Episodes

After much anticipation, we are finally releasing our episode with Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton! I talked to Tosca and Marcus about their latest book, The Long March Home, which features three friends from Alabama fighting in the Philippines during World War II. This conversation makes a spectacular finale to season five. Here’s a description of the novel from Revell: Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Jimmy “Propper” Propfield is determined to leave his home behind and see the world with ...

Today I’m sharing one of my most popular episodes of all time! This one released last summer. Often called the “Queen of Historical Fiction,” Tracie Peterson is an ECPA, CBA and USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 books, most of them historical. In this episode, we talk about her series, Love on the Santa Fe, and specifically the second installment, Beyond the Desert Sands, which released last July. We discuss her love for the railroad, her mission in writing books, and how her books h...

Today, Crystal Caudill joins me on the show for the second time! We discuss the third and final novel in her Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. It’s entitled Counterfeit Faith, deals with the Secret Service, and is set in Philadelphia. Crystal and I discuss this newest book (which releases on Tuesday, May 16), the theme of faith and doubt that plays a role in the novel, the 19th century opiate epidemic, houses of refuge, and how an unromantic person can write historical romance! Here’s a d...

In the midst of technological difficulties and scheduling snafus, I bring you a solo episode a mere 32 hours late. This is something I would only notice in a podcast I listen to daily, so if any of you missed me, I am beyond flattered and grateful. I’m also grateful for the latest review, which I forgot to mention two weeks in a row! What do I actually talk about in this episode? I share some surprising news about this season. There are only two more episodes left before I break for summer. I t...

Laura Frantz came back on the show to talk about her latest novel, The Rose and the Thistle. Inspired by her own family history, Laura wrote this story set in the Scottish Lowlands during the Jacobite uprising of 1715. Laura is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. More importantly, she’s a kind soul, and always a delight to have on the podcast! Here is a description of the novel from Revell: Amid the Jacobite uprising in 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley’s...

Kim Vogel Sawyer is known for writing “gentle stories of hope.” Her latest novel, The Tapestry of Grace, is a perfect example of that legacy. On this episode, we discuss this novel and Kim’s use of her own Mennonite background in her characters, why she was compelled to include orphaned children in her story, and the historical details she incorporated (including how her characters brewed coffee in 1895!). Here’s a description of The Tapestry of Grace from Kim’s website: When a group of Kansas...

Karen Heenan’s novel Coming Apart released in October, but the sequel, Coming Closer, is out next week! These books, set during the Great Depression, portray family relationships with such beautiful, raw honesty. They’re also set in my home state of Pennsylvania, which adds to the appeal for me. However, any reader of historical fiction will find them fascinating. Listen to my conversation with Karen to learn more! Here’s the description of Coming Apart: No one knows you like a sister. Ava has...

Jaime Jo Wright is the queen of all things macabre in the Christian Historical Fiction world. Her latest book, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, is no exception. It’s set at a mysterious castle–which takes on a life of its own—in the midwestern United States. In this episode, Jaime and I discuss why she writes dark stories and how she brings redemption into them. Here’s a description of the book from Bethany House: In 1865, orphaned Daisy Francois takes a housemaid position and finds that the ec...

Brian C. Johnson honors the struggles and accomplishments of the ordinary citizens who launched the Civil Rights Movement by committing himself to the advancement of multicultural and inclusive education. On the show today, he shares his foray into writing historical fiction in his slave narrative Send Judah First, which was inspired when he took his students on an educational trip to Belle Grove Plantation. One of the park rangers at the plantation shared about an enslaved woman named Judah. O...

Jen Turano has been called one of the funniest voices in the inspirational genre. She’s a USA Today bestselling author of historical romantic comedies, set during the Gilded Age. They usually revolve around the New York Four Hundred. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, listen to the episode! We discuss the Four Hundred, as well as Jen’s latest novel, A Match in the Making, how she uses real historical figures in her novels (carefully), and the value of walking the trail with her rescue dog...

Listen to the 100th episode of Historical Fiction: Unpacked! Scroll to the bottom of the show notes to enter a celebratory giveaway! This episode features Jocelyn Green’s twentieth book, The Metropolitan Affair. Jocelyn and I talked about Egyptology, forgery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the roaring twenties setting of her latest novel. Here’s a description from Bethany House: With a notorious forger preying on New York’s high society, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Lauren Westlake...

I so enjoyed this conversation with Julie Klassen. She loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold over a million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s Best Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie wor...

We titled this episode “Women’s Suffrage in Wyoming” because that’s what Mary’s latest book, Forged in Love, deals with. But this conversation encapsulates so much more than that! Mary and I discussed marriage roles, memory loss, and other aspects of her new novel. And then we moved on to her career, how she became an author, and what her writing process is like. Spoiler: this is her 73rd book, but she wrote twenty books before she got published! Forged in Love is the first book in Mary’s Wyomi...

Today’s episode features an interview with Sarah Sundin about her newest book, The Sound of Light. From the publisher (Revell): Sarah Sundin’s name has become synonymous with her captivating and historically accurate World War II novels. In a recent starred review of Until Leaves Fall in Paris (February 2022), Library Journal stated that Sundin is “a master at her craft” and that she “rises to the top of World War II fiction.” In her newest novel, The Sound of Light, Sundin explores one of the...

I got to talk with Amy Lynn Green again today! Her wonderful book, The Blackout Book Club, released in November, and it’s a great read! Amy and I talked about how wonderful book clubs are because of the community aspect, as well as what she learned about the Hooligan Navy and how writing this book taught her to look at historical events from various perspectives. Enjoy this fascinating episode! Purchase The Blackout Book Club on Amazon (affiliate). Here’s a link to the historical information ...

Kimberly Duffy joins us again today to talk about her latest release, The Weight of Air. While Kim’s first three books featured the mystical setting of India, a country near and dear to the author’s heart, her fourth novel takes place mostly in her home state of New York. The story centers around a strong woman in the circus and her quest to find the mother she thought had died. Kim and I had a wonderful conversation about flipping various stereotypes in this book. We also talked about how Kim’...

Today’s episode features a fantastic conversation that I know you’re all going to love. Kimberley Woodhouse has been writing seriously for more than twenty years. She is a best-selling author of more than two dozen books. She has won the Carol Award, the Reader’s Choice Award, the Holt Medallion, and has finaled in the Selah Awards and the Spur Awards. In this conversation, we talk about her latest novel, A Mark of Grace. It’s the third book in her “Secrets of the Canyon” series, which features...

What a terrific kick-off to season five! This is a wonderful conversation with Mariah Fredericks about her latest novel, The Lindbergh Nanny. Here’s a description from the publisher: When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow ...