Sunday Conversations with Meghan M. Gorecki

Hi ! I am so excited to have Meghan on my blog today! I’d like to start off with some questions so your reader’s can get to know you a little bit better. – Becca

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your family?

I’m the typical oldest to two younger sisters and a brother sandwiched between them. I still live at home with them and my awesome parents and let me tell you—some days it gets interesting, having two teenagers, two twenty-somethings and two parents living under one roof.

What hobbies and activities do you like to do?

I love old movies, journaling, crocheting, hanging out with my siblings and friends.

 Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning. Once I get up out of bed, for sure.

Growing up, what did you see yourself doing as a career?

Having some sort of day job to support myself—and writing.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

From when I was tiny. There was one Christmas my parents got us a huge box of American Girl books, and I was hooked. I read classic Christian fiction from Janette Oke, Tracie Peterson, Lauraine Snelling, you name them, from a very young age, and it made me want to write my own little love stories.

Thank you for these great answers! I have some questions about your writing and books.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Library books, very specific Google searches, and when necessary, I’ve reached out to the Adams County historical society for answers. I researched a good three months before I began this book, and I continued the research while writing.

Is anything in your books based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Oh, all the sisterly interactions/altercations are based on real life, for sure. Everything else is pure imagination.

What weather inspires you the most, in terms of bringing out your literary best?

Spring or fall. I’m cranky and sweaty or freezing in the summer or winter LOL

Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes you?

I prefer going wherever an idea takes me, but I quickly stall out, so I plot something very light and broad, then begin, and build as I begin the writing.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with again?  

I’d love to someday write Annelise’s story! That’s a hope for some time down the road.

If you had the choice to rewrite any of your books, which one would it be and why?

Probably my first one. I wouldn’t write from quite so many points of view. There were six in God’s Will.

Which book would you want adapted for the silver screen?

Oh, Wrapped in Red, definitely! A Christmas chick-flick romance!

Your latest book Amongst the Roses recently came out in April.  It takes place during the three bloodest days in American History.

Can you tell us a bit about your novel?

It is a historical family saga with a thread of sweet romance between Margaret Bryant and Adam Doyle. Taking place primarily in the North during the first two years of the Civil War, it highlights the immense pressures and trials especially the women of the North had to go through with the men away from home.

What inspired you to write this story?

Little Women, Lynn Austin’s Refiner’s Fire Series, chiefly. And learning about the Civil War at a young age—something about the era just captured my imagination and wouldn’t let go.

What is one thing that you learned while researching for this book that was surprising to you?

That Pennsylvania had over the amount of volunteers required when Lincoln first sent out his call! And how many times the city of Chambersburg had been invaded by Confederates through out the duration of the war.

What do you want readers to take away from your books?

That the Ultimate Author has only good in mind for those He loves—even amidst tragedy. That He is in the business of rebuilding and restoring. Never tearing down.

What will you be writing next?

Not sure yet. 🙂

Do you hide any Easter Eggs in your books that only a few people will find? Would you be willing to share a clue with your readers?

I did in this one. One of my not-so-hidden obsessions is Broadway musicals, including Hamilton. For those readers who may know the show well, there are a few little lines I incorporated that fit the scene and context of the characters’ conversation and I totally geeked out getting to do that.