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.
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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. I'm working on a Valentine's novella to release in 2025, and it includes a Kindergarten teacher, a little boy and his cute uncle, and a hamster. Sounds like the perfect combination for chaos, right?
Especially when they all come together the day of the Valentine's day party. Yep. This one is going to be fun. Right now, my characters' names are Ms. Kimberly, Uncle Miles, and Jacob. But I can't come up with a super cute name for the hamster. And since he's sort of one of the stars of the show, I want a good one. Want to help? You know that minute when you're sitting there, minding your own business, and suddenly your muse taps you on the shoulder?
Muse: Ooh, here's some ideas for that Snow White story you wanted to write. Me: Thanks, but I don't have time right now. I really need to do two content edits for other people, am supposedly going to get content and line edits for my March release sometime before then, and need to write a Valentine's novella about a kindergarten teacher, and hamster, and a cute uncle. Muse: So, here's the whole first chapter, complete with dialog and character names. Me: But-- Muse: No, seriously, go write it down! Me: Sigh. Today starts a fun new series on my blog that I think we're all going to enjoy--a monthly book spotlight! Each month, I'm going to let another author take over my blog for a day to share a fun story about one of her books. Today, Suzie Waltner, a fellow Tennessean and fellow Anaiah author, is sharing about a fun roadtrip story. This sounds like a great read. And make sure you go all the way to the bottom because she's doing a giveaway too! As a romance reader, the friends-to-more trope has always been my favorite. Since my Love in Color series features a group of friends who not only grew up together and hang out often, but also work together, I knew from the first book that two of them needed to become more than just friends. But what would be the catalyst for them to realize their feelings for each other went beyond friendship? My solution? Send them on a road trip across the country in search of answers to questions each of them has about their families. Can you imagine turning what could be deemed a tragedy into something good? Guest author Jennifer Arrington did just that, and I am in awe of her ability to take a bad thing and turn it to good. You're going to love this interview! You grew up in South Africa, but now live here in the USA. What are some of the things you miss from being over there?
I miss the windows-open lifestyle! In Johannesburg, South Africa, we didn't have extreme temperatures like August in Florida or February in Minnesota, so our windows were open most of the year. When I went to college in the US, I was constantly in trouble for opening my 7th-story dorm window! My favorite time of year in Florida is what I call "windows-open weather." I also miss what I perceive was a simpler lifestyle. I'm unsure if this still applies since I was 18 when I left, but birthdays, Christmas decorations, house décor, table settings, weddings, outfits, even make-up – it was all minimalist. Someone living in South Africa will have to chime in and tell me if things are still like this. It seems so based on my friends' Facebook posts, but I may simply have minimalist friends. What do you hope readers learn about South Africa from your book? I want readers to experience the country's beauty – that's why there are descriptions of God's Window, the drive down Van Reenen's Pass, and the South Coast beaches. My good friend Gillian (if you've read The Counting Tree, you've met her namesake!) recently sent me pictures of their travels along the Garden Route, the coastal drive that includes Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, and the Storms River. The images call to me, and I need to return and experience it all again. Conversely, I want readers to know the history of apartheid and how it stained the beautiful landscape with an evil perpetrated against millions of people. It's surprising to me when I encounter young people who don't know this history. For the last few years, I've set my Goodreads yearly reading challenge at 125 books. And passed it. For like three or four years in a row. Of course, those were years I wasn't releasing FOUR books of my own. And working four jobs. And probably a few other things.
Needless to say, this year, I probably won't make it to 125 books marked on Goodreads. Part of that is I read a few collections that had multiple stories in them, but Goodreads only marks them as one. Other factors are that some of the books I read this year haven't released yet. ;) (Benefit of being an editor.) And of course, I read my books several times too, but didn't count them on my tally. That would give me four more. I like to write stories all at once. Not in one day or one sitting, obviously, but with continuity. Maybe that's why Nanowrimo works so well for me. After all, writing a book all in one month is a short enough time, right?
The problem I have faced this year is that I haven't been able to do that like I wanted. Instead, I've written a chapter or two here. And another there. And then it sits for a while as I work on something else. And then, when I go back to work on it again, I can't remember everything I actually wrote before so I have to read it all again before I can actually do any writing. While this probably helps me polish things up as I go, it's not conducive to quickly getting words on the page. And it frustrates me to write in bites. |
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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