Author Rebeca Seitz - Free Book

I'm pleased to introduce you to Rebeca Seitz. We met in Nashville a couple of years ago, and I just love her.

Rebeca, welcome to my blog. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Oh, dear. Can I plead the Fifth? Ha ha! A lot of my characters’ quirks come from either something I am/do, or something I know others are/do. I’ve always been a person who figures out life through stories. So, when I’m writing stories, I’m still embarking on that adventure of figuring out this crazy planet on which I find myself. Because of that, a lot of my analysis and struggle to understand comes through in the characters.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Just one? My momma would be rolling her eyes at me right about now. :-) Of all my siblings, I’m the nut. Always willing to try something new, go off on a hare-brained adventure, etc. I end up doing a LOT of quirky stuff. A few of them lately have been: running across the road in the middle of a storm to get a picture of the rainbow a couple of fields away, jumping as hard as I could into mud puddles to beat my two-year-old’s splash (that kid can SPLASH!), and hanging that same two-year-old off my hip on our front porch while teaching him how to catch the first snowflakes of the season on his tongue and laughing out loud with my husband (the smart one – who was standing in the warm doorway behind us).

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I was eight years old growing up on our family farm that we’d had since the Civil War. I couldn’t have picked a better place for a kid with no money and a big imagination to spend her growing up years. I climbed in barns that had seen over 100 years of storms, raced across ground that produced fruit for generation after generation, and had a gigantic spread of sky to stare into and make cloud pictures. At eight, I decided to write down one of the stories that always popped into my brain – about a magic cornstalk. :-) My parents still have it in their attic.


Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Mostly, I read fiction. Big surprise, eh? :-) I read all genres of fiction – romance, contemporary, women’s, fantasy, suspense, mystery, thriller, international, etc. I don’t read a lot of historical these days, though I’ve read hundreds of them in my lifetime. On the non-fiction side, I occasionally (as in, once or twice per year, maybe) read a biography or a book that teaches about some aspect of God. For instance, I read Jennifer O’Neill’s biography a little while ago and am re-reading The Rest of God right now. I start a lot of nonfiction and own even more of it so if you ever come in my home, I look smart! But my passion is and always has been stories.

Mine, too! What other books have you written, whether published or not?

Prints Charming was my first novel. It released with Thomas Nelson last Spring. Coming Unglued is the follow-up to Sisters, Ink and will be in stores this August.

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

I married the man God created for me. I get asked a lot how I fit everything into the day between running Glass Road, writing novels, raising a two-year-old, being a wife, renovating a 100+ year old home, serving as director of our women’s ministry, etc. And, seriously, it’s because I’m married to an amazing man. Charlie is the earthly hands and feet of my heavenly Father. That isn’t to say he’s perfect – he’s not! But he loves me unconditionally and that means he cares about my well-being. If he sees I’m tired, he tells me to rest while he keeps watch on all the balls I have up in the air. If he sees I’m hungry, he sits a plate of food on my desk. If he sees I’m upset, he asks why and then listens while I tell him. If he sees I’m happy, he asks why and then laughs alongside me. He’s just this wonderful partner to share life with and he makes everything matter so much more. He frees me to be the Rebeca that God dreamt up.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

They just come to me. Names have always held a lot of meaning for me, a sort of latent personality in and of themselves. That’s why I no longer go by “Becky” as I did when I was a little girl with blonde pigtails. Becky has a certain personality, a specific type that should come along with it. I still have my Becky moments (mud puddles, rainbows, etc.) but enough of life’s storms have buffeted my life to mold me into a Rebeca. :-)

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Glass Road Public Relations! The publicity firm stands as testament to God’s faithfulness, provision, power and purpose in my life. It began solely as His dream and He’s allowed me to take part in it so completely these past three years that I stand in awe. Just yesterday, as I hung up the cell phone after a conversation with a movie producer, I turned to my sister and said, “I have the coolest job in the world. I LOVE that I get to do this.” Getting to spend my life working in the world of Christian entertainment is a gift for which I will forever and ever be grateful.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Wow, that’s a hard question! I think I’d be a blue jay. They’re such gorgeous creatures and their spot of dark blue against the light blue sky always makes me pause and appreciate the Creator. I’d like to have a lifetime where my presence pointed everyone to God’s artistic abilities all the time.

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate brownies or double chocolate cookies.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

My biggest problem – hmm, I think finding time to write is the hardest thing for me. I have a lot of demands for my time and writing is such a luxury, an escape, that I tend to put it at the bottom of the To Do list. I haven’t completely overcome the problem (as evidenced by the fact that my next manuscript is a month late right now), but I’m working on it.
What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Network!! If, that is, you want to be a published author. Learn all you can about the different publishing houses and what types of books they’re known for in the marketplace. Go to writers conferences and industry trade shows. Learn names, learn faces, and introduce yourself!

What would you like to tell us about the featured book?

That it’s on sale in every bookstore in the country right now! :-) Seriously, I’d like you to know that Tandy’s story – and the stories of the other Sinclair sisters that I’m writing now – mean a whole lot to me. I’d love to know if their stories affect you. If you hated them, loved them, identified with them, please let me know at Rebeca@sistersink.net!

How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find out all about the books at www.sistersink.net and about Glass Road at www.GlassRoadPR.com.

Thank you for spending this time with us, Rebeca.

Readers, check out Rebeca's web sites. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of her book.

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Susan May Warren - Taming Rafe
Roxanne Rustand - Vendetta
Ruth Axtell Morren - The Healing Season