of Author Lauralee Bliss” on Facebook; Follow her on Twitter – @lauraleebliss