SHADOW IN SERENITY - Terri Blackstock - Free Book

Welcome, Terri. I've really been looking forward to our interview. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write Christian novels because I feel passionately that God has called me to reach people through story. My mission is to entertain, challenge, raise awareness for issues, direct people to the Bible, and point people to Christ, the real answer to all their problems.

I feel the same way you do about my writing. Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Two happiest days—when I gave birth to my two precious daughters.

How has being published changed your life?

I’ve been writing professionally for twenty-six years, so it’s almost hard to remember when I wasn’t doing this. But being a published writer has enabled me to be my own boss and have flexible hours, and even though I sometimes work harder than I probably would at any other job, I’ve loved being able to use my creative gift to make a living.

What are you reading right now?

I’m currently reading some nonfiction books for research for my new series.

Yes, so much of my reading right now is research for the book I’m writing as well. What is your current work in progress?

I’m finishing up edits of Downfall, Book 3 in my Intervention Series, which will be out in March 2012. Readers can pre-order it now at www.terriblackstock.com. I’m also writing a brand new series that is in such early stages that everything about it is still up in the air. I’m not quite sure where it will land yet or what the title will be.

What would be your dream vacation?

I would love to go to Hawaii. I’m hoping to do that at some point in the next couple of years.

James and I hope to go to Hawaii sometime, too. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I like to set most of my books somewhere in the south, because I’m a southerner and that’s where I’m most comfortable. I usually choose a setting that best fits the plot of the book. I created a fictitious Louisiana town for my Newpointe 911 Series, because I wanted it to be a small town that was close to New Orleans. For my Cape Refuge Series, I created a fictitious island next to Savannah. I was inspired by Tybee Island, but I didn’t want to be limited to the real buildings and businesses there, so I made up an island and put it next to Tybee. I set two of the three books in my Intervention Series in Atlanta, because I needed to use their airport and the topography north of Atlanta for part of my plot. So it all depends on what the story calls for, and how easy it will be for me to research that area.

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

Probably Kay Arthur. She’s an extraordinary author and Bible teacher for Precept Ministries. I’ve learned much of what I know about the Bible from taking/teaching her courses, so she’s a hero of mine.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love watching decorating shows on TV. That’s my guilty pleasure.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

I hate writing first drafts. I always have to force myself to get through that. I try to write it as fast as possible without allowing anything to interrupt my momentum. And I do it without judgment, just trying to get it down. Once I have that first draft finished, I feel much more able to get creative. In the second, third, fourth and tenth drafts, I get deeper and deeper, focusing on different aspects of the story and polishing so that it’s something someone will want to read.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

The best advice anyone ever gave me was, “Don’t get it right, get it written.” Before, I would write the first three chapters over and over until I got sick of the book, and then I’d fizzle out and start something else. I never finished anything. Once I heard this advice, I was able to focus on just getting that first draft down without going back to change or edit anything. That enabled me to finish everything I started, and enabled me to finally start selling my work.

Tell us about the featured book.

Carny Sullivan knows a con artist when she sees one, and she’s seen plenty, since she used to be one. But Logan Brisco is the smoothest fraud Serenity, Texas, has ever seen. From his Italian shoes to his movie-star smile, he has them snowed. Carny’s the only one in town who has his number, and if it’s the last thing she ever does, she’s going to expose him. But is she really a match for him?

Sounds like the book is right down my alley. Please give us the first page of the book.

         Logan Brisco had the people of Serenity, Texas, eating out of his hand, and that was just where he wanted them.

         He worked hard to cultivate the smile of a traveling evangelist, the confidence of a busy capitalist, the secrecy of a government spy, and the charisma of a pied piper. No one in town knew where he’d come from or why he was there, and he wasn’t talking. But he made sure they knew he was on a mission, and that it was something big.

From the moment he drove his Navigator in, wearing his thousand-dollar suit and Italian shoes, carrying a briefcase in one hand and a duffel bag in the other, tongues began wagging. The most prevalent rumor was that Logan Brisco was a movie producer scouting talent for his latest picture. But the weekly patrons of the Clippety Doo Dah Salon were sure he was a billionaire-in-hiding, looking for a wife. And the men at Slade Hampton’s Barbershop buzzed about the money he was likely to invest in the community.

Two days after he arrived, the UPS man delivered two large boxes marked “Fragile” and addressed to “Brisco, c/o The Welcome Inn.” One of the boxes had the return address of a prominent bank in Dallas. The other was marked Hollywood, California. The gossip grew more frenzied.

For two weeks, he talked to the people of the town, ate in its restaurants, shopped in its stores, bonded with its men, flirted with its women. As soon as speculation peaked, Logan would be ready to go in for the kill.

This one might be his biggest score yet.

I can hardly wait to read the rest, and I’m sure my readers feel the same way. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My web site: www.terriblackstock.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tblackstock

Twitter: www.twitter.com/TerriBlackstock

Thank you, Terri, for the interesting time today.



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Shadow in Serenity


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