WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE?
This is a very personal question for me. As a Christian, I believe the Bible needs to be the most read book of every home.
When I felt led to “fast” TV and movies for a year, I asked the Lord what He would have me do with my time. The answer surprised me. Write fiction? At first I thought that couldn’t be right and rebuked the thought and prayed some more.
The stories in me refused to be ignored. The story usually began with a premise–an overall theme. Like the first one was about an heiress who was being sought by a unscrupulous man who wanted to marry her for her fortune. He had also planned to eliminate her family to do it. (It’s an inspirational–so no one was actually killed in the making of this story, just put in protective custody until the end of the book. :0)
I could barely get that story onto paper when the next story came bubbling up like a spring until I wrote them down. I started out writing in longhand on notebook paper. Then my husband bought me a lap top computer which my grown children had to help me learn to use.
It turns out I was writing inspirational romantic suspense—before there was a market for such a genre.
To make a very long story shorter, I was led each step of the way—out of my comfort zone and into the world of professional writers. Do I ever doubt this is what I’m suppose to be doing right now? NO! All I have to do is glance back at the journey to know I’m on the right road. Is it hard? VERY! But worth every step.
FOR YOU, WHAT’S THE EASIEST PART OF WRITING?
The easiest part is the story. Of course, I love the characters, too, which I find I know more details than some real aquaintances. That really bothered me at first to have that much information about a figment of my imagination—until I met other writers and found out—guess what? It’s part of the “gift” God gives you to use to write. Whew! I have to say it’s great to know you’re normal.
What’s the hardest part of writing?
Editing!!!! The rewrites were especially hard when I first began. I had to scrap thousands of words. (Problems with POV, Show don’t tell, passive versus active, and more.)
I am a story teller, I come from a long line of story tellers. Story tellers often narrate, which is a big no-no in writing novels. (Not that writers haven’t gotten by with it but it’s not usually an acceptable practice now and should be avoided like the plague. Show don’t tell!!!)
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
I have five completed inspirational romantic suspense novels–most need to be polished to get them sent out to editors. Especially the early ones because I’ve learned so much since I began. I also have a historical started and even a couple of sci-fi that were fun to write because I could let my imagination soar to almost ridiculous heights of fantasy. Like flying without an airplane in your dreams. It’s fun.
WHY DO YOU WRITE SUSPENSE?
Suspense, to me, is all about problem solving. I like a story to go somewhere for a reason–I also prefer it to move at a fast pace to keep me interested.
I love it when regular people are called on to do extraordinary things–which we are all capable of doing in extraordinary circumstances. That defines, Hero or Heroine doesn’t it?
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS?
Grace Livingston Hill, Emily Loring and Essie Summers are authors of my young adult years, which are still loved today. These authors produced books with high morals that encouraged you to be a better person long after you closed the book. Many of these books remain in my home library.
Some of the more current authors I enjoy are: Dee Henderson, Margaret Daley, Vickie McDonough, Gloria Harchar, Mary Davis. They are uniquely different in their genre and writing style but great writers to read and learn from.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?
The Bible is my favorite read. It stablizes my life and within it’s pages are answers for every problem that might arise. I’ve read the Bible through cover to cover many times. I like to change versions each time to get new perpective, which helps it to come alive. I did read the amplified version through three times–and it’s still my favorite, but I memorize scriptures from the King James version.
I highly recommend finding a version that makes sense to you to get the most out of the Bible. I also recommend a good study Bible which will help to answer many common questions during your read through.
WHEN DID YOU ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR?
I publicly accepted Christ as my savior at the age of thirteen. I believed on Him at a much younger age. I don’t remember not believing in God and praying. My grandparents were strong Christians and I know their prayers made the difference in my life. A good reason for me to continue to pray for my children and grandchildren. It’s the best legacy I can possibly pass down my bloodline. Amen
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
Goodness, I have so many, though many have had to be set aside for my writing. I’m an avid crafter and artist. I love to make something out of nothing. (I even made a full size maniquin leg–a garage sale find, into a lamp–this one is with the toe up and has a antique hat as the lamp shade. Very classy.)
I love to garden–more flowers than vegetable. We plant trees on our property every year and after over 3 decades we have dozens of producing pecan and walnut trees, as well as a variety of fruit trees. Unfortunately the wild life around us enjoys the fruit of our labors more then we get to.
This is a very personal question for me. As a Christian, I believe the Bible needs to be the most read book of every home.
When I felt led to “fast” TV and movies for a year, I asked the Lord what He would have me do with my time. The answer surprised me. Write fiction? At first I thought that couldn’t be right and rebuked the thought and prayed some more.
The stories in me refused to be ignored. The story usually began with a premise–an overall theme. Like the first one was about an heiress who was being sought by a unscrupulous man who wanted to marry her for her fortune. He had also planned to eliminate her family to do it. (It’s an inspirational–so no one was actually killed in the making of this story, just put in protective custody until the end of the book. :0)
I could barely get that story onto paper when the next story came bubbling up like a spring until I wrote them down. I started out writing in longhand on notebook paper. Then my husband bought me a lap top computer which my grown children had to help me learn to use.
It turns out I was writing inspirational romantic suspense—before there was a market for such a genre.
To make a very long story shorter, I was led each step of the way—out of my comfort zone and into the world of professional writers. Do I ever doubt this is what I’m suppose to be doing right now? NO! All I have to do is glance back at the journey to know I’m on the right road. Is it hard? VERY! But worth every step.
FOR YOU, WHAT’S THE EASIEST PART OF WRITING?
The easiest part is the story. Of course, I love the characters, too, which I find I know more details than some real aquaintances. That really bothered me at first to have that much information about a figment of my imagination—until I met other writers and found out—guess what? It’s part of the “gift” God gives you to use to write. Whew! I have to say it’s great to know you’re normal.
What’s the hardest part of writing?
Editing!!!! The rewrites were especially hard when I first began. I had to scrap thousands of words. (Problems with POV, Show don’t tell, passive versus active, and more.)
I am a story teller, I come from a long line of story tellers. Story tellers often narrate, which is a big no-no in writing novels. (Not that writers haven’t gotten by with it but it’s not usually an acceptable practice now and should be avoided like the plague. Show don’t tell!!!)
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
I have five completed inspirational romantic suspense novels–most need to be polished to get them sent out to editors. Especially the early ones because I’ve learned so much since I began. I also have a historical started and even a couple of sci-fi that were fun to write because I could let my imagination soar to almost ridiculous heights of fantasy. Like flying without an airplane in your dreams. It’s fun.
WHY DO YOU WRITE SUSPENSE?
Suspense, to me, is all about problem solving. I like a story to go somewhere for a reason–I also prefer it to move at a fast pace to keep me interested.
I love it when regular people are called on to do extraordinary things–which we are all capable of doing in extraordinary circumstances. That defines, Hero or Heroine doesn’t it?
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS?
Grace Livingston Hill, Emily Loring and Essie Summers are authors of my young adult years, which are still loved today. These authors produced books with high morals that encouraged you to be a better person long after you closed the book. Many of these books remain in my home library.
Some of the more current authors I enjoy are: Dee Henderson, Margaret Daley, Vickie McDonough, Gloria Harchar, Mary Davis. They are uniquely different in their genre and writing style but great writers to read and learn from.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?
The Bible is my favorite read. It stablizes my life and within it’s pages are answers for every problem that might arise. I’ve read the Bible through cover to cover many times. I like to change versions each time to get new perpective, which helps it to come alive. I did read the amplified version through three times–and it’s still my favorite, but I memorize scriptures from the King James version.
I highly recommend finding a version that makes sense to you to get the most out of the Bible. I also recommend a good study Bible which will help to answer many common questions during your read through.
WHEN DID YOU ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR?
I publicly accepted Christ as my savior at the age of thirteen. I believed on Him at a much younger age. I don’t remember not believing in God and praying. My grandparents were strong Christians and I know their prayers made the difference in my life. A good reason for me to continue to pray for my children and grandchildren. It’s the best legacy I can possibly pass down my bloodline. Amen
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
Goodness, I have so many, though many have had to be set aside for my writing. I’m an avid crafter and artist. I love to make something out of nothing. (I even made a full size maniquin leg–a garage sale find, into a lamp–this one is with the toe up and has a antique hat as the lamp shade. Very classy.)
I love to garden–more flowers than vegetable. We plant trees on our property every year and after over 3 decades we have dozens of producing pecan and walnut trees, as well as a variety of fruit trees. Unfortunately the wild life around us enjoys the fruit of our labors more then we get to.
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