Tuesday, August 3, 2010

A Passion for Bugs

MY characters have been talking a lot. So today I thought I’d introduce you to what I love about someone else’s characters. Deeanne Gist. I’m currently entrenched in one of her six historical novels, A Bride in the Bargain, and wishing I could be reading it right now! She is definitely one of my new favorite authors.

Here’s why. Her characters always have some wonderful quirky love or passion. Which pulls me to them.

I’m only beginning to learn about Anna (a Mercer bride in 1860’s Seattle), but I have a suspicion she is extraordinarily fond of seashells.

Then there’s Rachel, in The Measure of a Lady, just your average young pioneer woman in early San Francisco--who loves collecting and cataloguing bugs!

And Constance, from A Bride Most Begrudging, a tobacco bride in the Virginia Colony—who has a passion for creating mathematical story problems (about spiders crawling around the cabin & such).

And Essie, from Courting Trouble and Deep Into Trouble, a rich young woman in turn of the century Texas, who adores bicycling! And doesn’t give a hang if she shows her ankles.

Deeanne Gist writes romantic Christian historical fiction, but her characters are universal. Yet, so very much only themselves.

Beth totally approves .

2 comments:

  1. I love Deeanne Gist! She's one of the reasons I read Christian fiction! A Bride in the Bargain is one of her best books, hope you enjoy.

    XOXO~ Renee

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  2. Hi Renee,

    She is wonderful, isn't she? I LOVE the scene where they picnic on top the redwood stump! Now I am going to have to research the whole springboard step thing because I have this bizarre picture in my head, and I need to know how this really works. Which is one of the things I love about historical fiction.

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