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Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #22

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Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1 and collect the clues through all 30 stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

  • The hunt begins on 3/1 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.
  • Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
  • There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt–you have all weekend (until Sunday 3/4 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books.
  • Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at Stop #30. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

It’s my honor to host the wonderful Pam Hillman. A fellow historical writer, Pam brings unusual settings and time periods to life. Here’s a brief summary of her latest novel, The Promise of Breeze Hill: Anxious for his brothers to join him on the rugged frontier along the Mississippi River, Connor O’Shea has no choice but to indenture himself as a carpenter in exchange for their passage from Ireland. But when he’s sold to Isabella Bartholomew of Breeze Hill Plantation, Connor fears he’ll repeat past mistakes and vows not to be tempted by the lovely lady. Soon, though, Connor realizes someone is out to eliminate the Bartholomew family. Can he set aside his own feelings to keep Isabella safe?

***

Building a Story World: Part Fact, Part Fiction

By Pam Hillman

Creating a story world is like being captivated by a stranger’s face through a rain-soaked window, or traveling through an unfamiliar countryside blanketed in heavy fog. There’s a hint of what’s on the other side of the glass or the haze, but you can’t see everything clearly. But because of that very thing, your imagination is given the freedom to paint the picture you most want to see in your mind.

If you could wipe the glass clean or burn away the fog, you might discover that the story world in question is part fact, part fiction.

This is true of the story world I created for my Natchez Trace Novel series set in the 1790s. Each story begins in Natchez-Under-the-Hill, touching on some of the aspects of the seedy wharf and making reference to actual streets that were already laid out at the time. Governor Gayoso, his future wife, Elizabeth Watts, and his secretary, Stephen Minor, make cameo appearances.

My characters travel along the Natchez Trace, stopping at a tavern called Harper’s Inn. This particular inn is fictional as I wanted it to be a very rough establishment. Mount Locust, on the other hand, which was a very respectable inn and is still standing to give visitors a look at what inns (also referred to as stands) of the day consisted of, is also mentioned, giving anyone familiar with the area a yardstick by which to gauge where my characters are as they travel back and forth along the trace.

Breeze Hill Plantation is fictional, but if pressed, I could take you twenty miles north of Natchez along the old trace, find a hill surrounded by rolling countryside, and claim it as the spot where Breeze Hill would have stood. The plantation home itself is based loosely on the floor plan and design of Linden Hall, part of which was constructed in 1785 and is located in Natchez proper to this day operating as a Linden Hall B&B. Most of the other plantations, homes, and businesses sprinkled throughout the series are fictional.

Why use a real location? Readers are anchored in the story when an author uses a real town, country, or geographical location that they are vaguely familiar with to set the stage. It might be as broad as “the Mojave Desert,” or “London, 1845”.

With the reader anchored solidly in fact, the author can then add in a fictional ghost town or fort at the edge of the desert, a small millinery tucked on an unnamed side-street in London, or even an entire plantation along the Natchez Trace in 1791.

And then the fog lifts, allowing the reader to see the story world clearly.

***

CBA bestselling author Pam Hillman was born and raised on a farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years on the seat of a tractor. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought, so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. That’s the kind of life every girl should dream of. For more info, visit pamhillman.com.

Here’s the Stop #22 Skinny:

BEFORE YOU MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STOP – Use the form below to enter for a chance to win a bonus prize. I’m giving away an audio book CD set for my telegraph romance, Heart on the Line.

The winner will be announced on this blog page on March 5.

The winner of the audio CD set for Heart on the Line is . . .

Lisa Veale

Congratulations, Lisa! I’ll be emailing you soon to get your prize sent out.

Thank you to everyone who entered. I hope you all had as much fun on this scavenger hunt as we did putting it on.

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Karen Witemeyer

For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and gospel hymn singer who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she's on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
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Comments

  1. I’m always getting sidetracked on looking up the locations of the novels I read. I learn so much and the place often ends up on my “I’d love to visit here someday” list! I also love reading novels set in places with which I’m familiar, although it bugs me occasionally when I notice something that isn’t correct!

    • Sally, I’m the same way. I can’t count the times I’ve read a cool snippet about a new book and not only did the story line captivate me, the location and the time period did as well. Isn’t this Scavenger Hunt cool? Have fun!

  3. Already a Posse member! 🙂 Love reading all the posts. Although I don’t always comment…I do read them!

  5. I love it when authors put at least a little bit of fact into their stories. I agree that it gives them a better foundation!Also, I totally loved The Promise of Breeze Hill! It was my first book by you, Pam, and it definitely won’t be the last!

  6. Karen, We love your books. I am speaking for my daughter, Theresa Johnson and myself. We are on all your websites and part of your Posse. We have tried to read everything you have written, but have had a little trouble getting a hold of some of your older books. We have one request, Could you write faster. (smile) It is so hard to wait for the next book of yours to come out. Thanks for doing what you do. Using God’s gift you bless many people, keep up the good work. You put a smile on our face and even help us shed a few tears. Maybe in crying or laughing so hard.

    • Saundra – You make me smile. 🙂 What kind words! I promise to write as fast as I can. Ha! I am hoping to come up with a bonus surprise for my loyal readers this Christmas. You might have seen some hints about it on the Posse site. Big thanks to you and Theresa for being such dedicated readers.

  7. I would love a CD set. I have a 40 min commute to work and it would make the time fly by. Thanks for the chance.

  9. Thank you so much for the chance to win! I’ve been wanting to read this book. I hope to be taking a road trip this spring and it would be so fun to listen to your book in the car!

  12. Release the hounds, I’m on the hunt for Day 2!

    Thanks for hosting on this scavenger hunt, Karen! Lovely post, Pam. 🙂

  15. Having been on the Natches Trace in TN and knowing part of Mississippi, this sounds intreging to me ! You both have such wonderful books !
    Thank you for being part of this Hunt !
    Linda Marie

    • Linda, good to see you here on the hunt. The Natchez Trace is a beautiful parkway, isn’t it? While the old trace in the 18th & 19th centuries could be a peaceful journey, there could be perils!

  16. Loved the book and would love to hear the audio version. Listening to an audio version of a book I have read is always fun and revealing. The voice actors are good at bringing out things that I missed/didn’t think about when I was reading.

    I was already signed up for your newsletter, but signed up again for a chance to win. Hope that doesn’t cause a problem. I am also already member of the Posse.
    Lot’s of fun, folks! If you’re not a member you should check out Karen’s Facebook group!

  18. Pam i know the Natchez Trace…..well around where i USE to live…….i use to love driving on it when spring truly started as you could see the dogwood trees blooming all over the place….if you know much about the trace below where you live……i lived not far off the Davis Lake Exit…..i use to go sit at night at the pull off right there before the exit………i would go up there and sit for hours……Yeah i know…not a good thing to do in the day and time lol…..there use to be an old settlement there called Colesville, but actually where that place is and where the Original Natchez Trace are are about 10 miles apart……i have only driving it down as far as Jackson, but have went only to the Tennessee state line is up that way……but around that area there are alot of stories where you could use in your stories…..like Witch Dance lol

    • Barbara, there are so many cool stories that can be written in and around the trace. And… speaking of Witch Dance… I met a guy in North MS a couple of months ago who told me a bit about Witch Dance. He’d written a short story, and we brainstormed ways to turn it into a full-length novel. I’d never heard of it, and it was fascinating! I hope he writes the story.

  19. Thank you for being part of this scavenger hunt. I am having a lot of fun.

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