Guest blog: Christine Hill Suntz and The Lawyer and the Laundress *Prize of Book Swag to Chosen Commenter :) **Winner: Maria Mast

Dear Readers, it's been a tough couple of weeks. My husband injured his knee hiking, tore the labrum in his hip, and needs gall bladder surgery! Rule of threes? I hope we're done. So sorry this post is late--not sure why it didn't appear on Sunday!

So, it's a joy to come here and escape...just thinking about lovely romance.

Introduce yourself—name, where you’re from, and something people notice when they meet you.

Here’s my official author bio: Christine Hill Suntz knew she wanted to write as soon as she finished Anne of Green Gables, and she's been lost in her imagination ever since. In 2022,

she won the ACFW Genesis Contest and the WCCW Goldie Award. She lives in Ontario on a hobby farm with her husband and three teenaged children. When she's not writing, she teaches high school French and German and tries out historical recipes on her (mostly) willing family.

Here’s a more personalized version:

I’m so thrilled to join your blog today. Thanks for having me! I write historical romance and The Lawyer and the Laundress is my debut. I’ve been working on my craft for several years now, and in 2022 I won the ACFW Genesis Contest. I live in Ontario on a hobby farm with my husband and three busy teenagers. By day, I teach French and German at my local high school. I live on a hobby farm in the country, and I enjoy being outside and taking care of my animals and gardens. I love to cook and preserve food, and I love to try out historical recipes on my family. I’m not sure how much they love that, but they are so supportive of my writing journey.

Tell us about your book—title and back cover blurb?

Lawyer James Kinney isn’t looking for love, and laundress Sara O’Connor doesn’t want to be found. When their paths cross in a British colony on the brink of rebellion, a marriage of convenience may be their best hope of survival.

Canada, 1837. Widower James Kinney knows his precocious daughter Evie needs more than his lessons on law and logic, but Toronto offers few options. Classes with the neighbor children seem ideal until James discovers Evie is secretly spending her time with Sara O’Connor, a kind and mysteriously educated servant. For propriety’s sake, James forbids their friendship. But then Evie falls victim to the illness ravaging the city, and James must call upon Sara’s medical knowledge and her special bond with Evie to save his daughter’s life.

When Sara’s presence in his household threatens scandal, however, James offers an unexpected solution: become his wife, in name only, and help him raise Evie to be a proper young lady.

If Sara can ignore the sparks she feels when they’re together, his logical proposal could keep her secret secure forever. But soon, the forces of rebellion unravel their tidy arrangement. When James is accused of treason, Sara must find the courage to face a past that could save her husband’s life.

Share one thing that you found difficult or challenging about writing this book.

I found it challenging to figure out what research to include…and what to leave out! I’ve always loved history, and the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion has lived in my imagination since I learned about it in school. I felt for the idealistic rebels who paid a steep price for daring to stand up to an unjust social order that favored the rich and influential and aimed to keep the poor in their place. A few years ago, my cousin (and our family historian) told me we had an ancestor who was arrested during this rebellion. That was the icing on the cake for me, and this conflict became the backdrop of James and Sara’s love story. But this is first and foremost a love story, not a history lesson, so there were many interesting (to me, at least) details I had to leave out.

Ask the blog reader a quirky question or two?

Laundry is still a part of our daily lives, but we certainly have it easier than the heroine of my story. Have you ever used a washboard? Do you hang your clothes to dry them? Do you use an iron? I’d love to know how my readers feel about laundry. It certainly takes up time in my life, even with our modern inventions.

Share your social media and buy links!

The Lawyer and the Laundress is available wherever you buy your books. Please consider supporting your local independent bookstore 😊

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Thank you again, Christine, for being a guest! And to answer your questions--I've heard of a washboard, seen one, but never used it. However, growing up on a farm, we hung our clothes on the line and, wow, did they smell good! Finally, yes, I still iron. Did just yesterday, in fact--love crisp clothes!