Author Ramona Cecil - SWEET FOREVER - Free Book

I've known Ramona for a long time, and I'm happy to feature her with her newest novel.

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Probably more than I’d like to admit. I don’t consciously set out to write character who are like me—especially my heroines. Just the opposite. I sometimes think; I’d like to be that spunky, brave, or smart. But on the other hand, an author’s life experiences as well as spiritual questions we struggle with do seep into our stories. I know many of mine do. They are just disguised in different personalities with different sets of problems in different eras.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I’m dating myself, but when I was in high school a couple of my friends found an article about England’s Prince Charles. It mentioned that he liked poetry. Knowing I wrote a lot of poetry, they dared me to send him some. I did. Nothing mushy—just what would be classified as nature poetry. I actually got a reply from his “squadron leader” saying something to the effect that the Prince of Wales wanted to thank me for the poetry and that he liked it. Needless to say, I won the dare.

How fun! When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Writing has been part of my life since I was very young. Both my parents wrote poetry and my mother actually wrote a couple of books that were never published. I began composing poetry when I was about fours years old, I guess. I remember my mother writing down my little poems for me before I’d learned to write.

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

I enjoy reading anything that has to do with history, both fiction and non-fiction. I like classics like James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales and Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. As a young Hoosier I grew up on the works of Gene Stratton Porter such as Girl of the Limberlost, Freckles, and Laddie. Lately I enjoy the stories of many authors of historical Christian fiction including Janette Oke, Kim Sawyer, Louise Gouge, MaryLu Tyndall and DiAnn Mills.

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

My published works are Larkspur, a prairie romance, published by Vintage Romance Publishers, and Everlasting Promise, the second of my Heartsong Indiana series. Charity’s Heart, the third book of the series has been contracted, but not yet released. My unpublished works include two historical novellas, Daughter of Orion and To Hear the Angels Sing, two contemporary novellas, London Holiday and Train to Eden, and two more full length novels, Brooksbury and The Heritage.

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

Prayer and keeping my priorities in order. It may be an old cliché, but I do find hemming my day with prayer calms me and helps me get through even the most stressful days. Whenever possible, I also try to set aside my weekends for relaxing and family time.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

A variety of ways. Since I mainly write historicals I’m careful to choose first names that are era appropriate, so I often go for biblical names. My heroine in Sweet Forever needed an Irish name, so I went to an Irish name web site. I found the name Rosaleen and just fell in love with it. Sometimes I get an image of the character in my mind and a name that just seems to fit pops into my head. I named my heroine in Larkspur Becky after Daniel Boone’s wife, Rebecca. I sometimes use old family names for both first and last names. That was the case with my hero Brock Martin in The Heritage. My maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Brock and her mother’s maiden name was Martin. Sutton, the surname of my hero in Everlasting Promise is a name from my father’s side of the family. But I often get surnames from the telephone book.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Having raised two wonderful daughters who have grown into wonderful Christian women. Second to that would be having three of my historical romance novels chosen by Barbour Publishing’s Heartsong Presents line for their Indiana historical series.

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

That’s a toughie. But I guess I’d have to choose a horse. I think they are beautiful animals and have always regarded horses as loyal and hardworking with big hearts.

What is your favorite food?

Born and raised in the rural Mid West I’m a meat and potatoes gal. Fried chicken is a favorite of mine, though for health reasons, I rarely allow myself to indulge.

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

Everything seemed to be a roadblock from having to learn the computer to learning the nuts and bolts of good writing, both of which are still ongoing. I suppose a huge roadblock was finding editors interested in looking at my work. I overcame it by attending writing conferences. There, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk one on one with editors who might be interested in what I write. Several years ago, when I began getting serious about writing novels, I asked God to put people in my way who could help me. He has continually done that.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

To all aspiring authors who ask my advice, I tell them they cannot do this alone. I suggest they first ask God for His guidance. I then suggest for encouragement and learning, they join a good writing group like American Christian Fiction Writers and to take advantage of the online writing courses and workshops offered. In addition, I suggest they try to get into a critique group which includes at least a couple of veteran writers. But most importantly, I tell them to continually keep working to make your writing better, to always have a teachable heart, and to never, never, never give up.

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

Sweet Forever is the first in my series of three Indiana historicals for Barbour Publishing’s Heartsong Presents line. It is set in a real place—Madison, Indiana, on the southern border of the state along the Ohio River. The story takes place in 1845, which was Madison’s heyday. The plot is replete with riverboats, riverboat gamblers, and the Underground Railroad, all of which were prominent features of Madison at that time. My heroine, Rosaleen, is desperate to flee the clutches of a notorious riverboat gambler. She gets her wish when the riverboat she is riding on explodes and she is subsequently washed up on the riverbank at Madison. Of the mind that God
hates her, Rosaleen is chagrinned to learn that the young man who rescues and befriends her is a minister of the gospel. While writing the book, I worked closely with Madison historians in my attempt to accurately portray the Madison, Indiana, of 1845.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My web site is http://www.ramonakcecil.com/.

Thank you, Ramona, for spending this time with us.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. But be sure and check back a week from Saturday to see if you win.