Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Gabrielle Meyer

Yaaaaaaaay!!!

Y’all! I’m so excited!! GABRIELLE MEYER IS HERE!!

Ok… so technically… Gabrielle Meyer isn’t HERE. She’s way up north and I’m midway down south, but we were totally in the same room not so long ago! More than once actually 🙂 More on that in a moment.

If you’ve been following my “Most Anticipated” posts this week about the new releases for the rest of 2016 that I can’t wait to read, you may have noticed that Gabrielle Meyer made yesterday’s historical fiction list THREE times!

Isn’t she pretty in her historical genre gown that she wore during part of #CFRR2016?

(I’m pretty sure I pilfered this picture from one of my Facebook friends but at this point I have no idea who. If it’s you, let me know! lol)

Gabrielle Meyer lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River with her husband and four young children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people and events. Gabrielle can be found at www.gabriellemeyer.com where she writes about her passion for history, Minnesota, and her faith. You can also find her on Facebook and at Coffee Cups and Camisoles.

Hi Gabe! *waves* I’m so excited to have you on the blog today! I start everyone out with a fast four –

Gabe: Crispy Red Delicious Apples. I love how sweet they are.

Carrie: Yummmm… doing author interviews always makes me want to snack on an apple!

Gabe: Definitely summer. As a Minnesota girl, I live for the summer. It’s so beautiful and the weather is amazing.

Carrie: But… mosquitoes. I’m just sayin’

Gabe: Dogs. We have two dogs and a cat. The dogs are definitely more cuddly, loyal and obedient.

Carrie: Zuzu would like me to tell you that she is extremely pleased with your answer! 🙂

Gabe: Tea. I love all the different flavors and varieties. I add cream to make it thicker. I’ve never cared for coffee.

Carrie: I’ve never cared for coffee either… or tea for that matter 😉

Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower.  If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Gabe: I have a set of twin boys and one of my friends with twins owns a shirt that says: “I make twins. What’s your superpower?” In all seriousness, I would say my superpower is hospitality. I love gathering friends and family in our home. We do it often and with lots of people. Just this past week I hosted four writer friends for six days, and as soon as they left, I sent out an invite to four of our local friends (and their families) to come over for an impromptu grill-out and campfire in our backyard. We had ten adults and twenty kids running around here last night! I’m an extrovert, so being with people invigorates me.

Carrie: Oh my goodness. Just ONE of those things would be enough to send me into hibernation. Twins. House guests. Dinner guests. LOL. But then again, I’m an introvert, albeit an extroverted one. I recharge from being alone. Usually reading. Hence my superpower 🙂

You were one of our featured authors at the first ever Christian Fiction Readers Retreat on August 24^th (whoohoo!). There were a lot of people (myself included) fangirling over meeting you. Which authors do YOU fangirl over?

Gabe: I had so much fun at CFRR!! It was the highlight of my time in Nashville. I was especially excited to be there because it was the first time I met Laura Frantz in person. I hope I looked composed sitting beside her on the author panel, because inside I was fangirling like crazy! I also fangirled over meeting Francine Rivers last year. I’m so in awe of all my writer friends. Spending time with them is one of my favorite things to do.

Carrie: You looked perfectly composed during your author panel haha! Of course, I fangirled the night before over Laura Frantz giving me a case of bottled water that she didn’t want. So… I’m not really one to judge even if you weren’t composed 🙂 But you totally were.

I’ve heard that you love history, specifically Minnesota history. What is your favorite time period or event to research?

Gabe: I am a HUGE fan of history, and I’m especially fond of my home state of Minnesota. My favorite time period to write about and research is 1849-1858, while Minnesota was a territory. I’ve read dozens of oral histories from that time period and I love the spirit and optimism of the early settlers. I do write about and research all time periods, but the territorial history period is my favorite.

Carrie: I love territorial history for just about any state – something so inspiring about looking back on the early beginnings of what we know now and the courage and strength – and frailities – of those who settled there.

Your debut novel A Mother in the Making just released from Love Inspired. First, I have to say that I’m in love with that cover!! How much input did you have in the cover design?

Gabe: I love it, too! I am so amazed that the art department was able to capture Marjorie (the heroine) and Laura (the baby) so well. As part of the process, I have to fill out a very detailed Art Fact Sheet and provide dozens of pictures of the main characters, their clothing, and the setting of the story. I also have to provide three possible scenes from the story that would make a good cover. It takes me hours to complete, but it’s worth all the work, especially when the cover is so pretty.

Carrie: Oh wow! I didn’t realize all the work that went into the cover just on your part. That’s fascinating!

In A Mother in the Making, Marjorie is a governess to four young children.  Did any of your own experiences as a mom of four make it into the book, and do these young characters resemble your own adorable children in any way?

Gabe: In almost every single way. I used my children as a template for the Orton children in the book. The character, Lilly, is my daughter Maryn to the T. As I wrote the story, I tried to imagine how my children would react if they had been placed in the same situation. There were a few scenes when Petey, the three-year-old, was being especially disagreeable and I had Marjorie deal with him the same way I would deal with my children. The early reviewers (as well as my editor and agent) have loved the children in A Mother in the Making. It makes my heart happy, since those children are so much like my own.

Carrie: Oh I love that!

What do you most want readers to take away from A Mother in the Making?

Gabe: The theme verse for the story is Proverbs 16: 9 “In his heart man plans his course, but God determines his steps.” I would like readers to walk away with a deeper understanding of this proverb. I think so often we (I’m preaching to myself!) make plans, but then God steps in and says: “You need to do it this way.” At first, we resist and complain. Maybe we freak out and try to circumvent Him, but eventually we see that His way is much better than anything we could have possibly planned for ourselves. Marjorie and John discover this to be true, and I hope readers do, too.

Carrie: Yes… so true. I am the queen of resist and then freak out, though I’d like to think that I’ve gotten better at readjusting to His plans after several repeat lessons 🙂

Gabrielle – again, thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Gabe: Thank you for having me, Carrie! I’ve been so blessed by you and your superpower. 🙂 My next Love Inspired Historical will release in December. It’s called A Family Arrangement and is the first in a new series called Little Falls Legacy. The story was inspired by the original founders of my hometown in the mid-1850’s. Don’t tell the others, but A Family Arrangement is one of my favorite stories, so far. I love Abram and Charlotte and I had so much fun bringing them together. 🙂 I also have a novella collection releasing in December with Barbour Publishers. It’s called Seven Brides for Seven Texans and was a blast to write with six other author friends. The book is a chronological collection of stories. It begins when G.W. Hart gives his seven grown sons an ultimatum: marry within the calendar year, or lose their inheritance. Each story follows one of the brothers as he looks for (or avoids!) a wife. It’s a fun collection and I’m excited for people to read it.

Carrie: I cannot WAIT for all of these! There’s a reason I included them on my list yesterday. Because I want to read them ALL right this very second haha!

Gabrielle is graciously offering a copy of A Mother In The Making to one of my readers (US residents only please). Winner will be chosen through random selection via the Rafflecopter below and will have one week to respond.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also purchase A Mother in the Making at the links below