Author Interview with Carrie Turansky, author of Shine Like the Dawn + Giveaway

As many of you might know, I first met Carrie Turansky at last year's Christian Fiction Readers Retreat, and she was just the sweetest! I'm so thrilled to have the opportunity to read her latest release, Shine Like the Dawn and have her stop in for a little chat! And Carrie was so sweet to offer a signed copy of Shine Like the Dawn for one of my readers! Giveaway is at the end of the interview, but before we get there, her's a little about Carrie for the readers that don't know her.

CARRIE TURANSKY is an award-winning author of more than a dozen novels and novellas. She has been the winner of the ACFW Carol Award, the Crystal Globe Award, and the International Digital Award, and a finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award and the Maggie Award of Excellence. A prolific writer of contemporary and historical romance, women’s fiction, short stories, articles, and devotionals, Carrie lives in central New Jersey with her husband Scott. They have five adult children and four grandchildren.

TO CONNECT WITH CARRIE:   website, facebook, pinterest, twitter, instagram

Just Commonly – Q&A with Carrie Turansky

1. Happy Release Day, Carrie! Tell us a little about Shine Like the Dawn - a one sentence spiel. 

Separated by an inconceivable tragedy, can faith and love reunite childhood friends and light the way to a brighter future?

2. What was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story?

Searching for a setting, I came across beautiful Cragside estate in Northumberland. When I looked into the background of the house, I learned it was the first home in England to be lit by hydroelectricity and the owner was a marvelous inventor. He also was really interested and transforming the barren landscape into a beautiful garden. That gave me an interesting setting and family background for my hero. I’ve always liked stories where the hero and heroine were childhood friends who fell in love as they grew up, but I’ve never written one, so that was a fun element to include. I enjoyed the book and TV series, North and South, so I borrowed some of those elements for the town and issues faced by my heroine and her neighbors. Mixing all those things together with lots of prayer and brainstorming with two author friends, I came up with the plot and characters for Shine Like the Dawn.

3. It's always interesting to see where authors find their inspirations! How is Shine Like the Dawn different than your Edwardian Bride series?

Shine Like the Dawn has some of the same elements readers told me they enjoyed in The Edwardian Brides Series - family drama, romance, inspiration, set in Edwardian England, with a large cast of characters from different backgrounds. But it is also unique in that it include a mystery that the hero and heroine must solve together. Also the heroine, Maggie, is more strong and determined than most of my previous heroines. She was a fun and challenging character to write.

4. Let’s play character match up, if you could introduce one of your characters to any other character from another book, who would it be and why?

I think Nate, the hero in Shine Like the Dawn, would enjoy meeting Alex Goodwin, the hero in A Refuge at Highland Hall. Both have a military background. As Shine Like the Dawn opens, Nate is returning from serving in the Royal Navy during the Boer War in South Africa; and Alex served as a pilot in the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I. I think they would have a lot to talk about and probably become good friends.

5. Which part of the book is your favorite? Can you share a line/paragraph (without a spoiler)?

I love the scene where Maggie is remembering when she and Nate were young teens and she climbed a tree to look into a bird’s nest so she could paint what she saw when she climbed down. Nate is furious and sure she is going to fall out of the tree and hurt herself. He urges her to come down, but she refuses. He threatens to climb up and get her, but she tells him she will only take a quick look and then come down. Just when she peeks in the nest, the mother bird returns and tries to protect her eggs by flapping her wings and squawking at Maggie. She loses her balance,  falls out of the tree, and lands on Nate. He tries to catch her, but she flattens him. He plays dead for a few seconds, and she is frantic. He finally laughs, and she punches his arm, but she can’t stay angry with him. It was the first scene I wrote when I started the book. I ended up moving it to another place in the story, but it made me love them and see how they would relate to each other throughout the story.

6. O! That is one of my favorite scenes too! Is there more to the story or a character in Shine Like the Dawn you would like to write their own story?

Maggie had a younger sister Violet who is six years old and loves horses, but she is unable to ride until the end of the book because she has a broken leg. I’ve thought about writing a story set during WW1, twelve years later, with Violet as the heroine. There were some women who helped in the war effort by training horses for officers.   I’ve read several articles about it, and it sounds so interesting. Violet would 17 or 18 when the war began in 1914 and be a wonderful heroine. I like that idea!

That would be quite interesting!! 

7. What are you currently reading?

I like to listen to nonfiction books and novels as audio books, and I read some paperback or hardback copies of novels and research books. Right now I’m listening to Love Unending - Rediscovering Your Marriage in the Midst of Motherhood by Becky Thompson. It’s excellent and so encouraging. I’m also squeezing in a few minutes a day to read Tammy Alexander’s new novel, A Note Yet Unsung. She has a great way of bringing her characters to life.

8. What book besides yours of 2017 that you are most excited for?

I am excited about Carolyn Miller’s debut novel, The Elusive Miss Ellison. It’s a lovely Regency novel I read for endorsement, and I think those who enjoy Julie Klassen’s books will like Carolyn’s. Oh, and I’m also excited to read Kate Breslin’s next WWI novel, Higher than the Heavens. She is a wonderful writer and of course I love that era!

I wholeheartedly agree! Loved The Elusive Miss Ellison! And Kate Breslin's next one is definitely on my list! I enjoyed both of her books! 

9. What’s next on your writing agenda? 

I’m working hard on my next English historical novel set in in Kent in 1908. The working title is Beyond the Cloud, but I expect that to change. It’s about a wealthy young woman who longs to become a journalist and write for her father’s London newspaper, but her parents insist she focus on finding a suitable husband who can help the family move up in society. When she meets an aspiring aviator who dreams of being the first to fly across the English Channel, she believes his story may be the ticket to her dreams. But what will she have to sacrifice to reach her goals. Will it bring her the love and significance she longs to find?

I look forward to it too! 

10. And last, can you give us 3 random facts about you?

I spent one summer as a short-term missionary in Belgium when I was 22 and had a fantastic experience there. I enjoy arranging flowers for special occasions and have done the flowers for two of my children’s weddings. I am a pastor’s wife, and I love sharing in the ministry with my husband Scott at Calvary Chapel Living Hope.

Again Carrie, THANK YOU for spending time chatting with me! I truly enjoyed Shine Like the Dawn and I hope to read your other novels as well! (And what can fans do to push for Violet's story!?!)

Anyone want to check out my review of Shine Like the Dawn, you can find it HERE.

Title: Shine Like the Dawn
Author: Carrie Turanskey

Publisher:  Waterbrook & Multnomah

Release Date:  February 21, 2017

Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction 

Separated by an inconceivable tragedy, can faith and love reunite childhood friends and light the way to a bright future? 

In a quiet corner of northern Edwardian England, Margaret Lounsbury diligently works in her grandmother’s millinery shop, making hats and caring for her young sister. Several years earlier, a terrible event reshaped their family, shattering an idyllic life and their future prospects. Maggie is resilient and will do what she must to protect her sister Violet. Still, the loss of her parents weighs heavily on her heart and she wonders if what happened that day on the lake…might not have been an accident. When wealthy inventor and industrialist William Harcourt dies, his son Nathaniel returns from his time in the Royal Navy and inherits his father’s vast estate, Morningside Manor. He also assumes partial control of his father’s engineering company and the duty of repaying an old debt to the Lounsbury family. But years of separation between Nate and Maggie have taken a toll, and Maggie struggles to trust her old friend. Can Maggie let go of the resentment that keeps her from forgiving Nate—and reconciling with God? Will the search for the truth about her parents’ death draw the two friends closer or leave them both with broken hearts?

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By the way, did I also mentioned that Carrie will be joining this year's Christian Fiction Readers Retreat as one of 41 authors!! I'm not kidding, see picture below. Registration is open and there are still spots left! 

(1) Winner will win a signed copy of Shine Like the Dawn, courtesy of Carrie Turansky. 

*US Addresses Only. All terms & conditions noted on the Rafflecopter

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Thank you for reading my posts. For full blog information and links to giveaways, head over to the blog: http://justcommonly.blogspot.com.