Clinging to Grace

Hello Readers,

Today's featured author is Heidi Chiavaroli.

Clinging To Grace

Call me crazy, but there’s a part of me that loves rules. I’ve always depended on them to create the boundaries that put me on the right side of the track. As a child I rarely found myself in trouble. I knew the rules, and I followed them. My parents and teachers praised me. I praised myself. After all, I was “good.” Not like those other kids who didn’t know when to shut their mouths or do as they were told. Of course I wasn’t perfect—who is? But I was good, certainly better than most.

This attitude lasted through my teens and into my twenties. I served the church with zeal. I married my high school sweetheart. I was sweet. I was nice. I was accommodating.

Then I had children.

Slowly, like the work of a termite gnawing on wood, the outward good I’d so often displayed with little effort began to disappear. My true heart was revealed to me. With two demanding toddlers only sixteen months apart, I began to crumble. I was no longer sweet or nice. And accommodating? Forget it.

I think the parable of the lost son demonstrates my dilemma. I’m convinced the editors who often title that story in our Bibles have it wrong. There’s not just one lost son in the parable, there are two. The elder brother did everything right. He worked hard, obeyed his father, never asked for anything. But the true condition of his heart is revealed at the end of Christ’s story. The older brother is not happy when his little bro comes home. He is angry. Bitter. And at the end of the story, who is in the grand feast—the feast that symbolizes the very joy and fellowship of God’s kingdom? It is the younger son, the rule-breaker. And which son is stubbornly sulking outside? Lost? I can just picture the older son looking through the window at the warm light of this heavenly party, bitterness eating at his insides.

It’s scary how much I see myself in this older son. I am lost. I am dependent on my good works. I am the very person that Jesus scolded the most—a self-righteous Pharisee.

I wonder if I ever would have seen the truth if it weren’t for my children. God showed me my heart, He showed me my hypocrisy. He showed me death.

And then, my Savior showed me glorious life. I am a lost prodigal. Lucky for me, God is in the business of saving that which is lost.

I threw off my cloak of bitterness and ran into the feast. I gave Jesus my heart and He gave me grace. Living this way is pure, wonderful freedom. Surrendering to God is freedom. I don’t have to depend on rules to define my goodness or my worth. All I have to do is depend on Jesus, on His worth.

And so I cling—lovingly, recklessly, doggedly—to grace. To Christ’s righteousness, and not my own. I’m forgetting the rules and what it means to be “good.”

Call me crazy, but a bigger part of me loves grace.

 

Biography

Heidi Chiavaroli writes history woven in grace. Her current manuscript, Tears of the Outcast, finaled in My Book Therapy’s Frasier Contest, semi-finaled in ACFW’s 2012 Genesis contest, and won the 2011 Historical Category of Novel Rocket’s Launch Pad Contest. Heidi lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons. You can find her blog at here.

H.G. Ferguson Author of New Blood: Book 1 of The Calling of the Blood

Happy Friday Readers,

 

Today is the last day of our series by published author, H.G. Ferguson. It has been a fast week. I hope you have enjoyed his posts as much as I have.

 

 

 

Since I signed, the journey continues. 

          Why a vampire?  And why a Christian vampire?  Isn’t that a contradiction in terms?

          If I were dealing with the supernatural in this mythos, yes, it would be.  But Rebecca is not supernatural.  The only thing supernatural about her is the power of her Lord Jesus Christ in her life.  Rebecca is a human being, albeit a very unique one.  A mutant, if you will.  She is driven to drink human blood because she has to.  It’s her physiology.  It is her affliction.  It is her “infirmity,” as she calls it.  How can a Christian live with this?  Read the book. 

          Today’s vampire lit and movies present vampirism as something cool.  Being a vampire is cool.  Being a vampire makes you powerful. Don’t you want to be a vampire too and embrace the darkness?  In my mythos, there’s nothing exciting about being a vampire.  Rebecca does use her “powers” to help others, but she always pays a price, for when the Blood calls, the Vampire must answer.  Being a vampire is an affliction she must live with every single day of her life.  There’s nothing cool about it.  And it isn’t something she can pass on to another person unless she bears a child and that child is born like her.  In fact, she never wants to bear a child.  She wants this THING to die with her.  She will not get that wish, however…  Nor would she ever desire to make ANYONE what she is, even if she could.

          I’ve taken the traditional vampire mythos and turned it on its ear.  Rebecca doesn’t fear the cross – she loves the cross, and wears one over her heart, because upon it her Savior died.  For her.  I have returned God to His rightful place in all this mythology, i.e., that in ALL things HE may have the pre-eminence.  But, like the “traditional” vampire,  her senses are enhanced, along with her strength.  Sunlight will destroy her because she is extremely PORPHYRIC, that rare allergy to sunlight that can be life-threatening to those suffering from it.  She does regenerate injuries because of her metabolism, but she can drown, be strangled or smothered.  She is not “undead.”  She is not “unholy.”  Her affliction is the source of all vampire folklore in the world.

          As far as influences go, there are five movies and one book.  The movies are the 1992 Last of the Mohicans, The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, the 1974 forgotten gem Swashbuckler, Franco Zeffirelli’s masterful 1972 Brother Sun, Sister Moon (the story of St. Francis of Assisi -- because Rebecca is Franciscan in her Christian expression),  and the most original vampire film ever made, Near Dark .  Rebecca is far closer to the vampires in that movie than any other.  The only book that fed into Rebecca’s tale is The Autobiography of Mary Jemison, the 15-year-old farm girl who was taken by the Seneca during the French and Indian War, adopted into the tribe, and lived to be 93 years old as a clan mother revered by both whites and the Seneca alike. 

          Even Rebecca’s Christian heritage and spiritual makeup is as out of the box as possible.  I wanted her to have a connection not so much with the Roman Catholic church as with the Ancient church.  Her faith is what we would call the Protestant, Biblical faith, but her expressions are Ancient and yes, some of those are more Roman Catholic.  But the Gospel is presented twice in the story.  It’s the Gospel of Grace.  Period.

          I stand in awe of what God has done, is doing, and will do.  My desire and prayer is to be a servant and a channel through and of His Grace.

          I am working on the second story now.  More on that later.

          And as Rebecca would chant:  “Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat! Soli Deo gloria in excelsis!”

    Here are the links for H.G.'s information.

H.G. Ferguson author page

New Blood YouTube Trailer.

New Blood in paperback.

New Blood on Amazon Kindle

New Blood paperback at Barnes and Noble

Blessings,

Donna

     

 

Part Four, New Blood by H.G. Ferguson

Readers,

I hope your Thursday is a good one. Today we will enjoy the fourth installment of H.G. Ferguson's journey to publication. I sure have enjoyed his posts this week.

 

 

To shorten things, in March of 2010 another good friend of mine, fellow Christian writer Donna Schlachter, came down here to the local ACFWA chapter and spoke.  I went with her.  She had read the Jezebelle story (!) and gave me some good critical feedback on it.  She had also told me she knew a Christian EDITOR, not agent, who was forming a new company in Colorado Springs and was looking for “edgier” stuff.  I promised Donna I would make a submission.  Donna gave herself as a reference.

          On March 31, 2010, I sent a query email to Kristine Pratt of Written World Communications re Rebecca.  I fully expected, indeed, was dead certain to get a nice GO AWAY response the next day.

          The next day I did get a response.  Kristine was “personally delighted” because she loves both history and vampires and was intrigued with the story premise.  And she was handing it over to the editor who handles the “weird stuff,” i.e., Other Sheep.

          After I picked myself up off the floor and stopped gibbering and drooling, I again began pounding on God’s door.  Two weeks later I was asked to send a proposal and three chapters.  I did.  The next day the editor, Dale Hansen, asked to see the entire manuscript.  I sent it.  Two days after that, or thereabouts, he told me he was taking it to their editorial board.

          And so, again, I waited and I prayed.  I nagged.  I pounded.  And so, after a long period of silence broken only by my ceaseless pounding on God’s door…Dale Hansen contacted me.

          They offered me, a total unknown, never been published before, on the strength of the writing alone…A CONTRACT…

          That was in February of 2011.  I signed the contract.   And on December 20, 2011, Book One of the Calling of the Blood: New Blood was published.

          JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY UPON ME!

          WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?

          LORD, MAKE ME A WRITER!   

          Come back for the conclusion to this riveting story of one writer’s journey.

 

 

Here are the links for H.G.'s information.

H.G. Ferguson author page

New Blood YouTube Trailer.

New Blood in paperback.

New Blood on Amazon Kindle

New Blood paperback at Barnes and Noble

Blessings,

Donna

 

 

Author H.G. Ferguson, A Writer's Journey Part Three

Hello Readers,
Today we are treated to part three of author, H.G. Ferguson journey to publication.
H.G. has worked hard and learning the craft of writing and his book, New Blood is now available online. I hope you all have enjoy reading H.G.'s story as much as I have. Now for Part Three.


When I first saw Jezebelle in 2007, I felt the Lord speaking to me.  It was like the sound of the “gentle blowing” Elijah heard, that still small voice.  The Lord was saying to me, I want you to commit this to me.  Follow me.

          That’s one of the reasons writing that story was so hard and took so long.  The Enemy fought me every step in ways you won’t believe.  But by His grace, I persevered.  I kept on the path.  I stayed on the journey.

          Just before Christmas 2007 a good friend of mine sent me a digital calendar.  She meant well.  She’s a New Ager with eclectic beliefs but she’s had a long-time interest in my writing.  Her gift was a calendar with the thoughts of the DALAI LAMA.  I accepted it, thanked her, looked at it.

          I don’t remember what month it was or the picture, but one thing he said struck me like a crowbar in the teeth:  SOMETIMES THE JOURNEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DESTINATION.

          And for me, no truer words have ever been spoken.  I KNOW the Lord sent that to me, because it’s this journey that’s made the difference.  I’m not the same person I was when it began.  No one can remain as they were and take this journey of obedience and perseverance.

          In January of 2009 I sent both stories out and both were politely rejected.  I did not despair, but I seriously wondered if the Lord meant the journey to end here.  I meditated upon the words of Psalm 73:  “Whom do I have in heaven but Thee?  And besides Thee, I desire nothing upon earth.”  So I went to the Lord and I told Him from my heart I desired nothing on earth but Him.  And for the first time in my ENTIRE life, I meant it. 

          I fully expected Him to tell me writing was over.  And I was okay with that.

          But almost the instant I told Him it was okay, immediately a strong conviction came.  God wanted me to seek Him –- to believe – to cry out to Him – day and night, night and day.  I remembered the story of blind Bartimaeus:  JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY UPON ME!  WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU? Jesus asked.

          “Lord, that YOU make me a writer!”

          I remembered the parable of the unjust judge (it should be called The Nagging Widow), the parable of the man banging on the door of his friend’s house asking for bread, Jesus’ miracle performed for the Canaanite woman’s daughter because SHE WOULDN’T SHUT UP AND LEAVE HIM ALONE ABOUT IT! Of Jacob who seized the angel and declared I WILL NOT LET YOU GO UNTIL YOU BLESS ME!

          For two full years I nagged the Lord to death.

          From 2009 to the beginning of 2011, I cried out without ceasing JESUS SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY UPON ME!  WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?  LORD, MAKE ME A WRITER!    

          I told the Lord, “Lord, I do not want to be in this same place a year from now.  But not as I will, as You will.”

          On the edge of your seat? Part 4 is not to be missed!

 

Here are the links for H.G.'s information.

H.G. Ferguson author page

New Blood YouTube Trailer.

New Blood in paperback.

New Blood on Amazon Kindle

New Blood paperback at Barnes and Noble

Blessings,

Donna

New Blood by H.G. Ferguson Part 2

Good Evening Readers,

Yesterday we began our five-part series by author, H.G. Ferguson. You can read about that interview here.  Today we are going to hear from H.G. in the second installment in his writing journey towards publication.

After writing Jezebelle - I finished it about a year later, it was a tough, tough project – I felt so polluted inside from making the main character SO THOROUGHLY EVIL I had to write about someone the total OPPOSITE of the vain, cruel, selfish, proud, life-annihilating MONSTER I had created. 

          And then another image gradually came into my mind – about February/March of 2008.  This time instead of a voluptuous beauty I saw a slight, pale, petite young-looking woman in a black cloak and hood also walking through the night – lifting up a voice that rivals the angels in Latin Gregorian chants of praise to God.  Sweet, gentle, humble, selfLESS, no great beauty, with haunting eyes, pale complexion – deathly pale – speaking in the musical tones of the Welsh – and her name came to me, almost as if I heard it spoken:  REBECCA.

          And after this image, I remembered an idea I had BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN I WAS 17 YEARS OLD – and virtually THE ENTIRE STORY FLASHED BEFORE MY EYES.  I knew where it was going and what its elements would be.  I wasn’t exactly sure how it would end, but I knew the story from that very moment.

          Every single thing just fell into place.  The most important thing – the central character – crystallized like ice.  I knew who this woman was before I ever wrote a word.  It was easy.  She was the opposite of Jezebelle.  In every way.  Jezebelle is an unclean spirit of the dead.  Rebecca is alive, alive in her Savior Jesus Christ.

          Rebecca is also…a vampire.

          The idea I had when I was 17 is WHAT IF what we call vampirism is in reality an extremely rare GENETIC DISORDER, like MS, with certain specific characteristics which account for all the vampire folklore in the world.  And what if one of these people comes to America in the colonial period?

          Almost immediately I knew it had to be during the time of the French and Indian War.  The Revolution has been done, and redone, and done again, but apart from the works of James Fenimore Cooper and his Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans tales, this period of American history – with its inseparable ties to FRENCH CANADA – is largely forgotten and untapped.  So I set out to do research.

          When I sought out our local library, I searched for COLONIAL AMERICA online at their website and a book popped up:  OUTPOSTS OF EMPIRE – WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1754-1763, the time of the F&I War.  So I checked it out.  It was a goldmine.  It told me everything, and it became clear to me the story MUST be set in Western Pennsylvania in 1755, the year the war actually began there.  Other pieces of information came together.  Everything I needed fell into my lap.  I spent two months researching and in July of 2008, I wrote the first chapter.  In the last week of November after Thanksgiving I wrote THE END.  5 months writing.

          This was only the beginning, as I was to discover.

          Don’t give up – join us tomorrow for Part 3.


Here are the links for H.G.'s information.

H.G. Ferguson author page

New Blood YouTube Trailer.

New Blood in paperback.

New Blood on Amazon Kindle

New Blood paperback at Barnes and Noble

 

Blessings,

Donna

Guest Authors Paula Moldenhauer and Kathleen Kovach

Hello Readers,

The final installment of our interview with Paula Moldenhauer and Kathleen Kovach is today's post.
I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did.

Questions about the Writing Process

1.                  What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

a.       Be patient. I’ve worked with a lot of “newbies” and with rare exception what I find is a God-given talent that has not yet been coupled with an understanding of craft. The average amount of time it takes for a novelist to traditionally publish a first book is ten years from the time they start writing toward publication. (This was right on for me! I thought I’d beat the odds, but nope. Ten years.) Those who make it are those who are willing to persevere. It’s not always the most talented.

2. Put your time in. Work hard to learn craft. Attend conferences and workshops, read craft books, join a critique group, WRITE. Then, don’t give up. (BTW, the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference (http://www.writehisanswer.com/colorado/ happens in May in Estes Park, CO. It’s great place for someone just starting out. The atmosphere is encouraging and casual while the workshops are packed with important information.)
3. Don’t try to do it alone. The American Christian Fiction Writers professional organization (ACFW.com) has been invaluable to me. Kathy and I both believe in it so much we’ve poured countless hours into serving writers through that group. She is the Rocky Mountain Zone Director, and I’m the Colorado Coordinator. If you’re in our area, check out all ACFW Colorado has to offer through our website and blog (www.acfwcolorado.com) 
4. Build face-to-face (or at least email to email) relationships. Besides the national support, writers need the support of other writers FACE TO FACE. Smaller groups like a local ACFW chapter, a critique group, or a prayer group of writers can make all the difference. I actually have all three! Pray about these people. You'll need trustworthy friends who will celebrate and support you--and you'll need to offer that back to them. If you don’t know anyone in your area, develop a more vulnerable relationship with a writer-friend on-line.
5. Embrace the truth that God directs your writing journey. Years ago He told me, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8, NLT) In 2007 I finally got the encouragement of having an agent. Right after that, stuff started crumbling in my family. My husband almost died of heart blockage. Things happened with the kids. Family members had 5 surgeries in less than two years, 2 broken bones, a mysterious illness, and we eventually almost lost everything we owned. I had to stop seeking publication to focus on the needs of my family. But God used those years to continue to develop me as a person and a writer. Coming out of the difficult season in 2011, I got my first book contract. He knew best.

Tell us how you really feel, Paula. lol All I can add to that is don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun with it. Learn at your own pace, (I’m still learning!) and don’t expect to churn out a best seller on your first or second or fiftieth try. Just give it all to God and see where He takes it.

2.                  Where do you find your inspiration?

Real life. I love people watching. Today at church a woman made a point to leave an open seat next to her, right by the aisle. We go to a huge church with several thousand attendees, so you can come and go without seeing anyone you know. Next thing I knew I was writing a romance based on that empty seat. I had to turn off the author brain and refocus on worship!

I also have taken from real life. I watched a show once where a man who had been abandoned by his mother had allowed cameras to follow him when he saw her again for the first time since he was a child. It was heart wrenching. This adult turned into that little boy and sobbed on his mother’s shoulder. That scene would not leave my memory. I eventually wrote about a man who meets his mother for the first time since he was little in “God Gave the Song,” a story in the three book anthology Oregon Weddings. Unfortunately for my character, she is in a coma, but has made an odd request of him that he must fulfill. I must admit, however, that often my ideas simply come from those pesky voices in my head.

3.                  What kept you writing during times of disappointment or interruption?

After I wrote my first (unpublished) novel, I kept asking the Lord what was next. Would the book sell? Would ministry come out of it? All I received back was the same verse over and over. “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8 (NLT). Looking back I’m glad I didn’t know how long and difficult the journey would be. There was a four year period the Lord didn’t allow me to even write fiction. There were lots of wonderful unexpected things, like a four-year period of devotional writing ministry and another period where I wrote children’s Sunday School curriculum. I remember looking at the stars one night and thinking that if I died, I would be content to know I’d done something with eternal significance. I trust the Holy Spirit that children will know the Lord because of things He poured through me into that curriculum. I haven’t always liked the pathway I’ve walked on this writing journey. There was a lot of disappointment, but I do believe fully that HE is leading me on the BEST pathway, so it will all be RIGHT in the end.

To be honest, I don’t handle those things very well. I went through a very hard season not too long ago where my muse packed her bags and moved to Tahiti until things settled down around me. I could not write. God, in his infinite mercy, withheld any contracts at that time so I wouldn’t have to be on deadline.

4.                  How did you know you were called to be a writer?

For me the calling came in stages. I remember being convinced years ago while doing Marlene Bagnull’s Bible Study for writers, “Write His Answer.” I got it at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference before she was even directing it. I made it only part-way through the study the first attempt, then laid it aside and had two more babies! Later, I did finish the study. God confirmed my calling over and over in many ways, often through Marlene and the conference she later directed here in Colorado. But you knew, when you can’t not write, you kind-a get a clue.

It’s amazing how Paula’s and my journeys parallel. I, also was called to be a writer, or maybe I should say released to write professionally, at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in 2002. I never felt a conscious calling, but story telling has been a part of who I am for as long as I remember. I joke that I had a pen clutched in my tiny fist when I was born. It was purple with sparkles. I self-published my first piece as a child when I wrote a poem about a fat cat in a black hat. I made copies by hand and sold them to my friends for a nickel. I made twenty-five cents.

www.paulamoldenhauer.com

http://www.kathleenekovach.com/

http://www.titaniclegacyofbetrayal.com/

Also, here are the links to purchase the book: Amazonpaperback:

Kindle:

Nook:

May your day be blessed,

Donna 

Guest Authors, Paula Moldenhauer and Kathy Kovach

Hello Readers,

Here is part three of the author interview with Paula Moldenhauer and Kathy Kovach.

Questions to get to know the authors

1.                  What are you reading right now?

I’m constantly reading! Every Friday on my blog I post about a new novel I’ve read. I think the last one I posted was Brandilyn Collin’s Gone to Ground, but I’m very eclectic. Right before that was Christmas Belles of Georgia, a romance anthology which included my pals Rose McCauley and Debra Ullrick, and before that I wrote about a couple of novels with a literary feel and a couple of historicals! I also read non-fiction. Right now I’m reading One Thousand Gifts and just finished a book of devotionals based on the works of Charles Dickens.

 

Paula exhausts me. LOL I’ve been reading The Help for the past couple of weeks now. I think I just passed the halfway mark. I read very little non-fiction, but a friend just gave us both one on spiritual sensitivity. I’ve barely cracked it, but like it so far.

I loved the Help!

2.                  When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I have told stories all my life, even before I knew how to write. My mother would ask, “Now, Kathy, is this a real story or a made up story?” Once I learned how to put words on paper, I wrote a poem about a fat cat in a black hat. I sold hand-written copies of that poem to my friends, complete with a drawing of a fat cat in a black top hat that looked more like a dusty snowman with whiskers. I charged a nickel and I made 25 cents. This, in my mind, made me a published author. After that, I wrote poems, short stories, I even became an award-winning author when I won the 9th grade writing contest with my entry, “I Was A Female Dog, An Autobiography By George.” It was a true story—about my female dog named George.

In third grade. My teacher, Mrs. Duncan, told us to write a personification story. I wrote about a pencil and an eraser. They fought all the time. The pencil though he was best because he could write and the eraser couldn’t The eraser said he was best because he fixed all of pencil’s mistakes. Of course there was a crisis—a robber! Then pencil and eraser had to work together to save the classroom, discovering that each of their talents was important and necessary. After writing that story, I was hooked. I decided I would be a writer after I was a teacher and a mommy. I’ve taught in public, private, and homeschool venues, and my four children are almost raised. I’m thrilled to be pursuing that writing dream now!

3.                  Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but this one from Jane Austen’s, Persuasion, is one I treasure, “I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant.” I see myself in it, especially in my spiritual walk. A while back I was in a difficult season and felt angry with God. Then I struggled with the guilt of those emotions, which hurt just as much. As I wrote out my struggles, the Holy Spirit helped me process. Suddenly those words spilled upon the page, “weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant.” It was like the Lord showed me my heart. Sure, I was human. I’d been weak and resentful, but I’d never stopped loving Him, and He knew it. It was very comforting.

4.                  What makes you feel alive?

The Colorado Rocky Mountains. My husband and I love to camp and fish, and I feel energized when I smell a crackling fire, or cast a line into a mirrored lake. Odd that I love the mountains when so far the books I’ve published are set in Florida, San Francisco, and Southern Oregon. My first book was set in Colorado, but it hasn’t been published. I cut my teeth on that piece, and it shows. lol

Beauty, people, and great stories! I especially find beauty in nature. Flowers, trees, and gurgling streams make me happy. I enjoy leisurely hikes in the mountains and wish I could visit the ocean at least once a year. I love people. Good conversation over a cuppa something is priceless. And I can stay awake most of the night with a good story, not just reading it, but thinking about it over and over as I lie in bed when the book is closed.

5.                  How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I’m not sure I do, but this seems a very important question! Besides writing and serving as ACFW CO coordinator, I’m mom to four, ages 14 – 20, two of which we still homeschool. Right now they are all living at home. What keeps me sane is Jesus, Jerry, and my prayer group!

I also crave quiet time and the beauty of nature. It shows when I don’t take enough quiet hours to curl up in a soft chair and prayer journal or read with a cup of hot tea close by (lady grey in the morning, white pear in the afternoon, chamomile in the evening). If it’s a cloudy day or dark, I light candles. Sometimes I listen to classical or worship music—something without words. I need to smell the flowers—literally. I do better when I take time to walk in the sunshine with my husband. (I need to get back to that. He’s worked up to walking/jogging 3 or 4 miles a day while I’ve sat at the computer eating dark chocolate. *sigh*) The jokes of my teenage boys, the delight of my daughter, and the hugs of the whole family also ground me. Two months ago I started a gratitude wall. So far I’ve recorded 116 blessings in colored sharpie. I try to write three a day. It’s too easy to focus on the problems or the stresses instead of the moments of joy and beauty we’re always surrounded with.

My kids are grown so I’m not part of the run, run world anymore. However, I can lose my sanity on occasion. I’m afraid I tend to fold into myself when life wants to go too fast. I’ll watch a movie or go shopping by myself. Have some quality “me” time at Starbucks (Chai latte, thank you very much!)

6.                  What Scripture or part of the Bible is most meaningful to you right now?

For some time I’ve clung to this simple statement from Jesus, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” I do believe in the long run God works things for my good, that He has hope and a future for me. But in the middle of difficult seasons, when I have a hard time seeing that hopeful future, what I cling to is the promise that my Lord is there. He loves me and won’t leave me. I can trust Him. My pastor says it this way, “Lean your life on Jesus.”

Through tough times, I continue to get the instruction to “keep my eyes on Jesus.” That reminds me of when Peter walked on water and succeeded as long as he focused on Jesus. But when the boisterous wind frightened him, he began to sink (Matthew 14:29-30.) It can get pretty gusty in my life, and when the waves threaten to overtake me, I try to remember to do as the song says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

7.                  What is your favorite book?

That’s like asking me to choose a favorite child. I never could. I love many books. I suppose one of my favorite experiences with a book was with Donita Paul’s Dragon Spell. I’d just come through an amazing experience with the Lord, discovering grace at a whole new, beautiful, freeing level. I was stepping outside of a lot of insecurity and inadequacy. Donita’s book came into my world at that time, and I read it aloud to my four children, then elementary age. We finished up the book while on a winter vacation in the mountains. I’ll never forget weeping through the story, telling my children, “He’s really like this. Jesus is really like this.”

I’m a chain-reader, often having two fiction and a non-fiction going all at the same time. Rather than remembering a favorite book, I’d rather tell my favorite genre. Pretty much anything that makes me laugh, even if it’s a dramedy. If I read historical, my favorite is romantic western or at least late 1800s, but contemporary romantic comedy or romantic mystery are my favorites. Hm . . . can you find the keyword in this paragraph? Could it be romantic?

8.                  What’s your favorite movie?

It’s a toss-up for movies. I’ve coined my own phrase, “literary movies.” Top three? All BBC productions: Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, based on Jane Austen novels, and North and South, based on an Elizabeth Gaskell novel. I love the slow, deep character development. On my lighter days I love classic chick flicks like You’ve Got Mail or While You Were Sleeping, or even oldies like Pillow Talk or An Affair to Remember.

My very favorite is Ever After with Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott. I love the twist that this is the “real” story of Cinderella without the bippity-boppity-boo. Of course, the romance doesn’t hurt! I have a blog, Craft Cinema, where I discuss movies through the craft of writing, and I analyzed this one http://craftcinema.blogspot.com/search/label/EVER%20AFTER. As a romance writer, I thought it a great study on how to write 50/50 romance (giving both main characters equal arcs.)

www.paulamoldenhauer.com

http://www.kathleenekovach.com/

http://www.titaniclegacyofbetrayal.com/

Also, here are the links to purchase the book: Amazonpaperback:

Kindle:

Nook:

Best wishes for a great weekend readers,

Donna 

Guest Authors Mrs. Moldenhauer and Mrs. Kovach

Hello Readers,

Here is part two of the interview with Kathy Kovach and Paula Moldenhauer.  I hope you enjoy it.

Questions that go behind the scenes in the book

1.                  How did you choose your characters’ names?

Ember was the most fun to choose. We felt she had this tiny flicker inside of her that needed to flame for her to become all she was meant to be and to enjoy life, so the name just fit her. Plus, her mom was a flower-child, and so she’d have chosen an unusual, earthy kind of name for her.

I think we came up with name for Jeff because it sounded like a 30 year old name. We went through several, discounting each because 1) we knew a kid by that name and couldn’t get past the fact that he annoyed us, 2) we knew an actor by that name, so his face would always be there when this character didn’t look like that all. And the historical names just popped out of Paula’s mouth. Apparently, that’s what they wanted to be called and nothing else would do. We did have problems with Olive Stanford’s last name. She’s the matriarch of a wealthy family who traveled on the Titanic with her grandson, Charles Malcolm Stanford III. She started out as a Stanton, but Paula had given another character in a different book that name. So we changed it to Stanford. Ever since then, we have to think before we write or speak that name. I even had trouble with it in this paragraph. LOL

2.                  Explain the process of research for this book.

I did most of the historical research, and found that I loved it. I don’t know why that surprised me. I’ve always loved history. At first it was sort-of overwhelming. I wanted to write sooner than I did, but finally came to understand that to write with accuracy and authenticity I had to spend a fair amount of time immersed in the era. I read two book pretty much cover to cover, both first-hand accounts of Titanic survivors, Loss of the S. S. Titanic, by Lawrence Beesley: and, The Truth about the Titanic: A Survivor’s Story, by Colonel Archibald Gracie to get the big picture. Once I started writing the story I found myself researching more deeply a week or so ahead of where I was writing. At first I thought I was wasting time getting lost in research. Later I realized that as I understood what happened next in the historical timeline, my subconscious worked on what would happen next in our story about a week ahead of where I was actually writing

3.                  Did anything surprise you or particularly capture you interest as you did the research?

Every little thing delighted me, from tidbits like the fact that the RMS Titanic was fully electric in a time when most of London was not, to details about the lives of historical figures. There were two highlights for me. The first was finding a passage written by Elizabeth Shutes, included in Archibald Gracie’s book. I was overcome by the power of the description of the ice floe viewed as the sun rose the morning after the sinking. I knew I had to include it in my story, and so it is quoted, word-for-word, in Olive’s voice in the scene where the Carpathia is sighted. (I was careful to credit her in the end notes.) The second was learning about Robert Bateman. He was a well-know evangelist who perished on the RMS Titanic. I still don’t know if parts of his story are accurate history or family lore passed down by his loved ones, but I found a newspaper clipping that answered my question as to how to show redemption in the historical portion of the book. I truly felt God just placed this little golden find into my hands just when I needed it.

I put historical notes at the back of our book, both to show where I used creative license and where I stuck to historical accuracy, as well as to give more information on the historical foundation for much of what I wrote. It’s all fascinating! I hope readers take time to browse that section. I also have an on-going page on our Titanic website (www.titaniclegacyofbetrayal.com) called Titanic Tidbits where I share historical notes on the Titanic.

4.                  What do you want to tell us about the book?

We’re super excited about the story. It feels like a high-concept idea with lots of intrigue and a strong romance thread. We’re also excited about writing a story that is a little outside the traditional Christian publishing market. We wanted to tell a story that might help someone who doesn’t know Jesus consider who He is. While we hope our Christian readers follow us, we tried to write in such a way that someone without faith will find it believable—and maybe even wrestle with God’s place in his or her life. Much of it explores the idea of generational bondage—how the choices of those who’ve gone before us affect how we think about life.

A secret. A key. Much was buried when the Titanic went down, but now it’s time for resurrection. Portland real estate agent, Ember Keaton-Jones distrusts men, with good reason. Ever since her great-great-grandfather, Thomas, deserted the family after the fateful sinking of the Titanic, every Keaton male has disappointed. Ember is on the brink of a huge sale that will propel her career upward, when a lawyer calls telling her he is in possession of a key that opens a 100 year old safety deposit box in New York City. Ember risks her career to fly to New York and protect whatever is in the box from her flighty mother who is about to breeze into town. Jeff Dawson is a computer techie plummeting from a failed business venture. His father, who owns an antique shop, is sucking him into the past. Old things don't appeal, that is until Ember walks into the shop requesting help with a century-old secret. Together they unlock the past, but can they undo the legacy of Thomas Keaton's betrayal?

5.                  What truth or spiritual theme does your book convey?

When Kathy and I started writing Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal, we knew we were called to write real, to share our hearts without Christian verbiage. In the novels I’d written before Titanic I knew the spiritual thread even before the plot. This time all I knew was that I wanted readers to think about God by the end of the book. As I got deeper into the project I felt God whisper, “Do you see what we’re doing now?”

He wanted us to show we don’t have to live under the bondages of the past, the junk passed down by those who came before us. Our heroine, Ember, distrusted men—for good reason. Her journey requires her to step outside her walls and prejudices. She had to see her life through a different lens.

When Jesus stood up in the Hebrew synagogue and declared Himself the Savior, “the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:17-19; 21, NIV)

Some of us are in a prison of pain, blinded by our past, or even the past of our ancestors. We’re oppressed by things that were set in motion before we were old enough to make choices for ourselves. But these generational strongholds can be broken. We don’t have to live in the same dysfunction and patterns of our past or the past of our parents or grandparents.

Jesus came to give freedom. (“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Galatians 5:1, NIV) He wants us to live a full, satisfying life. (“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 NLT)

There are far-reaching consequences of sin. It can affect us and those who come after us. But we are not without hope, thanks to Jesus and His willingness to take our sins upon Himself at the cross. We can live free.

www.paulamoldenhauer.com

http://www.kathleenekovach.com/

http://www.titaniclegacyofbetrayal.com/

Also, here are the links to purchase the book: Amazonpaperback:

Kindle:

Nook:

Hope you all have a great day,

Donna