Several years ago I received a call from my editor at Harvest House Publishing.

“The publication committee would like to launch a new series. They want something along the lines of Jan Karon’s Mitford series. You know, small town, quirky characters, lots of humor and heartwarming moments. Your name came up as a possible author. Think you could come up with something like that?”

I’d published six books with HHP before this, and I really enjoyed working with them. Though many of my books have a humorous element, humor had never been the focus of the story. And while I’d enjoyed the Mitford series, I hadn’t written anything with an ensemble cast of characters before. Still…

“Small town? Quirky characters?” I laughed. “I live in Kentucky. I think I can come up with something.”

So I sat down at my computer and started thinking. (I think best when my fingers are on the keyboard.) I could easily envision a small Kentucky town – I lived in one, in fact. When I closed my eyes I could see a parade of quirky people filing down Main Street. Oh, I could have fun with them! But every book, even those with an ensemble cast, needs a few main characters who have stakes in the story. Every one of my published books so far had featured adults who were fairly young. What if I wrote about someone older, someone who was facing retirement, maybe, and all the changes that phase of life brings? Or better yet, what if I wrote about a couple who was facing their golden years together? Oh yeah, I could have fun with an old married couple. 🙂

But I wanted a counter-balance, someone who was just at the beginning of their career. Imagine the fun I could have throwing the older couple into situations with younger people! And of course I needed a whole town full of people. And what’s a book without conflict? So I needed a conflict that would engage the whole town. What if…

That’s how I came up with the idea for the Tales from the Goose Creek B&B. It’s set in the charming, quaint small town of Midway, Kentucky. I couldn’t call it Midway, because people would say, “She’s just trying to copy off of Mitford.” Well, yeah, I was, but only the general tone of the book. So I renamed the town Goose Creek. And I filled it with lots of unique people and elements that were 100% my own: a couple nearing retirement, a run-down old Victorian-era house, a drug store with an old-fashioned soda fountain (my daddy worked in one when I was little), a brand new veterinarian moving to town (new people aren’t immediately accepted in small towns, so they have to prove themselves), and a herd of six-toed cats. Yep. Polydactyl cats. Oh, and a town-wide argument about who should get to paint the iconic water tower that stands at the end of Main Street.

I sent off my ideas to my editor at HHP, and in a flash she called with the good news that the publications committee loved it and gave me a contract to write five books!

The first book was titled The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade. (Not my choice – long story behind that!) When it hit bookstores, it was selected as Library Journal’s top pick of the month and received a starred review! When I read the review, I had to laugh at the opening sentence, “Readers who like Jan Karon’s Mitford series will love this book.”

So now you know the story behind the Tales from the Goose Creek B&B. And here’s the good news: Harvest House has put the eBooks on sale – you can get the entire series, all 5 eBooks, for just $2.99. (The regular price is $24.99.) So hop on over to your favorite eBook seller. The sale ends July 1, so hurry.

You can read more about the entire series here.