Art In Life

I’m happy to welcome inspirational suspense novelist and my fellow critique group partner, Kim Thigpen, to The Literary Mama. Kim’s gripping novel Stolen Woman, explores the terrors of human trafficking.

PW: Thanks for visiting The Literary Mama today, Kim. What led you to write a novel on this important issue?

KT: I had read a book titled Sold, about a young Nepalese girl who was trafficked and eventually rescued.  The book was incredible, but when I ended it I felt so sad, because even though the girl was rescued from her horrific life of forced prostitution, it did not say what happened to her after that.  She was rescued from something terrible, but was she rescued to anything good? 

Knowing that for so many of them returning home only means rejection, or perhaps even being sold again, I could not help but continue to hurt for that girl in the book.

I wanted to read a story where the girl was rescued, yes, but more than that.  I wanted a story that ended with Jesus.  With lasting hope.

Someone once said that if you can’t find the book you’d like to read, then write it. 

So I did.

PW: Tell us a little about Stolen Woman’s plot.

KT: Stolen Woman is about Asha, a young woman who goes to India on a summer missions trip.  She plans to work with orphans, but when she accidentally meets a trafficked teen forced to work the red-light districts in Kolkata, Asha must help this girl escape.  When her boss, Mark, forbids her return to the dangerous area, Asha begins sneaking off the missionary compound to meet with the teen and plan her escape.  Late one night, as Asha leaves to help her friend, someone follows her.  Will she, too, be stolen and sold?

Read the book to find out what happens!

PW: How long have you been writing?

KT: Unofficially, since I was a kid.  My parents bought me a cheap typewriter when I was about ten, and I would pound out my own Nancy Drew stories, which I taped together into little books.

Officially, I’ve been writing for about ten years.  A lot of my work has been for missionaries to use in their ministries around the world.  Now that I live in the US, I regularly contribute to several Christian magazines, publications and curriculum.  Last year I hit a major goal of being published 100 times.  That felt good!

PW: How long did it take to write Stolen Woman?

KT: The initial draft took less than three months.  This story was so close to my heart, it was easy to write.  Having lived overseas, and having been a young and idealistic woman the first time I went, writing Asha’s feelings and reactions were more resourced by memories than by imagination.

PW: You feel you’re like Asha then?

KT: Very much.  She has a lot more nerve that I do—I would never have snuck out like that!—but I do often feel a connection with her feelings, especially her responses to the poverty and pain in the world

PW: Is your husband like Mark?

KT: In many ways (laughs).  Brian, my husband, is an analytical thinker and a problem solver.  I had a great time writing the arguments between Asha and Mark!  Brian and I are both non-confrontational, so we don’t have arguments like that, but in writing the scenes I imagined what each of us might say were we spitting out whatever came to our minds.  It was good therapy in some ways!  I would read them to Brian and he would laugh, or tell me when I’d gotten the male thinking wrong.

PW: There’s a page at the back of the book about Women At Risk International.  Tell us about that.

KT: WAR Int. is a non-profit organization that rescues woman and children all over the world, including here in America.  They are doing more than just rescuing them from something terrible, but to something good.  Over half of the women brought to safe houses after being rescued have accepted Christ.  Now they have the greatest kind of freedom.

My church and several of my friends have had WAR parties, where we sold jewelry and scarves and other items the rescued women make.  The jewelry is wonderful quality.  They even have a whole collection of pearls.  And Swarovski crystals (which I didn’t know what those were, but my mother was very impressed!).

Their website is www.warinternational.org—you should check it out.

PW: Do you see your writing as a ministry?

KT: I do.  Most of my writing is for Christian magazines—stories such as the time I found a 5-foot snake in my closet and the lesson God taught me from the unwanted experience!  I enjoy writing; it keeps me thinking of how everyday situations in life have God’s handprint on them.  There is so much to learn about God all around us, for anyone willing to look.

PW: Where can people order Stolen Woman?

KT: It’s available at amazon.com and as an e-book for Nook and Kindle readers, or people can order an autographed copy at www.stolenwoman.org.

PW: Have you started the second book in the series?

KT: The second book, Stolen Child, is over half finished.  Unfortunately, the half that is finished is the easy half!  The rest is set in a setting that I have no experience in, so I will need to do a lot of research. 

PW: Your book is about an important topic, but it is a fiction story.  Do you think it is important?

KT: I think it can be.  People care about human trafficking and want to make a difference, but many don’t know what they can do.  I want my book to connect people who care with ways they can make a difference.

Also, the main character in the book struggles with needing to prove her significance (something I struggle with!).  I hope that my book will remind Christian women that our personal worth does not come from what or how much we do, but who we are in Christ!

Find out more about Kimberly’s new book, Stolen Woman, at www.stolenwoman.org,  or contact her on her Facebook page under Human Trafficking Stolen Woman!

I love Kaye Dacus’s novels!

This series doesn’t disappoint. The Art of Romance is Book 2 in The Matchmakers series. If you’d like to get a fun, sneak peek into the life of a romance writer, then you’ll love the heroine in The Art of Romance .

Women everywhere, romance novel buffs or not, will love this inspirational romance.

About the Book:

English professor Caylor Evans moved in with her grandmother five years ago when Sassy’s eyesight became too poor to get her driver’s license renewed. Though she is now writing sweet/inspirational romance novels, Caylor still draws inspiration for her heroes from the portfolio of covers and sample images drawn/painted by Patrick Callaghan for the steamy romances she used to write (as “Melanie Mason”), and dreams of meeting a man like that cover model. After losing his teaching position and being shunned by the fine-arts community in Philadelphia, artist Dylan Bradley has returned home to Nashville to regroup and determine the next step for his life. His grandparents offer him their guesthouse for as long as he wants it—along with plenty of opportunities to meet young women. Though it was years ago, Dylan is uncomfortable with the fact that his face—only slightly disguised—is on the covers of half a dozen steamy romance novels by Melanie Mason, the artwork he did to put himself through college under the pseudonym Patrick Callaghan. Especially after he meets Caylor Evans, a woman who has her life together in a way he only dreams of. Will Caylor and Dylan learn that the true art of romance is grounded in honesty and truth?

About the Author:

Humor, Hope, and Happily Ever Afters! Kaye Dacus is the author of humorous, hope-filled contemporary and historical romances with Barbour Publishing and Harvest House Publishers. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, is a former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, and currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers. Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and even though she writes romance novels, she is not afraid to admit that she’s never been kissed.

Visit Kaye online at www.kayedacus.com

THE WINNER OF SHANNON VANNATTER’S WHITE PEARL’S IS DEBBIE ARCHER! Congrats Debbie!

I’m excited today to host inspirational romance novelist Shannon Vannatter today. Shannon’s latest novel White Pearls releases in stores this month.  

PW: Welcome Shannon, tell our readers a little about yourself.

SV: I’m a pastor’s wife, stay-at-home-mom, writer. I married my high-school sweetheart going on 27 years ago. We waited a long time to have our son, supposedly until we could afford for me to stay home. As a result, we’re in our mid-forties with a nine year old. He keeps us young.

PW: What is White Pearls about?

SV: Shell doesn’t have a good reputation…But no matter what everyone in Rose Bud, Arkansas, thinks of her, she’s back in town with a job to do. She’ll stick it out and make the best of things. But why does Ryler have to be the landscaper on this project? She was just getting her heart under control. Ryler has his own reasons for being in Rose Bud, and they don’t include Shell. Spying on his birth family was going to be hard enough. He doesn’t have time to worry about a woman who dumped him…even if his heart says otherwise.

PW: Who are your favorite characters in the novel and why?

SV: I love Ryler. I always go for the rebel and he’s a hunk. His looks are based on my husband when we met. He had long hair and a tough guy attitude. I loved redeeming Shell after her bad reputation was mentioned in the first book in the series, White Roses.

PW: What do you hope readers walk away with knowing from White Pearls?

SV: That no matter what you’ve done in the past, with God’s help, you can turn it around.

PW: White Pearls is part of a trilogy. Tell us about the other two novels.

SV: White Roses is the first book in the series. It’s about a pastor whose wife died in a car accident and the florist who always did her flowers. Book two, White Doves is about the new postmaster who left town after high school to get away from her dysfunctional family and the mail carrier who is raising the nephew she didn’t know she had. All three books are set in real towns, Romance and Rose Bud, Arkansas.

PW: What is one thing readers may be surprised to know about you?

SV: I was born in the small Arkansas town where I currently live, but my parents moved when I was about a year old. We lived in large cities in Illinois and Georgia until I was twelve, then moved back home. It was major culture shock for me, but now my town of maybe a hundred–if you count a few cows–is the only place I ever want to live.

PW: What other new projects do you have in the future?

SV: I’m currently working on a Texas rodeo series for Heartsong Presents. My husband was born there, so it’s my favorite state.

Rodeo Dust releases in October: Ad exec, Rayna Landers meets bull rider, Clay Warren at the State Fair of Texas. While Rayna thinks she’s content solo, Clay longs for marriage and family. Though poised to win his third world championship, his ranch is in a slump. Clay convinces his publicist to hire her advertising firm in a last-ditch effort to keep his employees and lasso her heart.

Soon the city girl is on the ride of her life, until the rodeo unearths buried memories from her past. Clay sees her through the trauma, but an injury and his stubborn determination to get back in the hypothetical saddle threatens their budding relationship. Can they rely on God to find their common ground or will they draw a line in the rodeo dust that neither will cross?

PW: How can readers get in touch with you?

SV: My website is shannonvannatter.com. Click Contact Shannon.

PW: Thanks for chatting with us today, Shannon!

SV: Thanks for having me. I enjoyed it.

 PW: I’m excited about today’s Fiction Friday Interview with inspirational, historical novelist, Elizabeth Camden. Elizabeth Camden’s debut novel The Lady of Bolton Hill, released this month. Welcome to The Literary Mama, Elizabeth. Tell our readers a little about yourself.

EC: Thanks for having me!  I have a day job as a librarian at a small college in Florida.  I spend around two hours each day commuting, and during this time I used to start spinning stories for a novel I hoped to one day write.  A few years ago I finally screwed up the courage to actually start pounding out a manuscript.   

I don’t think I could ever quit my day job.  Not only do I love being a librarian, but it provides me with the fuel I need to be creative.  Some days I help students research the arcane details of a renaissance court case or the symbolism in a Matisse painting.  Other days I am dissecting the migration patterns of sea birds or how cheese is made.   All of this helps trigger ideas that I can pump into my writing.   

PW: What is The Lady of Bolton Hill about?

EC: The Lady of Bolton Hill is set in gilded age America.  Daniel and Clara were quite young when they met and shared an intense, immediate bond based on their mutual love of Chopin.  Music certainly can have that sort of pull for teenagers, can’t it!  They were separated by Clara’s disapproving father, and the novel begins when Clara returns to the United States after more than a decade abroad. The chemistry between Clara and Daniel immediately blazes back to life, but they have followed such wildly divergent paths that they don’t know if they can find a way back to each other, even though they both crave it. 

I adore a good turbulent story with love, betrayal, and heartbreak, all punctuated with periods of soaring joy and utter delight.  That is what I aimed for with The Lady of Bolton Hill.  I’ll be curious to hear from folks if they think I got it in the ballpark.

PW: What sparked your initial idea for The Lady of Bolton Hill?

EC: When I was in college, I found myself paired with a complete stranger for a roommate.   She was a worldly city-girl with a Brooklyn accent so think it was hard to understand her.  I was tidy, she was messy.  I was quiet, she had a laugh loud enough to be heard in the next county.  We had absolutely nothing in common except we both adored an extremely obscure band from Ireland (The Pogues, in case anyone is interested.)  In an instant, all the differences were swept aside and we immediately bonded over a mutual love of a band no one on this side of the Atlantic had heard of. 

I drew upon that unlikely friendship to form the initial flare of attraction between Daniel and Clara.  They have wildly divergent temperaments and upbringing, but they both adore the deeply romantic music of Frederic Chopin, and that bond serves as a foundation upon which a magnificent romance ultimately blossoms.  

PW: If this book were made into a movie, who would you like to play Clara?

EC: I think Keira Knightly would have the perfect blend of refined gentility with a backbone she can turn to when she needs it.  Some of the cover copy for The Lady of Bolton Hill called Clara “feisty.”   I have an instinctive reaction against that word, which to me carries a whiff of bratty.  I think Keira Knightly would know how to do “feisty” right!

PW: How did you get started writing fiction? What was your road to publication like?

EC: It was bumpy!  I played around with a lot of genres and styles before settling in to write historical romance.  I think those early years of experimentation were a huge boon, as I’ve been able to weave elements of mystery, adventure, and gothic into my writing.  Just a dash.  My writing sits squarely in the romantic genre, but I’d like to believe that all those early manuscripts have helped lend a richness to my writing.  Or maybe I’m just fooling myself, and those years of struggling were a pointless waste of time, but I don’t think so!

PW: Do you have any other novels we can look forward to reading?

EC: Thanks for asking!  My next book is called The Rose of Winslow Street, and it is set for release in January 2012.  The setting is a small New England town in 1879.  Into this peaceful, idyllic village comes a brash warrior from Romania, who storms into town with a wealth of mystery, long-buried secrets, and a heart as wide and deep as the Atlantic Ocean.   He is a strong, fearsome man, but pretty quickly he develops a soft-spot for the heroine, which is a huge complication for him.  It is hard to say more without delving into spoiler territory, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

PW: How can readers get in touch with you?

EC: I am on Facebook, or you can also drop by my website.  I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to hear from readers.  Writing is a very solitary experience, so to finally have people actually reading my work is wonderful.

I blog at http://elizabethcamden.com/blog  Three times a week I write about my thoughts on the romance genre (in novels, movies, real life, etc.)  In my day job I am a librarian, so I also post lots of pictures of mouth-watering libraries.  I hope you’ll swing by for a peek!

Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth!

I’m excited about today’s interview with authors Diana Brandmeyer and Marty Lintvedt. Their non-fiction book, We’re Not Blended, We’re Pureed explores the dynamics of blended families and releases this month.

 

PW: Welcome to The Literary Mama, Diana and Marty. Tell us a little about yourself.

Diana: Thanks for having us, Preslaysa. I’m a widowed mom that remarried another widower. We have 3 boys, two of them are married now, so yay! for daughter-in-laws. I also write fiction. I like to ride my bike with my husband and to relax I like to sew.

Marty: I’m a mom to four, one of them is married, so I too have a daughter-in-law. I’m a practicing licensed family counselor and a pastor’s wife. I have a great love for music and I direct the church choir.

 

You Tube Link to Book Trailer

PW: What sparked the idea for We’re Not Blended, We’re Pureed?

Diana: I normally write fiction, but one day on the phone our agent Tamela Hancock Murray asked if I could write a book about blending families. I laughed and said, We’re not blended we’re pureed, and the next thing I know I’m writing the book.

Marty: Diana asked me to co-author with her when Concordia Publishing House expressed an interest in the book. They thought a mental health professional’s input would bring something extra to it.

PW: How do you hope your book will help blended families?

Diana: I share my personal story about blending our family and there were so many times I wished for someone to talk to that was experiencing the same things. I’m hoping this book will make other moms feel less lonely and that they aren’t alone in this journey.

Marty: We’re Not Blended, We’re Pureed addresses many issues that arise when you join families because of a loss, be it the death of a marriage or a spouse. There are checklists and notes from others that will be helpful.

PW: What type of research was involved in writing We’re Not Blended, Just Pureed?

Diana: I didn’t have to research through books, I lived it. I did have to walk through some painful memories.

Marty: I’m a licensed counselor, but I did search through several books and the references are listed in the back of the book if a reader needs more information on a subject. I also compiled data from surveys completed by adults who had blended families.

PW: In your view, what unique challenges do Christian blended families face and how can they succeed despite those challenges?

Diana: Facing up to failures, you can’t do everything right and you need to let it go and let God take center stage.

Marty: Most families experience a series of transitions but blending families typically experience many transitions simultaneously, especially early on. This is very stressful. Remaining rooted in Christ is vital, particularly when the family tree has many branches testing the strength of its trunk.

PW: How can readers get in touch with you?

Diana: The website is www.werenotblended.com or www.dianabrandmeyer.com  My email is DLBrandmeyer(at)gmail(dot)com

Marty: marty(at)lintvedt(dot)us

*Thanks for stopping by today!* 

I’m excited about having novelist Lynn Squire with us today. Lynn’s release, a historical mystery entitled Joab’s Fire will be released September 2011.

PW: Welcome to The Literary Mama. Tell our readers a little about yourself.

LS: I grew up on a farm in Southern Alberta. There I spent my days playing a pioneer or a character from a book (and every so often succumbing to my parents’ work ethic). My imagination would take me to faraway places and on grand adventures.

But the greatest adventure I embarked upon began when the Lord Jesus Christ set me free from the captivity of sin and all its entrapments. He put me on a different course with Him as my captain. While I admit to occasionally straying from His intended course, I work hard to let my faith in Him infuse my writing for His honor and glory.

Now residing in California with my husband and three children, I split my time between my family, my church and my writing.

PW: When did you get the writing bug…and when did you follow the call to write?

LS: I was about ten years old when I started writing crazy short mystery stories with my friends about our teachers. When I was eighteen and in Bible College I wrote a couple of stories and sense then that God might have that as part of His plan for my life. However, not until almost twenty years later did I start writing seriously. At that time I wrote primarily nonfiction in the field of horsemanship and horse husbandry.

I gave up horses to focus on raising a family, and then serving the Lord with my keyboard. I particularly desire to encourage others to stand firm in their faith against all odds, even in devastation and persecution. I’ve watched God shape and form my writing to this end. Since my writing focuses on faith, I also desire for others to know Christ as their personal Saviour. Most of my writing contains the Gospel message: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the payment of our sins. I pray that the Holy Spirit will use this message to draw readers to Christ, and for those that are already saved, to a deeper appreciation and understanding of God’s tremendous love toward us.

PW: What is Joab’s Fire about?

LS: Joab Black and his wife Sarah overcame the worst of pioneer hardships in order to establish a prosperous farm in Alberta, Canada. But those challenges never prepared them for the tragedy they now faced—a staggering loss and intense pain causing them to doubt everything they had ever believed. In the midst of their sorrow, even their closest friends interpret their sufferings as a result of God’s judgment. Has God abandoned them?

Sergeant Dixon, the local North West Mounted Police officer, investigates the events leading to the Blacks’ plight. While his work gives them a ray of hope, his probing into the activities of a certain stranger possibly connected to the case may cost him his job and even his life.

Inspired by the Biblical book of Job, this novel includes a Bible study exploring the perfection of God’s plan and the bounty of His love even in the most inexplicable and intense sufferings.

PW: What type of research do you do for historical novels?

LS: My favorite form of research is reading diaries and memoirs. This gives me a feel for the people and their ‘voice’ for that time. I also use local history books put together by local historical societies. These give you a broader picture of the location and time, and you can find some really interesting stories in them. I also refer to government records. These tend to be factual and unbiased. For details, like dress, I use the Internet a lot but also rely on magazines or newspapers. Sometimes flyers or advertisements provide great information. I found a whole slough of scanned pamphlets promoting farming in Western Canada on the Barnes and Nobles online store. They were free, and I downloaded them onto my iPad.

PW: Do you have any other books coming up in the future?

LS: I have a couple of novels set in the 17^th Century Massachusetts and Rhode Island that will be out in the next couple of years. You can read more about them on my website: www.lynnsquire.com. These are redemption stories set in a time when the concept of religious freedom was just beginning to develop, and the belief in the separation of church and state was being formed.

This summer my booklet entitled A Week of Faith more Precious than Gold, will be released. This booklet includes short stories with accompanying devotionals that focus on standing firm in our faith no matter the fiery trials we face. Primarily historical, these stories contain characters who endured persecution, and they will encourage readers to remain true to God under any circumstance.

PW: Thanks for stopping by to visit to Lynn.

Doctors, do not look at the camera like it’s a patient needing help through death’s door.  Such a pose will speak ill of you, and it won’t do much for your practice, either.

When photographing stampeding cattle, charging bulls or blazing shoot-outs, use a fast shutter speed

A man imagines himself more handsome than his photograph; a woman believes herself more homely

To photograph well, women should dress in sedate colors and unobtrusive patterns.   Even the most morally challenged woman can be made to look chaste given suitable attire and lighting

While posing for a photograph spinsters should avoid looking desperate or deprived.  A serene smile will show that your circumstances are by choice and not for lack of beauty or character.

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. For this reason a woman wishing to look appropriately domesticated for her Mail-Order Bride photograph should wear an apron and wield a kitchen utensil (preferably not a rolling pin).

*I’m excited about today’s interview with novelist, Margaret Brownley. Margaret’s latest book, A Vision of Lucy, releases this month.

*Welcome to The Literary Mama, Margaret. Tell us a little about yourself.

First I want to thank you for letting me visit today.

There really isn’t much to tell.  My husband and I have three grown children and live in Southern California.  We like to travel in our RV and that’s where I do most of my plotting.  My favorite TV show is Dancing With The Stars and my current goal is to sell enough books so I can hire a full-time chef.

 *What was your journey to publication like?

My writing career began, and ended, early.  I wrote my first book in fifth grade—a mystery without an ending.  I was on a roll until I reached eighth grade.  Unimpressed with my essay on why I wanted to be a writer my English teacher not only flunked me but suggested I not even think about a career as a writer.

Dream squashed, I did little writing until I became editor of the church newsletter many years later.  After making a church picnic read like a Grisham novel, my then pastor took me aside and said, “Maybe God’s calling you to write fiction.”  So that’s what I did.  I now have 25 books to my credit.

*What is A Vision of Lucy  about? 

 

Anything can happen when posing for Lucy—and usually does!

  

Lucy Fairbanks is a photographer determined to land a job at the Rocky Creek Gazette.  Everything changes when she meets the reclusive David Wolf who has returned to right the wrongs of the past.  When Lucy offers to help find the men who hurt him, she has no idea that her life is about to be turned upside-down.

 *Who are your favorite characters in A Vision of Lucy ?

I have to say Lucy.  She’s warm, passionate, friendly and talks too much, especially when she’s nervous.  She’s a photographer and she’ll do anything to get the perfect picture. To that end she climbs fences, falls onto a run-away stagecoach, is chased by outlaws and puts the little town of Rocky Creek into an uproar.  She’s just the kind of woman that the reclusive, troubled David Wolf needs—or is she?

*What do you hope readers walk away with knowing from A Vision of Lucy ?

 

First and foremost I hope readers are entertained and enjoy the humor.  These are serious times and I think readers need a laugh or two, don’t you? The book covers themes of guilt, forgiveness and abandonment which are just as relevant today as they were in the 1800s.  Some things never change.

 

 *What other new projects do you have in the future?

My story Snow Angel will appear in the Log Cabin Christmas Collection out this fall.  I’m currently working on a new series Brides of Last Chance Ranch.  The first book Dawn Comes Early will be out March 2012

*What is one thing people may be surprised to know about you?

Isn’t knowing that I flunked 8^th grade English enough?  (Still can’t diagram a sentence.)  I wasn’t that great in history, either.  Can’t think of a thing in my background that prepared me to write historical fiction—except perhaps a wild imagination.

*How can readers get in touch with you?

You can reach me through my website www.margaretbrownley.com

I’m also on Facebook and Twitter

Thank you all for making A Lady Like Sarah and A Suitor for Jenny such a great success.  I hope you like Lucy and enjoy getting to know her. 

Before I ride off into the sunset I want to tell you that I’m looking for a reader’s dog to feature in one of my upcoming books.   The dog will belong to Lucy’s brother Caleb.  I liked him so much I decided to give him his very own book.  The proceeds will go toward the care of abandoned and abused pets.  So if you think your dog has what it takes to be a furry sidekick for a doctor in the Old West Go to my website for details: www.margaretbrownley.com  or go to www.haveahearthumanesociety.org

*Sounds like a wonderful opportunity Margaret. Thanks for stopping by today!*