A PIONEER CHRISTMAS - Shannon McNear and eight other authors - One Free Book

Readers, I've known Shannon for years, and I was thrilled when she received her first contract for this book. The book is a nine novella collection. The other authors are Lauraine Snelling, Margaret Brownley, Kathleen Fuller, Marcia Gruver, Cynthia Hickey, Vickie McDonough, Michelle Ule, and Anna Urquhart. This will be a wonderful Christmas read. For today, we're featuring debut novelist, Shannon McNear.

Welcome, Shannon. How did your story for the collection come about?

My good friend and writing partner Beth (Elizabeth) Goddard, who’s been a Barbour author for years, forwarded me a call for submissions on the Pioneer Christmas collection. I told her I’d think/pray about it. Within about five minutes, the story idea bloomed to life, and by the end of that week, I had my first chapter and synopsis.

What are you reading right now?

The book of Ezekiel in the Bible...before that, Iscariot by Tosca Lee, and before that, the ARC of Burning Sky by debut author Lori Benton.

What other books have you had published?

Defending Truth was my very first book contract, ever. :-)

What is the hardest thing about writing a part of a novella collection?

For me, it was wondering if mine would be “good enough,” if it would fit the guidelines. Making sure I had my history and research right.

How did collaborating with this team impact you?

Because there are nine of us, and each story is a standalone, there wasn’t any collaborating. I’m looking forward to reading the other stories, though!

How do you choose your characters’ names?

For historical, I spend some time going through genealogies of the period, muster rolls, cemetery records, anything that gives me a sense of what was common (or not) for the time and region. I try to pick something that sounds like what a real person would have. When I chose Truth Bledsoe, I went with a real, historical family name and a first name that could have been used for those fond of the old Puritan way of using character traits as names. It was only after the fact that I found the family I anchored her to had a male member by the name of Loving (permuted in some records to Lovin or Loven, which is what I wound up using for my story). So it seemed particularly fitting. For Micah, I chose a not-overused Biblical name combined with what could have been a last name of the period.

What did you want the reader to take away from your story?

A renewed sense of God’s grace, and our ability to forgive because of it. Also, a fresh appreciation for the difficulty and complexity of the era.

Please give us a peek into your story.

Papa would tan her hide if he knew she was out here again. Too many Indians to worry about. Not to mention Tories. But Papa was still gone fighting the British, and the young 'uns needed fed.

Truth Bledsoe took a better grip of her grandfather's long rifle and peered through the cold fog of the western North Carolina morning. The narrow path up the mountain lay beneath a carpet of reds and golds, slick with rain. All but a few yards ahead faded into the mist. The forest was still except for the occasional drip of moisture or creak of branch. 

With a deep breath, she trudged on until out of the loomed a great boulder tucked into a fold of the mountainside. 

Her favorite hunting perch. She slid the rifle up over the edge then, with fingers and toes in various cracks, hoisted herself onto the top. There she settled herself herself to wait for whatever game might wander past. She'd taken her share of deer, turkey, and squirrel from this rock. Even glimpsed a few Indians. Today she was hoping for something to fill the new stew pot. 

Her ears strained for shreds of sound. Everything would be muffled in the fog, whether the whoosh of a deer's snort or the rustle of a squirrel in the leaves.

The snap of a twig, when it came, drew her almost straight up, gun to her shoulder.

"Don't shoot!" came a sharp cry.

Sounds like a really good read. I can't wait until my copy arrives. Are you a member of American Christian Fiction Writers? If so, why?

I sure am! I joined ACFW about nine years ago when I felt I needed more guidance and polish with my writing than I received from other critique groups. Now, of course, I wonder if I was just dense :-) but ACFW has been invaluable in terms of the relationships I’ve made, in addition to what I’ve learned as a writer.

My first contract came eight years after I first started writing novels, so though your nine years seemed long, other writers had similar experiences. What is the best piece of advice you received as an author?

It’s about the journey, not the “destination” of being published. Wow, I hated hearing that. :-)

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, and I write Sunday devotionals over at The Borrowed Book (http://theborrowedbook.blogspot.com ). My personal blog is at www.shannonmcnear.com .

Thank you, Shannon, for sharing about your debut book with us.

Readers, here are links to buy the book. When you use one of them, you help support this blog.
A Pioneer Christmas - Christianbook.com
A Pioneer Christmas Collection - Amazon.com
A Pioneer Christmas Collection: 9 Stories of Finding Shelter and Love in a Wintry Frontier - Kindle

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