Author’s Inspiration ~ Anneliese Dalaba #HistoricalFiction @adalaba2017

Please give a warm welcome to historical fiction author, Anneliese Dalaba.

Author’s Inspiration

George Eliot said, "It's never too late to start what you might have been." I've taken her advice and have started a new phase of my life -- writing. Not just any writing. I've done that. I've written hundreds of letters, kept journals, written articles for newsletters, and so on. But what I haven't done is written the one thing that really interests me. A romance that helps to inspire, give hope, and hopefully even cause the reader to chuckle a bit. I've decided it's time to finally begin.

Since I’m over 50, it would be easy to make excuses. I'm certainly not young anymore, so why start now? I don't understand all the modern technologies, programs, and apps. What if people don’t like what I wrote? How will I feel when I'm criticized? There are numerous excuses I could make, but what I can't get away from is this. How will I feel at the end of my life if I haven't pursued this dream?

If I live to be my parents' age, I may still have 30 or more years of life ahead of me. What will I do with those years? My nest is empty. I have more time on my hands, so perhaps it's time to start checking off items on my bucket list. One of the top items on that list is writing a Christian historical romance. And guess what? I did it! I published my first novel, Reluctant To Wed, at the end of June, 2017. My readers keep asking me when my next book will be published? They have become the wind beneath my wings and I’ve almost completed the first draft of the next book in the Arrange Marriage Series.

I have to admit that I have one regret about my book-writing journey, and that is that I wish I’d started sooner. Imagine how many books I might have published by now. On the other hand, the many years prior to turning 50 were certainly not wasted. I gained years of life experience and very possibly read thousands of books, mostly historical romance. Both the experience and the books have prepared me and have become a great resource for this novel-writing adventure I’m on. So perhaps I have nothing to regret after all. Maybe this is the perfect time for me to begin. I may never know for sure whether I should have started before 50 or after, yet one thing is certain, I will never have to regret not having started at all.

My favorite genre is historical romance. I’ve read pioneer, colonial, western, and regency England novels, as well as other time periods. I love looking back in time and seeing how people lived back then, the problems they face, the things that made them successful, and so much more. When I began writing my first book, I chose England in the early 1800s as my setting. I cannot tell you why I chose that setting. It just felt right. Since I have read countless books in that time period, I was quite familiar with the way of life back then. There was still a lot of research that needed to be done, but the hours and hours of reading over the years definitely helped.

Is there something you have longed to do? Have you given up on your dream? Hopefully this post will inspire you and you will sense courage rise up in your heart. Begin dreaming again. But this time, make that dream come true.

Anneliese Dalaba

Anneliese Dalaba lives in Michigan with her husband of 30 years. She has been in full-time ministry beside her husband all of those years. He is the hero of her personal love story and her greatest encourager. She is a member of ACFW and ACFW Great Lakes Chapter. For many years, she worked as an administrative assistant and medical transcriptionist. After raising their two children, she is now experiencing the wonderful phase of grandparenting. She is an avid reader, and now an author of a Christian historical romance.

Anneliese loves to hear from readers, you can find her: Website  Facebook #Twitter Amazon Author Page

Reluctant To Wed

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To keep her parents from losing their farm in Pennsylvania, Emma agrees to travel to England and accept her grandfather's offer to arrange a marriage for her with the Earl of Devonport. She secretly hopes a marriage to this stranger will lead to love. 

To honor his father, Devon reluctantly agrees to marry Emma, but determines to keep her at arm's length. A marriage of convenience is satisfactory to the earl who wants no emotional ties. He needs an heir, but he refuses to bow to the whims and demands of a wife. He would prefer simply to provide a home and a generous allowance for her, but continue to enjoy his freedom. 

Emma’s straightforward and unpretentious manner draws Devon’s admiration. Unfortunately, long-held fears are not easily overcome. Emma finds herself falling in love with him, but she’s afraid of being in love alone. Can a mutual love develop and grow in this arranged marriage? When all hope seems lost, Emma must learn to trust God even if it means letting go of her dreams.