Writing a blog post can sometimes be challenging, almost as challenging as writing a book, at least for me. This post has had three different titles, because I wasn’t sure how to categorize what I planned to write about. Since I’m winding up a series of books, I thought the title I chose might cover it all.
I’m working on the last book in my Front Porch Promises series, A PLACE TO FIND LOVE. It’s kind of sad to think about ending the series, but I think it’s time.
I didn’t actually start out to write a series. The first book, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, was my Romance Writers of American Golden Heart winner way back in 2003. I never sold that book to a publisher. I thought maybe it would never get published until indie publishing came along. When I found myself between contracts with Harlequin Love Inspired, I decided to indie publish this book. Ten years after my Golden Heart win, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, came out as an ebook and a couple of months later as a paperback. It was a real learning experience, one I wanted repeat. I had ideas for three books that I had previously proposed to Love Inspired, but my editor and I could never come to an agreement on the stories, so I put those stories on the back burner of my mind and thought of a new series for Love Inspired. Three years later, after I had completed my new contract with Love Inspired, I published the second book in the Front Porch Promises series, A LOVE TO CALL MINE.
Before I wrote that second book, I had to figure out how to connect that book with A PLACE TO CALL HOME. First, there was the title. I wanted the titles to have the same rhythm and number of words, so they would sound connected. I needed covers that were connected in some way. Since the first book had a front porch on the cover, I decided to put front porches on all the covers. Thus the Front Porch Promises series was born. So I had connections with the title, connections with the covers, but I still needed a connection with the stories. Happily, I realized that the two books were both set in Massachusetts, the connection I needed.
I wrote the series much the same as I write my books, by the seat of my pants. I have ideas, but I’m never quite sure where they are going until I write them. It’s an adventure. I hope you’ll join me by reading the books in this series. The first three books in the series are set in Massachusetts.
The last three books are set in Tennessee. How did the series jump from Massachusetts to Tennessee? The heroine of book 4, A SONG TO CALL OURS, Amanda, is a secondary character in books 2 and 3. In book 4 she makes her way from Boston, where she’s been going to music school, to Tennessee, where she hopes to make it as a singer and songwriter in Nashville. Her dreams take a little detour when her car breaks down in Pineydale, Tennessee.
You see that book 6, A PLACE TO FIND LOVE, only has a dummy cover. I have yet to talk to my cover designer about that cover, but it will definitely have a front porch. I think the last book will be the most difficult to write because I need to wrap up the whole series into a nice, neat package with this one story. Of course, the story will center on the romance between Jeremy, little brother of Jimmy, who is the hero in book 5, A BABY TO CALL OURS, and Whitney, who is the bad girl in books 4 and 5.
How can I possibly redeem her?
The reader gets a sense of Whitney’s less-than-stellar character in book 4, A SONG TO CALL OURS, even though she is never on stage, only talked about. She makes her appearance in book 5, and she isn’t very likable. Will the reader warm up to her in book 6, A PLACE TO FIND LOVE?
Meet Jeremy and Whitney. Can you guess that this might be an office romance? This office romance takes my characters on a whirlwind trip to Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Whitney has worked as a translator and has traveled abroad extensively, but Jeremy is a small town boy who has barely been out of the state of Tennessee. What will happen when Whitney takes him under her wing?
For fun I used a photo of the Park Street Church near the Boston Common as the background for the blog title. I used a photo of the Charles River in Boston at sunset for the background of the Massachusetts books. I used a photo of a country road in Tennessee for the background of the Tennessee books. And the background for Jeremy and Whitney is a photo I took overlooking part of Brussels, Belgium.
I hope you enjoyed learning a little of the background for my Front Porch Promises books. This series has six books. Do you usually read all the books in a series?
I’ll be giving away an ebook copy of the first book in the series, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, to one person who leaves a comment. I will draw the winning name on July 12, 2019 at 9PM MST.
Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of thirty plus years, and has two grown daughters. She has lived in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Florida but now makes her home in the Arizona desert. When she’s not writing, she spends her free time playing tennis or walking while she does the plotting for her novels.
Thanks so much for the background on the books and yes I do read whole series in order and I cannot wait to start this one!
I usually read a whole series, but not always. It usually depends on how we’ll linked the characters in the subsequent books are to the previous books as to whether or not I feel immediately drawn to read them
Thank you for sharing. I love the covers. I have not read this series but it sounds good.
Merrillee, this last book sounds just as great as the first book. Can’t wait to read it! I love reading books in a series.
This sounds like a fun series. I have a couple of the books in my Kindle waiting to be read! Thanks for the background info.
Your covers are beautiful. :) I do love reading series and I like seeing people from one book to the next. Especially the ones who need to be redeemed. :) The series sounds great.
Lori, thanks. I love how the stories all fell together, even when I didn’t plan it.
Melynda, just out of curiosity, does an excerpt from the next book in the series at the back of the book, help you decide if you’d like to read the next book?
Lelia, thanks. I hope you’ll give it a try.
Thanks, Sally. This last book will be out sometime this fall.
You’re welcome, Stacey. I hope you enjoy the books.
Somehow my response to Stacey wound up under Lindi’s comment. :)
Stacey, my original response to you wound up under Lindi’s comment. I hope you enjoy the books.
Thanks, Lindi. I can thank my cover artist. She has done a great job with this series. I used my friend’s front porch in the cover of the third book.
These sound soo good!! I usually do try to read all of the books in a series. It’s sometimes difficult, but I like to find out what happens!!
I do read series. I do prefer each to be a standalone.
Trudy, I hope you’ll give my series a try.
Gina, thanks for your comment. All of these books can be read alone, but I like to think it’s more fun to read the whole series and catch up on the hero and heroine of past books.
I love the front porch covers! They are appealing to me! And I enjoyed hearing your process in pulling them all together. Good luck with your finale!
I just love series books, the more the better….especially when the you get to learn more about the characters and grow with them!
Hi Merrillee!
I would love to win a copy of your first Front Porch series book!
Reader Ruth
Thanks, Laurie.
Paula, I agree. That is the fun part about a series.
Ruth, thanks for stopping by the blog.
I love hearing the story behind the stories, covers and even the characters! If I love an author, I’ll read everything in a series.
Looks like a great series. If I really enjoy a certain author, I hope that author has more in the series:) So, I would be very happy to win a print copy, especially since you are a new-to-me author! Thanks for the opportunity to enter a giveaway! God bless!
Yes, I usually read all books in the series…sometimes it’s easier to wait until they are all out, since I’m too impatient to wait for the next book :)
I love Brussels, Belgium – visited it once – beautiful!
Blessings to you in wrapping up the series!
Hi Merrillee, I love the covers of your Front Porch series. The European setting for book 6 sounds fun! :)