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Now today's interview:
Readers, we have an author who is new to this blog today.
Welcome, Darlene. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I
use a lot of my own struggles and experiences in my characters. I figure if
I’ve been through something, then other people probably have too, and it will
help them to read about it and see how the characters come through to the other
side. I also have a very dry, kind of sarcastic sense of humor, so that tends
to work its way into at least one character in each story!
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
Well,
most recently on a road trip, my car mates were choosing songs on the Ipod and
asking me to do interpretive dance moves—from my position in the passenger seat
of the car. That was quirky. And, I must say, I was quite impressive. I do
quirky things all the time. That was just the most recent!
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
Hmm
… I don’t know if I will get in trouble for this. Not sure what the statute of
limitations is. But, in 7th grade I had to write a book report, and I hadn’t
read a book. So I made one up. I got an A. LOL. I’ve just always loved writing
stories and all through school, my teachers told me I should consider being a
writer. It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s though, that I was reading Linda
Windsor’s book, It Had to be You,
that I thought to myself, I really want to give this a shot! I started reading
Heartsong books, and studying how they were written. The structure of the
stories. I noticed the authors all belonged to an organization called ACRW (now
ACFW). So I checked that out and joined, and the rest is history.
Tell us the range of the
kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I
love all kinds of books. Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Romantic Comedy, Autobiography,
Historic Fiction. I’m pretty much all over the board. I’m the same with my
music.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I’m
a major homebody, and so is my husband. I find that if I don’t have enough down
time, just hanging out at home with him, I get stressed. I also need to get
together with friends and laugh. I surround myself with funny people. It’s hard
to be stressed when you’re laughing at how ridiculous life is. And of course,
staying grounded in God’s word, and remembering that no matter how out of
control things seem, none of it takes HIM by surprise.
How do you choose your
characters’ names?
I
don’t really have a process for choosing names. Sometimes I Google what the
popular names were at the time that my characters were born and choose that
way. Especially for historic fiction. You don’t want a modern name for someone
who was born in 1920.
In
Redeeming
Luke, the name Luke just came to me because it’s a strong masculine
name, and it matches the character. But the character of Ruth was deliberate
because she’s based on my studies of the Kinsman Redeemer in the Biblical book
of Ruth.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I
have two, but they are intertwined. The first is my twenty-six year marriage to
my husband, Rick. We are truly best friends and love each other’s company. He
makes me laugh every single day. And yet, a great marriage doesn’t just happen.
You have to work at it. Every single day you have the opportunity to grow and
learn to put the other person first. The second accomplishment is how we have
raised our sons together. They are now twenty-two and twenty, and they are
amazingly kind, respectful, hardworking, Godly young men.
If you were an animal,
which one would you be, and why?
I
love dolphins! They are so happy and playful, and they get to see all the
amazing things in the ocean, which I am terrified of, as a human.
What is your favorite
food?
Mexican!
Any kind of Mexican food makes me a happy girl!
What is the problem with
writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Fear
and insecurity. Insecurity about sharing my writing with others to critique.
Joining a critique group was difficult for me, but I had such an overwhelming
desire to learn, and had such amazing critique partners, I was able to overcome
that pretty quickly. As for the fear, that took longer. I have actually learned
in the past 10 years of my journey that I did not have a fear of failure—but of
success. Rejection is easier for me to accept because it feeds into my
insecurities. But success demands that I continue on, and continue to do
better. I can’t say that fear is completely overcome, but as God walks me
through this amazing dream career, I am less and less crippled by it!
Tell us about the featured
book.
Redeeming Luke is interesting in the world of Historic Fiction
because the main character is a man. Luke grew up a Christian, going to church,
doing all the right things and loving the Lord. But when he made a mistake in
his youth, he faced a great deal of judgment and hypocrisy in the church. This
caused him to walk away from church and from God. He doesn’t hate God, and he
doesn’t blame God. He blames himself and feels that he simply has no right to
ask anything of God. When circumstances bring Luke’s sixteen-year-old niece to
live with him, and Luke’s own history repeats itself in Ruth’s life, encounters
with grace and forgiveness present themselves to Luke over and over again. It’s
a story of romance, grace, forgiveness, and redemption that I think many people
can relate to.
Please give us the first
page of the book.
By
the time the sun peeked over the Mayacama
Mountains , casting its gilded warmth
over the smaller hills and pastures of the North Bay , Luke Morgan had already snagged
six steelhead trout from the Petaluma Creek. Mornings like these made all the
work it took to get this land worth it. Three years working on the bridge,
living in a boarding house in San
Francisco , putting every spare penny toward payment
for the ranch. His plan had been to stay to the end of construction. The Golden Gate Bridge was set to open one year from
now. Luke sure could have used the income it would have brought if he’d stayed.
But that’s not how life had unfolded for him.
He
scrubbed his hand over his face and closed the tackle box on the ground beside
him. He pulled a string of trout from the water, wondering briefly how the
bridge’s completion would affect the flow of the creek that Petaluma
depended on to get eggs and other dairy products into San Francisco .
Normally
there would still be a layer of cool, unruffled fog hovering over the ground at
this time of day. Thanks to the Pacific Ocean, just a few miles west,
temperatures tended to stay well within pleasant bounds in Sonoma County .
But already the month of May warned of worse things to come when summer arrived
next month. As if the blasted Depression wasn’t enough.
He
only hoped things didn’t get as bad out here as they were in The Plains.
Luke’s
stomach grumbled on cue with the sunrise. He squinted through the increasing
daylight and spotted Gabby twenty feet away. Her russet coat glistened and her
mane lifted with the morning breeze. She swatted at a fly with her tail. Luke
whistled through his teeth. The horse’s head leisurely turned in his direction.
Another sharp whistle and Gabby sauntered over. Luke tossed the fish in a
bucket, mounted the horse in one swift movement, tugged his hat lower over his
eyes, and rode the mare back to the house
How can readers find you
on the Internet?
Facebook:
Darlene Wells Christian Fiction Author
Website:
www.darlenewells.com
Twitter:
@DarleneWells_
Pinterest: Darlene Wells AuthorThank you, Darlene, for sharing your life and your new book with us today.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Redeeming Luke (Days of Grace Trilogy) (Volume 1) - paperback
Redeeming Luke (Days of Grace Trilogy Book 1) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
33 comments:
Mexican food and a good book are two of my favorite things! And I love novels based on Ruth!
Tonja (Rose Hill, VA)
Couldn't have said it better myself! I LOVE Mexican food and, well, who could turn down a good book?
J.C. -Indiana-
Enchiladas for dinner, Redeeming Luke, until the bloated feeling goes away, rinse and repeat! LOL!
Love some good Mexican food too, but I suspect what we get in the Mexican restaurants around here isn't very authentic!
Thanks for the interview ladies!
Patty in SC
Three times a day, seven days a week sounds good for Mexican food to me...I love it!
I am intrigued by this book. Thank you, Lena!
Melanie Backus, TX
@Patty in SC - ya, I wouldn't think SC is a hot spot for Mexican food! I live in California, so we have a ton of places!
HEY! I don't know why my comment to Patty was posted from "anonymous"! It was ME, Patty!
Looking forward to signing a book for someone! I hope y'all have entered to win a copy of Redeeming Luke!
What a wonderful blessing to read this interview with Darlene Wells. She's come a long way from that little girl I used to play with! :)
Anonymous - referencing playing with Darlene as a little girl is Kandy Heal...just in case I win.... that's KANDY HEAL! :)
Taco's for me :)
I'd enjoy reading this..
Deanna from Nebr.
Kandy - I'm not in charge of who wins! LOL!
Deanna - now I want tacos!
A wonderful first page thank you. A lovely author picture.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Sounds like a great book. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
I live in Indiana.
Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy W.
Darlene, I love the idea of the book being about a man! Kind of reminds me of the Men of the Saddle Series from Lori Copeland. Do you plan on writing more like this?
Anne, rural NC
Sounds like a great read, this happens so many times, a person makes a mistake and they blame God and walk away from him. Later they learn it was them not God, we all have to make mistakes to learn but we always need to lean on God for support and to help us through.
Wendy from FL
wfnren at aol dot com
Would enjoy this book because it reminds me of our son who left the church because of the christians in it. He has not come to the Redemption part yet, even tho his father was taken to Heaven 3 weeks ago. sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com CA
Enter me in this awesome giveaway!!
Conway, SC.
This sounds like an interesting read. I've known people similar to this man, too.
-Melissa M. from TN
I hope you enjoyed the tacos, Deann!
None of my replies are going to the right place! Grrr!
Mary Preston, thank you so much!
Cindy W - Crossing my fingers!
Anne Payne,
I do have another story that features a man as the main character. I'm sure I will be publishing it soon ;-) But for now the next book is Finding Olivia. Olivia is a character from Redeeming Luke. She leaves small town Petaluma and goes to Hollywood to be an actress.
Wendy Newcomb,
You are absolutely right. Sin separates us from God, and sometimes it is so hard to get past our own guilt.
sm, I'm so sorry you are having to watch your son walk without the Lord. Keep praying! A mama's prayers hold great power!!!
Melissa M, Yes, I think we have all known people like Luke - and sometimes we ARE Luke :-)
The cover is beautiful!!!!!!
Sierra
Indiana
It's not often you find a romance where the lead character is a man! Sounds intriguing. Who was it that said, "I like your Christ but I don't like your Christians"? It sounds like your Luke can relate to that sentiment!Would love to win this.
Pam in Ohio
Sounds like a great book! Thanks so much fobetter the giveaway! Sydney Harries georgia
I would love to win this book..sounds so good..
I love Mexican food....
Rita Wisconsin
I enjoyed the first page of the book. The description made it sound like a very pretty place.
Beth from IA
Enter me!
Blanch, NC
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