Do you love strong, independent characters who speak in sarcasm? Then, you're in the right place! My guest author, Paula Peckham is here to talk about just that today. Read on to find out her feelings on such characters. Do you think you're a better writer because of the time of life when you came to writing?
Funny, I was just talking to another author about this very thing. I think young authors can write great books, but I often add something to a story I’ve written, and I wonder, how would a young person know this? I think there is a benefit to having years of life experiences behind you. Those life events add flavor to what we write. Any advice you can offer to other authors? Try to find a critique group, or at least a writing partner. We’re often blind to the spots in our work that don’t quite make sense once it’s out of our head on onto the paper. Those writing partners help fine-tune. Also, read a new craft book every month if at all possible. You’ll never be to the point where you can afford to stop learning.
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Do you love fairy tales? You know I do. Well, today, you're in for a treat, because my guest author, Joanna Holden, is here to talk about her fairytale retellings as well as her life as an author. Make sure you read all the way to the end to find out more about her books and how to find her online! Joanna, I know you're a homeschooling mom to your four children. How do you find time to write? It’s definitely a challenge, especially in seasons with extra complications. (We’re in one of those right now.) For me, it’s a matter of routine. I plan our school days so that we do all our work in the mornings. Then the kids have the afternoons free for exploring and playing, and Mommy gets regular writing time. We’ve chosen a method and curriculum to match this routine. I also try to switch up writing times based on how I’m feeling physically. If I’m doing pretty good, afternoons are my time. If I need daily naps, I wait till the kids are in bed and write then. (And if I need to reach a deadline, I double up and do both.) And as often as I can, I schedule weekly library writing days. This makes sure that a) I can get out of the house, and b) I get in several solid uninterrupted hours of writing. It’s not perfect by any means. There are plenty of days when writing still doesn’t happen. But at least it’s on my mind. And it’s a lot easier to slip into the routine when it’s been the same for eleven years. Your books look like so much fun. What inspired you to do fairytale retellings? I was actually inspired by not finding what I was looking for. I had seen a lot of retellings being launched that were all based on the same four or five fairy tales. And while I loved those, I wanted to see a wider variety of options. Especially since there is such a rich pool to choose from, and it felt like no one was even touching those. So, I pulled a selection of lesser-known fairy tales that I loved. That also affected how I chose to retell them. Rather than taking an original concept and spinning it into something wildly different, I opted to write them as close to the originals as possible. I look at them more as extended editions of the originals – adding in details and fleshing out plotlines, and letting the surprises come from those additions rather than changing endings or subverting the original tropes. Today, I'm happy to introduce you to a fellow Tennessee author. I just discovered Diane Tatum, but her books sound like a lot of fun. So, read all the way to the end so you can find out more! Diane, you have quite the collection of books! I know you write across several different genres. Which is your favorite to write and why?
Three books have been published so far this year, making twenty available on Amazon. I’ve come to really enjoy writing romantic suspense. The romance is still strong in these stories, but the characters are also working together (willingly or not!) to resolve the mystery. I feel like it heightens the connection between the characters. I have two mystery series: Main Street Mysteries set in fictional Daelin, GA, and Mysteries at Kate’s B&B set in Adams, TN. With a history of teaching for so many years, do you find the things you learned teaching being incorporated into your stories? After teaching middle school for eleven years, I’m not writing YA! What I learned most is how different people are and how different they perceive things. I guess I got a course in human behavior and not always in the best way. My villains take on some of the characteristics of people I interacted with in and outside of the classroom. I also did most of my teaching in a small town, and my stories often take place there as well. In addition, I taught seventh grade for seven of those years. At my middle school, seventh grade involved teaching geography and Tennessee history. That’s where I learned about the Bell Witch in Adams. I also taught Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days during the last month of the school year, kind of like a wrap-up of geography. One of my former students wrote me on direct messenger recently that she’d thought of me when doing a Jules Verne Lego set. Setting my stories in places I’ve been fortunate to experience is a great lesson I’ve taken from the classroom and Jules Verne. Today, I am very happy to introduce a fellow author I met through Anaiah Press, Laura Thomas. She writes fiction that sounds fascinating and I hope you enjoy getting to know more about her and her books through this interview! I know you write across several genres and age-groups, but your adult fiction is romantic suspense. What made you choose that genre to write?
Christian romantic suspense was a favorite genre for me as a reader—back in the day I devoured everything by authors such as Colleen Coble, Terri Blackstock, and Dee Henderson. I loved how they blended clean romance with spine-chilling suspense and a message of hope, but at the time I was writing Christian teen fiction and had intended to only write for children and teens. However, as I penned my third Christian teen fiction (Tears, Fears, and Fame), I realized the story was heading in a suspenseful direction with an air of mystery—and I loved it! Then whilst on vacation in Jamaica, I had sudden inspiration for my own Christian romantic suspense story and came home to start writing The Glass Bottom Boat. It seems I found my true love in this genre as that was the first of six published romantic suspense books with more to come! Feeling mysterious today? Well, we have another mystery author joining us today. Sandra Kay Vosburgh is here, chatting about parts of her life that sneak into her books and why she loves mysteries. She's offering her first two books to a lucky reader, so be sure to leave a comment at the end! What first led you to want to write mysteries? Why that genre?
I was introduced to Agatha Christie when I found my mother’s copy of Halloween Party. I love the mental challenge a mystery presents, and Christie’s plotting was so complex, I rarely picked the right suspect. I attribute my suspicious nature to her. Does your life as a pastor's wife incorporate itself into any of your writings? Working in women’s ministry had a great impact on my current novel, which is a women’s contemporary with a bit of mystery. The theme is the effect of negative fathering on the soul of a little girl—how a father’s failure to affirm and value his daughter impacts her adulthood. I’ve seen women well into their later years weep when they spoke of their father’s absence or indifference. This moved me to write The Girl in Her. Mary Pat Johns is here to chat with us today. She has a newly released romance out and I'm thrilled to be able to interview her and find out more. She's a fellow Scrivenings author and has been fun to get to know over the last few years. I think you'll enjoy getting to know her too. You say your first story ever started (not finished) was about sea turtles. Do you plan to ever include a sea turtle in one of your future stories?
Actually, in Countin’ On Jesse, the first book in my series, Brenna spies a sea turtle swimming alongside the breakwater. Jesse has convinced Brenna they need a getaway because of all that’s happening at work, but it’s not supposed to be a date because of an ironclad no-dating- between-employees rule. The sea turtle scene might be a tad autobiographical since Port Aransas is a place my husband and I go for a quick getaway. It’s not unusual to see sea turtles swimming around the jetties. Once, my husband even rescued one snared in the rocks. What draws you to write Christian romance? Love stories are my favorite. Although I do read secular novels at times, I’m mainly drawn to Christian romance because of the character’s spiritual arc as well as the love story. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit breathing through the pages, the words seem empty. There’s just so much more vibrancy when Christ is an integral part of the story. I enjoy introducing new authors each and every month, but I'm very excited to share this one with you. I was blessed to be the content editor for her new book, and you're definitely going to want to check it out. In the meantime, settle in to learn a bit more about author Terri Wangard. Congratulations on your new release. As the content editor, I have to say, I really enjoyed it. What encouraged you to set a WWII novel in Brazil?
I like the unusual. Many WWII books are set in Europe and involve the Gestapo and German cruelty. That was a big part of the war, but there’s so much more. What makes you choose to write about historical times over other genres? I enjoy history. I have a BA in history (and a Master of Library Science degree). My first book was inspired by letters written by distant relatives in the immediate post-WWII years. My grandparents sent them care packages in Germany. After that, I started a contemporary story, but an editor told me I’d probably need a series to be offered a contract. I had plenty of unused research, so I kept going. 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. 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. 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. |
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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