For today’s Sunday Dinner author interview, I invited Edwina Kiernan to talk about The Lamp, a Christian Historical Romance.

Edwina Kiernan is the Christian author of eight novels, four of which are award-winning. She is a committed follower of Jesus (the Living Word), and endeavors to use her pen to point others to Him. When she’s not writing, Edwina loves spending time with her dashing husband and lively little son, reading and studying the Bible, getting lost in a captivating novel and drinking more types of tea than most people realize even exist. Sign up for her weekly newsletter and get a free Victorian romance novel: https://edwinakiernan.com/freebook

Sunday Dinner is a traditional (noon) meal served after church on Sundays. Whole families, including extended family, would gather over a large meal to celebrate a day of rest. Multiple cultures enjoy this Sunday Dinner tradition. In my experience, I know it from both my Midwestern farm family as well as my Italian-American family. Now, I’d like to bring Sunday Dinner virtually to you. So, pull up a chair as we invite various guests to join us each week!

This or That Quick Takes

*Author’s choice is in bold.

Ten Questions

Tell us something interesting readers would enjoy learning about you.

Ewan McGregor once held a door open for me as I was leaving the press junket at a premiere of one of his movies.

Can you tell us about your latest novel?

Will God hear their cries and grant them a future together, or will deadly occurrences tear them apart forever?

England, 1849. Beatrice Beckwith is an orphaned young lady living with her aunt. On the brink of her deepest wish coming true, her plans unexpectedly collapse. Then, a startling discovery and an outbreak of cholera set in motion a series of catastrophic events, plunging her into even bleaker darkness.

Isaac Taylor is forced to leave Miss Beckwith just as he’s arranged a meeting to propose. His deceased great-uncle’s derelict house needs restoration. But dust is not his only enemy, and a web of secrets soon entangles him.

Kept apart against their wills, Beatrice and Isaac must navigate deadly illness, family deception, and scheming neighbours, yearning for the time they’ll be reunited. But as they each face their darkest moments, they’ll endure more devastation than ever before.

Can joy once again be found, or will dangerous circumstances extinguish its light—and their very lives?

In what city is your story set and why did you choose to set your novel there?

The Lamp (along with my novel, The Letter, and the upcoming books in the Victorian Virtues series) are all set in the fictional town of Lindenfell, England. I wanted to create an entirely new place as a backdrop for the dramas and delights that take place in the lives of its residents in the 1840s and 1850s.

Describe your setting. And, if it’s a real place, have you visited?

Lindenfell is a charming little town in the English countryside, bathed in warm colours and with a community from all circles of Victorian society. There’s a tea room, a chemist, assembly rooms, a mill, and all kinds of accommodation – from the tenant farm apartments to the majestic Careo House. As Grace observed in “The Letter”, upon her arrival: “The air in Lindenfell had a scent of its own — one of warmth and peace. Of hope.”

What research was required to set a book there?

I drew out a map of the town with key places and homes so that I could establish a fixed reference to use when describing the town in the books.

What does a day in the life of one of your characters look like?

Each character leads a rather different life than that of the others, but for the hero and heroine in “The Lamp” – Isaac Taylor and Beatrice Beckwith – their typically calm daily life is thrust into upheaval through scandal, family obligations, an epidemic, and long-buried secrets.

Were resources easy or difficult to find on these topics? Do you have a favorite resource?

For “The Letter”, I had to do a lot of research on chloroform, as it is one of the hinges on which the hero’s story is set. For “The Lamp”, I had to learn a lot about cholera, as an epidemic sweeps through Lindenfell, wreaking havoc in the lives of many. There were numerous resources available on each topic, and each was immensely helpful. I’m currently studying early libraries and how they came about in England as research for book three in the series, “The Library”.

What is one piece of your research that you couldn’t include in the book, but wish readers could know?

Between 1848 and 1850, a cholera pandemic claimed 52,000 lives in England and Wales.

Do you have another book in the works? What can you tell us about that book?

Book three in the Victorian Virtues – “The Library” – is currently in progress and is due to release on November 1st, 2024. Each of the Victorian Virtues books is based on an attribute of the Fruit of the Spirit, and, as a result, “The Library”‘s theme is “peace”. But how can someone keep the peace when there’s never been any peace to keep? “The Library” explores domestic abuse, forgiveness, and justice, as well as how words can be both destructive and healing, depending on how they are used.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?

Lord-willing, the Victorian Virtues series will consist of 9 books. As mentioned previously, each one has as its central theme one of the attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit. I’ve already mapped out all the titles, all the main character names, and key plot points for the remaining books in the series, and can’t wait to write them and share them with you! 🙂

The Wrap-Up

The afternoon is slipping away, so we have to draw the stories to an end. Thank you for joining us today!

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If readers would like to purchase a copy of your book, where might they be able to do so?

Amazon | Goodreads

If readers would like to learn about you or your other books, how might they find you online?

Website | Amazon | BookBub

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Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Question for Readers

*Answer in the Comments!

What’s your favourite thing about reading historical fiction?

Over Sunday Dinner next week author Louise Gouge will be joining us. See you then!

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