LOVING LUTHER

by

ALLISON PITTMAN

  Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Publisher: Tyndale House

Date of Publication: September 1, 2017

Number of Pages: 432

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Germany, 1505

In the dark of night, Katharina von Bora says the bravest good-bye a six-year-old can muster and walks away as the heavy convent gate closes behind her.

Though the cold walls offer no comfort, Katharina soon finds herself calling the convent her home. God, her father. This, her life. She takes her vows–a choice more practical than pious–but in time, a seed of discontent is planted by the smuggled writings of a rebellious excommunicated priest named Martin Luther. Their message? That Katharina is subject to God, and no one else. Could the Lord truly desire more for her than this life of servitude?

In her first true step of faith, Katharina leaves the only life she has ever known. But the freedom she has craved comes with a price, and she finds she has traded one life of isolation for another. Without the security of the convent walls or a family of her own, Katharina must trust in both the God who saved her and the man who paved a way for rescue. Luther’s friends are quick to offer shelter, but Katharina longs for all Luther has promised: a home, a husband, perhaps even the chance to fall in love.

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Praise for Loving Luther:

[Pittman] pens an exquisite tale, capturing the emotions of a nun grappling with the faith she’s always known vs. a new and unfamiliar freedom in faith.  Simmering with tension of Katharina’s discontent and longings, the novel unveils a slow morphing that follows Katharina’s own personal transformation, from reverence to spirited determination in choosing her own way in the world. — Booklist

Loving Luther is a moving and rich historical romance based on Luther’s relationship with his wife Katharina.  In addition, it shows how their marriage was actually significant to the Lutheran faith.  Instead of dwelling on the couple’s courtship, the story goes deep into the roots of the Reformation.  Luther and Katharina interrogate their faith, living out their convictions in a way that is both inspiring and profoundly human.  Loving Luther has depth, and it is unexpectedly touching.  Katharina and Luther, in search of a happy ending, find one another.  Their love, Pittman shows, really did change the world. — Foreword Magazine

A historical novel with characters who are brave, strong and willing to take chances in times of persecution.  The plot is partially based on the teachings of Martin Luther and the many lives he changed, some for the better, some for the worse.  Pittman is a talented author who touches on topics that have been debated over the decades and are still being talked about today. — Romantic Times Reviews

How has being a Texan (or Texas) influenced your writing?

I’m a transplanted Texan, but I’ve been here for almost 30 years—more than half my life now… I don’t have novels set in Texas (except my little Christmas Novella that is basically a love letter to San Antonio and HEB), but I like to think that I have a Texas attitude in my stories. Meaning this: Texans love Texas, without reservation, despite our flaws, regardless what other people think. My books don’t always feature the most loveable characters, but I love them. Fiercely. I’d love them if they never reformed, if they never reconciled their sins. I love them in the dirt and I love them when they’re all cleaned up—and all the miles and miles in-between.

Where did your love of [books, writing, reading, and/or storytelling] come from?

My love of all things reading and writing came from my mom. Long before I knew how to write, I would dictate stories to her and she would faithfully scribe them for me, without changing anything. And my earlies memories are of her reading to me. In particular, I remember my illustrated classic volume of Heidi. I remember thinking: She’s enjoying this just as much as I am! That meant something, to know that she wasn’t just reading to me, she was reading with me. Ever since, I’ve thought of reading as a shared experience.

What was the hardest part of writing this book? 

The hardest part about writing Loving Luther was the huge feeling of responsibility I felt for everybody who knew this story, who knew the characters and the circumstances of Martin Luther and the Reformation. I had some history hi-lights to work as bullet points in the story, but lots of free room for imagination. I’m good with the imagination part! And I had to take some fictional license in places. The thing is, I never really know where the line is. So, I’m praying that readers will experience the story in the same spirit I used in creating it.

What did you find most useful in learning to write for publication?  What was least useful or most destructive?

Most useful? There are so many people who know so much more than I do about so many things. Designers know how to design. Editors know how to edit. I have great story instincts and a certain level of writing skill, but that’s such a small part of making a book successful. I had to learn that not all great ideas make great books, and past success doesn’t guarantee anything for the next title down the line, so approach and write EVERY book as if it’s your first. After all, every book is a first of my books for someone! Least useful? Destructive? I’ve been fortunate enough to work with two VERY supportive publishers. I think overall the least useful adage in writing is the idea of “Write what you know.” If I did that, I’d never be able to write about baseball or dust storms, or Martin Luther, or flappers, or…anything. I’d have to center an entire cannon around enchiladas and 80’s TV.

What does your perfect writing spot look like? Is that what your ACTUAL writing spot looks like?

My perfect writing spot is the spare room/office in my house—walls are a soothing sage green, shelves displaying my books, photographs of friends and family on the desk and shelves. All of my research books are within an arm’s reach. My candle smells like Disneyland in the morning. The light is low and the AC is perfect. Now, my ACTUAL writing spot? Same house, just down the hall. In the living room, curled up on a corner of the sofa, with episodes of The Golden Girls barely audible in the background.

Do you have any strange writing habits or writing rituals you’d like to share with your readers?

I should probably acknowledge Twizzlers and coffee in all of my book dedications.

What book do you wish you could have written?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is my absolute favorite novel. A dream-dream-dream project would be two write the love story of Officer McShane and Katie Nolan, through the eyes of the patient, lovelorn McShane.

If you could time travel, what time period would you first visit?

I would love to pop into the late 1920s. I want to see a Charlie Chaplin movie in a theater with an orchestra. I want to wear an amazingly cute hat. I love the post-war excitement and liberating mentality. As much as I love delving deep into the past for novel research, my research confirms that I wouldn’t want to live anywhere pre-indoor plumbing and cheeseburgers. The 20s has everything I love now, only fresh and new. Specifically, I’d want to zap onto a Hollywoodland Studio lot. I’d fetch coffee, carry scripts, whatever—just to see that world.

Allison Pittman is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed novels and a three-time Christy finalist—twice for her Sister Wife series and once for All for a Story from her take on the Roaring Twenties. She lives near San Antonio, Texas, blissfully sharing an empty nest with her husband, Mike.

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TEN SIGNED COPIES OF LOVING LUTHER

October 2-October 11, 2017

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