Carrie Turansky Talks about A Refuge at Highland Hall

Today I welcome dear Carrie Turansky to my blog to talk about A Refuge at Highland Hall. By the way, Carrie has a hat almost idential to the one you see on the cover.

 Q & A with Carrie Turansky

by Melony Teague

Q: How does it feel to be at the end of a 3 book series such as yours?
Carrie: I’ve loved writing this series! Part of my research included taking a trip to England to visit Tyntesfield, the estate that is the inspiration for Highland Hall. Those are such special memories. It was very hard to write the last few chapters of A Refuge at Highland Hall, knowing that I would be saying goodbye to all the characters in the Foster and Ramsey families. Each one seems like a real person to me, and I will miss them. Maybe someday I will write about Andrew and Millie and carry the series into the next generation.

Q: What aspect of this book did you enjoy researching the most?
Carrie: I found an out of print biography of a brave young pilot who flew in WW1 for England. His story was so interesting and his actual feats so amazing, that they provided the perfect background for my hero, Alex Goodwin. But I knew very little about early aviation, so I signed up to take an online university course on WW1 aviation in England. It was great fun to learn about the different aircraft used in the war and also how aviation changed so quickly during that period of time. I think readers will really enjoy those exciting scenes written from Alex’s point of view as he flies across the night sky chasing German Zeppelins!

Q: Which character is your favourite?
Carrie: Penny Ramsey is the heroine in this story, and enjoyed developing her character and trying to imagine how she would respond to the challenges on the home front. She is very caring and determined to do all she can to help her family, her country, and the man she loves. I hope readers will enjoy getting to know Penny as much as I enjoyed writing her story.

Q: What was/or where did you get your inspiration for this book?
Carrie: The story rose out of the research I did for the series. When we were in England I found a diary written by a woman who lived in London during WW1. Seeing how the war impacted the people at home gave me great ideas for the plot of the story. I also did some brainstorming with two of my author friends, Cathy Gohlke and Terri Gillespie. They helped me develop my characters and plot.

Q: Tell me more about who you dedicated your book to.
Carrie: I dedicated this book to my dear friend and fellow author, Cathy Gohlke. She has been such a wonderful encouragement to me on my writing journey. When I first considered writing a historical series I felt intimidated by the research I would need to do, but she helped me get started and urged me to press on. She traveled with me to England on my last research trip and has continued to pray for me all along the way. This year she is facing a battle with cancer, and she has carried on through that with great faith and grace. I am very thankful for our shared faith and abiding friendship, and I am delighted to dedicate this book to her.

Q: What are you working on next?
Carrie: I am working on a new story set in 1903 in England. It focuses on a new family and a new setting in Northumberland, which is in northeast England, near the Scottish border. The hero is a naval officer returning home to his family estate, Morningside Manor, after the Boer War. The heroine is a young woman who has lost her parents in a boating a boating accident, and she holds the hero’s family responsible. There will be family drama, romances – upstairs and down, and a bit of mystery this time. The working title is Shine Like the Dawn. The release date is February 2017.

Thank you so much! – Carrie Turansky

Read my review of A Refuge of Highland Hall

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, it was a pleasure to do so! – Melony Teague

(Also available at Amazon.com)