This week we have not one author but two of them! A bonus! Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould are stopping by to share with us what inspired their new book My Daughter’s Legacy As always, let’s start with a little bit about the book.

A thrilling tale of two women longing to follow God’s leading, make the most of second chances, and find true love at last

Virginia, 1864

Therese Jennings cannot abide the thought of owning slaves. When her widowed mother inherits a plantation, Therese flees to Civil War Richmond, where she works as a governess by day and tends to wounded soldiers at night. But when trouble befalls her family, can she reconcile her obligations with her beliefs? And will love—whether with an old beau or a handsome new suitor—ever fit in her broken world?

Virginia, present day

Nicole Talbot’s life is back on track after years of substance abuse. Home from college for the summer, she’s finally ready to share a shocking secret, one that raises new questions about a traumatic childhood experience. But when facts she uncovers cast doubt on her family’s legacy, she must risk all that she’s gained—her fresh start, her family’s trust, and her growing relationship with a new man—to unlock the secrets of the past.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

Wow, how interesting! What inspired the book?

My Daughter’s Legacy is the third book in our Cousins of the Dove series and the story behind the story of all three books is woven together. It all started when a dear reader shared about her Huguenot ancestors. After doing some research, we decided they’d be a great people group to use as the center of a series.

The Huguenots were French Protestants and many were forced to flee France by Louis XIV during the late 1600s, so we decided to start our series in France during that time period. Leslie and her husband headed to France to do research with the help of family friends who are French. What they soon found out was that their friends are descendants of Huguenots who stayed in France!

As we plotted the series, we came up with two fictional families, the Talbots and the Gillets, who appear in the first book, My Brother’s Crown. My Sister’s Prayer, the second in the series, takes place as a branch of the Talbot family immigrates to Virginia. My Daughter’s Legacy picks up with descendants of that family and their community in the area of Richmond, Virginia during the throes of the Civil War.

The books are all dual-timeline novels, with a historical and modern thread. We met in Richmond to research the settings for both threads of My Daughter’s Legacy, which was delightful! (Mindy returned a couple of other times too to do more research.) The city is full of museums, great restaurants, fun neighborhoods, and fascinating historical sites.

As we wrote My Daughter’s Legacy, we were especially aware of the impact each generation has on future generations and how important it is to be mindful of the legacy we hope to leave.

Mindy Starns Clark is the bestselling author of more than 20 books, both fiction and nonfiction, with over a million copies sold. Mindy and her husband, John, have two adult children and live in Pennsylvania. Find out more about Mindy Starns at http://mindystarnsclark.com.

Leslie Gould, a former magazine editor, is the author of numerous novels, including “Beyond the Blue” and “Garden of Dreams.” She received her master of fine arts degree from Portland State University and lives in Oregon with her husband, Peter, and their four children. Find out more about Leslie at http://www.lesliegould.com/.

What fun research! Mindy and Leslie are giving away a copy of the book. Follow the instructions below to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for the rest of the day today, you can enter to win a $75 gift card! Click on the picture to enter.