What was your process of making your books fit into the larger narrative?
Shannon McNear
Shannon McNear: The five of us collaborated on the family tree—Kimberley, of course, established the baseline with her original couple and their children, and the rest of us chose branches to work off of. We’re still early enough in the family history that we didn’t have to connect the actual stories—although it would have been so fun to do that!
Kimberley Woodhouse: We’ve gotten pretty close as we share ideas and family trees. We write our individual books alone, but talk to one another along the way. It’s been a lot of fun for our group of authors. The Mayflower Bride was the first book, so I was able to start from scratch. Then The Patriot Bride—the fourth book in the series—was a lot of fun to work with them on how it would weave in between other books in the series.
Kathleen Y’Barbo: First and foremost, each book must tie back to the original Mayflower settlers. Our publisher gave us an idea of what time period the story needed to be set in, but other than that we were all free to come up with our own story ideas. Each story adds new members to the chart, so it’s very interactive and yet each book stands alone. It’s really the best of both worlds.
Michelle Griep
Michelle Griep: I didn’t have too much of a process making my book fit into the larger narrative other than if I had a question about an ancestor of one of my characters, I was able to contact the authors before me and ask them about it.
MaryLu Tyndall: Barbour gave me a great deal of leeway in the plot and characters of The Liberty Bride. I was only told that the heroine must be a descendant of the original couple who came over on the Mayflower in The Mayflower Bride, and that she had to be a spy. Other than that, I could let my creativity flow, which is perfect for me!
However, I did converse frequently with the other five authors of the series. Also, I read the author’s book which contained the story of my heroine’s grandparents, The Captured Bride, so I could incorporate a few details of their lives into my book.
What do you consider the essential qualities of a leading woman and leading man?
Kimberley Woodhouse: They need to be real and they need to be flawed. For me, I want to see them grow and learn—that doesn’t mean they necessarily have to do a 180-type-change, but I want to see how the journey through life has made them discover who they really are.
Kathleen Y’Barbo: Honor, resilience, and faith are the first to come to mind because the characters must have a sense of purpose based on a right choice — in Christian fiction that would be the choice to follow where God is leading. Because a choice to follow God’s lead is usually met by more than a few obstacles, resilience and faith are essential. I would also add that a good sense of humor takes a character, male or female, a long way in my opinion. And, for that matter, in my books!
What are the pros and cons of writing for a series where you’re not the only author?
Kimberley Woodhouse: The pros are definitely getting to work with the other authors. Cons? I don’t know all their characters as intimately as my own characters. But I can’t say that there’s really any other cons. It has truly been a joy to work together.
Kathleen Y’Barbo: Working with other authors isn’t for everyone, but I love it. Every one of these women who are writing for Daughters of the Mayflower series are authors I know and admire.
Michelle Griep: The support is the absolute best! Bouncing ideas about the family off other authors is a definite advantage. Another pro is when we promote each other it also brings attention to our own book. The downside was making sure the family bloodline was kept intact and the family tree wasn’t veered off of in any way.
Shannon McNear: Pros—the networking factor, and the way Barbour has been wonderful about promoting this series. I knew all these women before we worked together on Daughters of the Mayflower, but this has given us a definite sense of sisterhood. They’re amazing authors, and I feel so honored to be included among them!
Cons—all I can think of is the constraints of the story itself. The decade I’m writing about was a complete unknown to me, before, and proposing a story felt like a complete stab in the dark. The colonial era, especially the American Revolution, is more my area of expertise, but I found it less difficult than I expected to understand the issues and politics of this one. Oh, and time constraints. I love researching and felt like I could have packed so much more into this story. But we have to stop somewhere, right?
MaryLu Tyndall
MaryLu Tyndall: There are definitely more pros than cons. In this series, I feel so privileged to be working with some of the best Christian authors out there. We all worked together well, without issues, which I assume is common among so many creative personalities. And it has been great to share ideas with such wonderfully creative minds.
Also, it was a lot of fun writing characters who already had a past developed before I even started my book. I knew their families, where they came from, their personalities, problems, and victories.
Plus, I know readers love series that span generations. I’m hopeful these books will do very well and bless many people as they read them.
Visit these author’s pages at these links:
Kimberley Woodhouse
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/kimberley-woodhouse
Kathleen Y’Barbo
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/kathleen-y-barbo
Michelle Griep
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/michelle-griep
Shannon McNear
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/shannon-mcnear
MaryLu Tyndall
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/marylu-tyndall
The Mayflower Bride
Daughters of the Mayflower #1
Kimberley Woodhouse
Barbour Books
Can a religious separatist and an opportunistic spy make it in the New World? Mary Elizabeth Chapman boards the Speedwell in 1620 as a Separatist seeking a better life in the New World. William Lytton embarks on the Mayflower as a carpenter looking for opportunities to succeed—and he may have found one when a man from the Virginia Company offers William a hefty sum to keep a stealth eye on company interests in the new colony. The season is far too late for good sailing and storms rage, but reaching land is no better as food is scarce and the people are weak. Will Mary Elizabeth survive to face the spring planting and unknown natives? Will William be branded a traitor and expelled?
The Pirate Bride
Daughters of the Mayflower #2
Kathleen Y’Barbo
Barbour Books
Can a former privateer and a determined heiress find lost treasure in 1725? The last time New Orleans attorney Jean-Luc Valmont saw Maribel Cordoba, a Spanish nobleman’s daughter, she was an eleven-year-old orphan perched in the riggings of his privateering vessel proving herself as the best lookout on his crew. Until the day his infamy caught up with them all and innocent lives were lost. Unsure why he survived but vowing to make something of the chance he was given, Jean-Luc has buried his past life so deep that no living person will ever find it—until a very much alive and very grown up Maribel Cordoba arrives on his doorstep and threatens all he now holds dear.
The Captured Bride
Daughters of the Mayflower #3
Michelle Griep
Barbour Books
Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause—to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart.
Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?
Find out more about the Daughters of the Mayflower at the official series website:
http://www.daughtersofthemayflower.com