Interview with Author Fay Lamb

I had the privilege of interviewing Fay Lamb and learning more about her and her upcoming release. 

        Which of your books was your favorite to write? Why?

Everybody’s Broken is hands down my favorite book. Although, when I was writing the story, I muttered under my breath more than once. The same reason that had me muttering is the same reason that I love the book: the complexity.
 
No kidding. At one point, I had my characters balking at me because of some of the clues I left. I got downright angry because that character was right. I was giving away too much. I had to think myself out of a corner, and imagine the surprise for those characters when I realized there was not one villain but two, and one of those individuals had been around a lot longer than the heroine even knew.
 
The story is also my favorite because it has a Gothic tone to it. You know, old Victorian house and voices coming through the walls, secret tunnels, and all that scary stuff that goes well with a romantic suspense set in the mountains of North Carolina in October.
  
         How many books have you written?

I’ve written twelve full length novels. The first series I wrote was romance called The Ties that Bind and included Charisse, Libby, Hope and Delilah. The second series was my Amazing Grace romantic suspense series, including, Stalking Willow, Better Than Revenge, Everybody’s Broken, and Frozen Notes. I have book one of my Serenity Keys series published: Storms in Serenity, and then there’s my Christmas at Mullet Harbor Series, which includes Christmas Under Wraps and All I Want for Christmas. The Visitor Meets Old Hairy is the second book in The Visitor series.
 
      What do you enjoy most about writing books?

Finishing them. Only kidding.
 
When I sit down to write, I get lost. I’m not sitting at my desk or in my chair. I’m wherever my characters are. I’m the point-of-view character for the scene I’m writing, and I’m engaged in the conflict they’re trying to get through. In other words, I am emotionally tethered to the world I am creating, and I can’t describe the freedom that I feel when I’m there and not here.
 
         Did you always want to be a writer?

I know that some may find this hard to believe, but I have never wanted to be anything else by an author. I spent time at many jobs, but my heart was always with my writing, and when I wasn’t writing, I was miserable.
 
Before I could write, I was telling stories to my neighborhood pals. I dreamed up plays, and they enacted them. As soon as I could scribble words onto paper, I was writing little stories, and today, when I see my old classmates from high school, the one thing they remember about me is that I wrote stories. In fact, some of those stories found their way into a group of vignettes I pieced together, and they eventually become the novel that my publisher tagged as One Small Island, One Epic Tale. The stories I was writing in high school bloomed into my largest project ever Storms in Serenity.

Fay's upcoming release is The Visitor Meets Old Hairy.

The Visitor Meets Old Hairy
 
Back Cover Blurb:
 
The Visitor goes camping? Pollyanna Reagan can't wait to take her always-put-together, ultra-professional sister out into the boonies. But when they encounter what they thought was a mythical creature, they might both become sticks in the mud.
 
Of course, when they find a body, a stiff in the mud, Connie shifts into deduction mode. Was the deceased somehow scared to death or possibly attacked by what should be imaginary, or are there other, more human and certainly more vicious, intentions at play?
 
Match wits with The Visitor as she unravels this twisted puzzle and the family drama that surrounds it.

 
Biography:
 
Fay Lamb is the only daughter of a rebel genius father and a hard-working, tow-the-line mom. She is not only a fifth-generation Floridian, she has lived her life in Titusville, where her grandmother was born in 1899.
 
Since an early age, storytelling has been Fay’s greatest desire. She seeks to create memorable characters that touch her readers’ hearts. She says of her writing, “If I can’t laugh or cry at the words written on the pages of my manuscript, the story is not ready for the reader.” Fay writes in various genres, including romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary fiction.
 
If you’d like to catch up with Fay, visit her at her website, on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter. Also, Fay has become a “novel” gardener, and she shares her adventure in her newsletter, Tales from the Azalea Garden. You can sign up for her newsletter, Tales from the Azalea Garden, here.
 
Links to Social Media:
  
The Visitor Meets Old Hairy: https://amzn.to/3iLN5Uk
Join the Expedition: Enter the contest by guessing at the clues given to you as to the location of each book in The Visitor series: https://www.writeintegrity.com/thevisitor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FayFayLamb
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FayFaylamb
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1482814.Fay_Lamb
Amazon Central: https://amazon.com/author/faylamb
Newsletter, Tales from the Azalea Garden: https://www.faylamb.net/contact

Interview with Kristen Joy Wilks

Recently I interviewed Kristen Joy Wilks.

If you had unlimited time and money, where would you travel? 

If I had unlimited time and money ... I would want to go to either Chichen Itza on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, the ruins of Nineveh in Mosul Iraq, or to Ireland for a long castle tour. The first two locations were researched for books and the last just sounds so fun. Way back in the day, my family came to the U.S. from Ireland so it would be special to see that area. 

How many books have you written? 

I have written twelve books, but only three of them are published with one more due to be published in June of this year. The first book that was published was my fourth manuscript. I learned a lot writing those first three and it showed in that fourth story. 

What is your favorite book of the Bible? 

As far as my favorite book of the Bible, I love the book of Job. When I set out to start reading the Bible as a girl, I asked my mom where to start and she said "Anywhere, but Job. What about John." I immediately rushed out to read the book of Job. It is a long and difficult book but holds such depth for times of hurt and confusion. Does God still care when everything is going wrong? The book of Job is actually in epic poem that addresses this question. Like Job, I have found comfort in the knowledge that God is creative and powerful, we do not know all of the story of what is going on around us, and that God does indeed love us. 

Trailer for Athens Ambuscade: https://youtu.be/8pxgdimJrNI 

Blurb for Athens Ambuscade: 

What happens when a strapped-for-cash bridal designer needs a stuffed animal...and fast? Up-and-coming bridal designer, Jacqueline Gianakos must fly a Montana taxidermist to Greece in order to stuff her Grandmother’s cat. If Chrysanthemum isn’t preserved within two days' time, Jacqueline will lose the home that was her childhood sanctuary. But will she survive the next 48 hours when the taxidermist ignores her pointed request and then shows up wearing flannel?

Other books By Kristen Joy Wilks:

Interview with Tanya Stowe

This week, I interviewed author Tanya Stowe.

On your blog you mention, “Have motorhome will travel.” Where have you traveled thus far?

We just retired a little over a year ago so we haven’t been far. Last summer we planned a trip from California to Florida. It was going to be a nice leisurely drive but my husband needed surgery. They scheduled it for August so we ended up driving home with the motorhome in one week. Long daily drives. Not much fun. But we saw lots of amazing country and before that, we flew our granddaughter out for a graduation present and went to Disney World in the middle of July. I thought I’d be miserable since I have an aversion to bugs, humidity and alligators but I loved it. Florida is beautiful. It rained every day. The clouds were so close to the ground it felt like you could touch them. And the lightning! I had no idea Florida was the lightning capital of the U.S. Our return trip was rushed but I have every intention of going back through the Gulf States at a much slower pace and enjoying those areas as much as I did Florida.

But I have to say our most interesting trip last year wasn’t in the motorhome. We had an opportunity to tour China and we jumped on it. The best impulsive idea we’ve had in a long time! China is fascinating. I’ll be blogging about it for many months to come.

You’re a multi-published author. Which book has been your favorite to write?

Every book is your baby so it's hard to pick just one. But I have to say the one that was the most fun to write was Santa Fe Sunrise…simply because I love everything about Santa Fe. The scenery. The history. The food and clothes. Even the music. I’d put on my Nouveau Flamenco tunes by Ottmar Liebert and start typing. That book just seemed to flow. It might not be my best book or the most compelling but it was fun to write.

Did you always want to be a writer?

I wrote my first book when I was eleven years old. It was about a princess named Shalimar set in Ancient Egypt. So yes, I’ve always wanted to write. And it’s interesting to note that my first published book was a time travel romance about…you guessed it…an ancient Egyptian slave girl named Mara caught in a plot to murder the Pharaoh.

You have a large family. How do you find a good balance between family and writing? 

What is balance? Is there really such a thing? Lol. I think balance is a lot like a faith walk. You stumble and fall. Get back up and start again. It’s the getting up that’s important not the state of being “balanced.”

Having said that, I will tell you I’m a list maker. Always have been. Lately I’ve found a planner that incorporates all aspects of my life, work, relationships, faith, chores, appointments. It even has a scripture passage for each week. I sit down on a Sunday night, name all of my goals and tasks for the week then plug them into a daily calendar. I find that if I get busy and drop the ball, it’s on the planner and I can pick it up the next day or the next week. Things I need to do don’t disappear into the ether, especially those important writing or PR goals I need to meet. I also find that my daily to-do list that seems overwhelming in my head isn’t such a monster when it’s down on the page.

Tanya's latest release, Mojave Rescue (Love Inspired Suspense), is available on Amazon. 

Review of An Unexpected Legacy by Amy Anguish

Review:

In An Unexpected Legacy, an intriguing tale by Amy Anguish and set in Texas and Arkansas, Jessica Garcia and Chad Manning are drawn to each other, but a family secret threatens to keep them apart. Thus, the main characters are forced to unravel this mystery before moving forward in their relationship. Along the way, the novel delves into the topic of forgiveness. I liked this because the topic wasn't just glossed over; the author demonstrated how an unforgiving spirit can harm others, including the person who chooses not to forgive. This book should appeal to readers of Christian fiction who enjoy romance and mystery.*

Author Bio:

Amy Anguish grew up a preacher's kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a cat or two. Amy graduated with a degree in English from Freed-Hardeman University and hopes in all her creative endeavors to glorify God, but especially in her writing. She wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

*I received a copy of this book from the author and this is my voluntary review.

Interview with Amy Anguish

What was life like as a preacher’s kid?  

In some ways, being a preacher's kid is hard. A lot of people expect you to be perfect or to know all there is about the Bible. For us, the hardest part was probably that I never lived anywhere longer than six years (still haven't, honestly). As a kid, it's hard to have to leave your friends behind and pack up and move somewhere new every few years. But now, looking back, I can see that it helped me in a lot of ways. I am able to adjust to things like that easier (for the most part), I can make friends or figure out new situations more quickly now, and I have tons of friends all over the country that I made through the years. Being a preacher's kid didn't necessarily give me a strong faith, but it gave me a great foundation to build one.

I noticed that you have lived in several states, so I am curious. In which states have you lived? 

I have lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas.

What authors have influenced your writing style?

I am an avid reader (almost 70 books this year alone, if you don't count the children's books I read to my children). I read so many authors that I like to think a lot of them have merged into my style. I guess of my favorites, my style is probably most like Christine Lynxwiler or Annalissa Daughety, although everyone has their own quirks and ways of phrasing things.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

My advice is to not give up. Even when it seems like you're never going to get published, keep trying. It only takes one person to notice your talent and fall in love with your story to make it turn from a dream to reality. My second piece of advice is to make sure you've edited your manuscript as much as possible and then edit it again. Most publishers aren't going to want to see a manuscript that needs tons of work. They want to see that you're serious enough about pursuing publication that you're willing to make sure your work is as perfect as you can get it before sending it out.

Tell me more about An Unexpected Legacy. How long did it take you to write the story?

"An Unexpected Legacy" started as a Nanowrimo novel in 2011, believe it or not. It was around 52,000 words when I first wrote it, and very rough. I started only with the idea that Jessica and Chad would meet at a smoothie shop and that would be their common interest that helped them fall in love. I knew that there was going to be something in their family history that was going to cause problems for their relationship ... that their family would be from the same town. But it took me almost the whole book before I figured out exactly what the actual reason for the conflict was. I started writing and meant to only write from Jessica's perspective, but as I continued, I realized I needed some back story (not to mention more words if I was going to meet my 50K word goal for that November) so I started including the historical scenes to tell "the rest of the story." I did a quick edit and then sort of let the story sit for a while. When I started really considering publication seriously, I sent my manuscript to a friend I had who was an acquisitions editor at a newer company. That company wasn't right for my story, but she remembered it and loved it, and years later, when she decided to start her own publishing company, she contacted me about it. She helped me polish it up, teaching me more about the craft and what I needed to do in the future, and we finally had it in print and ebook this last November. It's been a crazy journey, but one that was full of learning and growth for me. And the culmination has definitely been the icing on the cake. I can't wait to start my next journey with one of my other manuscripts just waiting to go out into the world!

Please join us next week, on the 13th, when I share a review of Amy's book. 

Interview with Shirley Raye Redmond

Recently, I interviewed Shirley Raye Redmond.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START WRITING?

I have wanted to write ever since I was in 5^th grade and read Little Women. I wanted to be like Jo March, scribbling stories in the attic. I was 16 when my first article was published in a newspaper and I’ve never looked back.

WHAT AUTHORS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

Too many to list! But C.S. Lewis, Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and Grace Livingston Hill would definitely be in the top ten.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING AUTHORS?

You’re never going to “find the time” to write. You have to make the time. Give up a night of television, computer games, etc. I know too many people who promised themselves they would start writing when their children were grown or when they retired, but they are, instead, raising their grandchildren or they didn’t live long enough to retire. Don’t wait!

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LATEST RELEASE. 

Viper’s Nest (Harborlight/Pelican Book Group) is a romantic suspense novel set in Jacksonville, Illinois. Allan Partner, a handsome history professor and his widowed research assistant, Wren Bergschneider, find themselves in danger when they explore an old insane asylum slated for demolition, unearthing a scandal someone is willing to kill for to keep secret.

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR RESEARCH?

I actually had a private tour of the Jacksonville Insane Asylum many years ago. Mary Todd Lincoln was a patient there briefly following the death of President Lincoln. Built in the mid 1840s, the asylum was the product of humanitarian Dorothea Dix’s impassioned plea to the Illinois Legislature. Miss Dix was a stalwart advocate for mentally ill individuals mistreated by society. Some were locked away in cellars and attics. Others were put on display in county jails. No medical aid or social services were available at the time for those declared insane. Everyone was lumped into the same category—whether one was a cruel psychopathic killer or a melancholy young mother suffering from postpartum depression.  Dorothea Dix changed that.

Originally, I wrote about my tour of the asylum for a Writer’s Digest nonfiction contest. My submission won an Honorable Mention. People who read the piece urged me to “do something else” with all the historical information I’d collected.  After toying with the idea of for quite a while, I decided to write a suspense novel, using the abandoned asylum as the backdrop of the story.

HOW CAN READERS CONTACT YOU AND/OR LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WRITING?

I love to hear from readers! They can contact me through my website at www.shirleyrayeredmond.com or visit my author facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shirley-Raye-Redmond-Author/533496973399344

300 free Christian ebooks

Pelican Books Group is offering 300 ebook titles for free during the 40 days of Lent (ends April 2, 2015). Please visit http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/

Interview and Giveaway with Deborah Malone by Deborah Malone

It's time for an interview with one of my favorite writer's - moi'.  If you leave a comment telling me your definition of a cozy mystery and are a follower of this site then you could be the winner of your choice of one of my books "Death in Dahlonega" or "Murder in Marietta."


 

Can you give us a sneak peek at your new release “Murder in Marietta?”

     Trixie and Dee Dee head off to Marietta, Georgia for another assignment. They visit the Marietta History Museum where they spend the night to see if they can sight the resident ghosts. Sometime during the night a murder takes place in the museum and the director, Doc Pennington, is put on the suspect list. He asks Trixie and Dee Dee to help him find the real killer. Nana takes a larger role in this book and she won’t disappoint you with her antics.  All of this together makes a recipe for murder and mayhem.

Update:  My third book in the Trixie Montgomery series “Terror on Tybee Island” should be out in December.

 

What inspired this book?

     I’ve always loved to read so I think it was natural that I’d transition into writing. Mysteries have been my genre of choice since I was a young girl and loved to read Nancy Drew.  Cozy mysteries are one of my favorites and Ann George has been a big influence on my writing. As for writing Christian Fiction – Margaret Daley’s books were a big influence.

 

How did you know you were called to write?

     I’ve always wanted to write, but while I was writing my manuscript I wrote it as a secular book. While I was writing it I was thinking I’d like to write it in a manner that wouldn’t be offensive. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as “Christian fiction.” I had finished the manuscript when I read one of Margaret Daley’s books and went to her website where I ‘discovered’ Christian fiction. I couldn’t get enough. I joined ACFW and began to study how other writers wrote their books. I went back and rewrote my manuscript as Christian fiction.

 

 

Are you a panster or do you outline?

     I’m definitely a panster. I have a general outline on how I want the manuscript to progress, but that’s it. Then I might do a general outline for each chapter, but none of it is done in detail. Now after I’ve written a chapter I will go in Microsoft One Note and detail the chapter so I can keep up with my characters, timeline, setting, etc.

 

How long have you been writing?

     I started writing seriously in 2001 when I started writing for “Georgia Backroads” a historical magazine. I am still writing for them. I started on my book in 2002, but life got in the way and so I came back to it around 2009/10.

 

Tell us something silly about you.

     My friends and family could probably answer this better than me. The one thing I can think about is that I love to sing – but I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. So I sing in the car with the windows rolled up and the radio/CD’s going to cover up my singing.

 

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

     There aren’t any deep messages in “Murder in Marietta, but there is a theme of forgiveness and faith. For the most part I hope I make someone laugh and take them away from the stresses of real life for just a while. I want them to have some laugh out loud moments

 

What is your favorite season?

     Spring

 

What project are you currently working on?

     My third book in the Trixie Montgomery series “Terror on Tybee Island” should be out the first of December. Trixie and Dee Dee along with Nana and Trixie’s mama Betty Jo have gone to Savannah/Tybee Island, Georgia for a vacation. Of course they are going to have to help someone find a killer. My next book in the series is “Chilled in Chattanooga.”

 

What has been your most challenging experience writing a book?

     I don’t think I can list just oneJ  Learning the craft/rules of writing was a big curve for me. Then there is the editing. Then there is submitting to publishers. And then when you are finally published you think you are home free – not! Then there is the marketing. It seems there are always new challenges to learn in writing and publishing a book.

 

What is your favorite color?

     Blue

 

What is a fond childhood memory?

     I have many fond memories, but one that stands out is when my grandmother bought me a horse. My parents weren’t able to afford one so she chipped in to help and one Christmas they surprised me. Boy was I surprised.

 

What book are you currently reading?

     I just finished “Honored Redeemed” by Loree Lough.

 

Links for books: www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com

 

Links where you can find Deborah:

www.deborah-malone.com

www.deborahsbutterflyjourney.blogspot.com

www.sleuthsandsuspects.blogspot.com

www.cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com

 

 

: Deborah Malone’s first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Category Five writing contest! Deborah was also nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year in First Novel category. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine “Georgia Backroads.” She has had many articles and photographs published, and her writing is featured in “Tales of the Rails,” edited by Olin Jackson. She is a member of the Georgia Writer’s Association as well as Advanced Writer’s and Speakers Association. As a current member of the American Christian Fiction Writer she has established a blog where she reviews Christian Fiction.  

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Heather Gilbert

Recently, I interviewed author Heather Gilbert about her upcoming Viking novel, God's Daughter, which is set for release in ebook format on November 1, 2013.  

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.

I've been a novel writer for five and a half years and agented about five of those years. I've completed a paranormal (Speculative fiction) novel, a Viking historical, and a Contemporary Appalachian Mystery. So...quite the gamut. The Mystery is out on submission, but in the meantime, I've decided to self-publish my Viking historical. 

GOD'S DAUGHTER BLURB

One Viking woman. One God. One legendary journey to the New World.

In the tenth century, when pagan holy women rule the Viking lands, Gudrid turns her back on her training as a seeress to embrace Christianity. Clinging to her faith, she joins her husband, Finn, on a voyage to North America.

But even as Gudrid faces down murderous crewmen, raging sickness, and hostile natives, she realizes her greatest enemy is herself--and the secrets she hides might just tear her marriage apart.

Almost five centuries before Columbus, Viking women sailed to North America with their husbands. God's Daughter, Book One in the Vikings of the New World Saga, offers an expansive yet intimate look into the world of Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir--daughter-in-law of Eirik the Red, and the first documented European woman to have a child in North America

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO WRITE A VIKING NOVEL?

It's the one time period I can't get enough of. From the time I was little, my Grandma told me how we were related to Eirik the Red and Leif Eiriksson...my maiden name would've been Thorvaldsen if my Great-Grandpa hadn't changed it when he came to America from Norway. I bought the huge book, The Sagas of Icelanders, and I was hooked. I was especially intrigued by the stories of the Vikings (such as Leif) who came to the new world, long before Columbus. Once I read about Gudrid, a Christian Viking woman who was beautiful and wise, I knew I had my story.

I’VE HEARD YOUR NOVEL INCLUDES TOUGH TOPICS. CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT SOME OF THEM AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO INCLUDE THEM?

Yes. I feel strongly that traditional marriage is under attack today, and sometimes it seems the church is unwilling to address topics like lust, especially when the wife is the one struggling. As I imagined Gudrid's life, I realized here was this drop-dead gorgeous woman and she was stuck in a camp in the new world with all kinds of men. How do you deal with that? Also, in my novel, her husband is the leader, and he has to travel. Gudrid already has abandonment issues because her mother was killed when she was a child. What kind of depression would that throw her into...and who might come alongside to fill the gap her husband left? Those are the kinds of questions I had to ask myself.

I felt I should deal with topics the Bible deals with, and we all know that it deals with lust (Bathsheba, Tamar, etc.). I wanted to handle it in a similar way and speak to wives who might be silently struggling with thoughts they can't control.

WHAT IS THE THEME OF THE NOVEL?

One of the primary themes showing readers that Vikings were human and struggled with the same issues we do. They had families to protect and dreams to follow. They used tweezers and other personal hygiene items and weren't stupid about healing techniques. I'm so tired of people in history being portrayed as half-stupid Neanderthals. Humans have always been smart, from the beginning of time, and therefore would try to take care of themselves and those they love.

Along those lines, I wanted to bring to light the documented fact that Christianity was good for the Vikings. It was their pagan practices that were inhumane. I'm also tired of reading historicals in which paganism is elevated and revered, such as The Mists of Avalon. I consider my book a sort of reverse-Mists.

WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE READERS TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE STORY?

Again, that Vikings were human. That marriage is worth fighting for, even when you don't entirely understand your spouse, or when the grass might seem greener on the other side. That even before Christians had the Bible in hand, they knew right from wrong.

WHAT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU LEARNED WHILE CONDUCTING RESEARCH FOR THIS NOVEL?

Hard question! I've been encouraged by continuing archeological discoveries reinforcing that the sagas could have been true...even down to some (Canadian) Native Americans at that time having pale skin and red hair. I thought it was amazing that Gudrid took a very strong stand for Christianity, and that the sagas recorded it. I loved researching the possibility of Vikings using mushrooms to go berserk. But the most spectacular fact, the one that negated history I'd learned as a child, is that the first documented European baby born in North America was not Virginia Dare in the colonies, but Snorri, Gudrid's baby boy.

YOU CALL YOURSELF A HYBRID AUTHOR. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS?

Gladly. When I use that term, I mean an author who is using multiple methods to get his/her stories into readers' hands. For example, I am self-publishing this Viking historical, and yet I have an agent and my Mystery is out with traditional publishers. Hopefully, at some point, I will be both traditionally and self-published.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME WHEN YOU ARE NOT WRITING?

Ha! Good question. Lately I've wondered if I have any other hobbies. I homeschool, so that keeps me busy during the school year. But between mommying, writing/editing, blogging, marketing, and teaching my kiddos, I have few hobbies. For fun, I do enjoy puttering in my flowerbeds and hanging out in the great outdoors with my dog (she's the one I imagined when writing the wolf scenes in my novel...I'll include a picture at the end of the both of us).

HOW MAY READERS CONTACT YOU?

Facebook Author Page

Website: Heather Day Gilbert--Author

Twitter (@heatherdgilbert)

Pinterest (lots of pics from my book inspirations!)

YouTube

Goodreads

Author Bio:

Heather enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Sixteen years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective, as well as ten years spent homeschooling her three children. Heather is the ACFW West Virginia Area Coordinator.

Interview with Michael Webb

AUTHOR BIO:

Michael J. Webb graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida and obtained his J. D. from the same university.  Over the past forty years he has travelled the world in search of adventure.

He is a history buff, both ancient and modern, and is fascinated by the intersection of the scientific, supernatural, and Biblical world views, and has studied and taught from the Bible extensively for more than twenty-five years. He is also intrigued by recent discoveries in quantum physics that are now providing extraordinary insights into the reality of the spirit realm, especially as it relates to the study of Light.  He incorporates all of the above into his supernatural thrillers.

Michael and his wife make their home in North Carolina.  

          

Books by Michael:  

The Master’s Quilt, The Nephilim Parchments, The Song of the Seraphim (Giants in the Earth trilogy), The Oldest Enemy, Infernal Gates.  He is currently working on Devil’s Cauldron, the sequel to Infernal Gates.  He also authored a non-fiction work entitled In the Cleft of the Rock: Insights into the Blood of Jesus, Resurrection Power, and Saving the Soul.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START WRITING?  

            I began brainstorming about becoming an author in my mother’s womb. As a child, I loved to make up and tell fanciful, exciting stories, or act them out.  A couple of the kids I grew up with formed a neighborhood drama company and we put on plays.  The first one was about kings and queens and dragons and mythical characters, inspired by the ‘60’s Sinbad movies.  I wrote the stories. Later, I switched to poetry in high school and the first couple of years of college, hoping to catch the ear of a fair maiden, then tried my hand at short stories. 

I soon realized that the stories I wanted to tell wouldn’t fit into either of those molds. 

I started thinking about writing novels as a career in my late twenties, but didn’t begin working at the craft regularly until 1984.  I spent the next six years researching and writing a novel that was longer than Moby Dick, War and Peace, or Atlas Shrugged.  When I finished it, I proudly sent it off to an agent and received an eight page, single-spaced, typed rejection letter.  I had to pay this NY Agent a fee to read the darn thing, so the rejection letter cost me a little less than $100/page.  Anyway, that attempt at “The Great American Novel” eventually became a trilogy.  The first two books were published as paperbacks in the early ‘90’s.  Then, my editor left the publishing house, and the new editor wasn’t a fan of trilogies, or my work. So, I got one of those “don’t call us, we’ll call you letters,” and my novel went into the writers “black hole” for twenty years.

I kept writing--and kept getting more rejection letters.

Then, in August 2011 I entered a contest sponsored by Risen Books and submitted a novel I'd written in 1998-1999.  Much to my surprise, it won and The Oldest Enemy was published in October 2012!  I’d worked hard for a couple of years trying to get agents and publishers interested in the fast-paced supernatural thriller, to no avail. It had been hidden away in a drawer, gathering dust, until the contest. Interestingly, many of the exciting events portrayed in are now unfolding on the world stage, especially in the Middle East.

Suddenly, I’d found a way out of the black hole!  I’ve just released Infernal Gates and intend to release a new suspense thriller each year.

I’ve never gave up the dream of seeing the three novels I’d written way back in the 1980’s published in their entirety. I’m very happy to report that I released the complete Giants in the Earth trilogy as E-books on Amazon.com in April of this year. 

Just goes to show that timing is everything!

Oh, by the way, I still have the rejection letter, and no, I didn’t frame it.

Too long—just like my first attempt at a novel!

WHAT AUTHORS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

            Hemingway, Michael Crichton, Dan Brown, James Rollins, Daniel Silva, Frank Peretti, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Phillip K. Dick, James Byron Huggins, and J.R.R. Tolkien, not in any particular order. 

WHAT DOES YOUR WRITING SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE?

            Chaotic!

            I write when I can, mostly at night and on the weekends.  I have to set aside blocks of time, because when I go into my office and start writing I get “lost” in the process.  Hours pass and seem like only minutes.  I see all my books as movies, and I simply transcribe what my characters say and do. It’s really quite interesting and a heck of a lot of fun—most of the time.  I do suffer occasionally from “writer’s block,” but I have a proven strategy to overcome it rapidly.  I lay down, close my eyes, and pray.  Usually, within a short period of time, scenes and dialogue start scrolling through my head once again.  Rarely, I have to walk away for a day or two and come back to the story.  I spend a lot of time in my day job travelling by car to appointments, and I occasionally use some of the time to develop scenes in my head.  Scenes also come to me at the gym, while I’m shaving, watching a movie—well, you get the idea.

            I write by the seat-of-my-pants. I typically start a novel with a vivid opening, an idea of two or three key scenes I want included, and a very rough idea of where I want to end up.  After that, I just start writing and God does the rest.

WHY DO YOU WRITE THE KIND OF STORIES YOU DO?

Someone once said, "Inside every fat book is a thin book trying to get out . . ."  I can't help myself--I write "fat" books! I've tried to write books under one hundred thousand words, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to lose the weight.

My very first novel started out at over two hundred thousand words--and became a trilogy. I've tried writing short stories and they turn into novellas.  I've tried novellas and they turn into full-blown novels. I'm a hopeless lover of deep characterization and back story, lots of action, and page-turning plots, something nearly impossible for me to do in less than one hundred thousand words.

I'm a storyteller at heart, and I love entertaining readers with pulse-pounding action, flawed--but intriguing--characters, and fascinating plots that have my readers asking, "How did he come up with that?"  My tagline is "stories that ignite imaginations and stir souls..."  I like to get people thinking about the world they live in from a very different perspective than they are used to, especially as it relates to the realm of the spirit, angels and demons, and the intersection of the biblical, scientific, and historical disciplines.

There is an ancient battle being fought around us on an hourly basis in the realm of the spirit.  It regularly manifests in the natural, terrestrial realm, yet few people really understand the true nature of the battle. Hence, many perish for lack of knowledge.  Like Toto in the Wizard of Oz, I love pulling back the curtain and exposing "the wizard" for who he is--a short, balding, fat man from Kansas!  That’s not to say the wizard doesn’t have power, he does.  But with the proper weapons of warfare we may lose a few battles, but we ultimately win the war.  I like to think that in some small way my stories have the potential to function like the red pill Nero took in The Matrix—we awaken and discover just how deep the rabbit hole is.   Once that happens, like Nero, we are accountable for our knowledge.

Nevertheless, while all of my suspense thrillers, including Infernal Gates, have the purpose of provoking my readers to examine their belief system, at their core I hope they are simply good stories; the kind that keep you turning pages long after the sun goes down and make you wish there was more to read once you've finished.  My heart is to figuratively serve up a ten course meal with each new story I tell, and leave my readers hungry for their next serving.

Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a place in this world for short stories, novellas, and novels under a hundred thousand words. I just won't be writing them anytime soon.

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR RESEARCH?

            Some Mathematicians, Physicists, Theologians, Paranormal Researchers, Ancient Cultures, Writers, and the deceased Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, have something in common.  They all know there is at least one additional dimension beyond space, time, and matter. They all use different terminology to describe it, but when you strip away the varied lingua francas, they’re all talking about the same thing.  I call it the realm of the Spirit, others refer to it as the Fourth Dimension, and still others call it parallel universes. 

Whatever the terminology, we risk much if we ignore its impact on our lives, both now and for eternity. 

I’ve been studying Light for a very long time as it relates to this additional dimension. Recent research in Quantum Physics is just starting to confirm some very fascinating things about the nature of Light and its relationship to creation and humanity. One of the most astounding things I’ve been studying for over two decades is the incredible idea, first expressed in Book of Genesis, that Adam and Eve were not initially created from “dust,” but from the very foundational building block that God used to create everything—Light.  Some of the very first rabbis believed and taught this.  There is very compelling linguistic evidence, in more than one place in Scripture, that states this concept clearly when one uses a pure translation and doesn’t impose any kind of religious bias to create a man-centered vs. a God-centered doctrine. Accepting this idea makes a great deal of sense in context with numerous biblical principles and opens the door to understanding the complex nature of the Spirit Realm in ways that science is just beginning to acquire. I discuss this at length in my non-fiction work In the Cleft of the Rock:  Insights into the Blood of Jesus, Resurrection Power, and Saving the Soul.

One of the passages I quote most often in my teachings is from the Book of Hosea, where God speaks through the prophet and says, “My people perish for lack of knowledge . . .”  There is much we have yet to learn about the realm of the Spirit, and I’m convinced that in the next few years the lines between Biblical, scientific, and mathematical truths will become so blurred that we will wonder how we ever missed the obvious Truth.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME WHEN YOU'RE NOT WRITING?

            My wife and I love to travel, both for ministry and fun.  We have numerous places on our bucket list to visit:  Iceland, Australia/New Zealand, Chile.  I want to visit Antarctica, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and to the Base Camp on Everest.  We love to snorkel, and our favorite place to get away from it all is St. Johns in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  We also enjoy hiking, and I love horseback riding, although I don’t get to do it often.  We are “foodies” who love to try new and different restaurants and cuisines, and going to movies.

HOW CAN READERS CONTACT YOU AND/OR LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WRITING?

Visit Michael at http://www.michaeljwebbfiction.com/

Purchase INFERNAL GATES at http://amzn.to/18HrDjY

Michael’s Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/author/michaeljwebbfiction

Contact Michael at michaeljwebbbooks@gmail.com

BACK COVER BLURB FOR INFERNAL GATES:

Ethan Freeman, ex-Special Forces Ranger, wakes up to discover he is the sole survivor of a fiery commercial airline crash that killed his entire family.  His nightmare is only beginning when he becomes the FBI’s prime suspect.  Only Ethan knows he’s not a cold-hearted murderer, but he has no idea what happened to him--and why he alone survived.

He finds an unlikely ally in Sam Weaver, the NTSB Chief Investigator.  An ex-military pilot, Sam senses Ethan is innocent.  She tries to remain dispassionate in her investigation of the crash even as she finds herself attracted to the man who may be America=s worst homegrown mass-murderer.

Neither Ethan nor Sam realize that shadowy spiritual forces are at work which will alter their lives forever.

A monstrous evil, imprisoned since the time of the Pharaohs, has been released by The Nine, a sinister group of powerful men and women who believe they are the direct descendants of the Anunnaki, ancient Sumerian gods. The demon they have unleashed intends to free The Destroyer from The Abyss, the angelic prison referred to in the Book of Revelation, and unleash a worldwide reign of terror and annihilation.

Facing impossible odds, time is running out for Ethan and all of humanity as he is drawn into an ever-deeper conspiracy--millennia in the making--and learns that he is the key to stopping The Nine. Will he overcome his deepest fears and find reserves of strength he never knew he had as he confronts pure evil in order to save himself and an unsuspecting world?