Isabella Pearson

June Character Interview

Patricia Parrington ~ June 1, 2026

Hello my lovely readers and fellow book-lovers! For those of you new here, I, your bookish host Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.

Today, Isabella Pearson is here with us from the adult Christian historical romance In Books & Battlefields by Heather Tabers. Heather writes immersive, hope-filled stories that invite readers to step into another time and place. From historical romance to children’s fiction, her stories are paired with rich extras like playlists, historical imagery, narrated scenes, and interactive experiences designed to bring the world beyond the page to life.

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Meet Isabella

Welcome to Fable Features! I’m excited to get to know you.

[Patricia settles on an orange suede couch and smiles at her guest.]

What are a few simple things that make your day better?

[Isabella straightens the brown bow on her American Library Association uniform and settles into a wooden chair.]

Books. That will always be my first answer. But also sharing a giggle with a good friend, teaching a soldier how to read, getting a letter from home . . . Oh! And Mother’s hot pepper jelly. Miss Heather shared Mother’s recipe in the back of her book. You’ll love it!

Mm, I do love jelly. I’ll have to check that out!

You mentioned teaching a soldier how to read. I’d love to hear more about that! What led you to teach this soldier? Was it someone you knew?

Oh, mercy! I forgot to mention the most important part. I’m a volunteer librarian, and I was sent to serve the soldiers at the hospital in Camp Sheridan. That’s just outside Montgomery, Alabama. When I got here, I was so surprised to learn that many of our enlisted boys didn’t know how to read, so I got permission to hold classes to teach them. There’s nothing like watching a soldier read a letter from his mama for the first time.

[Isabella pulls a lace-trimmed hanky from her pocket and dabs at the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.]

This isn’t an easy place to be at times and we’ve had more than our fair share of danger here, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world.

That is so cool you get to do that, and I’m sure your classes have meant a lot to these soldiers.

What seemingly insignificant memory sticks with you?

Hmm . . . two memories stand out. One from back in Denver and one from here at Camp Sheridan.

[Isabella brushes a wayward copper curl from her eyes, but it bounces back like a spring.]

Two years ago, I was volunteering at the Denver Library, putting returned books back on the shelves. One book caught my eye—a European history book written in French. I hadn’t practiced my French in a few years, so I took it home and read it. I could have never imagined then how important that would be someday.

The other memory was from here at Camp Sheridan.

[She runs a finger underneath the collar of her dress and fans her blushing cheeks.]

My first day at the Camp Sheridan Hospital . . . Well, you see, the hospital was still new . . . and empty . . . and it looked like the perfect place to waltz with my new friend, Annie. That is, until Major McDaniel caught us.

[She presses her lips together to keep from smiling at the dreamy doctor’s name.]

How interesting!

[Patricia grins and leans forward a bit.]

This Major McDaniel . . . what’s he like?

Oh.

[Isabella’s blush deepens.]

He’s the CMO at the Camp Sheridan Hospital. That stands for Chief Medical Officer. He’s very serious about things running a certain way in his hospital and he wasn’t fond of my dancing around a place he’d worked so hard to build. He was a very hard, cold man when I first met him . . . but he’s not like that anymore. He’s quite handsome, too. He has dark hair and silver eyes and dimples that will melt you like an ice cream cone in the Alabama sun.

He sounds wonderful. Good thing he didn’t stay hard and cold!

[Seeing that Isabella has more to add, Patricia gestures for her to continue.]

Oh, he is truly wonderful . . . as long as Nathaniel’s name isn’t mentioned.

[Isabella rolls her eyes.]

I know you didn’t ask about him, but I should probably tell you about him anyway. He’s my brother Freddy’s best friend from back in Denver. He’s always been shy around me and it was obvious he had feelings for me. But Freddy convinced him to follow me to Alabama to try to win my heart. He’s extremely tall with thick blond hair and a bushy beard. He’s a sheriff’s deputy and works for the Montgomery County sheriff’s department. He and Byron don’t really care for each other much. In fact, they’ve been known to fight over my attention.

[Isabella presses her lips together.]

In fact, that’s all I should probably say about that.

That’s fair.

[Patricia shoots her another grin then leans back against the comfy cushions.]

In emergency situations, how do you react?

Well, I’ve learned recently that I’m actually quite clever during an emergency.

[She zips her lips, not wanting to give away anything that happens in the book.]

[Patricia nods in understanding.]

I think that’s a good skill to have for emergencies—cleverness and a calm head to put a plan into action.

I’m curious—what is your most treasured possession?

Hmm. Before this story, I would probably say it was the Bible my parents gave me.

I love that! It sounds like a very precious gift.

[Patricia tilts her head inquisitively.]

On a completely different subject, when was the last time you cried?

Oh, gracious! I cry all the time.

[She shrugs.]

I guess the last time I had a good cry was when a beloved character passed away in the book I just finished. But that was just this morning. By tomorrow I’ll probably have already cried again about something.

You know, sometimes you just need to have a good cry. And I feel like that’s a mark of a good book too! You’ve mentioned a few times now that you like to read. I’m a big book fan myself. What’s your favorite genre to read?

Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever met a book that I didn’t like. Adventure, fairy tales, history . . . they’re all so wonderful. But if I had to pick just one, I’d say love stories are my favorite. I even tried to write one.

[Isabella’s honey-colored eyes light up at the mention of love stories.]

I’m a romantic at heart.

I think that’s really cool! And hey, maybe your own love story will get published one day and some other young woman will get to enjoy your writing.

[Patricia taps her chin.]

Speaking of talents . . . if you could instantly become a master of any musical instrument, which one would you choose and why? 

I play the piano and flute already and took lessons on the harp, but if I could be a MASTER at any instrument, I think it would be the banjo.

[She giggles, covering her mouth with both hands.]

I know it sounds so silly but that’s why I’d love to learn it. It’s the last instrument anyone would expect me to play and I’ve watched people here in Montgomery light up when someone strums a banjo. I’d love to bring that kind of joy and amusement to people.

I think that would be wonderful. I love listening to banjo players.

[Patricia smiles, laughter in her green eyes.]

And that would be amusing seeing people’s expressions when you tell them you’re a master at the banjo!

On the topic of laughter and things we love to do, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this question: What does perfect happiness look like to you?

Ohh.

[She sighs and her cheeks turn pink again. She blushes even more than she cries.]

Perfect happiness looks like being loved by a wonderful man just as much as you love him and finding ways to help others . . . together.

That’s a beautiful answer.

[Patricia glances at her wrist.]

Oh wow—time went by quickly. I would like to ask you this one last question before you go, if you don’t mind: What’s something—a memory or word of advice—you will never forget?

The day I moved to Alabama, my brother—Freddy—gave me the most thoughtful gift and reminded me that God’s Word says I am a letter from Christ . . . we all are! . . . and that the Spirit of God writes the letters of our lives to be read by everyone we meet. That really stuck with me as I moved across the country and stepped FAR out of my comfort zone, serving wounded soldiers in the hospital.

That is a very thoughtful gift and such a great reminder of who God says we are.

[Patricia smiles and stands.]

Thank you so much for chatting with me today! It’s been lovely getting to meet you, Isabella.

End of interview.

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Want to Read More?

Isabella’s author, Heather Tabers, can be found on Amazon and at her website, heathertabers.com. Grab yourself a free story when you join her newsletter here! Her book In Books & Battlefields can be purchased here.

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See Ya Next Time

Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Isabella, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.

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If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.

Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.

If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.