Welcome! I’m so excited to be interviewing you! First, I would love it if you would start by briefly telling us how your writing journey began.
I don’t remember a conscious decision to become a writer. I think that’s just the way the Lord made me. I’ve always loved writing and making stories up in my head for as long as I can remember. Every once in a while, I’ll find a page of an ancient second or third grade short story and chuckle as I read it and try to decipher the context.
Please share with us one fact about you that not many people know. And feel free to have fun with the question!
Hmmm… I’m sure there is a lot the average reader wouldn’t know about me. … At least there better be. :) One of my most exciting and satisfying experiences was when the Lord blessed with helping me finish running my first full marathon.
Which fictional literary character most inspired/inspires you?
Many of the characters in the Left Behind stories inspire me, especially the Christians in the “Tribulation Force.” Their strong faith and courage to stand strong for Christ even at the point of facing certain death is quite inspiring.
What inspired you to choose the setting for your novel?
I grew up among the cornfields of northern Illinois. I loved the quaint, friendly community of the small towns and villages; the dust-clouded, gravel roads; the candy-apple and corn-dog county fairs; the paint-chipped barns and cow-dotted fields; the baseball games in the park, the village parades and pancake breakfasts, those endless inch by inch drives when you get stuck behind a tractor that’s too wide to pass. Northern Illinois, . . it left an indelible mark on my memory and my sense of home.
If you could be best friends with any of the characters in your novel, who would it be? Why?
Hmmm… probably Jess. We could have fun packin’ a picnic and ridin’ horses together throughout the woods.
What inspired this novel?
I’d had several disjointed ideas in my head for this novel for quite some time. Every once in a while, a new thought would just pop up. Then one Sunday afternoon after church, I felt like the Lord was telling me to put them together in an outline. So, I took out a notebook and just started writing them down. The further I went, the more the thoughts seemed to join together into a story. Once I was finished with that skeleton to my novel and could see it coming together from beginning to end, I was excited to start filling it in, adding feelings and fears, struggles and victories, secrets and forgiveness, conquering love and desperate hate. There wasn’t’ one incident that inspired this novel; rather, it is a collection of thoughts, experiences, and lessons-learned that have been collected throughout a life time, yet the incidences in Fire Storm barely scratch the surface, and I have plenty in reserve for future novels.
What are 3 things you like to do to relax?
Write :)
Ride my horse :D
Hang out with my family :)
What book(s) are you reading, or have read lately?
I’ve read a couple of Left Behind books by Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye and am really enjoying that series!
What piece of writing advice have you received that was most helpful to you?
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 … in writing and all of life.
Where can your readers connect with you?
You can find me at poemsofprayerandpraise.blogspot.com or on Goodreads at
www.goodreads.com/author/show/6951145....
Thank you so much for giving me the pleasure of an interview with you! And I wish you the very best with your newest release!
To enter to win a copy of Fire Storm use the rafflecopter below:
US residents only please!
What is one thing that you would hope that a reader would take from Fire Storm? I enjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeletemay_dayzee (at) yahoo (dot) com
I would like folks to take away a few laughs… some rushes of adrenaline… moments of curiosity and bewilderment… entertainment and enjoyment… a feeling of genuine friendship, love, and forgiveness… and most of all, a better understanding of an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving God.
DeleteIf this is accomplished, I'd feel very blessed.
How did you decide what type of books you would write?
ReplyDeletebonnieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com
There wasn’t much of a decision there. I write what keeps my interest. It’s just personal preference, I guess, but slow-moving romances just don’t hold my attention. Though I know many people enjoy them, I just wouldn’t be able to easily write in that style and keep it up through a whole story. I'd probably have the same problem with information or do it yourself books. I like to read them, but as far as writing, they just aren't my style. I just get an idea that sounds like fun and run with it. :)
DeleteI live in rural Iowa and love it! Do you ever wish you could go back to Illinois?
ReplyDeleteI love the Midwest too! Cow pastures, horse herds, and miles and miles of cornfields… what can beat it? :) Nowhere would be far enough to keep me from visiting home. I always love goin’ back and drivin’ by the old houses were I was born and were I grew up.
DeleteSounds like a great book, thanks for sharing the way you wrote it. I love your life verse!My question is how old were you when you learned to ride a horse??
ReplyDeleteMy Mom gave me a few pony lessons from a nearby farm when I was five and six, but I didn’t really learn about horses until I got my first horse when I was twelve. That’s a story in itself… a very special story to me. She was a very treasured gift from the Lord. My whole journey through life with her is something I will always remember and cherish.
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