1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Identical twin sisters Grace and Hope are time-crossers who simultaneously live in 1692, as daughters of a tavern owner during the Salem Witch Trials, and in 1912, as an aviatrix and a journalist. As their twenty-fifth birthday approaches, they will each have to choose one life to keep and one to leave behind forever–no matter the cost.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
My Timeless Series has been so fun, because I can choose two (or more) timelines for my heroines to live in. In For a Lifetime, I chose 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials because I have ancestors on both sides of the trials, and I have always been fascinated with the history. I chose 1912 because it was a new and exciting time in aviation and the heroines’ lives there are loosely inspired by the first female licensed pilot in America, Harriet Quimby. Both time periods are full of great history and drama.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I love this question because my heroines in For a Lifetime are identical twin sisters, inspired by my daughters Ellis and Maryn. I love hanging out with them, so I know I would love hanging out with my protagonists!
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Hope is passionate, fearless, and headstrong. Grace is thoughtful, hardworking, and loyal.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
My favorite part about writing historical fiction is all the fascinating things I learn! One thing that I learned while researching the Salem Witch Trials was that if someone was accused (there were over two-hundred men, women, and children accused), and they admitted they were guilty of witchcraft, they were not tried or hung. If they denied being a witch, they went on trial and were found guilty and were hung (nineteen men and women were hung in Salem in 1692).
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I usually write one chapter a day. The next day, I read and edit the chapter I wrote the day before, and then write the next chapter. When I’m finished with the book, I go back and read the entire book one more time, making small changes as I go before I send it in to my editor.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Pretty much any pasta dish!
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I live on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River in central Minnesota, and I write in a comfy chair near one of the picture windows looking out at the river. It’s my favorite place in the world.
10–Who is an author you admire?
There are so many! But the author who has had the most affect on my life, both personally and in my writing, is Maud Hart Lovelace who is most famous for her Betsy-Tacy children’s books and her Deep Valley high school books. They are set in Mankato, Minnesota around the turn of the twentieth century and follow Maud’s life, much like the Little House on the Prairie series followed Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life. Even if I didn’t live in Minnesota, or share a birthday with Maud, I would still have connected with her books on so many levels. I’ve reread them several times.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Yes! In 2012, I had been dreaming of writing novels for over twenty years but had not found the courage to give it a try. Amazon suggested that I might like a book called The Colonel’s Lady, by Laura Frantz, so I downloaded it on my Kindle and was immediately entranced by the story. When I finished it, I asked myself one of the most important questions in my life: why wasn’t I writing? I found Laura on Facebook, and she accepted my friend request, and then I quickly realized there were dozens of other writers who were ready and willing to befriend me and encourage me on my writing journey. Twelve years later, I have over forty books published!
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My first published story was part of a novella collection, and I got the call while I was hosting three writer friends who were visiting from different states! It was the perfect time to get such good news. We went to my favorite restaurant to celebrate.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Historical Romance
14–What’s your favorite movie?
This is a hard one! I have so many. I love the 1994 version of Little Women and lots of old black & white films of the 1930s and 40s.
15–What is your favorite season?
Summer! I live in central Minnesota, so we live for our summers.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My birthday is at the end of April, when the weather starts to get nice, so I love to have people over for a campfire in our backyard, near the river.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I recently watched All the Light We Cannot See and loved it!
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian food!
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I love to travel and visit historic sites with my family.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
The next book in my Timeless Series, Across the Ages, will release in November 2024. I call it my pirates and gangsters’ story because it’s set in 1727 and in 1927!
FOR A LIFETIME by Gabrielle Meyer
Grace and Hope are identical twin sisters born with the ability to time-cross together between 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, and 1912 New York City. As their twenty-fifth birthday approaches, they will have to choose one life to keep and one to leave behind forever–no matter the cost.
In 1692, they live and work in their father’s tavern, where they must watch helplessly as the witch trials unfold in their village, threatening everyone. With the help of a handsome childhood friend, they search for the truth behind their mother’s mysterious death, risking everything to expose a secret that could save their lives–or be their undoing.
In 1912, Hope dreams of becoming one of the first female pilots in America, and Grace works as an investigative journalist, uncovering corruption and injustice. After their parents’ orphanage is threatened by an adversary, they enter a contest to complete a perilous cross-country flight under the guidance of a daring French aviator.
The sisters have already decided which timeline they will choose, but an unthinkable tragedy complicates the future they planned for themselves. As their birthday looms, how will they determine the lives–and loves–that are best for both of them?
Fiction | Historical | Christian Historical [Bethany House Publishers, On Sale: May 7, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780764239762 / eISBN: 9781493446520]
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About Gabrielle Meyer
Gabrielle Meyer lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the upper Mississippi River with her husband and four children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people, places, and events.
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