Lisa Bergren's "Mercy Came Morning"

Title: Mercy Come Morning (previously released as Christmas Every Morning)

Publisher: WaterBrook

Cover blurb: Krista Mueller is in a good place. She’s got a successful career as a professor of history; she’s respected and well-liked; and she lives hundreds of miles from her hometown and the distant mother she could never please. It’s been more than a decade since Alzheimer’s disease first claimed Charlotte Mueller’s mind, but Krista has dutifully kept her mother in a first-class nursing home.

Now Charlotte is dying of heart failure and, surprised by her own emotions, Krista rushes to Taos, New Mexico, to sit at her estranged mother’s side as she slips away. Battling feelings of loss, abandonment, and relief, Krista is also unsettled by her proximity to Dane McConnell, director of the nursing home—and, once upon a time, her first love. Dane’s kind and gentle spirit—and a surprising discovery about her mother—make Krista wonder if she can at last close the distance between her and her mother … and open the part of her heart she thought was lost forever.

1) How did this story come to you?
I had two grandparents who died of Alzheimer’s. It’s a tragic situation, every time, and tragedy breeds good novel tension…I thought, “What would happen if you had issues with your loved one who has Alz, and never had the opportunity to talk them out?”

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Happily, I’ve been published for a while, and one contract leads to the next. Given how publishing is changing, I’m not sure how long that’ll last, but I appreciate it for now!

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I was a ski bum/bartender for the winter after college; I’ve been in the tomb inside the Great Pyramid at Giza; my husband and I met on a blind date.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I’m in the midst of promoting a YA series called The River of Time (Waterfall, Cascade, Torrent), about two teen girls who time travel back to medieval Italy. Lots of action and romance. Next up: An adult trilogy called The Grand Tour—beginning with Grand Illusions—about a group of young people traveling across Europe in search of cultural refinement, and an understanding of themselves.

5) Parting comments?
I love to connect with readers and hope your readers will check out one of my books!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.lisabergren.com/
@LisaTBergren on Twitter
Facebook: Lisa Tawn Bergren and River of Time Series