Meet author Delores Topliff

I’m excited to have another Scrivenings Press author on my blog! I met Delores Topliff through the local ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) chapter, and she’s an inspirational woman. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know her better!

Jen – Hi, Delores, and welcome to my blog! I’d love to know more about your background.

Delores – I grew up in Vancouver, Washington, along the Columbia River at the end of the Oregon Trail, which has influenced my writing.

Jen – From someone who has always lived in the South, that sounds amazing! And a writer’s paradise. Tell us about what you’ve written.

**This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Some of Delores Topliff’s books!

Delores – So far I’ve published four children’s Christian picture books (two winning international prizes), four historic novels, and my A Traveling Grandma’s Guide to Israel: Adventures, Wit, and Wisdom, describing Israel’s special people and places learned during my nine lengthy trips there over forty years. It’s fully half memoir, so anyone reading it will know me well and find lots of humor. 

Jen – I’ve heard so many wonderful things about your Guide to Israel! I can’t wait to read it! I know you’ve written many books. Tell us about some more!

Delores – My first novel, Books Afloat, presents an idealist young woman providing a floating library boat up and down the Columbia River for residents who don’t have books. Washington’s Governor invites her to do undercover surveillance with a network of volunteers to monitor Japanese activity on the river. The funny thing is at age nine, I intended to be that girl—and that scenario turned into this fun and suspenseful book based on true WWII events. I love doing research and did lots!

Its sequel, Strong Currents, continues WWII events with the same colorful river residents plus adds a hero invalid home after Midway and the German niece of a local hero who encounters shocking prejudice and an attempt on her life. 

Wilderness Wife also shows my end-of-the-Oregon Trail origins. After four children and seventeen years of wilderness marriage, courageous half-native Marguerite Wadin MacKay is abandoned by her explorer husband so he can go to Montreal (Canada) to claim fame and a society wife. Marguerite believes her life is over until Dr. John McLoughlin, nine years her junior, persuades her to risk loving again. She is a real, amazing, and inspiring woman who seems like a friend. She and John overcame many hardships, established Fort Vancouver together in 1825, and are honored as the Mother and Father of the Pacific Northwest. 

Delores’s Christmas novel

Jen – I’m sure your research for all of these was fascinating! I’d love to hear more about your Christmas novel.

Delores – The plot for Christmas Tree Wars came one Sunday morning as I drove along a Minnesota road with a Christmas tree farm on one side and a hayfield with one single Norway spruce on the other. I instantly received the entire storyline and got busy writing.  

And that paves the way for this Christmas in August post. My book’s back cover says, “Christmas is meant to be a time of goodwill, but there’s no peace between two neighboring Christmas tree farmers involved in a longstanding feud, (one a Swede and the other a Norwegian). Can this year be different with a holiday romance and surprise ending tossed in? 

When the financial planner son and forestry major niece of feuding Christmas tree farmers come home to help their families in crisis, it takes Christmas tree wars to a whole new level. As the young people seek success by competing to provide a national Christmas tree, romance fills the air.”  

Jen – That sounds so fun! I appreciate you being on the blog, Delores.

Delores – Thanks for hosting me, Jen. I look forward to reader questions and comments. 

Delores Topliff bio:

Delores Topliff grew up in Washington State but married a Canadian so enjoys dual citizenship. She teaches university online, travels, and published four children’s books before writing historic novels and A Traveling Grandma’s Guide to Israel: Adventures, Wit, and Wisdom, released last year. Delores loves her two doctor sons and five grandchildren and divides her year between a central Minnesota farm and the gentle climate and people in Northeastern Mississippi.   

Follow Delores and connect on social media: 

Website, Blog, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Email delores@delorestopliff.com 

Read The Art of Judging Book Covers, then follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, and subscribe to my newsletter to keep up with news about my book and any special offers! Be sure you grab your FREE 10-step checklist to plan your novel when you subscribe!

Hi, I’m Jen! I’ve been married for over 37 years, have 5 amazing kids, and have 3 adorable grandkids. I homeschooled our three youngest children and used to blog about homeschooling. I also taught Oral Communication as an adjunct instructor for over 5 years.

Jen Dodrill Writes is born of a passion of mine – to write a novel! My first cozy mystery – Birds Alive! – released Feb. 27, 2024!

When I’m not working, you’ll find me writing, spending time with my family, or curled up on the couch reading and drinking a mug of dark roast coffee. (Don’t forget to check out my mug shop – JDMugs!)