The last time I visited with you, I’d had my first book
published. Since then, two more books in the Rustic Knoll Bible Camp series
have come out, the last one in May. It’s been an eventful year, with one book
launch, two moves, and two children’s weddings. Exciting!
What made you want to
write the Rustic Knoll Bible Camp series?
My dad was the director of a Bible camp, and we lived onsite
for almost 20 years. It had a huge positive impact on my brothers and sisters
and me. One day, as I thought about the people I’d known on the permanent
staff, I realized they were all characters in themselves. I’d read Jan Karon’s
Mitford series and wanted to create a similar community of characters in my
camp stories.
See No Evil, the third and final book, tells the story of a blind
camper who struggles with a form of pornography. How did you come up with that
idea?
Steven is in all three books, and I’d always intended to
bring him back in the third book having had a corneal transplant allowing him
to see. I’d planned to have him find a girly magazine in the cabin and realize
he had temptations he’d never dealt with before. But after researching what
it’s like to regain sight after so many years, I realized my plan wasn’t
realistic. I needed to keep Steven blind. But my editor still liked the
pornography angle, so I had to find a way for a blind young man to get tangled
up in pornography.
You struggled to
write this book. Tell us about that.
It was a very difficult book to write, mainly because my
whole plan fell throughm and I had to come up with a totally different story
and write it in a short period of time. I like to know the end of my stories
while I’m writing, because it gives me a goal to shoot for. But with this
story, I had no idea how it would end until the day before I wrote it. I
considered quitting and admitting I couldn’t write, but decided since the Lord
gave me the opportunity and He knows a thing or two about writing a book, He
must know what He wants me to write.
That is so true and a
valuable lesson for a Christian author to learn. What are you working on now?
I’m trying something new, working on a cozy mystery for an
adult audience.
What book have you
read recently that you couldn’t put down?
Greyson Gray: Camp Legend
by B.C. Tweedt. It’s a YA/middle grade book, but I couldn’t put it down even
during the weekend of my son’s wedding!
How long did it take
you to become a published author?
It took me at least six years to write the first book. After
that, it took a couple more years of rewriting to get it publishable, a year to
find an agent, and another year to find a publisher.
What’s one thing you
wish you’d known before you became a published author?
I wish I’d understood that writing may be a hobby, but
publishing is a business. Once you’re published, you must treat your writing
like a business.
What advice do you
have for beginning writers?
Be patient. It’s so hard to wait, but early on, a writer
friend told me she’d gone to a conference one year thinking she was ready.
Later she realized she really wasn’t ready yet. She still had a lot to learn, a
lot to practice. That helped me be more patient with the process. Use your time
of waiting to improve your skills in both writing and marketing.
Where would you go on
your dream vacation?
I would tour the UK . So many of my favorite
childhood stories took place there—Robin
Hood, Winnie the Pooh, Sherlock Holmes and many of the fairy tales. I love
castles, and I could listen to a British, Scotch, or Irish accent forever.
Steven Miller, 17, guards a dark secret.
Dad drilled into Steven that his blindness should never be
used as an excuse. So when Steven finds an old triathlon medallion among Dad’s
belongings, he’s inspired to follow in his footsteps. Maybe it’ll quiet the
guilt he’s carried since Dad’s death three years ago.
While Steven continues his triathlon training during his
final summer at camp, a serious illness keeps Rustic Knoll’s beloved Nurse
Willie from managing her clinic. When Steven teams up with his friend Claire to
encourage Willie’s recovery, his feelings for Claire grow beyond friendship.
But his buddy, Dillon, has started down a dangerous path
that Steven knows all too well. Can he keep his friend from falling into that
pit without exposing his own past?
Please give us the
first page.
Steven Miller pulled away from his mom’s hand as she
straightened his t-shirt before getting out of the car. “It’s fine, Mom. Leave
it alone.”
Blindness was no excuse for sloppy dressing, but this was
camp. Some guys wore the same clothes they’d slept in the night before. He got
out of the car, leaving behind its air-conditioned comfort. Ugh! This heat wave would make the
cabins feel like saunas. He adjusted his dark glasses, then reached into the
back seat and found the rough canvas of his duffle bag.
“Can I get that for you?” Mom’s door slammed and she hurried
around to his side.
“I’ve got it.” As if
I’m not capable of doing it myself. He bit his tongue as he lifted the bag
out of the car and set it on the gravel parking lot. Mom wasn’t trying to be
annoying. So why did she get on his nerves so easily lately? She’d always
watched out for him during Dad’s tough lessons on living with blindness. Survival
for the Blind 101, they’d called it. Had she grown more protective in the three
years since Dad died? Or maybe Dad’s absence failed to balance out Mom’s
hovering. Either way, it would be nice if she’d back off a little.
Claire called from somewhere nearby. “Steven! Wait for me.”
Where is she? Car
engines and voices of other excited campers made it hard to tell which
direction she was calling from. He waved his hand in the air to acknowledge
her, then closed the car door and leaned against it. “Mom, you don’t have to
stick around. Claire can get me through registration.”
“Well, I…I wasn’t in any hurry.”
He’d done it again—said something the wrong way.
A very good opening. How
can readers find you on the Internet?
Website/blog: http://www.maryhamiltonbooks.com
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mhamiltonbooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/@MHamiltonAuthor
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1KP59m9
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/qhhx5sk
Thank you, Mary, for sharing this new book with us. It will change lives.
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free print or ecopy 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.)
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14 comments:
would love to win. Angela in KY
Thanks for stopping by, Angela!
Sign me up, it sounds great!
Melanie Backus, TX
Thanks Melanie!
Thank you for sharing the first page. This sounds like a very good story.
Connie from KY
cps1950 (at) gmail (dot) com
I want to know what the dark secret is.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
This will be a great book to share with my 13 year old son.
Terrill R. - Lynden, WA
Thank you all for your interest! Having raised two sons, I know how hard it is to find books that will interest boys. Hope this series helps fill that gap.
Interesting book. North Platte NE
Would love to win.
Edward A in VA
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Conway, SC.
Thank you to Kim, Edward and Sharon for your interest! I've been at the ACFW conference and didn't get a chance to check in. Your interest in the book means a lot to me!
Enjoyed the interview. Thanks for the chance to win.
Brenda in VA
Hmm. A blind camper struggling with a form of pornography? Isn't porn mostly visual? I'd like to read the book just to see how this can be! As my church's librarian, it would be a great YA addition to our library.
Pam in Ohio
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