I’m delighted to share author interviews with Allie Pleiter, Nancy J. Farrier, Meghan Carver and Christina Rich who have kindly contributed signed-by-the-author paperbacks for our LOVE INSPIRED GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA for AUSTRALIAN READERS (readers with an Australian mailing address).
*This post is also being shared at Australasian Christian Writers group blog.
ALLIE PLEITER
Can you tell us a little about yourself, and can you tell us what genres you write?
I’ve been writing in multiple genres for over 25 years, and consider myself blessed to have such a long career. While I’ve written contemporary and historical romance, women’s fiction, chick-lit, and non fiction, I’m currently focused on inspirational contemporary romance and general market cozy mystery. I have two adult children and live outside Charlotte. I’m a passionate knitter and needlepointer, and have yet to meet a pie I haven’t loved.
How would you describe your writing process, and do you have a furry, feathered or other companion who helps?
I’m very process oriented. In fact, I teach and coach may writers in my Chunky Method of productivity for writers. When people ask how I write three to four books a year, the short answer is 1,200 words a day, five days a week. That’s my “chunk.” Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that, and I enjoy helping other writers find their chunk and unlock a dependable writing practice. I do have a furry companion, my lhassapoo Paisley, who considers herself an essential part of my team. To her credit, I do get many of my best plot idea while we are out for walks.
What impact do you hope your book has on readers?
My books are always about people discovering they are capable of more than they realize. God has a way of uncovering new strengths in us and new hope in situations where we’d never expect it. People read cozy mystery because they want to see an amateur sleuth find justice for a victim, and they read romance because they want to see love conquer all. Who doesn’t want more of that in today’s world?
Dear Readers-
Those of us who tell stories find our purpose in those of you who read them. Thank you for the gift of your time, for entering into the worlds we create for you, and sharing the wonder of story with us. Keep reading!
—Allie
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NANCY J. FARRIER
Can you tell us a little about yourself, and can you tell us what genres you write?
My name is Nancy J. Farrier. I live in the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona, USA, where the summers are lava temperatures—at least it feels that way when you’re outside. I am a New York Times best selling author writing Contemporary Christian romance and Romantic Suspense. I’m also published in Historical romance, but have moved away from that genre.
How would you describe your writing process, and do you have a furry, feathered or other companion who helps?
I am a seat-of-the-pants type of writer, which means I don’t outline (shudder), I just write the story. First, I get to know my characters and I have an idea where the story starts and the ending. I let my characters take me on a ride and I’m sometimes surprised at the roads we take. They rarely take me on rabbit trails.
I have two cats and a dog. I used to leave my office open while I worked and the dog would lay on a mat by my treadmill desk and the cats would roam. I had to stop letting them in when my cat, Bebé became insistent in commanding my attention. He would lay on my keyboard and knock pens and papers off my desk. He had a great time, but his actions were a little distracting to the writing process. Now, he often sits outside my door and meows until I go out and hold him and show him some love.
What impact do you hope your book has on readers?
The reason I write is because God called me to do this for Him. It is my hope that my books will encourage my readers in their faith walk. As they read about my characters, I hope the reader will see options for their own situations even though I have no idea what that reader is going through. I’m trusting God will use my words and stories to touch hearts for Him.
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MEGHAN CARVER
Can you tell us a little about yourself, and can you tell us what genres you write?
I fell in love with writing in the sixth grade when I participated in an all-school essay contest. I don’t remember how I placed, but I do remember that my teacher was quite complimentary and that spurred me on to write more. I was an English Literature major in college, and when my dream job of being an editor (not much opportunity for that where I lived) didn’t pan out, I detoured to law school, completing a Juris Doctorate while working full-time for a law firm. When my husband and I started a family, I knew God was calling me to be at home with them. By the sixth child (yes, six!), I was ready to write again.
I write inspirational romantic suspense with Love Inspired Suspense as well as cozy mysteries with a touch of suspense. I have also co-written a true missionary story which was great fun.
How would you describe your writing process, and do you have a furry, feathered or other companion who helps?
My writing process is very structured as I am one of those people who needs to know where I’m going when I start the journey. J I start with an idea or a couple of characters and build from there, adding other necessary characters like the villain; deciding the setting and the weather, which are always good for adding difficulties for my characters; and creating a detailed outline with every idea in its place before I start a rough draft.
Unfortunately, I have severe pet allergies, so I don’t have a furry or feathered companion. But my daughters are avid readers who enjoy brainstorming with me.
What impact do you hope your book has on readers?
I’d like my book to be an escape, a moment to breathe and forget the cares of the world. I would also love it if my book encouraged a reader and helped her to see that God loves us and takes care of us, even in our most difficult moments.
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CHRISTINA RICH
Can you tell us a little about yourself, and can you tell us what genres you write?
Greetings from Kansas! I’m Christina—writing as Christina Rich, though some know me as Christina Bolen. I’m a wife, a mother of five, and a grandmother to fourteen.
Our family story is anything but ordinary, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. One of our sons came to us through foster care. He’s now a man in his thirties—intellectually disabled and verbally challenged. Some might call him nonverbal, but he communicates just fine when people take the time to truly listen. He’s deeply loved, especially by my husband, who has been part of his life since he was a child.
Our family is beautifully diverse. Two of our grandchildren are half American and half Honduran, and four are of Jamaican descent through their father, who is also half Jamaican. That richness of culture, love, and lived experience shapes so much of how I see the world—and how I write.
Creativity is often what people notice first about me, but it’s only part of the story. Everything I do is rooted in intention—from designing my flower gardens to framing a photograph or shaping a scene on the page. Even in the everyday rhythms of work and family, I’m always asking how to create something meaningful. I’m driven by a desire to keep learning, refining my craft, and producing work that resonates and leaves a lasting impression.
In 2014, I published my first novel with Love Inspired Historical, The Guardian’s Promise, set in ancient Judah. It was followed by The Warrior’s Vow. I later expanded into another historical set in ancient Greece before bringing my stories closer to home with a novel set in 1860s Kansas.
Not long after, the Love Inspired Historical line closed, but in 2021 I was invited to participate in a historical continuity project, where I published two additional novels. One of those titles reached the Publishers Weekly bestseller list and earned a reader’s choice award.
In November 2024, I released my first Amish contemporary romance, A Husband for an Amish Bride. That book marked the beginning of a new and exciting chapter. I signed a four-book contract for Amish romance—three of those books have either released, or will release in 2026, with a fourth coming in 2027. And all the ones published so far have made the Publisher’s Weekly bestseller list.
And here’s a little secret—you’re among the first to hear it: I recently signed a contract with Barbour Publishing for a novella, another Amish story set in a fictional Kansas town. It’s a direction that feels like home, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead.
How would you describe your writing process, and do you have a furry, feathered or other companion who helps?
Oh, do I have furry companions—and I’ll start there, because they’re part of the process whether they mean to be or not.
We have an orange tabby named Deertrack and a calico named Mama. They started as strays, fed by the “crazy” cat lady in the neighborhood. One day, she decided Mama needed to be spayed. Deertrack was so upset by her companion’s sudden disappearance that she ran into our house for safety—and never left. When Mama returned from her unexpected adventure, she followed right behind her. They’ve been our constant companions ever since.
And if you’re wondering about Deertrack’s name… well, that’s a story for my blog when my current work-in-progress releases. So stay tuned.
As for my writing process—it may look a little chaotic from the outside. I’m diagnosed with dual ADHD, so what works for neurotypical authors doesn’t always work for me. I’ve learned to lean into that instead of fighting it. I thrive on deadlines—especially the kind that make most people nervous.
One thing I’ve discovered about my process is that I can’t move forward until I understand my character’s “dark moment story”—the defining event that shapes their fears, beliefs, and decisions. Once I know that moment, and the lie my protagonist believes because of it, everything else begins to fall into place: their goals, motivations, and internal conflict.
Interestingly, that dark moment rarely appears on the page. It’s not something I always write into the story, but it informs everything. It gives depth, weight, and authenticity to the character.
For example, in His Amish Marriage Offer, Malachi’s defining moment was discovering his mother after her death by suicide. That scene never appears in the book, but it shaped his worldview—his fears, his emotional barriers, and the choices he makes throughout the story.
Once I have that foundation, I can usually see the opening scene clearly. From there, the story unfolds—guided by character, shaped by structure, and refined through revision.
What impact do you hope your book has on readers?
I’m not afraid to write the hard things—suicide, widowhood, grief, incarceration, dementia, abuse. Life doesn’t shy away from those realities, and neither do I.
At the heart of everything I write is one hope: that readers feel seen. I want them to know they’re not alone in what they’ve gone through—or what they may still be carrying. Many of the struggles my characters face are ones I’ve experienced myself. I don’t write from a distance; I write from understanding.
In A Husband for an Amish Bride, Naomi wrestles with the belief that she isn’t worthy of love because of her disability. In His Amish Marriage Offer, my heroine is a widow who survived a mentally and verbally abusive marriage—she fears losing her independence and refuses to risk that kind of pain again. In The Amish Widower’s Dilemma, my hero navigates the challenges of single fatherhood while raising an autistic child. And in Falling for His Amish Neighbor, Levi struggles to find forgiveness for the man who once tormented him as a child—now dying and seeking peace.
In my current work-in-progress, my hero has just been released from jail for theft, but carries a heavier burden: the guilt of knowing he should have been held accountable for a drunk-driving accident that left his best friend—the heroine—paralyzed.
These stories are heavy, but they aren’t without hope. If there’s one thing I want readers to walk away with, it’s this: no matter how broken a situation may seem, there is still room for healing, redemption, and love.
For Readers
Your past does not define you. The choices you make today can guide tomorrow. No matter how deep the hurt or how heavy the past, you are never beyond God’s reach. If you’ve ever felt unseen, unworthy, or weighed down by your past, you are not alone—your story matters.
Enter the giveaway here:
https://kingsumo.com/g/m2dq5d3/for-australian-readers-love-inspired-giveaway-extravaganza
