How about Some Q & A Time?

“Be direct, simple, brief, vigorous, and lucid.” – H.W. Fowler (1858-1933)

I’ve been eyebrow deep in words this week as I finish up word by word, sentence by sentence edits on my spring release, In the Shadow of the River. Eyebrow deep sounds more accurate than knee deep in the case of editing. Of course, I have already edited the story several times to try to take out all the words that don’t need to be there and to put in words that do need to be there. I did that before I sent the story off to my publishers. The edits I’m doing now are for needed improvements seen by other editing eyes. In the process of considering the suggested edits, I’ve found plenty of other places thad need some tweaks as well.

I’ve been busy looking at the almost 100,000 words of my  novel and considering how to make those words the best I can to tell my story before my deadline. That hasn’t left me much time to come up with new words for my next story or for a post here either.  So, I went hunting on my computer for something I might share that was already written.

I came across an author interview from 2012 and went down memory lane to when Words Spoken True was my just released book.  I thought maybe you all would like to go back in time with me and read some about me and about that book.

The picture is of a 2012 bookstore visit after the book was published. I loved launching my books at the Corinth Bookstore in Frankfort, but it closed its doors years ago the same as many brick and mortar Christian bookstores have done. Now I’m blessed to have my books available at a store, Tastefully Delicious, right here in my hometown. As you can tell from the store’s name, the main focus is on delicious and often unique food items, but they also have a lovely selection of gift items and that includes books.

I’m only sharing three of the questions tonight. There are more and maybe I’ll share them on another night. Just pretend I’m sitting with you and you’re asking the questions. That should make it fun.

First, tell us a bit about yourself. Where you’re from? Past jobs, awards, the usual bio stuff.

I’m a country girl, born and raised in Kentucky. Growing up, I helped my dad on the farm and then I married a farm boy. So, of course, the first thing we did when we could afford it was buy a farm. We still live on that farm but our farming these days is limited to a few beef cows. (And now ten years later, my husband has retired from even that, but we’re still out here on the farm that we lease to a young farmer to raise those beef cows.)

I’ve known I wanted to write since I first discovered storybooks, so that’s always been my focus along with raising my family and being a farmer’s wife. Always, always I was writing that next story. I have worked some temporary secretarial jobs along the way, but only until the need to write overpowered the need for the extra income. Our three children are all grown and married now. They’ve blessed us with nine beautiful grandchildren.

I’ve published twenty-two books (thirty-seven now) with four more contracted (two now) to come out in the next few years. My first Shaker book, The Outsider, was a finalist in the fiction category for ECPA Book of the Year.  Scent of Lilacs was selected as one of Booklist’s Top Ten Inspirational novels for 2006. The Believer and Summer of Joy were ACFW Carol Book Award finalists. Angel Sister is a RT Book Reviews Magazine nominee for best inspirational novel of 2011. (I’ve been blessed to have some more awards for some of my books since then. You can check them out on my Book page, if you’re interested.)

What do you write?

I’ve written a lot of different kinds of books. My first published books back in 1978 and 1980 were historical romances for the general market. Then I published eleven books for young people. These were mostly coming of age stories with maybe something a little spooky or mysterious and a dollop of romance. Now I’m writing for the inspirational market, but I’m still writing different types of books. I’ve written family dramas, such as Angel Sister, and historical stories set in a Shaker village, most recently The Blessed, and novels with other historical backgrounds. My new book, Words Spoken True, February 2012, is a historical romance with some suspenseful elements. So you can see I like to keep my writing options open. My goal is to claim the genre of a good story, but I do enjoy writing for the inspirational market where I can explore my characters’ faith journeys no matter which type story I’m writing. What we believe or do not believe is such an important motivator in our lives. (Of course, you know other stories have come along for me since then.)

Tell us about your new book, Words Spoken True. (It was new in 2012.)

I’m excited about this new story that isn’t all that new to me since I actually wrote the first version of it years ago. After many rejections, I rewrote it, shortened it, and added the suspense thread. After many more rejections, I stored it away until I decided to rewrite it for the inspirational market. It’s so much fun to take a book that never quite found the mark and be able to rewrite it until it does finally become a story that readers are ready to read.

Words Spoken True is the most romantic book I’ve written for Revell Books. My other books have romance in them. The Shaker books are definitely historical romances, but because of the beliefs of the Shakers–they didn’t believe in romance between a man and a woman–I had to sneak romance into those stories without much opportunity for romantic scenes. Angel Sister is a family story with a romantic thread but it’s only one of the ingredients in the whole. The Hollyhill books are about a family in a small town with a romance thread throughout too, but the romance is not the most important element of the story. Oh, but in Words Spoken True, romance jumps up on the center stage and demands the floodlights. The background history is eventful and has some timely themes that relate to some of our issues in America today, but it’s the romance that lights up every scene.

Here’s the back cover copy.

Adriane Darcy was practically raised in her father’s newspaper offices. She can’t imagine life without the clatter of the press and the push to be first to write the news that matters. Their Tribune is the leading paper in Louisville in 1855. Then Blake Garrett, a brash young editor from the North with a controversial new style of reporting, takes over a competing paper and the battle for readers gets fierce. When Adriane and Blake meet at a benefit tea, their surprising mutual attraction is hard to ignore. Still, Blake is the enemy, and Adriane is engaged to the son of a powerful businessman who holds the keys to the Tribune’s future.

I hope readers will like Adriane and Blake and be cheering for them to figure out a way to overcome all the obstacles in the way of them having a happily ever after ending. You’ll have to read it to see if they succeed.

So did you like going back in time with me for these questions? And since you’re the one asking the questions, (in my head anyway) do you want to ask more? 

Thanks for reading and now I better get back to those edits since my deadline is tomorrow.