Talkshow Thursday: Sitting down with Angela Breidenbach

Talkshow Thursday: Sitting down with Angela Breidenbach

Linda:  Thanks for joining me today. Your most recent release is His Indentured Bride which is set during the Revolutionary War period. I love the premise of the book: Leaving Scotland for a short indenture with her betrothed, Maire Greer’s contract is sold when disaster strikes her kindly owner, and then extended through cruel circumstances. Can Kirk Lachlan’s service in the American Revolution saver her or will she lose love and freedom forever? 

What was your inspiration for that story?

Angela: Thank you for having me today, Linda :) My inspiration for His Indentured Bride came from doing my own family genealogy. I have a suspicion that one or more of my ancestors may have been an indentured servant that won his freedom by serving in the American Revolution. I haven't yet uncovered the document to prove it so that let me play with the "what-if" scenarios. The story emerged from the research about the indentured servant laws. They ranged so broadly and differently. The one that stumped me was that a child could be born into indentured servitude and be forced to serve up to 35 years even if their parent earned out the original contract!

LM: Wow! That’s hard to believe in today’s day and age. You’ve written a wide range of books from historical and contemporary fiction to non-fiction. What do you do differently in your writing to appeal to these very different audiences?

Angela: Oh boy, that's a huge question. But the simplest answer is the word usage and to some degree the way those words connect. There's an antiquity and cadence to historical writing that isn't in contemporary or non-fiction. My grandfather was born in 1883. He spoke English in a more formal style. I grew up with him and my grandmother (whose first language was Swedish) and so the more formal style of historicals comes easily to me. I had to learn how to speak more modern language to "fit in" with the world today. Writing contemporaries took more practice and thought than historicals. Non-fiction is more "how-to". When I write in non-fiction, I consider the logical sequence steps to achieving the goal. I think my style is a more straight forward narrative for that genre. Regardless, it's a mindset.

LM: What do you do to prepare yourself for writing? For example do you listen to music or set up in a specific place?

Angela: Funny, I do have different places in my house for different things. I write mostly in my upstairs office, but I work on my genealogical studies classes in my living room. I didn't notice I did that until the remodel started this summer. I had to move to completely different places in the house than normal. But then I had trouble getting myself into the mindset for the particular work.

LM: Writing about past eras and different cultures inside and outside the U.S. must involve a lot of research. Do you have an unusual or favorite research story to share?

Angela: I adore research. Adore it. I think the research for Captive Brides/His Indentured Bride was the most unusual story so far. Jason Sherman, the creator/producer for the movie The King's Highway, happened to friend me on Twitter. I followed the link and saw it was exactly the research I needed. So I emailed him and started a fun friendship. He sent me a prerelease link to the movie to watch online. I made notes and that's how Dr. Benjamin Rush, the Philadelphia hospital, the King's Highway, and several other pieces popped into my story. I strongly suggest watching The King's Highway. But how fun it will be to see if after watching the movie or reading my story readers tagged me on Facebook to tell me what unexpected connection between the movie and book were found? I'd adore that, too! I think this connection to real history and multimedia makes the deeper understanding even more special for readers. The King's Highway is on Amazon Prime or you can find out about an upcoming tour and the movie: http://kingshighwayfilm.com/

LM: How exciting! You live in Montana, a gorgeous area of the U.S., but if money were no object, what is your idea of the ultimate vacation?

Angela: Ultimate vacations for me always involve learning something. My hubby and I are planning a trip to visit my daughter in Scotland. But, I plan to go back at another time to spend several weeks touring the country with an emphasis on finding the places my ancestors were from so I can continue to write their stories. Then, the next spot would be Sweden for the same thing :)

LM: What is the quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?

Angela: Yikes, that's tough because I think I'm naturally quirky. I mean, I'm a creative, lol. I've gone with another writer friend to a ghost town and pretended to live there. I love ghost towns, ghost walks, any old historic anything. I prefer to walk into a place and just be there quietly because inside my head there's a roar of life happening as I imagine who did live there and what their lives were like.

LM: What is your next project?

Angela: I'm working on a contemporary romance that will come out in a boxed set with Robin Lee Hatcher, Vickie McDonough, and Deborah Raney in February 2018.

LM: Where can folks find you on the web?

Angela: Thanks for asking. My website is http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com and my weekly radio show where I interview creatives and pick their brains on air to reveal industry tips and secrets is https://toginet.com/shows/litup/. My social media "handle" is @AngBreidenbach.

LM: Thank you so much for stopping by. You are one interesting (and busy!) lady. 

Here is the buy link for the collection that includes Angela's book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0713T3FTG