BLOGWORDS – Thursday 21 August 2025 – CHAT THURSDAY – LYNN DEAN

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 21 August 2025 – CHAT THURSDAY – LYNN DEAN

CHAT THURSDAY – LYNN DEAN

 

Please give a warm feathered welcome to author and friend, Lynn Dean.

 

rem:  Hullo, Lynn, and welcome. Tell us three random things about yourself.

LYNN:  1)I wanted to be a writer even before I could read. I so admired the people who wrote the stories and poems my mama read to me.
              2) I was one of those strange kids who got excited about writing research papers. If we were told we had to write “at least 6 pages,” I asked if it was okay if I wrote 12. ;)

              3) My first professional writing project was a Texas History curriculum.

rem:  I love your affinity for history—I love history!  What is your favorite quotation and why?

LYNN:  Proverbs 14:4 says, “Where no oxen live, the manger stays clean…but it’s good to have an ox,” and Zechariah 4:10 tells us, “Don’t despise the day of small beginnings.”

When our children were growing up, our house was home to four humans, three dogs, two cats, a series of hamsters, a tank full of fish, and a pair of zebra finches who produced four hatchlings twice each year. I was a work-from-home entrepreneur, and we also homeschooled. My days were FULL of small beginnings, and keeping things tidy was a challenge. Those verses brought me a lot of peace!

rem:  It always amazes me how Father’s Word changes the atmosphere.  When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?  

LYNN:  I read what I write–historical fiction. Nothing frustrates me more than a poorly researched historical story! Die-hard historical fiction lovers enjoy stories that put you into the characters’ heads and drop you into another time and place. People in the past didn’t always think like we do. They had different expectations of life, different goals and priorities. They spoke differently. I read to understand those things. It’s a deal-breaker for me if a writer doesn’t bother to do the research that will allow me to immerse myself in another era.

rem:  I 100% agree! Historical fiction is also one of my favorites and nothing ruins it more than dialogue or actions that don’t fit the era.  What are you reading right now? 

LYNN:  Currently I’m critiquing a couple of Revolutionary War era short stories written by Lynne Basham Tagawa. So good! Her research is impeccable.

rem:  Sounds fantastic. Tell us a little about your writing journey.

LYNN:  I dictated my first story because I couldn’t read yet. My mama wrote it down and helped me make hand puppets so we could present it as a puppet show after dinner. My dad and my sister laughed and clapped in all the right places, and I was hooked on storytelling.

I continued to dabble, but my first professional writing project was a Texas History curriculum I wrote in 1999 for my children, because I couldn’t find educational resources that made the subject come alive. I wanted to tell history like a story and include web links they could browse, hands-on projects, real library books, and field trips to give them an immersive experience. Friends liked it and asked if I would consider selling it, and Discover Texas History was launched. (www.DiscoverTexasOnline.com)

rem:  What an amazing gift for your children. What genre(s) do you write and why?

LYNN:  I write historical fiction in several subgenres including historical women’s fiction, historical romance, and a little time travel.

rem:  Tell us a little about your latest book? What is your current project?

LYNN:  Last year I was really busy! I wrote a holiday novella, The Friendship Quilt, as part of my Sangre de Cristo series and finished When the Lilacs Bloom, a novel that spent over ten years languishing and is now in search of representation. I also enjoyed writing a novel for an international collection. Our House on Sycamore Street features stories set in a seaside village in Suffolk, England. My story, The Bookbinder’s Daughter, takes place in World War I and deals with the topic of narcissism.

I’m currently writing a time-portal romance, The Lover’s Bridge, for this year’s collection, Our House on Heather Wynd, set in the Scottish Highlands. Available now for pre-order, the official launch date is 22 August 2025.

rem:  I’ve read The Friendship Quilt and The Bookbinder’s Daughter, both of which I loved. What is YOUR favorite part about the book or why do you love this book? Why should we read it?

LYNN:  I’ve always wanted to write a time-travel story. I love that it’s a twist on the Rogers & Hammerstein classic, Brigadoon.

Here’s the blurb: In a single weekend, Thom Davidson loses everything–his home, his business, and his fiancee. Embarking alone on what should have been his honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands, Thom hopes to regain his footing and figure out what comes next, but what he discovers is an opportunity beyond anything he ever imagined.

If you like historical stories about love lost and love found, you’ll enjoy The Lover’s Bridge.

rem:  I love that movie! And I can’t wait to read your new book. What is one take-away from your book(s) that you hope readers identify with? 

LYNN:  The take-away for The Lover’s Bridge is that God can redeem whatever we’ve lost in ways that will amaze us, and He can do it faster than we ever thought possible.

rem:  Oh, yes, He absolutely can and does. One more and then we’ll close. Do you have a life Scripture?

LYNN:  Since I’m writing about the Scottish Highlands, it’s fitting that my name, Lynn, has Gaelic roots. A lynn is the pool that forms at the base of a waterfall where the constant pounding of the water wears away the rock. That process doesn’t sound pleasant, but the Bible says in John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Our of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” When we experience things that threaten to pound us all hollow, if we trust God through them, He is able to turn that hurtful experience into a reservoir of grace from which we can share things to encourage others.

rem:  That’s profound and deep, and beautiful Anything you’d like to add?

LYNN:  I’d like to welcome anyone who’s interested to follow me on Facebook (LynnDean/Thornton Ridge Publishing) or check out my webpage (Thornton Ridge Publishing).

rem:  Lynn, thank you so much for chatting with us on my blog today!
LYNN:  Thank YOU! :)

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing up in Texas, I dictated my first stories to my mama before I was old enough to write them down myself. She humored me, for which I am grateful, and I've been telling stories in one form or another ever since.

Fast forward more years than I'll admit to. Children grown. House (relatively) quiet. And I have a slew of characters living in my head, all clamoring to tell their stories and insisting that I write them!

I write about the things I know. The things I love--God, family, history--and how those things fit together to demonstrate timeless truths.

 

Time is precious. As a reader, you give a great gift when you choose to spend time reading my books, and I'm grateful.

My ambition is to give you a gift of memorable stories in return.

 

 

#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Author Interview, Lynn Dean, Proverbs 14:14, Zechariah 4:10, The Friendship Quilt, Where the Lilacs Bloom, Our House on Sycamore Street, The Bookbinder’s Daughter, The Lover’s Bridge, Our House on Heather Wynd, Brigadoon, John 7:38