THE POCKET WATCH by Kathleen RouserIsabel Jones, an orphan, receives a ruby ring from the mother she never knew . . . a lost pocket watch ties her to Daniel Harper, the doctor who saved her life. He doesn’t realize the importance of redeeming time until she almost dies during an influenza epidemic. Will he be compelled to help her find her lost past?
Questions for Kathy:
Kathy, your novella, THE POCKET WATCH,
is part of the anthology Brave New
Century. Whether the turn of the 19th or 20th or now
the 21st each century, with all its changes, asks each one of us to
be brave. How are your characters braving changes?
Thank you
for having me on your blog this week, Elaine. It’s a blessing to be here.
People
living at the dawn of the 20th century had some particular changes
to brave, especially women. Women’s suffrage became a mass movement, for one.
Middle class women were still considered the guardians of morality in society
and the home. They had begun to affect change through organizations like The
Women’s Christian Temperance Union. The automobile was still a new mode of
transportation. Electric lighting began to replace gas lighting in homes.
Despite
all of these exciting changes, my heroine, Isabel Jones, is facing something
else. She has been raised in an orphanage and wants to know who her birth
parents are. When she is given a ruby ring that her mother left for her,
knowing her past becomes even more important to her.
Like many
young women of the day, her world is small and protected. She aspires to one
day marry and have a home of her own. She’s content to stay and help with the
care of the younger orphans, but the director of the Protestant Orphan Asylum
of Detroit has bigger things in mind for her. Mrs. Pleasance finds Isabel a
position as a companion to an invalid. Leaving the orphanage each day to face
the world and meet new people stretches Isabel to grow and change.
The hero,
Dr. Daniel Harper, is charmed by Isabel, when he rescues her from an oncoming
automobile. But he’s been betrayed and heartbroken before. He would rather bury
himself in charitable work than risk that again. When a lost pocket watch ties
them together and they both are caught up in caring for the orphans during an influenza
epidemic, Daniel must decide whether to help Isabel find her family.
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| Kathy & husband Jack |
Does Kathy, the wife and mom, brave
things differently than the author Kathy? Any “secret weapon” up your sleeve?
I’ve found that no matter
what area of life, career or personal, the best thing to do is cling to the
Lord. I need to spend time in the Bible and pray for His help and strength
often. I don’t subscribe by the adage that God doesn’t give us anything we
can’t handle. He allows us to experience things that we can’t handle, so that we
cling closer to Him. I guess that’s my secret weapon!
What is it about reading
and writing about historical time periods fascinates you the most?
There’s
just something about period clothing and genteel manners that seems more
romantic to me. (Think Jane Austen’s novels or Lucy Maud Montgomery.) It
fascinates me to think about how people, just like you and me, lived without
modern conveniences, and how their decisions are influenced by their times.
They often had more obstacles to overcome than we do, but had full, though
often shorter lives.
Exploring
those differences and putting characters in a historical setting allows me to
escape as I write. I hope it would also give readers a chance to enjoy a slice
of life in another time period.
How do you believe your
contemporary readers will relate to your stories set in yesteryear? Any common
denominators of the two eras?
Despite
the difference in time periods and changes in societal values, people are
people. We often have the same goals as our predecessors: Safety, food, a home,
peace, happy marriages, good family relationships and friendships. And of
course there is the spiritual element. We all have that longing for the
eternal, for a relationship with God, available only through His son, Jesus,
because we are eternal beings and long to be part of something beyond
ourselves.
I would
hope that as readers see my characters facing challenges and learning how to
trust God, they would be encouraged to apply the same thing to their lives.
Please share with us the
highlights of working with your small press, Prism Book Group.
The nice
thing about working with a small press like Prism Book Group is that they are
open to new authors and different kinds of stories. The editors make sure their
authors are networked through an email group and Facebook page, so that they
can help promote one another.
Our
acquisitions editor, Susan Baganz, has been delightful to work with.
Owner/editor, Joan Alley, designs the covers and gives authors input on the
decisions being made over them. It’s been a fun process.
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| Lilybits sharing Kathy's office |
Any tips for working in
collaboration with other authors?
The days
of the Internet and email makes working with authors who are many miles apart
much easier than it was in the past. When Lisa was looking for people to
contribute to an anthology of romances set in urban areas in 1900, I figured
this was a good match for me. This was the era I had set a full-length novel
in. I had also done some research on the city of Detroit for it.
It turned
out that each of our heroines were orphaned or abandoned before or during the
beginning of their story, unbeknownst to me. That had to be orchestrated by the
Lord, I’m sure! Attempting to follow His leading, prayer with writing, being
flexible on decisions about the manuscript can all help authors work together.
I have been very thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with Lisa
Lickel, Paula Mowery and Teena Stewart. It’s been a great experience. The
people make a big difference.
You’re also now
represented by a fabulous agent, Linda Glaz of the Hartline Literary Agency. Is
obtaining an agent truly a must for the pre-published author?
Linda is
wonderful. Her clients know she’s in their corner.
I didn’t
feel ready to look for an agent until an editor had asked for my full
manuscript. Options for pre-published writers are growing with the new smaller
publishing houses starting out. However, an agent is wonderful for opening
doors, which are otherwise closed, except at conference appointments. Write,
keep honing your craft and don’t worry if it takes awhile to find the right
agent.
Would you like to share
with us on your current work in progress?
Sure. I’m currently
working on the second novel in my “Hearts of Stone Creek” series, with the
working title, A Good Medicine.
Here’s the blurb: A widow and a
pharmacist find a remedy for their lonely hearts comes from where they least
expected.
It’s a
historical romance set early in the 1900s. Maggie Galloway and Thomas Harper
meet after their sons’ wind up in a fistfight. Since Maggie and Thomas are
opposites, contentions arise between the two, before they turn to sparks!
As an
aside, Thomas is the older brother of Daniel Harper, the hero in The Pocket Watch. Maggie is the sister
of the male protagonist in the first novel in the series, As Rumor Would Have It, Ian McCormick.
I’ve also
been working on a biblical novel dealing with both the birth and adoptive mothers
of Moses.
Is there a certain
passion/issue you’re longing to write about or a genre you’d like to try?
One of our
pastors once mentioned a book, Under
the Overpass, by Mike Yankoski, in a sermon. The author and a friend had
decided to be intentionally homeless for a time, so they could understand the
experiences of the homeless. They developed great compassion for these people,
seeing Jesus in them.
I read the
book and researched what circumstances could lead to a young man becoming
genuinely homeless. I came up with an outline for a contemporary women’s
fiction with a hero who is a homeless veteran. It is a heartbreaking issue for
some veterans as they deal with PTSD, substance abuse and unemployment. I’m
hoping to eventually be able to further develop that manuscript.
And, a bonus question
for you, Kathy: What would you like to ask your future readers and fans?
What
issues would you like to see portrayed in works of fiction?
Thank you
again, Elaine, for interviewing me.
Kathy's Ah-hahs To Tweet:
Love #HistoricalFiction?
See how it comes alive for author Kathy Rouser. (Tweet This)
Tricks author Kathy
Rouser, of THE POCKET WATCH, uses to bridge the past to present. (Tweet This)
Author Kathy Rouser
shares author-collaboration tips. (Tweet
This)
Everyone has a story:
Kathy Rouser shares her publication story. (Tweet This)
Author Bio:
Kathleen Rouser has loved
making up stories since she was a little girl and wanted to be a writer before
she could even read. Kathleen’s debut novella, The Pocket Watch, part of the anthology, Brave New Century, will be
published by Prism Book Group this November.
She studied communications
and English during her first college years and recently graduated with an
Applied Science degree. Kathleen has been published in Homeschool Digest and An Encouraging
Word magazines. She currently enjoys writing devotional articles for a
local women’s ministry newsletter and interviewing authors for the Novel
PASTimes historical fiction blog. Her desire is to bring to life endearing
characters, who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming
Savior in their everyday lives.
During a long career as a
home school instructor, she reared three sons, with her husband. Along with her
sassy tail-less cat, she lives in southeast Michigan with her hero and husband
of 31 years, Jack, who not only listens to her stories, but also cooks for her.
Find Kathy At:
Writing, Whimsy and Devotion (personal blog)
Novel Pastimes (co-blog)
