Conversations with Creatives: Author Denise M. Colby

I’m so excited to introduce you to fellow Scrivenings Press author, Denise M. Colby.

Denise M. Colby writes historical romance sweetened with faith, hope, and love. She loves history and finds herself contemplating how it was to live in the 1800’s. Only sitting still when reading a book, watching movies with her family, or taking in the latest musical theater show, Denise resides in Southern California where she enjoys date nights with her husband at their happy place.

Christina: What is the title of your book?

Denise: No Plan at All

Christina: When will it be released?

Denise: It will be released on November 4, 2025. You can pre-order the e-book now on Amazon,

Christina: Is it a series?

Denise: Yes. It’s part of the Best-laid Plans series. This is a prequel to the first book released in 2024, When Plans Go Awry

Christina: Can you share your blurb with us?

Denise:

Two strangers. One journey. A love neither expected.

Sarah Anne Baker never wanted to be anyone’s burden. But hours after losing the Godmother who raised her, she faces an impossible choice: marry her late fiancé’s brother—or flee. With fear of being trapped, her driving force, she places her trust in the one man leaving town that night—the enigmatic traveling peddler known only as Mr. Smith.

Alexander Sinclair walked away from his noble title in Scotland to live a quiet, hidden life. Peddling wares from town to town has given him peace, free from the weight of expectation. Until a desperate young woman crosses his path. He can’t turn her away… no matter the cost.

Together, Sarah and Alex set out on a journey through loss, healing, and a bond neither expected to find. But as secrets surface and choices demand to be made, both must decide: cling to the lives they planned—or risk everything to embrace the future God has written for them.

A tender tale of courage, redemption, and love strong enough to change the course of two hearts forever.

Sometimes the best life is the one we never planned.

Christina: What inspired you to write this story?

Denise: When I was writing my first book, When Plans Go Awry, I created a few families who had loved ones pass and become intertwined with one another. But I needed a catalyst of why Luke (the hero in book 1) was sending for a mail order bride that wasn’t about finding a wife to love, etc. I gave him multiple reasons, including Sarah leaving him right after his ma died to deal with his grief and raising his sisters alone. She’s never on the page, but readers are meant to not like her.

I wrote out that event so I understood the emotions, but I also wrote it from Sarah’s point of view so I could make sure it worked. From there Sarah had her own story to tell. There are always two sides to every situation and Sarah had her own reasons for leaving that night. What were they? Why take the risk? And how could God reach her, teach her, and mold her into who He wanted her to be? What did she need? And who would be the perfect match for her?

I guess I didn’t want readers to ultimately not like her. Sometimes decisions are made that hurt others, but by the power of God we can heal, forgive, and learn from our mistakes. Besides, it’s hard for me to write bad characters—I want to redeem them all.

Then of course, I wanted the chance to write a character from nobility. I was reading a lot of regency but was terrified of writing one because there’s so much to know and I didn’t want to get anything wrong. So during a NanoWrimo one year, I wrote the rough draft to No Plan at All and created Alex, who was nobility but was living outside of his world and in the one I had created.

Christina: What’s your favorite part of your writing process?

Denise: I like developing characters and interacting with them when I’m writing. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when there’s a scene and the words flow and they reveal themselves in a way I couldn’t plan out ahead of time.

Christina: Can you share any challenges you faced during the research or writing process?

Denise: Yes! On their journey, Sarah and Alex travel through several towns. Most of the maps I studied had the same names, but a few had a different name of one of the towns. I had to ultimately decide which one to use. I also learned one of the towns changed names once a post office was put in, but my timing was before that. Even though I had to make some changes to the timeline to fit my story world, I tried to be as accurate to the time period as possible.

Also, as a writer I have big ideas, but when I write the words it doesn’t always come out the same way I envision things in my head. Sarah was a little whiny and her original reasons for leaving didn’t read well. I wanted people to like her! So I had to rewrite the opening several times before I found a way to make her leaving with an unknown man plausible (shout out to my critique group for helping me figure that out.)

Christina: How do you develop your characters? Do they come to you fully formed, or do they reveal themselves as you write?

Denise: This last book I wrote I tried to plot the entire thing. I developed the characters and their reasons beforehand, but they still showed me a few surprises as I wrote. Maybe my original plotting didn’t fit what they needed. So yes, I try to figure out the characters first, but sometimes how they respond to situations comes out when I’m writing.

Christina: If you could give one piece of advice to budding creatives, what would it be?

Denise: Just one? Keep writing. Even for 10-15 minutes a day. With writing, it takes practice over and over again. And a little every day adds up to a finished novel.

Christina: Can you describe your writing routine?

Denise: I join a group of authors online for writing sprints at 7am every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. This has been the best way for me to finish my deadlines. I know I have that writing time scheduled. If I need more I’ll write in 25 min sprints after my day job in the evening and on the weekend. Sometimes I use that time for research or prepping, but it’s worked well for me over the past year.

Christina: What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

Denise: Encouragement. A satisfied ending. An enjoyable time reading. Connection with the characters.

Christina: What has been the most rewarding part of your publishing journey?

Denise: Developing all the author friendships with others I’ve met along the way.

Christina: Name something quirky in your workspace. Can you give a little backstory about said item?

Denise: I have a metal barrel mug (with the handle broken off) holding pens.

I was the choreographer for my

kids’ middle school musicals.

They did Beauty and the Beast and I recreated the mug scene where they clank mugs together in the song. One of my favorite dances I’ve done. When one of the mugs broke, I kept it to remember the experience by.

Christina: I love that. So, what is your favorite snack to get your creative juices flowing?

Denise: Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate chips right out of the bag.

Christina: What childhood story has stuck with you through adulthood?

Denise: Two of my favorites were Little House on the Prairie (I had an image of Alfanso for Alex) and Love Comes Softly

Christina: Love Comes Softly is one of my faves. What book are you reading right now?

Denise: I just finished my critique partner’s second book, Unexpected by Kimberly Keagan. So good!

Christina: If you could have dinner with any author, living or deceased, who would it be and why?

Denise: I’m not sure. If you asked me which choreographer, I would say Derek Hough.

Christina: You just won free tickets to anywhere in the world! Where are you going? And who are you taking?

Denise: Italy and the surrounding countries and I would take my husband. We just did three weeks in London and Scotland this year (our son was studying abroad so we took advantage of going to see him there and bring him home) and Italy is next on our list.

Christina: What upcoming writing projects are you working on?

Denise: I just submitted my next manuscript, A Whole New Plan, which releases in May. I have at least three more in this series I want to write including a Christmas Novella.

Christina: Are you a Plotter or Pantser?

Denise: More a Pantser

Christina: What are you looking forward to (does not need to be writing related) over the next few months?

Denise: Cleaning out our office. I promised my husband after I finished this last book, I would take some time to dive in before writing the next one.

Christina: Thank you so much for chatting with me, Denise. I hope your book launch is a great success!