Yankee in Atlanta

With Valentine's Day soon upon us, let's talk about love. Many of you know that I had the honor and privilege of co-authoring The 5 Love Languages Military Edition with Dr. Gary Chapman a while ago. Working on that book helped me invest in my own marriage in ways that I hadn't before. It also improved my writing when it came to developing characters and relationships. Now, I am not a romance novelist, but there is love in my books: between spouses, sweethearts, parents and children, siblings. So what I'm about to share can be applied to every loving relationship in your books, too. The love language concept is simple but profound: what feels loving to one person doesn't necessarily feel loving to another person. Dr. Chapman has identified five basic "languages" in which we express and receive love: Words of Affirmation Quality Time Receiving Gifts Acts of Service Physical Touch As you develop your characters, determine which of the above is their primary love language, and be consistent with that. If her main love language is Words of Affirmation, we should see her really respond when someone verbally affirms, encourages, and supports her. By the same token, harsh words will hurt her very deeply. If a heroine's love language is Acts of Service, for example, a bouquet of roses at the end of a hard day will not impress her nearly as much as if the hero would pitch in and clean the kitchen instead.  Love languages can spark romance or conflict, depending on how you pair them. Use them to ramp up the tension between two people. Conflict happens when two people do not express and receive love in the same way. In my book Yankee in Atlanta, Edward's love language is Physical Touch, but his wife has been abused in the past, which makes it nearly impossible for her to bestow physical affection upon him. Worse, when he tries to show her his love in the same way he wants to receive it (touch), it triggers negative feelings in her. Edward feels shunned and unloved, which erases his motivation to treat her lovingly. It's a vicious cycle. When a person feels unloved, it's very difficult to want to behave in a loving way, especially if that particular love language doesn't come naturally. In Spy of Richmond, my character Bella Jamison wonders how her husband feels about her anymore because their most recent conversation---months ago---was clipped and short. His deployment has thrust a gaping silence between them which grates on her more than it would if her love language were not Words of Affirmation. So when she sneaks into Richmond to find him a prisoner at Libby Prison, she longs to speak and hear words that will bond them together again. Here's an excerpt from their first meeting outside the prison where he is chopping wood: Light and shadow fought within Abraham's eyes, and he breathed in deeply. Bella could almost see the wheels in his mind grinding laboriously. Until finally, "I didn't ask you to come."   Bella tried not to stiffen. "I got things I need to say to you."   He picked up his axe, scanned the perimeter, but did not look at her directly. Nodded, and she understood that she was to speak, and quickly.   Bella wanted to be smooth and eloquent, when her nature was to be practical and straightforward. Perhaps a little too sharp. She wanted her words to sing to him, draw a smile from his lips. She wanted them to be a tender caress, a balm to his wounds of both body and spirit. But they were standing in an alley outside a Confederate prison, with the clatter of horses and merchants and shoppers rattling the very air about them. As the guard's voice raised itself over Peter's, Bella's speech was chopped to bits by Abraham's swinging axe, and he did not look at her as she, dressed as the slave she had once been, dropped pieces of her heart from her lips. Knowing Bella's love language helped me understand how excruciating this interaction would have been for her. As you develop the primary and secondary love languages of your characters, think about whether there is a specific reason those languages are meaningful to them. Many times, we long for the expression of love that we have gone without. Edward's longing for Physical Touch relates to the fact that his mother died when he was too young to remember her, and he was raised by a succession of nannies who didn't touch him any more than they had to. In the example from Spy of Richmond, we get the idea that Bella may not have spoken Words of Affirmation much under normal circumstances ("her nature was to be practical and straightforward"), but the fact that so few words had passed between her and Abraham during the war brought that need to the surface for her.  Perhaps a character who grew up with barely enough food on the table really appreciates the love language of Receiving Gifts now. Not every character's love language needs to be born from their personal history. My love language is Quality Time, and I can't imagine a particular reason for that. But as you get to know your characters, perhaps you'll make some connections that add to their three-dimensionality. To further explore the love languages, check out www.5lovelanguages.com or find a copy of the book The 5 Love Languages. You'll be able to draw your own connections to the characters you're developing--and your own relationships will benefit, too, I'm sure! 

UPDATE! The drawing for the prize package is now closed, and the winner is Lisa Stifler! Thanks to all for entering! One of the best things about writing my Civil War novels has been visiting as many of the historical sites as possible. Below, I'd love to share with you just a few highlights from several locations on my Yankee in Atlanta research journey. You won't see any pictures from Atlanta, though I did visit the Atlanta History Center, or from New York City, since I could not finagle a trip there either (which was fine because the historical documents were plenty detailed). What you will see are snapshots from: Marietta, Georgia: Marietta was in Sherman's path on the way to Atlanta. The Marietta Museum of History has amazing artifacts from 1864. Lookout Mountain, Tennessee: the site of the battle in which my character Noah Becker fought in November 1863. It was a stinging Confederate loss right before they made winter camp in Dalton, Georgia. Rock Island Confederate Prison Camp, Illinois: SPOILER ALERT! This is where a certain male character spent several months. Cedar Falls, Iowa: If you read the end of Yankee in Atlanta, you know what happens in this town, which was the western terminus of the Illinois Central Railroad in 1865. It also happens to be my hometown, but that's not why I used it. I found records of New York City orphan trains delivering thirteen orphans to Cedar Falls, Iowa. Living  only blocks from the Cedar Falls Historical Society and other historic buildings certainly made things easier for me. :) Enjoy! ...And stay tuned, because at the end of this post, I'm offering a Yankee in Atlanta themed give-away to one lucky winner! [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1025", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter wp-image-2043 size-full", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"600", "height":"600", "alt":"Marietta collage"}}]] [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1026", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-2042", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"600", "height":"600", "alt":"Lookout collage"}}]] [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1027", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-2039", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"600", "height":"600", "alt":"Cemetery collage"}}]] [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1028", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-2044", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"600", "height":"471", "alt":"SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES"}}]] [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1029", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-2040", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"600", "height":"227", "alt":"Ana Elsa"}}]] [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1030", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-2041", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"600", "height":"600", "alt":"CF Collage"}}]]   The Give-Away! I had a lot of fun putting this together. Below you can see the package with close-ups of two of the gifts. Included are: Voices of the Civil War: Atlanta. This is a gorgeous book, worthy of an coffee table. It's full of quotes from people who experienced the Atlanta campaign-Union and Confederate soldiers, plus those on the home front. Photos of the people and their artifacts, maps, and summaries of each battle are also included. (Inside of book shown at bottom of photo). Union & Confederate Military Leaders playing cards. Reminiscent of all the card games soldiers played in camp (close-up at bottom of photo). The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions: Balm for the Weary and Wounded. Noah Becker used this book in the novel, and now you can have your own copy. If you look closely at the photo in the bottom right, you can see a picture of a real soldier's copy he had on him during the battle, too. Handmade soap from Marietta. A Caitlin doll. This is a Corolle doll which just reminds me so much of my main character Caitlin with her hair and eyes and freckles. You know those American Girl dolls? If there was ever a collection of Heroines Behind the Lines dolls, this one would be Caitlin. Soft body, lots of hair, the eyes close when she lies down, and she smells like vanilla. [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1031", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-2037", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"600", "height":"600", "alt":"Yankee giveaway"}}]] To Enter the Give-away: There are several easy ways to enter this give-away. You only need to choose one of them, but the more entries, of course, the better your chances. Please use the Rafflecopter form below to get started! Have fun! a Rafflecopter giveaway A winner will be selected and announced the day after Labor Day. I'll email the winner for a mailing address, and the winner will have three days to respond. If I don't hear back in three days, I'll have to choose a different winner. BONUS! From August 24-28, each novel in the Heroines Behind the Lines series is only $2.99 in ebook format! Shop at Amazon, ChristianBook, or BarnesandNoble for Wedded to War, Widow of Gettysburg, and Yankee in Atlanta. [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1032", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-2049", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"400", "height":"607", "alt":"Ebook sale graphic"}}]] One final note: if you leave a comment and it doesn't appear, that means it's awaiting moderation from me. This could take me a few days, or a week, since I'm actually camping in the Black Hills this week. Never fear. The Rafflecopter will account for all your entries while I'm looking for buffalo or spelunking in Wind Cave National Park. :)  

[[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"990", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter wp-image-1769", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"428", "height":"661", "alt":"Yankee 600"}}]] Many thanks to the River North Fiction team for yet another amazing cover in the Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series! You are looking at the face of Caitlin McKae, the heroine of Yankee in Atlanta. She hid from her past to find a future. Though starvation ruled and Sherman raged, she would not run again. But this story isn't just about Caitlin. It's about two families torn apart by war. Two hearts divided by love and honor. In a land shattered by strife and suffering, a Union veteran and a Rebel soldier test the limits of loyalty and discover the courage to survive. Coming in June 2014!