MIRRORED IMAGE - Alice K Arenz - Free Book

I'm really happy to be interviewing Alice. Her book Case of the Mystified M.D. won the prestigious Carol award at the American Christian Fiction Writers national conference this year. Welcome, Alice. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

I’m hoping that He will continue to give me stories to write for publication. It’s been a great honor to bring these stories to life – and an even greater honor to know they come from Him.

Tell us a little about your family.

I’ve been blessed with two daughters and four grandchildren – two girls, two boys. They, along with my husband, are my biggest supporters.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I don’t read as much as I used to – at least not in the same way. Before it was more consistent, a couple of books a week. Now I’m more likely to read in spurts, in between writing jags.

What are you working on right now?

My next novel, An American Gothic, is a mystery/romantic suspense. The gothic is actually the manuscript the heroine is writing. A paragraph or two of that story begins each chapter, foreshadowing the events in the main story.

Sounds interesting. You must let me know when it's going to be released. What outside interests do you have?

I used to sew a lot and garden, but because of problems with my hands don’t do much of those anymore. I enjoy watching movies at home – and any time I get to spend with my family is a big plus.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

This may sound a little strange, but it would be more accurate to say that the settings choose me. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer who literally doesn’t know what’s going to happen in my stories in advance. While I was writing The Case of the Mystified M.D., I got a bit frustrated because I wasn’t sure where it was all going. I prayed about this A LOT and finally asked if God couldn’t at least show me the end. I guess I should have been more specific in what I was wanting, though, because what I got was the last sentence. But, you know, that turned out to be all I really needed because every time I sat down to write, that sentence put a song in my head that seemed to lead me from one scene to the next.

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

Jesus would definitely be my first choice, but since that seems so obvious, I’m going to have to say Benjamin Franklin – or one of our other founding fathers. I have always believed each of them were divinely led in the forming of our great nation, and I would like the opportunity to thank them for their faithfulness to God and to the freedoms we have today.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

How hard it is to get up in front of people and talk about my writing – and that goes for book signings, too. I’m an introverted introvert and have had to learn to go outside my comfort zone. It’s not easy for me, and I pray constantly about each event to get through. But the rewards have been amazing.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

To lean more on Him and not try to go it alone. I’ve always known this, but, like most people, it’s easy to forget when too many things are going on at once. I think if I can remember that, I’ll be able to budget my time better and not waste so much of it worrying over stuff I can’t do anything about in the first place.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

Um, that’s a tough one. Listen to what you feel the Lord is telling you to do, follow in the direction He is leading – and if writing is what you feel He wants you to do, keep the faith and don’t give up.

Tell us about the featured book.

Mirrored Image is a mystery/romantic suspense. Here’s the back cover blurb:

Eccentric newspaper columnist Cassandra Chase and by-the-book Detective Jeff McMichaels clash over the murder investigation of Lynette Sandler - a woman who looks eerily like the popular columnist.

The uncanny similarities of the two women's lives and a rash of attacks on Cassie, lead her to the conclusion that she, not Lynette Sandler, was the murderer's original mark.

For McMichaels, the Sandler case becomes more than just a test of his mental acumen. Despite departmental regulations and his own common sense, he finds himself drawn to a woman he was determined to dislike. But can he keep her alive long enough for their relationship to grow?

Sounds intriguing. Please give us the first page of the book.

PROLOGUE
SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 1986, 6:45 P.M.

A dull ache near the center of her back accompanied the gradual return of consciousness. What began as a hot, searing pain was now a nondescript thudding, like an overactive pulse point.

She tried to focus on her surroundings, to move, but her limbs remained frozen to the floor where she had fallen.

A sudden onslaught of memory brought back the shock and horror of the cold steel blade plunging into her flesh. She closed her eyes and fought the vomit rising in her throat. She would not be sick, could not allow such an indignity.

She knew she was dying, could feel her life force drain from her as the blood oozed from the wound in her back. There was no fear of death; it would be a welcome release into the arms of friends waiting on the other side—friends who had not betrayed her.

Betrayal, treachery, and deceit. Ugly words for an even uglier deed that conjured images of the man who accepted thirty pieces of silver to deliver his Lord into the hands of His enemies.

Tears of anger and resentment stung her eyes as rage over the actof disloyalty spurred a primal instinct geared toward survival.

The person who violated her must be punished.

Now I know I want to read it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Stop by at http://www.akawriter.com/ or http://www.sheafhouse.com/ for more information on my books – and me. You can also find my books at http://www.christianbook.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, and most other online bookstores.

Thanks for having me on your blog, Lena!

And thank you for taking the time to visit with me, Alice.
 
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