Guest Author – Regina Walker
Howdy! I’m so thankful you are here with me today.
First and foremost, I’d like to thank the incredible ladies behind Petticoats & Pistols. I appreciate you allowing me to post here and interact with your readers.
I previously wrote a post about how writing historical Western romance gave me a new appreciation for my own family history. You can find that post here: https://petticoatsandpistols.com/2022/06/23/regina-walker-insists-genealogy-isnt-such-a-bore-after-all/
Through writing, I am able to experience many different walks of life. I get to put myself (or my characters) into the shoes of another. I can be, do, see, or say any of the things I may not get to in real life.
Candle-making is one such venture. I’ve always loved candles and the process of making them seemed simple, albeit fascinating. I cannot enjoy candles the way I would like, as I have a very sensitive respiratory system, but I knew I could write a candlemaker into one of my books.
Enter Calvin Clark, the chandler in Central City, CO. As the story between Calvin and Eleanor unfolded, my interest in candles sparked even more.
I gathered up my kiddos and asked if they’d like to make candles for the farmer’s market. As soon as they said yes, I tippity-tappity-typed my fingers right over to Amazon, loaded my cart with candle-making goodies, and completed my order. With nothing to do but wait for said supplies, I returned to writing the book at hand, A Christmas Candle for Eleanor (free on 4/14/23 only).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098BSD3LH?tag=pettpist-20
I had to go back into the story and add more candle-ish bits because once I placed my Amazon order, I fulfilled that curious part of my mind. The kids asked me a few times when the candle goodies would arrive. We don’t have a Prime subscription, so we have to wait a little longer for our packages.
We spent a weekend making candles and had a blast doing it. We also figured out that it’s not simple, even though I thought it would be. The wax can’t be overheated or underheated, you have to mix the oils in at just the right temperature. Essential oils don’t do as well in candles as fragrance oils. It takes many wax beads to fill a small candle jar once they’ve been melted.
The kids and I had a lot of fun even though the scents triggered a migraine for my son. But, despite having so much fun, the kids never wanted to try again. That’s okay. Some things are fun to try but don’t need to become a well-developed skill.
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I’d like to thank you again for being here with me! I would like to award a signed paperback to one lucky reader who leaves a comment here on the Petticoats & Pistols blog. (This drawing will happen randomly. Available to US residents only.)
To make commenting easy, I have a question for you:
Have you ever tried something and found it to be more difficult than you assumed it would be?
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You can find me in my reader group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/reginasreaders
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Regina Walker crafts interesting characters facing some of life’s hardest challenges. Her heart’s desire is to always point toward Jesus through the way her characters face challenges, relationships, and adversity.
Regina is an Oklahoma import, although she was born and raised in the beautiful state of Colorado. She likes to curl up on the couch and binge-watch crime shows with her hard-working husband. When she’s not wrestling with a writing project, she can be found wrangling their children, riding their horses, or working around their small hobby farm.
