Like Mother, Like Daughter?

Guest Post by Carlene Havel:

When I was a young woman, people often mistook Mom and me for sisters, something she always found more amusing than I did. Now, strangers often assume we are twins. At the memorial service for a distant relative, people kept saying how good I looked. Then--that moment when someone called me by my mother’s name--I realized everyone thought I was her. I suppose I DID look pretty good for a woman my mother’s age. No wonder I laughed when I first heard someone say, “I’m becoming my mother.”

Both my mom and I are authors. However, we have very different approaches to our writing. Mom’s a planner. She works out the plot and outlines her stories extensively before she ever puts pen to paper. I am a “pantser”. I begin a book with one idea, a character, or sometimes an appealing scene and take off from there. For years we talked about collaborating on a book. Both of us had worked with a co-author from time to time, but we had serious concerns about our different methods. Last year, we decided the time had come. Mom plans the book, and I do the bulk of the writing. Then we both go through the manuscript separately to make additions and rewrites. An unexpected bonus is that we can complete a novel together more quickly than we could working alone.

Together, Mom and I released three books in 2021, Discovering Emily, Old Maid Bride, and Lucky in Love. And, we have another one, The Scott Woman, coming out in February of this year.

Mom and I had a lot of fun with “Lucky in Love”, a sweet romance involving a marriage of convenience with a dash of suspense and a lot of humor incorporated. Here’s the blurb for Lucky in Love:

Recipe for Trouble…
Begin with the year 1922, in south Texas ranch country. Take Lucky Livingston, one devil-may-care cowboy bent on revenge. Add Bridget McGuire, a frightened young woman desperate for a place to hide. Stir in a dangerous outlaw, a marauding band of Ku Klux Clansmen, and three inept matchmakers. Spice the mixture with a bank’s missing loot and one dishonest deputy sheriff. Pepper with humor, bring to a rolling boil, and stand back! Will too many cooks spoil the broth?

You can find “Lucky in Love” on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MBHM4WR/

Also, you are invited to connect with Carlene through her Face Book author page, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarleneHavel

Out latest Billie Houston/Carlene Havel is “That Scott Woman”. Maggie Scott returns home in 1966 after serving four years in prison. She has only one goal in mind, to create a secure and stable life for herself. Then Maggie meets Blake Hamilton, ex-rodeo cowboy turned preacher. The chemistry between this unlikely pair is undeniable, but there are problems. Blake is sure his calling is to serve God. Maggie is convinced she is beyond redemption. Common sense tells Maggie her attraction to Blake will end in heartbreak. But then, when did love ever listen to common sense?

You can find “That Scott Woman” on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NCXR9GJ/

Also, you are invited to connect with Carlene through her Face Book author page, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarleneHavel

About the Authors

Billie Houston writes sweet romance, historicals, and Christian novels. Billie loves to tell romantic tales about relationships. Her plots typically involve ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances and faced with difficult decisions. She and her co-author daughter are both graduates of the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Carlene Havel was born and raised in Texas. In 2005, she began to write stories of faith, hope, and love. She has lived in several US states, Turkey, and the Philippines. The Havels now make their home in San Antonio in the midst of their extended family.