Welcome to My Worlds: A Bipolar Christian Tells All

By Cara Putnam

Three of my first four contracted books involve a step back in time to the days of World War Two. I may have been born in the 70s, but I’ve always held a love for and fascination with the life and times of the 40s, particularly the war years. In many ways, it was completely natural to find my first novel set during that time. And it was a joy to uncover two additional stories from that time period.

But how does someone who was born 30 years after the events weave them into a story in a believable way?  Here are a few tricks of the trade I’ve learned.

1) Study the culture and media of the time. I have always LOVED the old black and white movies from the early forties. Bringing Up Baby, It Happened One Night, You Can’t Take It with You, and the Thin Man series are some of my favorite movies of all time. Add in Fred Astaire & Ginger Rodgers, Gene Kelly and Bing Crosby, starlets like Katherine Hepburn and Myrna Loy and you can begin to get a feel for the styles of the time.

Now you have to be careful. Much as I love Audrey Hepburn, I can’t use her in a book from the early 40s…she wasn’t acting yet. So writers have to pay attention to copyrights on movies…Kate Hepburn wore pants in Bringing Up Baby, which released in 1938. By 1943 that was a well-established style that many attributed to her. And that leads me to my next tip…

2) Buy resources that illustrate the styles and vehicles of the time. As I wrote Sandhill Dreams, I realized I needed help describing the different styles in hats and clothing. I turned to Amazon and found a couple great resources. One was Everyday Fashions of the Forties as pictured in Sears Catalog. It’s perfect…Sears stores and catalogs were available throughout Nebraska, the setting for my World War Two series. Now I had the catalog illustrations and descriptions for the styles. It also gave me the details to back up things I knew, like during the war women couldn’t purchase pantyhose, so they drew lines up the back of their legs to mimic hose. But they also had make-up specifically designed to look like hose. Those are the details that make a book and a time period come alive.

3) Interview people who lived during that time – if you can. My time period is the early 1940s, so I interviewed my grandparents and others who lived then. If you plan to write about an earlier time period, then you’ll need to rely on resources like journals, newspapers, and other written accounts. But if you can, take the time to track down those who lived it. One night I had a delightful conversation with a veteran who had traveled through the North Platte Canteen 5 times as a soldier. Each visit was different, and he gladly shared his impressions and memories with me. His stories reinforced those I had found through other resources.

4) If you can’t interview people, don’t forget to look for sources that did. I found several invaluable resources in published books, Public television broadcasts, and spending a day with the Fort Robinson Museum curator who had interviewed dozens of veterans when they returned to the Fort. While I couldn’t interview these people, others had.

If you are writing or hope to write a historical novel, take the time to get the details right. Your readers will thank you.

 By Cara Putnam

For years I’ve wanted to write books. It was one of those dreams that refused to die, even when I would take it out periodically and ask God if I should let it die.

Yet even as the dream stuck with me, I’d look at the marketplace and wonder if I’d ever be able to write the kind of books I wanted.

You see, I love suspense. I guess there’s something in the combination of the ticking time bomb and solving the mystery before it’s revealed that I really enjoy. And ten to fifteen years ago, about the only writers I’d read were Mary Higgins Clark, Tom Clancy, and John Grisham. I knew for the most part that I could trust their books to be clean, yet have that race against time feel. I scoured bookshelves in Christian bookstores, but never found anyone writing like that. And I didn’t trust non-Christian authors enough to pick up their books without a recommendation from someone I trusted.

Why write something that didn’t have any place in the marketplace? Maybe that’s why God kept telling me to wait.

Fast-forward ten years to 2005.

The dream still hadn’t died, but now there were some fantastic authors available in the Christian market. Colleen Coble. Brandilyn Collins. Brandt Dodson. Tim Downs. I discovered their books and felt a surge of hope. Then Steeple Hill started its Love Inspired Suspense line. Now a group of wonderful suspense writers is very active in the CBA market, and my first, Deadly Exposure releases this month from Love Inspired Suspense.

So why do I write Inspirational Romantic Suspense?

First, because in inspirational suspense, I can show how God is active in our lives. Even when we aren’t looking or can’t see Him, He is our rock and shelter when our worlds fall apart. While most of us will never run from stalkers or try to solve crimes, we all have times our lives seem out of control, and any reminder God is still on His throne and in control is encouraging and needed.

Second, I love the twists and turns. I have never been told I couldn’t put something in a plot. I’m able to handle real world issues, without inserting elements that I don’t believe in. To be blunt: sex and language. Rarely do either of those propel a story forward and add to them. Instead, I can write the kind of book I want to read. And that I won’t blush if my grandmother picks up.

Third, they are fun to write. I can research. I can plot. I can develop characters. But at a certain point, the plot and/or characters are going to take over. Then I don’t even know exactly what is going to happen. And that’s fun.

 I love reading inspirational romantic suspense, and am thrilled to write it.

Getting the Details Right

by Cara C Putnam

www.caraputman.com

Do you have a love of history and a burning desire to write? Then you may be a candidate to write historical fiction.

Three of my first four contracted books involve a step back in time to the days of World War Two. I may have been born in the 70s, but I’ve always held a love for and fascination with the life and times of the 40s, particularly the war years. In many ways, it was completely natural to find my first novel set during that time. And it was a joy to uncover two additional stories from that time period.

While I’m still a new author, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

1)      Start with Your Passion. I love history enough that I minored in it in college. And while I love history in general, I have a particular fondness for World War Two history. I also have a passion for all things Nebraska. Marry those two passions together, and an odd mix of World War Two history in Nebraska is formed. Hmmm. World War Two. Nebraska. Those two things don’t seem to go together. At all. Yet my first three book series grew directly out of those passions.

2)      Write what You Know. This is writing advice that most authors will give you. But how does it really play out? Because my family still lives in North Platte, Nebraska, it seemed natural to highlight the North Platte Canteen in Canteen Dreams. The story inspires me any time I think about it. I know the setting very well, but even with that knowledge spent a day wandering around downtown exploring the buildings and hiding in the microfiche at the library to learn more about my particular time period.

3)      Yet be willing to Dive into New Areas. When I was looking for books two and three, I had to dive deep. I vaguely remembered that a Fort in Northwestern Nebraska had played an active, yet unique role in World War Two. Then my sister told me that a prisoner of war camp existed in southern Nebraska. As I started researching, I discovered perfect, unique historical settings that could form the backdrop to these next two books.

4)      Talk to the Experts. To write compelling historical fiction, you have to be willing to contact the experts. I make a lot of initial contacts via email. Currently, I’m in Indiana, and my experts are in Nebraska. Then I follow up by mail or with in person research trips when possible. I have found, without exception, that people are willing to help. I just have to be willing to ask. The North Platte Historical Museum curator opened the museum in the off season for me, so that I could peruse the displays and ask questions. The museum curator at Fort Robinson literally opened his files to me and spent a day showing me around the Fort and the town. His time and expertise was pivotal in Sandhill Dreams and will add authenticity to Captive Dreams as well.

5)      Go Visit the Location. Even though I lived in North Platte for four years and visit at least twice a year, there were details I had forgotten or simply didn’t know. Also, I needed to dive into what the town looked like 45 years before we moved there and 60 years before now. Actually walking the streets brought it to life each time I sat down at my keyboard.

If you are writing or hope to write a historical novel, take the time to get the details right. Your readers will thank you by telling you your book swept them away.

Guest blogger Cara Putnam continues:

 I’m delighted to be back at Novel Journey, though it still feels a tad odd sharing thoughts about writing. Not that I’m not opinionated. My husband would roar if he saw that sentence. I think there are many days he’d beg me to quit slinging my opinions around for all to see and hear.

But because I honestly feel so new to this amazing, complex, crazy business.

There’s so much I am learning, and I love that about this industry. As long as my heart and mind remain eager to learn, I will have no reason at all to grow bored. How can I when the industry constantly changes and fluxes?

But to be different, I thought I’d write a post about how to be a reader.

“Reader?” You ask.  “I’ve known how to do that since I had to read Cat in the Hat and other Dr. Seuss gems.”

I know. I know. But wouldn’t you like to be a reader who moves beyond just reading and lets authors and others know what you think and like?  How about starting a bookclub? Or finding authors that write with a similar style or in the same genre as a favorite author?

As a life-long inhaler of books and influencer for many books over the last two years, here are some thoughts on how to not just read but encourage the offering of more books that you like.

1)      When you find an author that you like, let someone else know. One rule of thumb seems to hold true for most fiction readers. We inhale books. Voraciously. With an appetite that doesn’t end. Therefore, we’re always looking for new authors. But the fact remains, few of us are willing to risk our money on an author we haven’t heard about. So talk up your favorites. Let others know about books and authors you’re enjoying.

2)      Post short reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christian Books, etc. Tell people in a few sentences what you honestly liked about a book. You can also mention if there was something that didn’t resonate with you. But these short little posts will help people make purchasing decisions about books their considering. I have several books sitting in my to-be-read pile because of other people’s recommendations.

3)      Join or start a bookclub. Now this is one that I’ve talked about doing for awhile, but let me say the book manager at my local Christian bookstore loves the idea. We just have to find time to sit down and figure out how to make it work. Bookclubs are a great way to get exposed to new books. The club can be genre specific. My aunt has belonged to a mystery/suspense club at a bookstore in Lincoln, NE, for years. These folks love to read. And she’s directed me to several new authors as a result of her exposure in the bookclub.

4)      Give books as gifts. I do this all the time. If I know someone’s a reader, or really think they’d like an author, then that’s the gift they’re going to get. One time I loaned a friend Trish Perry’s first book The Guy I’m Not Dating. She loved it so much she bought at least 4 copies to give as gifts and another to keep. And now she’s a fan of Christian chick lit. All from loaning/giving that first book.

It can be really easy to help spread the word about Christian fiction. And I can tell you from experience, the authors love hearing from you.

 Laura Drake, Kelly’s blog editor here, dropping in to introduce this week’s guest blogger, Cara Putnam.

Since the time she could read Nancy Drew, Cara has wanted to write mysteries. For years she asked God if this dream was from Him. Her life was full. She graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!), moved to the Washington, DC area, married the man of her dreams, worked in the non-profit world, went to George Mason Law School at night while working, and then started having children. While her life was far from empty, the dream wouldn’t die. Then she followed her husband to Indiana. Talk about starting over!

In 2005 she attended a book signing at her local Christian bookstore. The rest, as they say, was history. There she met Colleen Coble. With prompting from her husband, Cara  shared her dream with Colleen. Since those infamous words, Cara’s been writing books.

Heartsong Presents is publishing a three book series of World War Two romances: Canteen Dreams (October 2007), Sandhill Dreams (May 2008), and Captive Dreams (September 2008). Love Inspired Suspense published her first romantic suspense in May 2008. Now she’s working on the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Law (don’t ask!) and the first book in an Ohio World War Two series.

Cara is also an attorney, lecturer at a Big Ten university, women’s ministry leader, and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God, her husband and her kids that is.

Here’s Cara.

On my http://carasmusings.blogspot.com blog  I have a widget. Look to the right, and you’ll see it ticking down to this year’s ACFW conference.  http://www.acfw.com/conference

My mom laughed at me because practically the day after last year’s conference ended, I updated the widget and it began counting down to this year’s. So why am I excited about this year’s conference?

My first year (2005) I went to learn everything I could about writing. I came home with pages of notes on how to improve the craft and contacts with editors and agents that I couldn’t have formed easily in any other way.

My second year (2006) I received my first contract for Canteen Dreams in front of everybody on opening night. I continued to make invaluable connections with people inside the industry, and came home with even more tips on how to improve my writing as well as a letter of intent on that first book. Wow!

My third year (2007) was my first as chair of the Conference Planning Committee and on the Operating Board for ACFW. I also was part of a panel for a Late Night Chat. I love to talk, so that was a ton of fun. I made even more friends, got even less sleep, and managed to find time to attend a few classes and learn. I also continued to deepen relationships with people in the industry and formed some new friendships.

This year I’ll participate in a Late Night Chat on writing buddies. I know I wouldn’t be where I am without the friendships and working relationships that have formed primarily through ACFW. I will also get to participate in the book signing — get this! — at the Mall of America!!!! We anticipate 100 of your favorite Christian authors will sign books on Saturday, September 20 from 1-3 p.m. So if you are in the area, plan to swing by.

Each year God has exceeded the expectations I bring to the conference. I cannot wait to see what He has in store for this year!