Day Two with Keli Gwyn

Welcome to our second day with author Keli Gwyn. Keli is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Agency. A fun fact: Rachelle made her offer of representation to Keli on the eve of Christmas Eve! How's that for a Christmas present? 

That wonderful Christmas gift resulted in a contract for Keli's debut novel. Keli will be sending a copy of this Gold Rush-era book to one of our US or Canada readers who leaves an email address and answers this question:  Elenora Watkins, the heroine of  A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, is partial to the color purple and wears a spray of silk violets, her favorite flower, at her throat. What are your favorite color and favorite flower?

Keli, if you had a time machine and could be whisked back to your historic Gold Rush town of Placerville, California in the year 1870, what would you be doing to occupy your time and what would  you be wearing and eating?

Like my heroine, Elenora, I wouldn’t be content to while away my days with embroidery and such. I’d visit the offices of the Mountain Democrat, California’s oldest newspaper, show them some of my work, and seek a position as a journalist.

I would wear functional dresses made of calico or lawn by day, but I’d have some fine silk and satin gowns for evening events. And underneath them all, no doubt I’d be confined by a corset, although I just might be one of the forward-thinking women who dispensed with the restrictive garment. Food would be plentiful, thanks to the fertile farming areas and orchards in the Golden State, so I could enjoy all manner of delicious meals—and desserts.

 

What is your favorite part of researching for a new project? What part of that process do you least enjoy?

I love, love, love research. My favorite part is finding just the fact needed to enhance my story. My least favorite part is dragging myself away from the library or Internet when my research session has come to an end.

Give us a glimpse of your office or favorite work space. 

I’m blessed to have a home office, which is where I do most of my writing.

Before you begin to write, do you have a firm grasp on your characters’ loves, hates, favorites, and quirks, or do you prefer to let them surprise you?

I’m a character-driven writer, so I know my characters well before I begin writing. Even so, they love to surprise me as their stories progress and reveal interesting aspects of their personalities or backstories that I had yet to discover.

How would Elenora Watkins in A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California finish these statements:

                In my free time, I love to ______________________.

                Spend time with my nine-year-old daughter, Tildy, practice my violin, and take long walks.

                One word my friends and family would use to describe me is  ____________.

                Determined.

                The one quality that gets me in trouble is my __________.

                Stubbornness.

                If I suddenly inherited a lot of money I would ___________.

                Expand my shop so that it would be bigger and better than the mercantile across the street owned                    by a certain Mr. Miles Rutledge.

What’s next? What can we look forward to reading from Keli Gwyn in the future?

I’m working on another inspirational historical romance set in the Victorian Era and have oodles more in the planning stages.

               

Any final comments?

 Thank you so much for having me as a guest here at Novel PASTtimes. What fun to spend time at your great site and interact with your blog’s visitors.

Remember, tell Keli your favorite color and flower and leave your email address for a chance to win A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California. We'll need at least five comments to pick a winner, so tell your friends!