The Power of Suggestion | Guest Post by T. Elizabeth Renich

True confessions, I was not an avid reader of books by English authors when I was in high school. In fact, it wasn’t until after college and because the books had been made into movies that I took a fledgling interest in Pride and Prejudice (1995 mini-series, of course!) and Jane Eyre (the Timothy Dalton as Mr. Rochester version). My limited knowledge pertaining to the Regency period initially came from reading Julie Klassen’s books. My own historical novels, on the other hand, were set in America, “across the pond.”

I didn’t meet the definition of “anglophile,” but when I visited England, I felt an inexplicable draw—imagination piqued. Near St. Paul’s Cathedral, I remembered going to a sleepover at a friend’s house with the intent of getting up in the middle of the night to watch Princess Diana’s wedding, though I understood very little about traditions of the British monarchy. At Hyde Park, I remembered Roger and Anita meeting while walking their Dalmatians. When looking for Exmoor Ponies, I recalled how upon arrival Mary Lennox hated the moor, before she stumbled upon Misselthwaite Manor’s secrets and garden. At Oxford, I imagined a red Volvo zooming past, driven by a saintly-looking thief casting away his latest disguise. Many things about England intrigued me, but had I been told I’d write about England then, I wouldn’t have believed it.

The power of suggestion is when someone says or does something—whether they realize it or not—that influences someone else to carry out an action or a deed. After spending time with Julie at a JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) event in Williamsburg, I asked her if she’d ever write about a character who gets banished from England for some mysterious crime and sails to Virginia. She replied, ever so politely, that she’s very fond of England—which, at the time, was where all her stories were set. She countered, suggesting that I should write something else, as it had been quite some time since my Shadowcreek Chronicles series had been traditionally published. Honestly, that suggestion irritated me. I was done writing, or at least that’s what I’d explained to God. Oddly enough, suggestion morphed into a blend of challenge and motivation, so I gave it a try. For fun.

Applying suggestion, I set my latest story in…England! Because, until 1776, we were all British. I simply needed a compelling reason to disrupt my characters’ lives and move them from one side of the Atlantic to the other. It takes a lot of homework to build a knowledge base in a completely different time period, but solid research is what makes stories seem real.

Recently, a reader contacted me, delighted to hear I was writing again. She grew up reading my Shadowcreek books and was so influenced by my historical fiction she became a middle school history teacher. I never dreamed my written words could have that depth of impact—amazing what God will do. I pray He will use my new stories to reach others, too!

A Worthy Risk releases June 24, 2025 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Please visit my website for more information about me and my books.

—T. Elizabeth Renich, author of the Shadowcreek Chronicles & Sovereign Liberty Series