I am thrilled that Mona has so graciously shared this character interview with us. You will get to know Elsa Brantenberg through this delightful interview and you will love this special woman in The Quilted Heart!
Welcome, ELSA BRANTENBERG!
1. How would you describe yourself to others?
A busy widow and Oma to my granddaughter, with no time to fuss over what was or could’ve have been.
2. Do you have any favorite pastimes or special skills?
I’ve got lots of experience at running a farm and tending an apple orchard. Some say I’m a fine quilter. Talked me into starting a quilting circle and teaching quilting in my home.
3. How would the women in your quilting circle describe you?
I’m a hugger. No woman gets past my porch, either direction, without a hug.
4. What is most important to you?
That my sweet little Gabi girl, my granddaughter, grows up knowing she is loved. The assurance that you’re loved and cared for can carry you a long ways.
5. How do you face disappointments in life?
I grit my teeth. Probably stomp my foot. Whisper or shout a prayer. Then I embroider a tea towel, make apple crisp, for finish a quilt and take it to someone who needs the encouragement even more than I do.
6. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Explaining to Gabi that the war has been over for several months, and that if her papa hasn’t returned by now, he is dead, or alive without any intention of returning.
7. You buried your husband then your daughter, and lost your son-in-law to grief, how did you keep going?
I had a farm to run and a precious granddaughter to raise, and I knew the good Lord was at my side. Always is. It was after I buried Gretchen that I started the quilting circle out here on the farm. Many of those dear women are like daughters to me. A couple of them like sisters.
8. What is the thing you love most about the Quilting Circle or Quilting Circle Thursday?
The laughter and the tears. The smiles and the sighs. Hearing the other women grow in their confidence to share the Scripture with one another and their commitment to pray for one another.
9. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My emotions can swing like the pendulum on that fancy clock at the bank. If I could change, I would not be so passionate. I’d rather my emotions be steady, unwavering. At least, slower so my brain can catch up.
10. Do you have a life verse, a passage of Scripture that holds special significance to you?
Yes, from Psalm 119:104. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” I may not always be able to trust my feelings and emotions, or anyone else’s for that matter, but the Word of the Lord is completely and consistently trustworthy.
The Quilted Heart Omnibus
Like a beautiful patchwork quilt, the three novellas in The Quilted Heart tell stories of lives stitched together with love and God’s unending grace.
Once a week, Elsa Brantenberg hosts the Saint Charles Quilting Circle at her farmhouse on the outskirts of the riverside town of St. Charles, Missouri. The ladies who gather there have all experienced heartache related to the intense hardships of the Civil War, and together, they are facing their painful circumstances with friendship and prayer. Can the tattered pieces of their hearts be stitched together by God’s grace?
Click here to purchase your paperback or eBook copy of The Quilted Heart. http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=220625
Biography:
Mona Hodgson is the author of nearly 40 books, historical novels for adults and children’s books, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, The Quilted Heart novellas, and Prairie Song, Book 1 in her Hearts Seeking Home Series. Her children’s books include bestseller, Bedtime in the Southwest, six desert and princess Zonderkidz I Can Read books, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-Day Devotional, and her six I Wonder books.
Mona’s writing credits also include several hundred articles, poems and short stories, which have appeared in 50 different publications. Mona is a speaker for women’s groups, Christian women’s retreats, book clubs and reading groups, schools, and conferences for writers and librarians.
Connect with Mona:
https://www.facebook.com/Author.Mona
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/602227.Mona_Hodgson
http://www.pinterest.com/monahodgson/
http://www.novelcrossing.com/author/3004/monahodgson
https://twitter.com/MonaHodgson
Giveaway Opportunities:
1. BUZZING ABOUT BOOKS DRAWING
I am giving away one copy of The Quilted Heart here on my blog. See Monday’s post for details and comment to win.
2. BLOG TOUR DRAWING
Leave a comment here, then comment on Mona Hodgson Author Page before Friday, January 31st to enter the BLOG TOUR DRAWING for one of three signed copies of The Quilted Heart. Tell Mona which blog you visited (Buzzing About Books) and commented on! You can enter once for each Participating Blog you visit and comment on.
3. BOOK RELEASE PARTY
Don’t miss Mona’s Facebook Release Party for THE QUILTED HEART!
The Book Release Party on Facebook is TODAY! Join Mona in the Notes Section on her “Mona Hodgson Author Page” from 4 pm to 6 pm (Mountain Time). To calculate what time this is for you, click here: http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com.
Mona will answer questions, give away prizes, and share photos and behind-the-scenes stories about the three novellas included in The Quilted Heart omnibus, set in Saint Charles, Missouri.
Buzzing About Books 
Elsa sounds like a beautiful lady. She freely gives her hugs and her love to those around her. I know Elsa and I would have been wonderful friends. I cannot wait to get to know more about Elsa. Thank you for the lovely interview Britney and Mona.
Good to see you here, Melanie. So glad you enjoyed meeting Elsa. 🙂 Blessings!
I have really enjoyed getting to know the characters in The Quilted Heart. Tonight will be a lot of fun.
Hi, Jan. Glad you are enjoying the character interviews. Excited to see you at the Facebook party tonight! Blessings!
I read your blog and follow and enjoy your interviews. It is fun to read about the characters in the book and also learn about the author. Great job!
Thanks for joining me here, Sonja. I appreciate your interest in The Quilted Heart novellas. Blessings! Mona
Such a fun interview with Miss Elsa.
Hi, Amy. Glad you enjoyed “meeting” Miss Elsa. Blessings! Mona
I loved meeting Elsa! How I wish I had someone like her in my life or that I could be like her to someone else in my life. the characters in this book are so very heart touching. Thank you for featuring the story post.
Jackie, good to see you here. Glad you enjoyed meeting Elsa. Blessings!
The books become so much more meaningful when you meet the author and understand the back stories/ characters a bit more…thanks for sharing!!
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the post and meeting Elsa Brantenberg. Happy Reading! Mona
Hi Savurbks! So glad you enjoyed the post and meeting Elsa Brantenberg. Blessings! Mona
Love the interview with Elsa . She sounds like a good lady . I injoyed reading about her and loving the book . Love that she has her quilting circle every week . I am loving all the characters in this awesome book . Thank you Mona .
lizd225(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi Liz! So glad you’re enjoying The Quilted Heart. I had fun meeting the characters and writing their stories. Blessings and Happy Reading. Mona