LAST TEMPTATION - Michelle Stimpson - Free Book

I'm so happy to welcome Michelle back to my blog. She's one of the people in the critique group that meets in my home, and she has a very distinctive voice in her writing. Now Michelle, God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

I see non-fiction and movies on the horizon! God is indeed moving me, changing me. This is exciting!

Tell us a little about your family.

My husband and I have two wonderful teenagers – Steven (16) and Kalen (15) – and one crazy miniature Cocker named (MiMi). Now that the kids are older and active with sports and church, we’re always coming and going. I don’t know how parents did the whole teenage thing before cell phones!

I'll tell you. It wasn't easy. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Not really. I’ve always read more non-fiction than fiction, so this has not changed. One reason I don’t read a great deal of fiction is because, for some reason, I’m a chameleon when it comes to voice. When I read a novel, I can’t also be writing a novel because somehow the other author’s voice makes it into my books. It’s weird, I know, but the same thing happens to me with accents. When I’m around people with accents, I pick up the accent right away.

I'm kind of like that with accents, but not with voice in novels. What are you working on right now?

I’m not writing anything at the moment – I’m gearing up for book promotions, which is a job in itself. I’ll probably write a few short stories in the next month or so, and I do plan to finish my second screenplay over Thanksgiving break.

What outside interests do you have?

Recently, my daughter and I started making scripture bracelets, so that’s my next big she-bang (http://www.wordwatch.net/ ).

And I have one of those. They're wonderful. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I’m lazy when it comes to settings. Most of my stories take place in areas I’m familiar with so I won’t have to do a ton of research. I think the characters drive my stories more than anything, so setting isn’t necessarily a huge deal for me.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

I just re-read Mary Kay Ash’s autobiography, and I’d really like to sit down with her and just listen to what she has to say about women, business, and partnering for success. Her book was great, but I think there’s probably something in her delivery that I’d like to see first-hand.

She was an amazing woman. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

This is a tough question for me because while I do know things I didn’t know before, I can’t say that it would be better for me to have known these things ahead of time. I value the experiences I’ve had as an author, and I wouldn’t change anything. So, while I did make some mistakes, those mistakes birthed invaluable lessons that I couldn’t have learned otherwise. Romans 8:28 in action!

God's timing is always perfect in our lives. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Oh my goodness, the biggest lesson I’m learning right now is not to panic! I’m normally an easy-going person, really. People who know me think I’m the happy-go-lucky, que sera sera type, and usually I am. My life is usually pretty fun, and easy, and even when I have problems, they’re usually not that crucial. But lately, I’ve been faced with some serious situations that are completely out of my control; situations where a negative outcome would be life-changing. God is teaching me to stop and pray. To trust Him. To stand on His word and believe that His yoke is easy, His burdens light (Matthew 11:30). Yes, there are problems in life because I have an enemy – but that enemy is defeated already. So, right now, my biggest lesson is that no problem I have ever had or ever will have will be bigger than God. I shouldn’t be passive about life, but I shouldn’t be panicking, either.

We all need to learn that lesson. What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

(I only have one piece of advice at the moment) Trust God. Some of my best interviews, sales months, and opportunities have come not when I’m beating down people’s doors and hounding them the “let me in,” but when I’ve taken the time to get God’s direction. Slow down and let God open the doors!

Now, Michelle, tell us about the featured book.

Last Temptation is actually a follow-up to my first novel, Boaz Brown. The main character in Last Temptation, Patricia “Peaches” Miller, is a single mother who has fallen in love and is engaged to marry the man of her dreams, Quinn Robertson. But when Quinn accepts a job transfer to Philadelphia and lets Peaches know that they’ll be leaving Dallas soon after the wedding, Peaches has to reconsider. At the same time, her son’s father (Raphael) suddenly becomes re-interested in Peaches. Peaches has always felt a sense of guilt about bringing a child into the world without being married. She begins to wonder if she owes it to her son to give his biological father another chance. Maybe Raphael’s the one she should have been with all along?

Interesting. Please give us the first page of the book.

Quinn’s proposal was not a big surprise. Actually, it was one of those “it’s about time” moments. We’d been dating exclusively for almost eighteen months and those karats were long overdue, in my book. I believe in taking my time, but my body doesn’t. Any Christian woman can be celibate when she’s single, but throw a six foot tall chocolate brown brother with a sharp goatee and a good job in the mix…hmph, a sister is liable to get all shook up. Yes, Quinn was a wonderful man who loved the Lord, loved me, and treated my 8-year-old son, Eric, like his own. The faith was there, the love was there, the Lord was there. But I won’t lie – my flesh was so weak for Quinn I thought I was gonna have to go on Ebay and find me a chastity belt.

So when he finally popped the question by calling me out and proposing on stage after the local college’s production of A Raisin in the Sun (which he directed), I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the wait was over.

Don’t get me wrong: the single life was good while it lasted. There’s nothing like being able to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, how you want to do it. But that gets old after a while – 34 years, in my case. I suppose if my best friend, LaShondra, were still single, it wouldn’t be so bad. And if Deniessa, my friend and former co-worker, hadn’t married that good and throwed-off Jamal last year, I would at least have someone to watch The Best Man with. Well, now it was my turn to join the ranks of married women and start the next chapter in my life. Thank you, Lord.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.michellestimpson.com/

Thanks, Lena, for the opportunity! You had a hand in this book, and I appreciate you!

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