Hey friends, I'm coming to you solo this week (and about 12 hours early) because I want to share with you my favorite books of the year! Many of these books released this year, but all of them I read this year. Listen to the episode to hear detailed explanations of why I loved each novel and who they'd make great gifts for! Here are the affiliate links to purchase them on Amazon: 1.The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows 2. Letters from My Sister by Valerie Fraser Luessej 3. When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer 4. Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner 5. The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper 6. The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz 7. The Call of the Wrens by Jenni L. Walsh 8. The Weight of Air by Kimberly Duffy 9. The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky 10. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger If you'd like to listen to the episodes in which I discuss some of these books with the authors, click to hear me talk with Valerie Fraser Luesse, Gabrielle Meyer, Laura Frantz, Kimberly Duffy, and Carrie Turansky. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler, is 20% off on Black Friday only on her website! Click this link and click the "Add to Cart" button to purchase an autographed copy with free shipping to the contiguous United States (while supplies last). Use this affiliate link to get your first month of Blubrry podcasting hosting free. Use the Hosting Estimator on their site to determine the best plan for you. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Henry O. Arnold is an actor and audiobook narrator as well as an author. In this delightful episode, we talk about his new book, The Fugitive King. It's the latest installment in his series "The Song of Prophets and Kings" and focuses on an exciting and trying time in the life of King David. We also discuss some of the other facets of Henry's career and how he balances it all. Here's a description of The Fugitive King: One king desperately on the run...One king in vengeful pursuit...One nation in dire turmoil. David is broken off from the realm. The world behind him is destroyed. The world before him is dangerous and unpredictable. He flees from the royal household of King Saul as a fugitive with a death sentence on his head. In his last days, the prophet Samuel passes the prophetic mantle to his proteges, instructing Nathan and Gad to serve Yahweh and the future king of Israel. But David is king only of caves and deserts, and his subjects are nothing but the dregs of society that flow to the lowest point of the land and stop at his feet. Mercenaries, adventurers, spies—or worse, assassins with no apparent loyalty. David, who once thought of himself as "an olive tree flourishing in the house of Yahweh," desperately appeals to the One who can save him: "You are my rock, my fortress. Into Your hands I commit my spirit." The Fugitive King continues the tale of triumph and tragedy, of deepest love and burning rivalries. The new epoch is given a voice . . . and it is The Song of Prophets and Kings. Purchase The Fugitive King on Amazon (affiliate). Also mentioned: Henry's role in The Hiding Place with Rabbit Room Theater. Check out Henry's website, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Today's episode features my conversation with bestselling, Christy Award winning author Amanda Barratt. Her latest novel, The Warsaw Sisters, released on Tuesday. Along with the new book, Amanda and I discussed the Polish Underground, the Warsaw Uprising, the Wola Massacre, and the network of women that worked together to rescue Jewish children in Warsaw. There is so much to learn through this book and through my conversation with Amanda. Here's a description of The Warsaw Sisters: On a golden August morning in 1939, twin sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their cherished city and shattering the world of their youth. When her beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls along with the rest of Warsaw’s Jewish population, Antonina knows she cannot stand by and soon becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Meanwhile, Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland’s secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation. But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear the sisters apart—and the cost of resistance may prove greater than either ever imagined. Shining a light on the oft-forgotten history of Poland during WWII and inspired by true stories of ordinary individuals who fought to preserve freedom and humanity in the darkest of times, The Warsaw Sisters is a richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the resilience of our deepest ties. Purchase The Warsaw Sisters on Amazon (affiliate). Purchase My Dearest Dietrich on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Amanda's website, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Often called the “Queen of Historical Christian Fiction,” Tracie Peterson is an ECPA, CBA and USA Today best-selling author of more than 110 books, most of those historical. Her work in historical fiction has earned her a myriad of awards. On today's show, Tracie and I talk about her upcoming novel, Knowing You, which releases next week and is the final installment in her Pictures of the Heart series. We discuss the themes of racism, forgiveness, and finding yourself, as well as her research process and the gift she has for collaborating with various coauthors. Here is a description of Knowing You: Could a captivating art exhibit hold the key to truth—and love? Budding artist May Parker is captivated by the Japanese exhibits at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and longs to know more about her mother's heritage--which her mother refuses to speak of because of the heartache she left behind in Japan. Wanting to experience more of the exhibits, May works as a Camera Girl—but her curiosity leads her into danger when a suit of samurai armor becomes the target of an elusive art forger. After ten years apart, May is reunited with her childhood friend Lee Munro, a police detective assigned to keep a watchful eye on the exposition. Their friendship immediately begins to blossom with hints of something more, but when they become entangled in a dangerous heist involving the samurai armor and their love is threatened, can they overcome the odds against them? Purchase Knowing You on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Tracie's website, and follow her on Facebook Also mentioned: Browse some of the old Heartsong Presents books (affiliate) Read more about the Kodak Brownie camera. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Carrie Turansky is the award-winning author of more than twenty inspirational novels and novellas and a winner of the ACFW Carol Award, the International Digital Award, and the Holt Medallion. She loved traveling to England to research her latest Edwardian novels including the one we're discussing today, The Legacy of Longdale Manor.  Here's a description: In 2012, art historian Gwen Monroe travels to England’s Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she becomes acquainted with David Bradley—the owner’s handsome grandson—who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by selling Longdale’s art and antiques. When Gwen stumbles upon an intricately carved shepherd’s staff similar to one in a photo of her parents and a one-hundred-year-old journal, she uncovers a connection to the father she never knew.  In 1912, after her father’s death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte’s grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and heartrending secrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.  Two women, a century apart, are taken on a journey to healing, faith, and forgiveness in this heartfelt dual-time Edwardian romance from bestselling author Carrie Turansky.  Purchase The Legacy of Longdale Manor on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Carrie's website, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, and join her Facebook group Carrie's Reading Friends. Also mentioned: The social reformer Josephine Butler will make an appearance in Carrie's next novel. Find out more about her here. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Patricia Raybon was a journalist and journalism educator for most of her adult life. Now she writes historical mysteries! Her novel All That Is Secret won the Christy Award for Best First Novel in 2022. Patricia and I talked about the second in her mystery series, Double the Lies. We also discussed what it was like for her growing up under Jim Crow, the role the Black church played in her life, the prominence of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado, and her call to write at the intersection of faith and race. Here is the description of Double the Lies: On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief—a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake—to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee becomes the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing. With just days to solve the murder before the city’s Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the snowy Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim’s wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker—at their mountain lodge—desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, why can’t she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers and prayers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, and the nature of deceit—all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love . . . and perhaps even her life. Purchase Double the Lies on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Patricia's website and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Join Patricia's Reader's Circle here. Also mentioned: Purchase the Father Brown Mysteries on Amazon (books) or purchase the television series (affiliate). Find the Bessie Coleman doll on Amazon (affiliate). The devotional Patricia mentioned: Our Daily Bread. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Cindy K. Sproles is an author and speaker, a "mountain gal" who writes about her home country of rural Appalachia. She came on the show to talk about her latest novel, This Is Where It Ends, which was inspired both by her love of the Appalachian Mountains and by her love for the elderly. Here is a description of the novel from Revell: At only fourteen years old, Minerva Jane Jenkins moves to the mountains with her new husband. Among their few possessions is a small box that he claims holds gold. On his deathbed, he makes her promise to keep his secret, telling no one of the box or its supposed treasure. Thirty years later, Minerva has kept that secret, even as she nears the end of her own life. Rumors still find a way to spread, however, and Minerva finds herself the subject of interest for Del Rankin, a reporter with a desire for the truth. By his side is a friend who wants to know where the gold is hidden. Neither of them can even begin to guess the challenges they will face by trying to get what they want from Minerva. Despite her dedication to keeping her late husband’s secret, Minerva finds herself thinking about sharing what she knows with Del. Can she truly bring herself to break such a long-held promise? Even if she does, the truth of what’s really in the box may be hidden even from her. Purchase This Is Where It Ends on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Cindy's website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Today I'm sharing a conversation I had with bestselling, Christy Award winning author Roseanna M. White. We talked about her latest novel and the first in her Imposters series, A Beautiful Disguise. We also discussed the spy mania that took over England in the early 1900s and the creation of the United Kingdom's Military Intelligence, Section 5. Roseanna was my very first interview three years ago when I started the show. It was so fun to host her again! Here's the description of A Beautiful Disguise: Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father’s death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm marketed to the elite . . . to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon becomes the go-to for the crème of society when they want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend’s father as a potential traitor. Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the most elite guard, but when pneumonia lands him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they’re creating a new secret intelligence branch, he’s intent on showing his worth. He suspects a man of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two countries but needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are beyond compare. Lady Marigold is determined to discover the truth for her friend’s sake, and she’s more determined still to keep her heart from getting involved with this enigmatic new client . . . who can’t possibly be as noble as he seems. Purchase A Beautiful Disguise on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Roseanna's website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

I learned so much from this conversation with New York Times Bestselling Author Alina Adams about her latest novel, My Mother's Secret. We discussed the Jewish autonomous region of Birobidzhan established by Stalin in 1931 and Alina's own childhood and immigration story as well as her long and winding road to writing books in her favorite genre. Here's the description of My Mother's Secret from Amazon: With his dying breath, Lena's father asks his family a cryptic question: "You couldn't tell, could you?" After his passing, Lena stumbles upon the answer that changes her life forever. As her revolutionary neighbor mysteriously disappears during Josef Stalin's Great Terror purges, 18-year-old Regina suspects that she's the Kremlin's next target. Under cover of the night, she flees from her parents' communal apartment in 1930s Moscow to the 20th century's first Jewish Autonomous Region, Birobidzhan, on the border between Russia and China. Once there, Regina has to grapple with her preconceived notions of socialism and Judaism while asking herself the eternal question: What do we owe each other? How can we best help one another? While she contends with these queries and struggles to help Birobidzhan establish itself, love and war are on the horizon. Purchase My Mother's Secret on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Alina's website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

There's been so much buzz about Gabrielle Meyer's new Timeless Series that I jumped at the chance to have her on the show! We had a great conversation about the first two installments of this series, When the Day Comes and In This Moment. We talked about God's sovereignty over our place in history, the fulfillment of Gabrielle's dream of writing for Bethany House, how she manages to write six books a year, and what's coming in books three and four—yes, there's going to be a book four! Here's the description of In This Moment from Bethany House: Maggie inherited a gift from her parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until, that is, she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives—and everyone she knows in them—forever. • In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of an influential senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. • In 1941, she is a navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she’s asked to join a hospital ship being sent to Pearl Harbor. • And in 2001, she’s a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon, yet unable to use her modern skills in her other paths. While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era. The mysterious British gentleman. The prickly, demanding doctor. The charming young congressman. She’s drawn to each man in different ways, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer. With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose? Purchase When the Day Comes on Amazon (affiliate). Purchase In This Moment on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Gabrielle's website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Also mentioned: Gabrielle's Love Inspired Historical A Mother in the Making (affiliate). Megan Besing's Carol-nominated Love Inspired Historical The Rancher's Want Ad Mix-up (affiliate). And here is Megan Besing's website. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recommendations and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Today's episode features Canadian author and historian Andrew Varga. His time hopping series is off to a smashing start with the first two installments, The Last Saxon King and The Celtic Deception. We talked about the importance of historical accuracy in books for young people and how pivotal the year 1066 (the setting for The Last Saxon King) was in English and world history. Andrew also shares some fascinating stories from his life as well as reading to us in Old English! Here's a description of The Last Saxon King: Sixteen-year-old Dan Renfrew comes from a long line of time jumpers—secret heroes who travel to the past and resolve glitches in the time stream that threaten to alter history. There is just one problem; Dan has never been told any of this. So when Dan accidentally transports himself to England in the year 1066, he becomes trapped in the past. His only hope of returning home is to set history back on its proper course in the Anglo-Saxon age. But Dan finds that fixing history is not that easy—chaos has descended upon England. A Viking horde is ravaging the north while an army of Normans is threatening to invade from the south. And in between them both, desperately struggling to maintain his throne, is the newly-crowned English king, Harold Godwinson. Dan must do everything in his power to return history to its proper path, but he soon discovers an even bigger challenge—a war has broken out in the time jumping community, and a band of malicious time jumpers is threatening the very future of the world. Purchase The Last Saxon King on Amazon (affiliate). Purchase The Celtic Deception on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Andrew's website and follow him on Instagram and Twitter! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recs and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

I'm back at long last with Season Six! Valerie Fraser Luesse joins me on the show today as we talk about her latest novel, Letters from My Sister. Here's the description from the publisher: Sisters Emmy and Callie Bullock are living a privileged life. As the only daughters of a wealthy Alabama cotton farmer, they are surrounded by a close-knit family and share a fierce bond with two Black women—Tirzah Randolph, who delivered both of them into the world, and her daughter, Hepsy Jordan, who runs the Bullock household. But when Hepsy’s beautiful granddaughter, Lily, arrives in town, she draws the wrong kind of attention. This sets in motion a chain of events that shakes not only the Bullocks’ well-ordered household but the whole community. After Lily has a baby, Callie witnesses something that she can’t explain. But her memory is just a haze—an image of her beloved sister, Emmy, standing by a darkened riverbank with Lily’s baby girl. As Callie tries to come to terms with what she deems an unthinkable act, it will take letters from her sister to reveal hidden truths leading back to a chilling September night that changed them both forever. Appealing to readers of various genres, Letters from My Sister will take book lovers on a life-altering journey they won’t soon forget. Purchase Letters from my Sister on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Valerie's website and follow her on Facebook! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recs and samples of my writing! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

After much anticipation, we are finally releasing our episode with Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton! I talked to Tosca and Marcus about their latest book, The Long March Home, which features three friends from Alabama fighting in the Philippines during World War II. This conversation makes a spectacular finale to season five. Here's a description of the novel from Revell: Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Jimmy “Propper” Propfield is determined to leave his home behind and see the world with his best friends Billy Crockett and Hank Wright. The Army is his way out. Plus, it will help him forget his high school sweetheart, Claire. At first, life in the Philippines seems like paradise—until the morning of December 8, 1941. Within hours of bombing Pearl Harbor, Japanese Imperial forces turn their attention to the Philippines. For the next four and a half months, the three friends are plunged into a battle for control of the Pacific theater that ends with the largest surrender of American troops in history. Jimmy, Billy, and Hank are rounded up and marched sixty miles up the Bataan Peninsula en route to Camp O’Donnell in what will become known as the Bataan Death March. With no hope of rescue, the three friends vow to make it back home together. But the ordeal is only the beginning of their nearly four-year fight to survive heat, disease, hunger, and life as POWs. The Long March Home is a riveting coming-of-age tale of friendship, courage, sacrifice, and love as three friends struggle to survive unthinkable odds. Purchase The Long March Home on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Tosca's website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Check out Marcus's website and follow him on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recs and samples of my writing! Attend the Montrose Christian Writers Conference where I’ll be teaching this summer! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Today I'm sharing one of my most popular episodes of all time! This one released last summer. Often called the “Queen of Historical Fiction,” Tracie Peterson is an ECPA, CBA and USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 books, most of them historical. In this episode, we talk about her series, Love on the Santa Fe, and specifically the second installment, Beyond the Desert Sands, which released last July. We discuss her love for the railroad, her mission in writing books, and how her books have touched the lives of readers. I'll be back next week with the last episode of Season Five! Purchase all the books from the Love on the Santa Fe series on Amazon (affiliate). Purchase The Heart's Choice, the new book by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse on Amazon (affiliate). Listen to my episode with Kimberley Woodhouse earlier this season. Check out Tracie’s website and Facebook Page! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recs and samples of my writing! Attend the Montrose Christian Writers Conference where I’ll be teaching this summer! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Today, Crystal Caudill joins me on the show for the second time! We discuss the third and final novel in her Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. It's entitled Counterfeit Faith, deals with the Secret Service, and is set in Philadelphia. Crystal and I discuss this newest book (which releases on Tuesday, May 16), the theme of faith and doubt that plays a role in the novel, the 19th century opiate epidemic, houses of refuge, and how an unromantic person can write historical romance! Here's a description of Counterfeit Faith: As matron of Final Chance House of Refuge, Gwendolyn Ellison has dedicated her life to serving the children deemed delinquents by society. She'll protect them with everything she has. So when she suspects someone is using Final Chance for criminal deeds, she's determined to investigate and put a stop to it. But villains don't like to be crossed--and they're willing to kill to get their way. Gwendolyn knows she can't quit fighting. More than her own life is on the line if counterfeiters go free. She must find someone she can trust to help her expose the criminals and protect the children under her care. Charming and chivalrous Secret Service operative Josiah Isaacs has never been able to turn his back on a woman in trouble--and capturing counterfeiters is his job, after all. The danger he's truly worried about is his growing attraction to Gwendolyn when his heart wants to remain faithful to his deceased wife. As both peril and interest grow, he begins to consider whether a second love may be possible--if they can live through this case. At the same time, he's put off by her faith in a God he no longer trusts. How can a future together even be possible when their beliefs are at odds? Purchase or preorder Counterfeit Faith on Amazon (affiliate). Preorder We Three Kings novella collection on Amazon (affiliate). Download the free novella, Counterfeit Truth, by signing up for Crystal's newsletter. Crystal's first episode on Historical Fiction: Unpacked. Check out Crystal's website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recs and samples of my writing! Attend the Montrose Christian Writers Conference where I'll be teaching this summer! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

In the midst of technological difficulties and scheduling snafus, I bring you a solo episode a mere 32 hours late. This is something I would only notice in a podcast I listen to daily, so if any of you missed me, I am beyond flattered and grateful. I'm also grateful for the latest review, which I forgot to mention two weeks in a row! What do I actually talk about in this episode? I share some surprising news about this season. There are only two more episodes left before I break for summer. I tell you about the interviews you still have to look forward to before that break. (You won't want to miss them!) I also share where I'll be, in case you're looking for a writing retreat or conference. And I tell you about an easy and free way to sample my writing. Enjoy this short episode featuring yours truly! Mentioned in this episode: Come and join us at the Inspire Writing Retreat next week!   Hear me teach at Montrose Christian Writers Conference July 16–21. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive free book recs and samples of my writing! As always: Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Laura Frantz came back on the show to talk about her latest novel, The Rose and the Thistle. Inspired by her own family history, Laura wrote this story set in the Scottish Lowlands during the Jacobite uprising of 1715. Laura is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. More importantly, she's a kind soul, and always a delight to have on the podcast! Here is a description of the novel from Revell: Amid the Jacobite uprising in 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley’s father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies. Forced to flee her home, Blythe is secreted away to Wedderburn Castle in the Scottish Lowlands to stay with longtime allies of her powerful Northumbrian family. While she awaits the crowning of the new king, she becomes acquainted with the Humes, the “Spears of Wedderburn,” who call the castle their home. Of the seven sons, it is Everard, Lord Fast, who intrigues Blythe the most. But their faith and their politics divide them. Everard is also grappling with his own problems—a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing their father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible. In this whirlwind of intrigue, ambitions, and shifting alliances, Blythe yearns for someone she can trust. But the same forces that draw her and Everard together also threaten to tear them apart.   Purchase The Rose and the Thistle on Amazon (affiliate). The author Laura mentioned: Elizabeth Goudge Laura's first and second episodes on Historical Fiction: Unpacked. Check out Laura's website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive the next newsletter! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Kim Vogel Sawyer is known for writing "gentle stories of hope." Her latest novel, The Tapestry of Grace, is a perfect example of that legacy. On this episode, we discuss this novel and Kim's use of her own Mennonite background in her characters, why she was compelled to include orphaned children in her story, and the historical details she incorporated (including how her characters brewed coffee in 1895!). Here's a description of The Tapestry of Grace from Kim's website: When a group of Kansas women start a Frauenverein, a benevolent society devoted to aiding widows and orphans, life changes for more than just the hurting people they seek to help in this heartwarming romance inspired by historical events. With classes paused for the planting season, Alexandertol’s schoolteacher Augusta Dyck is glad for some meaningful work to occupy her time. She even knows exactly who their town’s benevolence society should help first: quiet, reserved widower Konrad Rempel and his young twin sons. Konrad Rempel, however, is adamant that he doesn’t want help. His boys are mischievous but good-hearted. And though Konrad may be struggling, he doesn’t want anyone else sticking their nose in and telling him what his sons need. Or what he needs. For her part, the charity’s founder Martina Krahn is relieved to have a reason to spend time outside her unhappy home. It even occurs to her that she may, through her work, encounter a boy in need of a family and so find a son for her husband since they have no children of their own. Augusta, Konrad, and Martina each have deep needs and desires, and each imagines how they should be met: by reaching out or by being left alone. But God, indeed, knows best. Will the competing agendas of Alexandertol’s residents prevent them from receiving God’s help? Or will the members of this small Mennonite community find the answers to their prayers in the very last place they expect—in one another? Purchase The Tapestry of Grace on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Kim's website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive the next newsletter! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Karen Heenan's novel Coming Apart released in October, but the sequel, Coming Closer, is out next week! These books, set during the Great Depression, portray family relationships with such beautiful, raw honesty. They're also set in my home state of Pennsylvania, which adds to the appeal for me. However, any reader of historical fiction will find them fascinating. Listen to my conversation with Karen to learn more! Here's the description of Coming Apart: No one knows you like a sister. Ava has always been poor, so she doesn't think the Great Depression will change anything. But when her mother dies and her coal miner husband loses his job, Ava's certainty falters. The last thing she needs is a letter from her estranged sister, asking for the impossible. Claire has everything she could ever want, except the child she promised her husband. When her sister's life falls apart, she reaches out to help—and finds the missing piece of her own marriage. With everything at stake, Ava must choose: give up one child to save the rest or keep the family together and risk losing it all? If you like strong, resourceful women, well-developed historical themes, and heartfelt family drama, then Coming Apart is your next rainy-day read. Purchase Coming Apart on Amazon (affiliate). Preorder Coming Closer on Amazon (affiliate). Check out Karen's website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive the next newsletter! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!

Jaime Jo Wright is the queen of all things macabre in the Christian Historical Fiction world. Her latest book, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, is no exception. It's set at a mysterious castle–which takes on a life of its own—in the midwestern United States. In this episode, Jaime and I discuss why she writes dark stories and how she brings redemption into them. Here's a description of the book from Bethany House: In 1865, orphaned Daisy Francois takes a housemaid position and finds that the eccentric Gothic authoress inside hides a story more harrowing than those in her novels. Centuries later, Cleo Clemmons uncovers an age-old mystery, and the dust of the old castle's curse threatens to rise again, this time leaving no one alive to tell its sordid tale. Purchase The Vanishing at Castle Moreau on Amazon (affiliate).   Also mentioned: Novels— Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (affiliate) Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (affiliate) Podcasts— "Smooches and Stabs" with Jaime and Pepper Basham "MadLit Musings" with Jaime Jo Wright My most recent episode with Sarah Sundin. My episode with Kimberley Woodhouse. My episode with Pepper Basham. Check out Jaime's website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Subscribe to my mailing list to receive the next newsletter! Join my community and help support the show on Patreon! Join the Historical Fiction: Unpacked Podcast Group on Facebook! Be sure to visit my Instagram, Facebook, and website. Follow the show on Instagram! Purchase Alison’s historical novel, One Traveler (affiliate). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, you help support my work without paying any more for the product. Thank you for your support!