Welcome Cynthia Roemer

Today we have a guest author. It’s great to have you here, Cynthia. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a farmer’s wife of almost thirty years. My husband and I live on our three hundred acre farm in central Illinois. We have two grown sons, a sweet daughter-in-law, and a spoiled cat named Chad.

Sounds like a sweet family. How did you get started in writing?

I started writing while in high school and wrote my first novel in college. Though I had aspirations of becoming a published novelist early on, life happened and my novel got filed away for a number of years while I married and raised my two boys. Twenty-some years after writing the original manuscript, the novel writing bug bit again, and I drank in every writing skill book I could, along with gaining critique partners and taking ACFW’s on-line courses. After a complete overhaul of the manuscript, the Lord led me to an interested publisher, and in 2017, nearly thirty years after I penned the original manuscript, a very different version of my debut novel, Under This Same Sky, went to print.

We have some similarities. I wrote my first novel in high school and didn’t get back to writing again until after many years of homeschooling my sons. What genre do you write?

I write inspirational historical with a splash of old-fashioned romance set in the mid-1800’s prairie and Civil War era. My stories are known for their unexpected twists and extensive research. Each of my novels contains a strong spiritual thread that I pray will resonate with readers and inspire them into a deeper relationship with the Lord.

We write very similar books it sounds like. 🙂 What were your favorite books to read as a kid?

The Little Engine that Could and Jim Jump about a proud little pony who learns humility and kindness is best when dealing with friends.

I’ve never heard of Jim Jump.

Tell us about your recent release.

Chiseled on the Heart is a collection of four unique, heartwarming historical Christmas tales. The four-story novella collection spans nearly a full century, from the late 1700’s to the Civil War era. Chiseled on the Heart portrays how a shared love of woodcarving and an heirloom nativity bonds four generations of Hawkins men.

I can’t wait to read it. What is the back cover blurb for your new book?

Chiseled on the Heart: A Christmas Legacy Novella Collection released October 3, 2023.

The Gift of a Lamb by Elaine Cooper

In 1776, 14-year-old Charlotte Hawkins and her brother, 10-year-old Elias, are still grieving the death of their parents. Their parents left instructions to be sent from their home state of Virginia to live with relatives they barely know, in Connecticut. The trip was dangerous, as war raged between the Redcoats and the Americans. To make matters worse, the churches in Connecticut don’t celebrate Christmas at all. Will this be the orphans’ worst Christmas ever?

A Lasting Legacy by Cynthia Roemer

Loudoun County, Virginia, 1814. After a disabling injury sends Daniel Hawkins home from war, he struggles how to provide for his young wife, Maggie and the child she’s carrying. As Christmas approaches, he finds a sheep his grandfather carved and attempts to carve a nativity set for Maggie. When she goes into labor during a Christmas Eve blizzard, Daniel is forced to face his feelings of inadequacy. And perhaps learn that God has a plan for his life after all.

Healing within the Pieces by Candace West

Prison shackles haunt Nathaniel Hawkins upon his return home only to discover it occupied by a woman in hiding. Bad men are no strangers to Delia Evans, but the intruder who barged into the farmhouse shrinks from her. With no other refuge, they must endure each other. But have they misjudged? When the past shadows their doorstep, is a grudge worth the price of a man’s life?

The Christmas Carving by Kelly Goshorn

Wyatt Hawkins dreads Christmas. Memories from the fatal shooting of his childhood friend on Christmas Eve, 1864, has left a bitter taste in Wyatt’s mouth toward God, the holiday season, and his former fiancée, Madelyn Cunningham. As Christmas draws near, can the star he’s carving for his family’s heirloom nativity point Wyatt back to the woman he’s never forgotten and the faith he’s left behind.