All about loving and dying and inspiring...

Lynette Eason is the best selling, award winning author of the Women of Justice Series and the Deadly Reunions series. Since 2007, she has written/contracted thirty-six books. Currently, she writes for Revell and Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line. Her books have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists. She has won several awards including the 2013 Carol Award for WHEN A HEART STOPS. Lynette teaches at writing conferences all over the country. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Lynette can be found online at www.lynetteeason.com and www.facebook.com/lynette.eason and @lynetteeason on Twitter.

Lynette, you've published how many novels? 

I have six published novels with Revell and six more in the line up. With Love Inspired Suspense, I have fifteen published and seven more to be released. I’ve also got an e-book short published by Revell that is a SHORT sequel (10,000 words) to the Women of Justice Series. I also did a free e-read for Love Inspired Suspense that released on the harlequin website in July.

How long did it take you to get a full-length fiction contract? 8 years.

Was there a specific 'what if' moment to spark this story that just won the Carol Award?

When A Heart Stops is the second book in the Deadly Reunions series. There wasn’t really a “what if” moment. At least not a conscious one. I wanted to write a book about a Medical Examiner and I loved Serena’s character from the Women of Justice series so I simply uprooted her, gave her a backstory and planted her in the middle of this series. LOL.

Do you have a full or part time day job?

I have a part-time teaching job. I teach sign language at an online public school.

If so, how do you balance your writing time with family and work?

I don’t really balance it…I seem to juggle pretty well, though. LOL. Seriously, no words of wisdom on this one. I just do what I have to do.

Did anything unusual or funny happen while researching or writing this book?

I went to the morgue and was totally grossed out. Found out I do much better with my imagination than I do real life. How funny is that!

Do you consider yourself a visual writer? If so, what visuals do you use? Nope. I don’t use visuals. I only look for pictures of what my characters look like when I have to turn in information for the cover of the book. I just see everything in my head.

Are you a plotter, a pantster, or somewhere in between?

I’m definitely in-between. I call myself a PLantser. I write until I need to know what happens next, then I plot, then write some more. With the Love Inspired books, I’m more of a plotter because I have to be. I don’t like it, but I do it to sell. Ha.

Have you discovered some secret that has helped your process for writing? No real secrets, just some things that work for me. And what works for me may not work for someone else. J

What are your thoughts on critique partners? 

If they’re good and don’t try to change your voice, then they’re a great idea. If they start making the story their own, then you need to ditch them.

Do you ever pound your computer over writer's block? If so, how did you overcome it?

Novelists sometimes dig themselves into a hole with implausible plots, flat characters or a host of other problems. What's the most difficult part of writing for you? The story’s TIMELINE! I seriously can’t get keep up with what happens when. I’ve had to really work on this.

What's your strength in writing (characterization, setting as character, description, etc)?

Probably characterization. I get a lot of emails from readers saying how they identify with one character or another.

  

Where do you write: In a cave, a coffeehouse, or a cozy attic nook?

I work best at a café or somewhere like a Panera or the Barnes & Noble Bookstore café. I don’t know why, but I can focus so much better while there. I also work in my office which is in my bedroom. It’s a mess.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard? Keep writing.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

If you’re not yet published, don’t despair. Keep working, keep writing, keep learning and keep submitting. I love to hear from my readers. If you’d like to stay in touch, you can sign up for my newsletter (which goes out pretty sporadically, lol) at www.lynetteeason.com (new website coming soon!!) and find me on facebook at www.facebook.com/lynette.eason. Thanks for stopping by Novel Rocket and thank you, Yvonne, for having me visit. J

Back cover for WHEN A HEART STOPS – released October 2012

Spunky and outgoing, nothing much bothers medical examiner Serena Hopkins--except for the thought of falling in love again. But when a serial killer is picking off her former classmates, Serena's life becomes intertwined with her old high school crush, FBI agent Dominic Allen. Is the secret she's keeping putting her next on the killer's hit list? Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late?

Intense, emotional, and fast-paced, When a Heart Stops will have readers up late as they race to the finish to find out what happens.

Back cover for NO ONE TO TRUST – releases January 2014

Summer Abernathy wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, three men in her home intent on finding him, and the life she's been living based on a lie. Which Kyle Abernathy did she marry? The computer programmer she met in line at the bank? Or the one who was apparently using that image as a cover story?

The search for her husband--and answers--takes Summer ever deeper into a world of organized crime where people are used one moment and discarded the next. And with her deepest relationship of trust already shattered, Summer doesn't know who to believe.

Always thrilling, Lynette Eason outdoes herself in this taut, breakneck story of lies, loyalties, and love that will have readers up all night to discover the truth hidden in the shadows.

Read More

BOOK CLUB TALK WITH CARA PUTNAM

ABOUT AUTHOR: CARA PUTNAM

I graduated from high school at sixteen, college at 20, and completed my law degree when I was 27. My writing journey started in 2005 when I decided to write my first novel. Now I have fifteen books published with more on the way.

People say I've accomplished a lot and that I must have life by the proverbial tail. Hardly! I grew up as a homeschooled kid when homeschoolers were misunderstood and oddities.

I struggle with balancing my writing and law career, plus being a good mom and wife.

I often fear people won't like my books.

I've walked through the deep pain of miscarriage. Really, I'm just like you – I don't have it all together and have gone through tough times. But in His strength, I've discovered a strength I never knew I had. A strength I want you to discover, too.

In the end I'm just an ordinary mom who has seen God do some wonderful things as I've been obedient to step into the calling He's led me into. 

Thanks for sharing this Cara and about your book club experience!

What have been the benefits to you in having relationships with reading groups?

I love getting to talk to readers. The book clubs I’ve connected with have been a lot of fun to interact with.

Where would you like to see your relationship with reading groups grow? How do you think your goals can be met?

I would love to interact with more book clubs. I enjoy having phone calls with them if they’re reading one of my books. If I can, being there in person is a blast, too.

Do you have a set size a reading group has to be before you'll talk to them on the phone or in person? What do you feel most comfortable doing?

Not really. If it’s on the phone, I’m willing to do it for as few as five people. I always learn something as I listen to readers interact with my stories and characters. Writing is so solitary, so I really enjoy the interaction.

Which type of book club meeting do you prefer? Why?

If it’s close enough, I don’t mind driving. I’m an extrovert, so really don’t have a preference.

Have you been surprised by readers’ reactions to one of your books? Characters? If so, which ones?

I’ve been delighted by how taken readers have been with Stars in the Night. Because it’s set primarily in 1942 Hollywood, it has a strong black and white movie feel. Many readers with blogs went through classic movie actors and actresses to pick who they thought would have “played” each character. I loved looking at who they picked and finding where we overlapped.
  

Has your book club experience - getting feed back from reading groups - helped you in writing future books? If so, how has it helped you?

It’s always helpful to learn what readers takeaway from a book — and see how that matches with what I anticipated ahead of time. That then helps me tweak future stories. 

What was your most memorable reading group experience? What made it so fun?

It was a lot of fun connecting with readers in North Platte, Nebraska, who read my first novel Canteen Dreams, which was set in North Platte. Getting their take on the story set in their hometown made that call very enjoyable.  

I know that you are a lawyer by trade. As I read about the courtroom scenes and how your main characters were preparing for their cases I couldn't help but wonder how much of your experiences are included in your books? Are there certain areas of your job you can't talk about in novels? Do Tell!

Nora, that’s a great question. In Cherry Blossom Capers, Daniel and Ciara are both attorneys in Old Town Alexandria, VA. I spent my first eight years out of undergrad in that area. Ciara actually lived in my old townhouse :-) I didn’t practice law in Old Town, but I did clerk for a federal judge, so I used that for their backstory. And I incorporated the close relationship you build with fellow clerks and the judge into their story. I also incorporated my awesome paralegal as Ciara’s wiser mentor. Linda gets some great scenes and it was a delight to dedicate the novella to her. And I’ve had some domestic cases, like those that Daniel and Ciara were involved in though theirs weren’t too similar to any of mine.   

Why write Christian Fiction? What is the draw for you?

I want to write stories that resonate with hope. Life can be pretty awful some days. But through it all, God is with us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us, and even when He doesn’t smooth the road, He’s there. That’s the message that I hope readers take from my books.  

What do you hope readers take away from your new book?

I hope they get a sense that we can build community, no matter how big the city or busy your life. I also hope they leave the book with an “ahhh, what a satisfying romantic mystery.” They’ll get touches of what I love, too: Classic movies, Washington, D.C., and a great romance. 

Can you give us a peek at what you are working on now? When will it be out?

I’m working on marketing for my books that release in April (A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island — a full-length romantic mystery from Barbour set on that beautiful Island) and May (a novella in Rainbow’s End, geocaching in the Ozarks with a twist of suspense.) I’m also working on a proposal with good writing buds Tricia Goyer and Sarah Sundin for a novella series set in the Heartland during World War II. I also have a World War II proposal I’m letting percolate before going over it one more time.

Cara C. Putman
http://www.caraputman.com/  --- http://www.facebook.com/caraputman
Releasing in 2012: Cherry Blossom Capers, A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island, & Rainbow's End (all Barbour) ACFW Publicity Officer Http://www.acfw.com

Thanks for stopping by Cara so we can get to know you and your books better. If you are an author that has book club experience and would like to share it here please contact me norafindinghope@yahoo.com

Blessings

Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network CEO
www.bookfun.org

Read More

BOOK CLUB TALK WITH BRANDILYN COLLINS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Brandilyn Collins is known for her Seatbelt Suspense®--fast-paced, character-driven suspense with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith. www.brandilyncollins.com

What have been the benefits to you in having relationships with reading groups?

 I love talking to readers about my books and hearing how they related to the characters and story. Each reader reacts to a story depending on his or her past experiences. So you’ll get a wide range of reactions. Also I enjoy being able to tell readers some of the background that went into writing the story, e.g., how the story came to be in the first place, and why I wrote it the way I did.

Where would you like to see your relationship with reading groups grow? How do you think your goals can be met?

 I’d love to see more reading groups take a chance on reading one of my suspense novels. The problem is, there are folks out there who just won’t read a suspense, saying they’ll be too scared, have nightmares, whatever. It seems there’s one in every reading group, so that keeps the group from venturing into suspense. Of course I’m biased, but I tend to think they don’t know what they’re missing!

Do you have a set size a reading group has to be before you'll talk to them on the phone or in person? What do you feel most comfortable doing?

 Me and the real Cherrie Mae.

Not really. Phoning is easy. I can’t do a personal appearance unless the group is very local to me. That is fun, and I enjoy it.

Which type of book club meeting do you prefer? Why?

No set format for me. In general I enjoy a meeting in which people are honest and open about their reactions to the book, and are also willing to hear and absorb my reasons for writing the story the way I did. Also—for any book clubs reading my latest release, Gone to Ground: I’d love to tell the full story of my researching the book, and how I met a wonderful woman named Cherrie Mae, whose name was perfect for my character. The real Cherrie Mae gave me permission to use her name, and later played the part of my character Cherrie Mae in the book trailer. (Have you seen that trailer? It’s great! See it here http://brandilyncollins.com/books/gtg.html )

What have you learned about your book and yourself from book club meetings? If so, what?

Just how vastly different readers’ reactions are! Again, the reason for that lies in personal experience, so there’s nothing I can do about that. No matter my story, even if almost everyone loves it, someone won’t. That’s life.

Did you learn more about your characters than what you had originally intended? If so what?

Terri Blackstock & Bradilyn passing time @book signing - Fun

Sometimes I do—not necessarily just from book club meetings, but from all the emails I receive. Sometimes—again due to personal experience—a reader might read something into a character that I didn’t consciously consider when writing the book. That’s always very enlightening.

Have you been surprised by readers’ reactions to one of your books? Characters? If so, which ones?

I can’t say reactions to any one book have greatly surprised me. In my latest release, Gone to Ground, which features three protagonists each telling her story in first person, overwhelmingly readers choose Cherrie Mae as their favorite character. I’m no longer surprised by that. And really, I can see why. She’s a great gal.

Has your book club experience - getting feed back from reading groups - helped you in writing future books? If so, how has it helped you?

Only in the sense that feedback from readers in general keep me keepin’ on—writing my Seatbelt Suspense®. That trademark carries a four-point brand promise: fast-paced, character-driven suspense with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith. Every novel I write must live up to that four-point promise, because readers are expecting that from me.

Why write Christian Fiction? What is the draw for you?

There’s the whole ministry side of it, but I’ll focus on just the writing side here. I find my suspense is far deeper, the characters more three-dimensional, when I can interweave a Christian-themed thread into the story. In suspense characters are pushed to the utmost in conflict—typically a protagonist’s very life is at stake. You’ve heard that saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” We understand that. When people are pushed into high trauma, even those who haven’t thought much about God in the past end up praying. End up realizing there may be more to life than just what’s in front of their face. In Christian fiction, I can show that. The human condition is three-fold: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Secular suspense deals with only the first two. But that’s only two layers of our humanity. When all three levels are portrayed, the characterization deepens.

What do you hope readers take away from your new book? Gone to Ground is a Southern mystery-suspense.

If someone has been afraid to read one of my suspense novels, this would be the one to try. It’s very character-driven and not scary. The story in a nutshell: In small-town Mississippi, six murders have occurred. Now to their horror, three women of three different generations realize they know who the killer is—someone dear to them. Independently, not talking to anyone, each woman must make the terrifying decision to bring the man down. But each woman suspects a different man. That’s the story on the surface. The (subtle) interwoven thread of faith has to do with hypocrisy, and how it can creep into anyone’s life. I’d love for some book clubs to read Gone to Ground and discuss how this element of the story affects each character. Other things to discuss in Gone to Ground: (1) The use of dialect for characterization. Did it work for the reader? Most readers say yes. To those who say no—how would the characterization have been affected if it hadn’t been used? (2) Cherrie Mae tends to quote classical literature, using a quote that speaks to the issue at hand. What is each reader’s favorite classical quote? In the back of Gone to Ground is a list of many other discussion questions that probe the story, characters, writing technique, and faith element.

Can you give us a peek at what you are working on now? When will it be out?

Double Blind, another stand-alone suspense, releases October 15. Story in a nutshell: When severely depressed Lisa Newberry hears of a medical trial for a tiny brain chip that can heal her, she knows it’s her last hope. But what if she receives only the placebo? What if something far worse goes wrong …?



 FUN QUESTIONS I JUST HAD TO ASK!! 

What are three things you wouldn’t want to live without? – (Besides family and your Bible that’s a given)

My morning latte, made my moi on my handy-dandy espresso machine,Jogging,My Select Comfort bed

Your friend has a time machine and their going to let you use it for a while. Where would you go and what would you do?

To the future in the year 3000 to see what the world and technology looks like. (If it’s still here.)

What are two places you’d like to visit if you had a chance? Why?

I’ve been to quite a few countries, but not to Australia. That’s the first. Second, I’d like to go back to Fiji. Both beautiful, tropical places.

What three movies could you watch over and over again?

The Blues Brothers. (Makes me laugh.) Scent of a Woman. (Wonderful movie, wonderful acting.) Witness. (Superb screenwriting. Almost every major turning point in the movie has no dialogue. Just brilliant.)

Name three favorite books you read as a child?

I read the Hardy Boys series. And the Bobbsy Twins books. Can’t remember any titles today, but there were plenty of books in both series to keep me busy for awhile.

~ Brandilyn

www.facebook.com/brandilyncollinsseatbeltsuspense

 Nora: Loved all your pictures Brandilyn. Looks like you and Terri Blackstock had way too much fun (or time on your hands) in Jackson, MS book signing!! Wish I could have been there. Grin! This book and your next one really look good.

I'm Thrilled to announce 
B & H is sponsoring a GIVEAWAY contest for FIVE copies of Gone to Ground.


 Contest starts MAY 19th - 21st @ The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org


MARK YOUR CALENDARS 
See you there! 

Nora :o)
The Book Club Network CEO
www.bookfun.org

Read More

Beyond Jane Austin: The Real Regency Romance

Award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes has wanted to be a writer since knowing what one was. Her first book won the National Readers Choice Award in 2007, and her third book was a Carol Award finalist in 2010. Her first book with Baker/Revell, Lady in the Mist, was picked up by Crossings Book Club, and six of her books have ben chosen for large print editions by Thorndike Press. She has been a public speaker for as long as she can remember; thus, only suffers enough stage fright to keep her sharp. In 2002, while in graduate school for writing fiction, she began to teach fiction in person and online. She lives in Virginia with her husband, two dogs, and probably too many cats. Contact Laurie Alice on her website here

Beyond Jane Austen: The Real Regency Romance

To prepare for writing this post, I asked Regency writers how they would define a Regency novel/romance. Then I asked readers, most of whom had never picked up a Regency novel, what is their immediate reaction to the term Regency romance or Regency novel. My conclusion is that the writers of the genre know it inside and out. Readers opinions lie at both ends of the “unlike” to “love it” spectrum and all the areas in-between. Amidst th

ese observations resides the reason why early nineteenth century Great Britain is my time period of choice for reading and writing.

What is a Regency Novel?

Most people believe that Jane Austen defined the Regency novel. After all, she lived in and set her books in the time period when George III was mad from an illness and his son became the Regent ruler of the country. This is specifically 1811-1820; however, for publishing purposes, the time period extends from the French Revolution as far as to the end of George IV’s reign in 1830 for reasons I won’t get into in this post. My point here is that Jane Austen did not write Regency novels.

“Jane Austen,” says Tamela Murray, an agent with the Laube Literary Agency and author of two Regency novels and one Regency novella, “wrote contemporary novels. Austen did not have the perspective of whole picture insight into Society.”

Today, we have access to information about the working classes, the disastrously poor, the urban lives, and the place Great Britain played on the world theater. Now, we e

njoy thousands more resources than Ms. Austen could have found or afforded such as private journals, many newspapers, and other original sources such as military documents and scores of other books written during her time. Austen wrote of her microcosm. She wrote rather cynically of her microcosm. Her novels were no different than the author from a small town in America without television or the Internet, writing about the people and events of that town—perceptive regarding human nature, often witty, more often than not snarky, ultimately a view no broader than what one can see through a set of binoculars.

Because of the movies and numerous spin-off novels with Austen’s world, readers responded to my query with, too often for this regency writer’s pleasure, “Boring,” or “Not my favorite”.

So let us, bored and disinterested reader, leave Jane Austen in her contemporary and narrow little world and leap forward about a hundred and ten years to the advent of another English lady onto the scene—Georgette Heyer. I haven’t read her biography, so don’t know a great deal about her personally. I do know, however, that she was brilliant and a fabulous author and a huge influence on my writing and thus my life. Heyer brought the Georgian era alive with everything from swashbuckling romances, to drawing room comedies of manners, from mysteries, to gothic novels set from the 1740s, to 1820.

Georgette Heyer set the stage for the modern—Post Modern to be literary—Regency novel. She gave us a perspective of the haut-ton, the highest of society, to the middle class and even glimpses into the darker side of that fascinating era. She gave us a broad spectrum of the Napoleonic wars and dashing, sometimes dangerous, heroes, with spirited but never anachronistic heroines.

“In my mind,” says Rita award-winning author Diane Gaston, “what defines a book as a Regency is the setting. Is it set in the "Regency World?" To me, the Regency world means that it is written from the British perspective, about the places, events, and people who lived in Great Britain or were British during roughly 1790 to 1830. The setting could include British India, British characters in Europe (such as British soldiers in the Napoleonic War--like in my Three Soldiers Series ), or even America (War of 1812, for example), but it is about British characters and involved in British social, political, or economic concerns. Mostly, though, the stories take place in Great Britain and are about the social world of the privileged, although some of my Regencies have been about characters who are not of the aristocracy, but whose lives are more peripherally involved.

Shannon Donnelly, an award-winning Regency author, responds to my ques

tion with, “it was an era when style mattered more than almost anything else. Good "ton" mattered -- wit and fashion.” (Note: “Good ton” means having a respectable reputation in Society.)

I think of gentlemen and ladies, fashion, glitz, glamour, and society,” replies Kristi Ann Hunt, fan of the genre and writing her own Regency novel. “I think of the wonderful interest created by a period in such transition - the shift of power among the classes where society and family history still reigns supreme, but money can buy you a place, too. The horse is still the main form of transportation but the train is making an appearance as well. Even indoor plumbing is making its way into buildings. Mostly I think I'm going to read a book that takes me to a place that is either a world in transition or one where reality is still covered with a sheen of old society. I expect characters that are at least aware of the strict social rules, even if they choose to break them. I expect men to treat women like ladies. I like the clothing of the time period.”

All of these ladies and the scores of others who responded to my questions sum up the subgenre of historical romance novels in this same fashion. Wholeheartedly, I concur. It is an exciting time in history with a world of opportunity for romance and adventure, grief to overcome and joy to share, advancement in science and a powerful need to carry the grace of God to a society that went to church out of obligation and habit and not a need to w

orship.

Although Jane Austen’s endurance into the twenty-first century brings readers to an awareness of the Regency period, her novels barely scratch the surface of everything going on in that world. Georgette Heyer and those who followed in her footsteps—Clare Darcy, Patricia Veryan, etc.--took the genre one, two, a dozen steps further.

In writing inspirational Regency romantic adventures such as my espionage plot in A Necessary Deception, I wish to open a whole new world to readers—the realization that the people of the Regency era needed more substance. It was a world of constant seeking after entertainment and pleasure, concern about their shoes and clothes and appearance, leaving little room for God. . .

Sound familiar?

Yes, the parallels are often eerie and enough for another blog post. Let us just say that, through writing a spiritual aspect into the Regency subgenre, I, like my predecessors, the late Jane Orcutt and beloved Marylu Tyndall, and my co-Regency authors Ruth Axtell Morren, Louise M. Gouge, and a handful of others, wish to open up a new horizon to readers of Christian fiction and Regency romances.

A Necessary Deception

When young widow Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreams she will see him again. But just as the London Season gets under way, the man presents himself in her parlor. While she should be focused on getting her headstrong younger sister prepared for her entrée into Society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is he a spy or a suitor? Can she trust him? Or is she putting herself and her family in danger?

Discover a world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades as Laurie Alice Eakes whisks you into the drawing rooms of London Society on

this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past—and let love guide the future.

Buy A Necessary Deception at:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Read More

Author Interview ~ Serita A. Jakes

Serita A. Jakes, also known as the “First Lady” of The Potter’s House based in Dallas, has been involved in Christian ministry all of her adult life and has worked along side her husband throughout their nearly 30-year marriage. Their work with the church includes extensive outreach to the needy. They couple raised three sons and two daughters.

What two or three things would you do differently if you were starting your publishing career today?

The things that I would do differently have such commonality. I would have started writing at an earlier age to my generation and to my parent's generation. I now find myself gifted with the rare opportunity to write generationally - to my children, my peers, and my children's children.

What one issue makes you struggle the most as an author? How do you handle it?

The weaker strength that I struggle with is the ability to accurately depict the emotional state of every individual involved. Passion is experienced in such a wide array of expressions.

What is the best writing (or life) advice you have ever heard or wished you had followed? Why?

I've often wrestled on stage and in print with sharing my heart without giving all of my heart away. Once you become totally transparent there is a vulnerability that ensues that bares even the scars that are yet healing. There are few people who should be exposed and even fewer who can handle wounded physicians.

What one issue ignites your passion? Does your passion fuel your writing? What would you do with your life if you didn't write?

Human struggle ignites passion in my heart - I want to write about about it! I want to see it enacted through dance, through drama - when I can't write about it - I want to cradle it with loving arms until the wrestling is resolved ...

Read More

Clinging to the Rock

The far north is a place where things are pared down, taken to the lowest common denominators of life. Rock, water, sun, insects and wind. And of course, in the winter, the world is pared down even more to the denominators of snow and ice. It is a place where the word survival is never far from one's thoughts.

During a recent trip that part of Canada, it was a marvel to me how the tiny delicate flowers of Baffin Island could survive. There is very little soil yet they spring up and cling to solid rock. Vibrant dwarf fireweed, saxifrage, anemones and the ever-present Arctic cotton abound. The tundra seemed to be in motion as they swayed in the constant wind, lifting their heads toward a far-away sun. We stepped around them, our heads bent in homage, our camera shutters clicking.

As I moved across that barren landscape I couldn't help but think of the barren landscape of cancer I have been wandering in. The similarities are stark. There isn't much to hang onto at times. The winds of fear and loss seem always in my face and the sun can seem oh so far away. But I stared at a bright yellow anemone and took heart. If this little one can survive in this, her desolate place, then so shall I in mine, by doing what she does season after season. Cling to the rock.
There are times in everyone's life, in every writer's life when this is necessary. We tend to think of these times in a negative way. As when we envision a harsh northern climate, we hear the word, cancer, and shudder. Yet there are those wildflowers. There are moments when God's presence is so real the beauty of his grace is all that matters. There are those times when you know He's carrying you across this barren landscape.

Our Rock is more solid and everlasting than those slowly disintegrating across the tundra. Our Rock speaks and comforts and holds our hand. Our Rock carries us when our knees buckle and cradles our head when we just need to cry. Our Rock hides us in his cleft and sets our feet on a firm foundation.

And when I "lift up my eyes to the hills," and ask, "Where does my help come from?" He answers - "My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip, he who watches over you will not slumber ... The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming going both now and forevermore" (Psalm 121:1-8).

If you are in a barren place in your life, medically, physically, emotionally or spiritually, take heart. You can be like those Arctic flowers - cling to the Rock.
****
Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone and also has three devotional books in print. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. The sequel to One Smooth Stone will be released in 2011. A collection of devotionals for writers has just been released here. Visit Marcia's website

Read More

BOOK CLUB TALK WITH ELIZABETH MUSSER

I caught up with Elizabeth Musser at the ICRS conference in Atlanta a few weeks ago. I enjoyed talking to Elizabeth about her new book The Sweetest Thing and book clubs.

What have been the benefits to you in having relationships with reading groups?

I love hearing from reading groups/book clubs! I find it so encouraging. I’ve received photos of different book clubs, each holding a copy of my novel on the beach or at a special meeting. Knowing book clubs are reading, discussing and enjoying my novels is an answer to prayer—I especially like hearing about discussions in which people of different religious points of view were touched by the messages in my novels.

Because my novel The Swan House (Bethany House, 2001) takes place in Atlanta and has several scenes which occur at the real Swan House (now a part of the Atlanta History Center), many, many book clubs throughout the years have journeyed to Atlanta and had lunch at The Swan Coach House (where a scene from The Dwelling Place is set) and then toured the Swan House. For years, there was a docent who took book clubs on a special tour, pointing out all the things that were mentioned in the novel. I have so enjoyed hearing from different book clubs which have done this. And it has been a special privilege occasionally to join a book club on a tour and/or for lunch at the Coach House.

Where would you like to see your relationship with reading groups grow? How do you think your goals can be met?

I enjoy interaction with reading groups and am happy to speak to groups by phone, skype or in person. Living overseas, it is harder to organize phone calls because I am 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and often reading groups meet in the evenings, which is the middle of the night for me. So I’d like to figure out ways that I can interact—perhaps by answering a few questions ahead of time. I’d also like for the groups to be aware of all that is available on my website: discussion questions and lots of other information about my novels, updates about our ministry in France, a ‘my favorites’ page, photos from book signings, etc. www.elizabethmusser.com

I have a recently launched fan page on FaceBook which offers photos and updates about reviews, interviews etc. and interaction with readers: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Musser/149546181768451#!/pages/Elizabeth-Musser/149546181768451

Do you have a set size a reading group has to be before you'll talk to them on the phone or in person? What do you feel most comfortable doing?

I am happy to talk with any size reading group by phone or Skype. Since I do many speaking events when I am back in the States, I like to invite reading groups to come hear me if they want a more formal presentation. But I have often spoken to groups of 10-15 readers in a home or church setting or in a restaurant, etc.

Which type of book club meeting do you prefer? Why?

I enjoy all types of meetings, but I suppose I prefer being able to share a bit about my background and reasons I wrote the novel and then interacting with the readers in an informal question and answer time afterward.. I need a little bit of structure—I speak more clearly when I have an idea of the format of the meeting.

Do you learn about your book and yourself from book club meetings? If so what?

It is extremely humbling to hear positive comments about my novels from the readers’ perspective. Honestly, I at times get tingles running through me to hear that readers have been touched by my words, moved to laughter and tears, and have even drawn closer to the Lord as they contemplate the message of my stories.

I often hear that readers are also inspired by my life. That too is very humbling and a bit unbelievable to me, and it is clearly God using what I offer Him—in fear and trembling—for His glory. What an answer to my prayers. I love to tell readers that their gifts and talents too can be used in surprising ways to glorify God.

I really enjoy listening to a readers’ perspective on a character, a scene, a theme from a book.

Did you learn more about your characters than what you had originally intended? Have you been surprised by readers’ reactions to one of your books? Characters? If so, which ones?

Many times as I am in the process of writing a novel, I find my characters doing things that surprise me—as I delve into their personalities. However, I’m careful that they remain true to themselves—so sometimes those surprising actions get edited out. As an author, I need to know a lot more about my characters than I can show in the novel—for instance, their background, their likes and dislikes, their fears, their secrets. Many of these things come out during the course of the novel, but not all. Still I need to know so that it all holds together.

Oh, I love to hear readers’ reactions to my characters! Surprised? Well, yes. In The Swan House, I have a character called Ella Mae—she is an African American who serves as a maid in the 1960s South. I felt I was very honest about the unjust way she was treated by her employers—not unkindly, but condescendingly—and I feared that the society I was describing (elite Atlanta) would not look favorably on my honest appraisal. But quite the contrary, many readers have told me, in tears, that they had an ‘Ella Mae’ in their lives and family and that I described their feelings exactly. Pure love and yet a naïve misunderstanding of racial issues. They were thankful I tackled this issue through my character.

I chuckle too at how vehemently some readers express their disdain for villains in my novels—especially Jean-Claude Gachon and Ali Boudani in my first novel, Two Crosses. But even Spalding Smith in The Sweetest Thing has gotten some very negative reactions (well deserved, I must admit!)

Mostly I hear that my readers find my characters so real and they can identify with them—and this is exactly what I want. I say that although I write inspirational fiction, ultimately what I want to communicate to my readers is the truth—and that is accomplished by creating characters with depth.

Has your book club experience - getting feed back from reading groups - helped you in writing future books? If so, how has it helped you?

Yes, I glean information that I can use to help me as I write future novels—hearing what readers like most about my novels. I’m all ears! Mostly, the input I get from reading groups confirm that what I am writing is being well-received by my intended audience and I should continue in my goal of writing what I call ‘entertainment with a soul.’ Probably the comments I most often receive are that my novels deal with real issues and that I depict realistic spiritual struggles in believable ways. Hearing that someone has gained a better perspective on God or been helped through a difficult period in life by my novels makes me feel all the more responsible to communicate God’s wonder and power and my characters’ need for Him in ways that depict truth.

Thanks for your book club insight Elizabeth. I know how much I learn at book club meetings about the book, situations and each other. It's very interesting to hear what you as a writer enjoy and experience through book club events. Really enjoyed meeting you at the ICRS Conference and learning of your novel journey.

We are featuring Elizabeth's new book The Sweetest Thing at The Book Club Network. We're having a give away opportunity on Monday, August 29th at 9p.m. Bethany House Publishers will be giving away 10 copies of her books. Mark your calendars. Thanks to Nicola Martinez, Edi tor-in-Chief of Pelican Book Group, for donating a Kindle to be given away on the same night. It's going to be a fun, fun, night.

Until Next time.

Nora St.Laurent

The Book Club Network

www.bookfun.org

Read More