{"id":894,"date":"2019-03-19T03:00:48","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T10:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diannebarker.com\/?p=894"},"modified":"2019-03-19T05:04:38","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T12:04:38","slug":"interview-susan-mathis-author-of-recently-released-katelyns-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diannebarker.com\/?p=894","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Susan Mathis, Author of Recently Released Katelyn’s Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I want you to meet my friend, Susan G. Mathis, author of the recently released Katelyn’s Choice<\/em>. A multi-published author of both non-fiction and fiction, Susan is former editor\/editorial director of twelve Focus on the Family publications and served as founding editor of Thriving Family<\/em>magazine. She\u2019s vice president of Christian Authors Network (CAN), a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA), and Evangelical Press Association (EPA). She makes her home in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling globally, visiting more than forty countries. Her latest fiction series is set in her childhood stomping ground, the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate New York. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan,\ntell us about the Thousand Islands series and explain the Gilded Age.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gilded Age is the period from 1870-1910, just after the\nCivil War and before World War I. It is characterized by the expansion of the\nindustrial revolution, growth in the economy, and unfortunately lots of social\nproblems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thousand Islands Gilded Age begins in 1872 when George\nPullman invited President Grant to his island for a vacation. After this, the\nrich and famous bought islands and built grand castles, mansions, and elegant\ncottages. Think of it as a Downton Abbey meets the St. Lawrence River. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve\nmade several trips to the islands for research. Give us a few interesting\ntidbits you discovered.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years\nago my husband and I visited Wolfe Island, Pullman Island, and Singer Castle on\nDark Island. We met some wonderful people who kept the intriguing Thousand\nIsland history deep in their hearts, and I gleaned all kinds of valuable\ninformation and made special friends in the process. My historical editor is\nthe president of the Thousand Islands Historical Association and a Thousand\nIslands author herself. Seeing and experiencing the area as I wrote made my\nwriting come to life, and my historical editor keeps the history accurate.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your new release, Katelyn\u2019s Choice<\/em><\/strong>, is the first book in the series. What\u2019s it about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katelyn Kavanagh\u2019s mother dreamed her daughter\nwould one day escape the oppressive environment of their Upstate New York farm\nfor service in the enchanting Thousand Islands, home to Gilded Age\nmillionaires. But when her wish comes true, Katelyn finds herself in the\nservice of none other than the famous George Pullman, and the transition proves\nanything but easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas O\u2019Neill, brother of her best friend, is\nall grown up and also working on Pullman Island. Despite Thomas\u2019 efforts to\nhelp the irresistible Katelyn adjust to the intricacies of her new world, she\njust can\u2019t seem to tame her gossiping tongue\u2014even when the information she\u2019s\nprivy to could endanger her job, the 1872 re-election of Pullman guest\nPresident Ulysses S. Grant, and the love of the man of her dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aren\u2019t\nsome events actually based on reality?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes. Many of the events are true, especially all the details\nabout Pullman, Grant, and others. The servants are fictional but still\nhistorically accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your\nbooks always shave a strong Christian component. What subtle teaching will we\nfind in Katelyn\u2019s Choice<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of the tongue to hurt or harm, bring life or\ndeath, pain or joy. And always\u2014redemption!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your\namazing touch makes your characters come alive, allowing readers to feel what\nthey feel. How do you decide on your characters and their names for your books?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katelyn is simply an Irish name I\u2019ve always liked, and\nbecause I have a strong Irish thread in all my stories, Thomas, Shamus, and\nMcCarthy are also Irish names of my characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve\nbeen successful as a non-fiction author. Why did you begin writing fiction?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I swore I\u2019d\nnever write fiction, but never say never! My hubby and I went to a book\ntalk\/signing, and after we left, I jokingly said, \u201cI could write a story about\na quilt!\u201d I then proceeded to tell him the entire story, and he said, \u201cWell,\nwrite it!\u201d Thus began my journey of writing historical\nfiction, and I\u2019ve found my playground. Creating memorable characters, weaving a\nmeaningful story around history, and using my imagination for God\u2019s glory\nsimply thrills me to my toes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nyou have another book coming soon?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Book\ntwo of the Thousand Islands Gilded Age series comes out in April 2020.\nIt\u2019s called Devyn\u2019s Dilemma <\/em>and\nhere\u2019s a summary of the story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-year-old Devyn McKenna is nervous about working\non Dark Island in the imposing Castle called the Towers, a 28-room structure\ncomplete with dungeons, underground passageways, and castle secrets. Devyn\nstruggles to find the self-confidence she needs to carry out her duties as a\nhousemaid in the summer home of the wealthy president of the Singer Sewing\nMachine Company, Frederick Bourne. As she serves the likes of Brig. Gen.\nCornelius Vanderbuilt III and others, her curiosity for learning grows. But\nwhen she\u2019s accused of stealing Bourne\u2019s investment money for expanding the NYC\nsubway, her faith is tested like never before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\ncan readers learn more about you?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: www.SusanGMathis.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SusanGMathis<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/@SusanGMathis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/susangmathis<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinterest: https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/susangmathisaut<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goodreads: https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/6044608.Susan_G_Mathis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google+: https:\/\/plus.google.com\/u\/0\/108568340293012416399<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks, Susan! I’m sure my friends enjoyed getting to know you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d love to hear how a book has impacted your life. Please leave a comment. And share this article with your friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 Dianne Barker 2019 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I want you to meet my friend, Susan G. Mathis, author of the recently released Katelyn’s Choice. A multi-published author of both non-fiction and fiction, Susan is former editor\/editorial director of twelve Focus on the Family publications and served as founding editor of Thriving Familymagazine. She\u2019s vice president of Christian Authors Network (CAN), a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[310,308,309,305,306,307],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-author-interview","tag-controlling-tongue","tag-gossip","tag-katelyns-choice","tag-susan-mathis","tag-thousand-islands-gilded-age"],"yoast_head":"\nInterview: Susan Mathis, author of recently released Katelyn's Choice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Katelyn's Choice by multi-published author Susan Mathis is the first in her Thousand Islands Gilded Age series. 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