Welcome to Friday Reads!
The publisher and Janine Rosche have both offered to give away a print copy of this book (TWO winners; US ONLY). You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of this post. (Contest ends December 24, 2020.) Share on X If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information.
The story behind the story from Janine Rosche…
Who doesn’t love a wonderful Christmas decoration display? Glinting lights, satin ribbons, and silver bells offer peace and warmth after a year such as this. But of all the decorations, the nativity set has always been my favorite, even before I understood the story of Christ’s birth. I’ve always been fascinated by the individuals the Lord summoned to witness the miracle. Who were they? What was their story?
That was the pondering thought I brought to my gracious co-authors, Deborah Raney, Shannon McNear, and Susanne Dietze. Just like that, the Love’s Pure Light collection was born—a group of stories about an heirloom nativity set passed through the generations of one family. With each author taking on an individual or group from the original Nativity, I knew I wanted to write a story to honor the angel.
My inspiration for On Angel Wings was two-fold. First, the story of the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor has long fascinated me. Seventy-eight Army and Navy nurses in the Philippines were captured during World War II. During their time at internment camps, they kept up their duties, tending to the wounded and sick. Miraculously, all seventy-eight nurses survived. Once they returned home, they continued their commitment to the care and service to those around them, despite the trauma they’d endured personally. Just like that, my heroine, Elodie Wise, was breathed into life.
Second, I needed a hero with a war-time commission as fascinating as Elodie’s. A few years ago, I recalled a conversation where a friend told me about her grandfather’s experience in the war. His only job was to keep beloved actor Jimmy Stewart alive as he served. If he’d failed, the country’s morale would have crumbled. And how much worse would it be if the celebrity you were tasked to protect was not like Jimmy Stewart with his honor and dedication, but rather a spineless rake who entered the war to save his career? As a result, my hero, Benjamin Gabriel, is plagued with the belief that he didn’t do enough to serve his country during the war.
For that reason, he’s determined to help his childhood best friend, Elodie, put on a Christmas ball to raise money for soldiers to receive mental health services. That’s all well and good until Clyde Irving, the spineless but charming rake aims to steal Elodie for himself in a most Bye Bye Birdie/Win a Date with Tad Hamilton way!
I adore this story, along with the others in this collection! I hope readers will, too!
The story behind the story from Deborah Raney…
The story behind the story from Shannon McNear…
How did I become part of the Love’s Pure Light novella collection? Well, it’s rather boring, but I was invited in by my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray. This is a fairly common thing in the industry—one person comes up with a concept and then she (or her agent) will go about finding people to join in. It’s always an honor to be asked, even if an author’s plate is already full. In this case, mine wasn’t quite so full I could turn down the double honor of getting to work with Christian fiction veteran Deborah Raney—and I was very excited to work with Susanne Dietze again and to get to know Janine Roche. As we began the process of developing the collection concept and working out the details, we had a great rapport, and it felt like the pieces just fell into place. (Haha, pun not entirely intended!)
It was agreed that Deb would write the contemporary, while the rest of us would tackle a historical era. World War I was less familiar to me than others (I’m a RevWar girl) but not for lack of interest, and I had several resources already lined up because of another story I’d tentatively planned to write but which fell through. As I researched in preparation for writing the proposal, the time period came alive for me, much to my delight, and the story concept jelled, just as everything else had to that point.
We submitted the collection proposal (essentially a preview of what we planned to write) to the editor and settled in to wait. (We all had other things to do in the meantime, of course!) And then the happy day came when we received the news that we’d get to write these stories and see them in print.
My review…
I enjoy novella collections, and with the Christmas theme, I was excited to read this one. I’m familiar with the authors in this book, and it didn’t disappoint. Each author tackles a new generation of characters. The delightful book is a great way to get in the holiday mood and remember the true meaning behind the season.
“While Shepherds Watch Are Keeping” by Susanne Dietze is set in Massachusetts, 1899. The family dynamics were complicated, making them relatable. It’s never easy to win everyone’s approval, including family.
“The Wise Guy and the Star” by Shannon McNear is set on a train ride from Charleston, South Carolina, to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1919. World War I played into this story, particularly the perspective of life for veterans.
“On Angel Wings” by Janine Rosche is set in 1945 Kansas City, Missouri. This story focused on the forced march in the Philippines that included women and children in World War 2. This is not an event I’ve read much about. 1940’s Hollywood added a bit of extra drama in the story.
“Making Room at the Inn” by Deborah Raney is set in Present Day Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It would work well as an expanded, standalone story. I enjoyed the lead (female chef in a B&B). Forgiveness was a key theme. I love how it tied all the other stories together.
Overall, I liked how the stories are generations apart yet linked together through the miracle of Christmas. I also enjoyed the passing down of the heirloom nativity set, as well as how each generation added something to it. If you’re a fan of historicals–or Christmas stories or novella collections, etc.–add this one to your TBR list!
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.
About the authors…
Janine Rosche
In addition to writing contemporary romance novels, including the Madison River Romance series, Janine Rosche is a certified family life educator and teaches courses in human development and family relations. She also enjoys watching movies, taking adorable pictures of her dogs sleeping, and embarrassing her husband and four children with boy band serenades. She loves to interact with fans on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/
Deborah Raney
I’m not exactly sure what my favorite Christmas memory is…I do remember falling asleep under the Christmas ? tree one year as a child. I was waiting for Santa ??. Great memories of holidays spent with grandparents and cousins are favorites as well.
I love that (falling asleep under the tree)! I have many memories of holidays and birthdays spent with my grandparents. Some of my fondest memories.
Good luck, Candice! I hope you and your family have a blessed holiday season.
Getting engaged!
Ooh, that’s a great one!
Thanks for sharing, Kathy. Good luck. I hope you and yours have a blessed holiday season!
My favorite Christmas memory is when my future (now) husband sang Christmas carols with me at the library where I worked.
That sounds fun! Thanks for sharing.
Good luck, Gloria. Have a blessed holiday season!
My favorite Christmas memory was the year my grandparents drove from New Orleans to Northern California to spend Christmas with us. I was nine years old. We usually only saw them during summer vacations every other summer, so this was a special treat! Thanks for this great giveaway opportunity. This collection sounds especially appealing because I am a great fan of historical fiction. Merry Christmas! :0}
What a wonderful memory! Time with grandparents sure is a special treat. Many of my fond holiday memories involve my grandparents.
You’re very welcome. I think you’ll enjoy it. Good luck, and have a blessed holiday season, June!
My favorite Christmas memory is when my granddad was still alive and we were opening presents one at a time taking turns and going around until we had opened all our presents. We looked over and my granddad was starting to open one of his when it was not his turn yet. We told him that it wasn’t his turn and he said “I am just getting ready.” My other favorite memory is somewhat a Christmas memory but in July instead of December and that is hearing my granddad sing Jingle Bells.
Ha! I love that, Karen. I could totally envision my poppa doing something like that. ? Sounds like your granddad (was it the same one as with the present?) was just getting ready! I have heard of Christmas in July, so perhaps that’s what he was celebrating.
Good luck, Karen. Thanks for sharing. I hope you and yours have a blessed holiday season.
I love all of my Christmas memories for different reasins!
That’s wonderful, Abigail. Thanks for stopping by. Good luck. I hope you have a blessed holiday season.
My favorite is when we took our kids to see Santa at our local greenhouse–Santa wore a gorgeous green velvet suit and knew our kid names without asking! Magical.
What a fun memory. Thanks for sharing, Danielle. Good luck. I hope you and your family have a blessed holiday season!
One of my favorite Christmas memories is when my dad asked me to go shopping with him to help choose clothes for my mom that he was giving her as presents that year. I was a teenager, so it meant a lot to me that he respected my opinion. It was so fun seeing how happy my mom was with her gifts when she opened them Christmas morning.
What a lovely memory. That’s wonderful that he respected and wanted your opinion. I’m glad your mom loved them.
Good luck, Roxanne. Have a blessed holiday season!
My favorite Christmas memory was the year my grandparent spent Christmas with us. Even though my grandfather was just recovering from major surgery, they got to spend one night with us. We usually spent Christmas at their house, so it was so nice to have them at our house.
Oh, how special. I bet your grandfather really appreciated that. Thanks for sharing, Perrianne. Good luck! I hope you and your family have a blessed holiday season.
My favorite Christmas memory is of a yearly tradition. One that my parents did with me and we did with our children. Christmas morning the kids would sit on the stairs while my husband and I got things ready. He would turn on the Christmas musupic and I would check things and turn on the lights. Then we would take a picture of the kids on the stairs. Some years when the children were older and my mom, my kids grandmother, would come and stay with us, she would sit on the stairs with them. Great Christmas memories and photos.
I love that, Debbie. What a wonderful tradition! Thanks for sharing.
Good luck. I hope you have your family have a blessed holiday season.
I love stories with historical aspects and also stories that include family history/traditions. One tradition we always do is go out look at the light displays
We love looking at the Christmas lights displays, too. So much fun and so peaceful at the same time.
Good luck! Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday season.
My favorite Christmas memory is when I was a little kid waking up to find all the presents from Santa underneath the tree. It always seemed so magical when I was little that these gifts just “appeared”, and it was just so much fun to spend time with family and have that experience.
Magical is the perfect way to describe it, Megan. ?
Good luck! I hope you and your family have a blessed holiday season.