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Would you read a book about birding? Well, if the answer is yes, I have a guest author today who has just the thing. If the answer is no, read on anyway. You might be more interested than you think. ;) Welcome, guest author, Jen Dodrill, as she chats about her new book, Birds Alive. Erma Bombeck once said, “It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” And that’s what writing is all about—being courageous."
I still remember the first contest I entered – over fifteen years ago! I was crushed when I received my scores. No one knew I entered, and I didn’t want to tell them how badly I did. I am proud of myself for being courageous back then. Writing a book and then sending it to an agent or publisher is sort of like having a baby and leaving it with someone you don’t know. It's intimidating and nerve-wracking, and you question every decision you’ve ever made.
School nurse by day. Lonely by night. Genevieve Stewart loves her job and the high school where she passes out bandages, sends home sick kids, and updates shot records. It was her dream job. And it got even better when Scott started paying attention to her five years before. Having him drop by her office to bring her coffee, chat for a minute, even steal a kiss--it was ideal. How many other women were blessed to see their love during working hours? Needless to say, she figured life after marriage would be even better. But it isn't. I met Ellen Withers several years ago, though not in person. That happened November before last. Then, I was blessed to be one of her content editors. And I've been able to see her again since then. And y'all, she's so fun. She's a sister Scrivenings Press author and now a dear friend. I'm thrilled to have her for my author interview this month because I know you're going to love her too. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for information about her new book! Ellen, most of your stories are done in split-time, where part is set in present day and part in the past. Which is harder for you to write? Why?
It’s harder to write the historical portions. You have to do a lot of research. Clothing, shoes, transportation, and speech/dialogue are all different from current times. Sometimes I have to research whether a word I want to use even existed at the time. I enjoy the historical work because we can learn so much from history. Some of the trials and tribulations in history still apply to our problems and feelings today. As you've done research for your stories, what's something fun you've discovered that you never expected to learn? Two things uncovered in research were unexpected. The Union Army occupied Mexico, Missouri for the entire duration of the Civil War because the railroad lines that ran through town were critical to hold the entire upper half of the state of Missouri for their cause. Because Missouri was a border state, almost divided equally between Southern sympathizers and Union loyalists, nearly half of the state resented the Union presence. Ulysses Grant was in town for about 6 weeks in 1861 as a Colonel. When he arrived, he put a stop to the Union soldiers stealing from local farmers and making citizens declare their loyalty to the union at gunpoint. The locals, leaning both Union and Southern, adored him because of instituting those two changes. In a historical part of Show Me Deceit, a main character goes on an errand to the root cellar and gets frightened by a snake skin (not a live snake). In my research, I discovered live snakes were often found in root cellars in the summer. In the winter and spring, they would find snake skin that would scare them into thinking the snakes were still there. I wanted that scare to happen to my main character. It showed her character and enriched the story. I think we forget how lucky we are to live in a time with modern conveniences. A few weeks ago I asked for help coming up with names for my hamster. Not a real hamster, mind you. I haven't had one of those since high school (and that's just fine with my husband). This name was for a hamster who will appear (star?) in my novella releasing next Valentine's season in the collection called Pet's Amore!
My story is set in a kindergarten class on Valentine's day. The hamster is brought by a student who was sick the day of show-and-tell, so he decides it's okay to bring him the first day he's back instead. The kindergarten teacher isn't so sure it's okay, but the animal is already there. Let the chaos ensue! For the last few years, most of my reading has been done on my kindle. It's so convenient. I can carry literally thousands of books with me at a time, the screen lights up a little so I can read in the dark, and a lot of the books are where I can borrow them from my library without having to leave home.
Also, it fits conveniently in my purse. It can be read with one hand, even with turning the pages. And it has a very nice feature where I can hover over a word and find the definition if I need it. I love my kindle. Seriously, LOVE my kindle. I've always been told to write what you know. And I do, to a point. Obviously, every now and then I have to write from research or from someone else's knowledge, because I can only know so much.
However, have you ever heard "live what you write?" I haven't. But it seems to be the way my life has been going in some ways the last few weeks. What do I mean? Well, as I've said before, I have a book releasing in just over a month. For Better or For Granted is set in a high school, with my MCs the principal and the school nurse. The principal, aka Scott, is also the former basketball coach. So, we have some fun school setting/co-worker romance/sports/etc going on. Well, I don't know how much you remember about high school, but I used some of my own memories and then I incorporated some things from school experiences my husband has had over his years of teaching, and then I made some stuff up. But I'm not telling which parts are which. ;) I love shining a spotlight on other authors and other books too. Today, we're showcasing Jenny Carlisle's newest release (one of my editing babies). Love Never Fails is the third in her series (fourth if you count the novella in A Gift For All Time, which I do). Y'all, this series is so sweet, and I just love the fictional town and all its people. But this story also deals with some heavy stuff. See what Jenny has to say about it. A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 NJKV “It’s over. He’ll never be able to do anything.” My husband’s boss expressed hopelessness as we stepped outside the hospital waiting room. His brother and business partner was being treated for a severe spinal injury. The doctors were preparing the family for the possibility of paralysis.
“We don’t know that yet.” I said. “The doctors will tell him about the next steps. There are so many possibilities for a normal life.” Even as I spoke these words, I knew the road ahead would be rough. In a way, the concerned brother was right. Nothing would be the same ever again. I discovered Janet Ferguson's books years ago and have followed her for several years since. She writes beautiful stories of love and hope, set in gorgeous places. If you haven't checked her out before now, you can try out one of her stories for free. Grab The Art of Rivers as her gift along with her newsletter. Here's the link https://dl.bookfunnel.com/yt91p8u5qo And be sure to check out this fun interview to learn more about Janet and her stories. Janet, I've read most of your stories, and they're gorgeous. Where do you come up with your ideas?
Thank you so much for the kind words. I know without God, there’s no way I could write a novel. To Him be the glory. My ideas usually just drop in on my mind. Again, I believe it’s a God thing. Someone might say something, or I’m in a certain setting (like the beach), and an idea pops up. I know you have stories set in Mississippi where you're from, but also Georgia (loved visiting St. Simon's again through your book), and now Wyoming. How do you choose the best place to set a story? Other than the first series that was set in Oxford, Mississippi, which I have been to many times, I was actually in the setting when the ideas came. I love to travel. I see God so clearly in nature away from my everyday busy life. In that quiet, the ideas have room to grow. |
This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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