Sharing Faith-Based History Through Story

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

An email came to me with a reminder that today, the 9th of the month, is my day to post. The 9th day is special, not only because you get the privilege of reading a post from yours truly (tongue-in-cheek), but because it's the last single-digit day of the month before the double-digits take over.

Little tidbits like that often excite me, and finding them amidst other research for my novels is more than a golden nugget to me. It's like discovering an entire goldmine, rich with hidden details and secret little unknown facts that create a desire within others to find out more.

When others ask me about my genre, my answer is usually "historical fiction with romance." And that's true. While all of my books so far might be considered category historical romance, several readers have come back to say they feel like they are getting a rich history lesson interwoven with the story of the characters. But it's not the boring details of faceless names or disconnected dates and details. Instead, it's history that you often won't find in textbooks and stories that often get overlooked in the grand scheme of things.

When asked what I write, I usually reply, "Normal stories. The weird stuff (science fiction) is left to my husband." (Stuart Vaughn Stockton) It's why I write romance. That usually means I'm sweet and innocent. Well, all right. So, how about just sweet. On second thought, let's stick with historical fiction author. :) Yes, that will do it.

So, what makes history so appealing to me? Well, that would have to be the simplicity of it all. With the hustle and bustle of today's society, the pressures and demands on our time, and the frantic pace at which most of us live, I love to shift gears and slip into another world where the ringing of the telephone or the blaring of a car horn, or the tick-tock of a clock doesn't remind me of how much I'm not accomplishing. How demanding of your time everyone else is, because whatever they have to do or say is far more important than what's happening in your life.

Going back to when communities rallied around each other, and hard work and sweat, along with a man's word meant far more than it does today. That inspires me and gives me hope that maybe I can help maintain that mindset through the stories I tell and the books readers read.

My stories are usually a showcase of characters living everyday, normal lives, but their faith (or in some cases their discovery of their faith) is what helps them get through the difficult situations life throws their way. Toss in some unique historical facts, some often obscure or lesser-known settings, and some fun supporting characters, and you've got the recipe for most of my novels.

I've also been known to include cameo appearances by well-known historical figures such as George Washington, Thomas Edison, or Henry Ford. That alone can be challenging, as so much is written about people like those, and any portrayal of them must line up with the details that have thus far been written.



But never let it be said that I run from a challenge. Just take a look at my everyday life, staying home, running a business, homeschooling my 2 teenagers, corraling 6 furbabies, while attempting to find time to write and meet deadlines, as well as somehow figure out how to market my books and keep selling new ones. Praise God for my agent, or I likely would disappear into oblivion and lose myself in the mounds of housework, budgeting, errands, teenage drama, and the general craziness ofl ife.

Every day, it becomes clear to me why most authors wait until their children are out of the house before beginning their writing careers. That luxury isn't mine, though, and somewhere in all of this, God has a plan. My job is merely to trust Him and keep doing the best I can to move forward.

That's the simple faith most of my characters possess, and it's what propels most of my stories. I offer a slice of life as it might have been and invite you to lose yourself among the pages of the stories God gives me to tell.

That being said, I'm honored to be here with fellow historical fiction authors who share my love of history and passion for writing. This is my 12th year! It's equally exciting to visit with you, the reader. For without you, we writers couldn't keep doing what we love. Thank you for coming along for the ride!

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Share a little piece of the craziness that exists in your life on a daily basis.

* What has you coming back to this blog day after day, week after week, or month after month?

* When you choose to read historical fiction, what makes you select the book?

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has embellished stories since childhood, thanks to a very active imagination and notations of talking entirely too much. Honing those skills led her to careers as an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker, while also working as a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways, but especially from the inside out.

Currently, she lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, three dogs, and three cats in southeastern Kentucky. In her 20+ years as a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and has agent representation with Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Beware of the Five-Minute Break (A Slice of the Homeschool Life)

by Linore Rose Burkard

Introduction: Homeschooling is nothing new. Did you know that all of the following presidents were homeschooled?
John Adams, John Quincy Adams, James Garfield, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, James Polk, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Washington. 

Many famous scientists and inventors were also homeschooled, such as Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. In our day, homeschooling has become somewhat accepted again, but when I began homeschooling my children in the early 1990s, there were still many raised brows. Chief among the skeptics was always this concern: What about socialization? (This is a running joke among homeschoolers today, who are well aware that their children do not suffer from a lack of socialization.)

It seems people get vastly concerned, though, when children won't be molded, pressured or bullied by their peers five days a week. As if the modern classroom is the only means of socialization. In fact, homeschooled children who interact with a wide variety of age-groups instead of only children their own age, are far better socialized than those in a typical government school. (I don't use the term public school because it doesn't describe the over-reaching control of the federal government on today's schools. They are, in most cases, government controlled via federal dollars. Witness common core. Or the stark absence of God in the classroom.)       

Anyway, some years ago I wrote a monthly column for a homeschool group my family belonged to on Long Island, New York. What follows is one of them. It's a  humorous peek into the less orderly aspect of our days, you might say. If you're a homeschooling mom, or know one--you'll enjoy this.

Beware of the Five-Minute Break

Do your children ask during school hours if they can take just a little, teeny five-minute break? Mine do. I'm not sure how they came up with the idea that they are entitled to do this (probably the first time they tried it, and it worked!) but they insist that five-minute breaks should be part of every home-schooling day.
Lunch and recess? No problem.
Five-minute breaks? Beware!

What's terrible about a little, innocent, five-minute break, you ask?

Ha! First they somehow turn into fifteen minutes or more, and then, in addition to growing longer (all by themselves) they're also addictive! Yes, first it was just one five-minute break a day. But soon the requests changed to
                  "When I finish my math can I take a five-minute break?"
                     "When I'm done with spelling, can I?"
And then reading, and on and on. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if I opened a teacher's manual and saw the instruction:
                         STOP NOW FOR A FIVE-MINUTE BREAK.
Why not? They seem to be everywhere.

Okay, five minutes is not a lot of time. I realize that. The problem is that
                                              kids do not.
Really. To them, being granted permission for a break is like getting a key to a magical door to another world: They step into it hoping they will never have to come back.

Take my oldest son, for instance.
Hungry for his next five-minute fix, Brian's eyes, which are large anyway, suddenly take on beagle proportion, and he puts on all the puppy-dog pathos he can muster. ("Please, Mom, p-l-eeease, can I take a 5-minute break?") And despite the five minutes stretching into ten or more, I am then subjected to a barrage of complaints such as, "Oh, already!? I just started playing with Matt! It can't be five minutes already!"
                  ME: Well, actually, it's been FIFTEEN minutes!
                BRIAN: (laughingly) Fifteen minutes? No way! No way!


Despite his blossoming skills at telling time, he just cannot fathom the realities of a sixty-second minute. Somewhere in the mysterious regions of his just turned seven-year-old brain, he thinks of five minutes in terms of seconds (300 of them) and then expects to live them out in years; What else can account for his daily baffled expression when I inform him that his time is up?

Once, losing all patience, I made the radical move of threatening to abolish five-minute breaks from our school. My children were in arms instantly:
           ME: Where is it written that you must have five-minute breaks?!
           THEM: Mom! EVERYONE has five-minute breaks!!
           ME: I don't! I never get a break! What about that?
For some reason, this morsel of truth never evokes anything other than sheepish smiles: It's true, but they don't care!

Okay, I do take breaks. I start dinner, wash the dishes and perform other  wonderfully rewarding activities. I nurse the baby when she's ready for it, but I keep within ear shot of the "classroom"--just close enough to keep up my stream of "That's enough, no more talking! Okay, be quiet, you two! Brian, did you finish ALL those spelling words? Kaitlin, I thought you were reading!!"
(And when we're close to the end of the school year, my children suddenly have a great deal more to say to each other across the table during school. It's actually a law of the universe, like gravity: The nearer kids are to being DONE with something, the more they drag it out.)

Are you thinking that our methods are not enough fun, that school shouldn't be such a drag that kids can't wait to get away from it? I agree. I just haven't figured out, yet, how to complete all the requirements of the school year in a way that is always fun. (My consolation is that no one else has it figured out, either! ha!) 

Update: In hindsight, I can say with assurance that school isn't always fun--and shouldn't be. Why not? Because sometimes learning is hard work. When it happens to be enjoyable, that's great. Make the most of it. But life often isn't fun or enjoyable--it's just required doing, going, and doing some more. 

Homeschooling is really about preparing kids for life. So, if your homeschooling days are similar to what ours used to be, relax. Working through the hard days and teaching kids to work--especially when it's not fun--is a good  and right thing.

Even if it requires frequent five-minute breaks!  


For a brief history of modern homeschooling, see this article from the Coalition of Responsible Home Education.
For a list of famous men and women who were homeschooled, see here. 

Are you a homeschooler? If so, would you go back to government schools or not? Leave a comment and let us know!

 

Linore Rose Burkard is best known for historical romance novels with Harvest House Publishers, and now writes YA/Apocalyptic Suspense as L.R.Burkard. Linore teaches workshops for writers, is a mother of five, and still homeschools her youngest daughter—preferably with coffee in one hand and an iPad in the other. Join Linore's mailing list and be automatically entered into a drawing for a free copy of one her books. Winners announced in every issue of her newsletter. 

Do you live in or near Ohio? Join Linore and a fabulous lineup of authors and instructors for the WRITE ON! Christian Writers' Conference coming up soon in Dayton, Ohio. To see the details and schedule, click HERE. (New! Student Discount Available. Save $19!)  But hurry! Pre-Registration closes Sept. 23rd. Walk-ins welcome, but you'll pay more.

(If you come to the conference, be sure to say hello! I'd love to meet you.)

Also: Two fellow authors who write for this very blog are also giving workshops at this conference! Kathleen Rouser and Tamera Lynn Kraft. Come out and meet all of us. :)