Blog Hop & Guest Post from Carrie Fancett Pagels, author of Lilacs for Juliana + GIVEAWAY!!! Open Internationally for an eBook

~UPDATE: GIVEAWAY FOR THE PAPERBACK OR EBOOK COPY HERE ON STUFF & NONSENSE HAS ENDED~

Secondary Characters – Rheumatoid Arthritis

When I recently wrote the third book in The Christy Lumber Camp Series, Lilacs for Juliana, I knew I wanted the heroine’s mother to suffer from a chronic illness. Mrs. Nora Beauchamps had her last child in her forties, like me, and I decided to “give” her Rheumatoid Arthritis, like I have. 

Portraying Mrs. Beauchamps was a little tricky. She was almost 70, an age I haven’t yet approached. But I tried to imagine how her condition may have progressed to the point that she wasn’t active during the time my heroine, her daughter Juliana, was home. So I had Mrs. Beauchamps sleeping in during the morning and I had her fairly stiff at night and usually unable to cook. But—there is great variability on any given day for most people with an autoimmune disorder.  So I have Nora enter a time when her symptoms improve.  Early on  in the book, I imply that Juliana may not understand just what all her mother still is able to do. In Juliana’s mind, her mother is a complete invalid—but she is not. Both Mrs. Beauchamps and Juliana’s sister, Claudette, who suffers from Lupus, regularly harvest fruit and make jams and jellies that sell well at the mercantile in town. One reason I wanted to show my twenty-something year old Juliana as not understanding her mother’s capabilities is because this often happens in families.

Although Rheumatoid Arthritis is quite different from Osteoarthritis, I chose to show Mrs. Beauchamps as having a mild to moderate form of the illness that has not affected her organs. The disease can be life threatening if it attacks organs such as the heart. However, I chose not to complicate the plot of the book by showing anything other than that which would move the plot forward for my hero and heroine.

By the way—my heroine’s mother LOVES my hero, Richard Christy—and I hope you will, too! 

Carrie is offering ONE copy of a paperback or eBook to a USA winner, or an eBook to an INTERNATIONAL winner!!!

To be entered, leave a comment below answering Carrie's question: 

Do you have a family member with arthritis? Have you read any books where you felt this disorder was particularly well shown in the novel? 

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Bio: Former “Yooper” Carrie Fancett Pagels writes Christian historical romances about overcoming. She grew up in Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where many of her stories are set. Possessed with an overactive imagination, that wasn't "cured" by twenty-five years as a psychologist, she loves bringing characters to life. Carrie and her family reside in Virginia’s Historic Triangle, which is perfect for her fascination with history. Carrie enjoys reading, traveling, baking, and beading—but not all at the same time!  

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Links to the other blogs in the blog hop are below!  Be in to win!!! Stop by each link (at least 7 of them to qualify for the GRAND PRIZE!!!) and leave a comment and your email address in a safe format!  You might be the winner of a KINDLE! And a paperback copy will be given to a winner at each blog stop!

September 7^th    Heroes,Heroines and History
September 12^th  Overcomingwith God 
September 14^{th   BookBabble}
September 16^{th   Cheryl B Book Blog}
September 18^th   D’sQuilts & Books
September 23^rd  SunnieReviews
September 24^th  BuzzingAbout Books
September 30^th  Captive Dreams Windows
October 1^st            Singing Librarian Books
October 5^th           Perspectives by Nancee  
October 7^th           Stuff and Nonsense
October 14^th         Debbie’sDusty Deliberations
October 21st        Lane Hill House

 ~Happy Blog Hopping~