Welcome back,
Christine. Tell us about your salvation experience.
My great aunt Wilma told me about the Lord when I was about
8 or 9, and when I was 13, I attended a youth convention and heard again that
Jesus died to wash away my sins. At 13, I had begun to realize that I was a
sinner, so I believed in Christ that night as my savior. But it wasn’t until
after I’d backslidden a number of years later, when I became pregnant with a
child out of wedlock, that I realized I had to stop sitting on the fence. I
either went all the way with Christ, or continue to mess up my life with poor
decisions. From that point on I chose to obey Christ as my Savior and my Lord.
You’re planning a
writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be
and why?
Since this is fictional I’d like to invite an author that has
already gone to heaven. But the first author I’d invite is my critique partner Rachel Phifer since she
and I not only work together on all our books but also have our own writing
blog Novel Renaissance. If we’re
going to sit down with some great authors then I’d want to share that moment
with not only a phenomenal writer but my dearest writing friend.
Next on my guest list would be Oswald Chambers. I find such
depth in Chambers’ devotional book My
Utmost for His Highest, and many of his thoughts have inspired my strongest
greatest Christian characters. I’m thinking especially of Eshana in my
historical trilogy set in British India .
Eshana’s experience of being forced to wear the funeral clothes of a Hindu
widow when she wants to live her life as a joyful Christian was inspired by
Chambers’ thought that we all must wear funeral clothes when we “die” to our
own desires and ambitions to allow Christ full reign in our lives.
Guest # 3 would be Linda Nicols. She hasn’t written much lately
and I can’t find much about her one the web, but I LOVE her contemporary
novels. She had such a way with language and stories that gripped my heart. I
would love to learn from her.
And lastly but certainly not least, Dale Cramer, who is also
an expert with elegant prose and characters of great depth.
Do you have a
speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.
My speaking ministry began over 10 years ago, shortly after
the reunion with my birth daughter Sarah. She is the baby girl I gave birth too
out of wedlock. Giving my baby up for adoption was the hardest thing I have
ever done in my life, and that heartache shaped me in so many ways. Our reunion
20 years later broke my heart again as it brought back all the original loss of
her as my child. My speaking and my writing are shaped by the fact that God can
truly turn our broken hearts into our greatest joys. My life verse is Isaiah
49:15,16a, “Can a woman forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on
the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you (says the
Lord). See…I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
I love that
scripture. That the God of the universe has each of us engraved on the palms of
His hands blew me away a few years ago. What a concept to hold close in
troubled times. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you
and how did you handle it?
Lots of embarrassing things happen to me all the time
especially when I’m speaking. One that comes to mind is, when I was at a
ladies’ church event my high heel stuck in a crack on the stage and I couldn’t
move. I did what I usually do in that sort of goofy situation, I laughed at
myself and said something to the audience like, “Well, if there’s a hole
anywhere an Irishman (meaning me) is likely to fall into it.” I got a good
laugh while I extricated my heel and carried on with my speech.
People are always
telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you,
too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?
Aspiring writers need encouragement, so I often share that
the most important thing they need is PERSEVERANCE. The writing apprenticeship
is not a quick and easy thing. It took 9 years of writing before my debut novel
was released in 2009. Don’t skip the training, take the courses, join a
professional writers’ association like ACFW
or RWA or Canada ’s The Word Guild. Work at it, and give your
dream over to God, let Him be your agent, your muse, your editor.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Sofi’s Bridge is my latest release, a historical romance.
Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her
power to protect her sister who is suffering from delayed shock over their
father’s drowning. Charles the family busy-body threatens to place her sister
in a sanatorium, a whitewashed term for an insane asylum.
Like she has always done, Sofi will rescue her little
sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the
new gardener Neil Macpherson, a handsome immigrant from Ireland , to
protect them.
But in a hidden cabin high in the Cascades, just as Sofi has
her secrets, she recognizes her gardener does too. Can she trust this man whose
gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister, and such tumult to
her own emotions?
And can their gardener, Neil, continue to hide from Sofi
that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, wanted for murder and on the run from the
British police?
Wow. I’m eager for my
copy to arrive. Please give us the first page of the book.
A blur of white raced along the grounds to the beach. Sofi
froze at the second story window. Set against the tattered sky of an incoming
squall, her sister’s nightgown billowed in the dark. For the past six
weeksTrina kept as much distance as she could from the sight and sound of the
surf. Sofi raised a shaking hand to her throat, turned and tore along the upper
hall. “Mattie, she’s outside.”
Ten minutes ago, Trina had been in the nursery, huddling on
the window seat. Though nearly grown she was always in the nursery since
that night when. . .Trina even slept in the nursery instead of her bedroom,
crying for Papa, with Sofi holding her close.
Matilda huffed. “I only left Trina to collect her supper.”
A yelping Odin found Sofi at the kitchen hallway. The
Springer Spaniel bounded, his cold nose nudging her hand. Thank goodness one
thing in this house had stayed the same. With Odin barking, she pushed through
the green baize door. The dog darted past her. Inga, their cook, swung
around to face her. Frida, the housemaid, dropped whatever she held in her
hand. A man Sofi could swear she’d never seen before sat at the table and
shot to his feet as she hurtled through the kitchen.
She reached the outer door when the man—the gardener, she
remembered now—pushed past her and flung the door wide. He charged across the
lawn. The dog yowled and leapt after him. With Inga, Frida, and Matilda running
behind, Sofi fled in the wake of the gardener down the trail to the beach.
Now I know it will go
to the top of my to-be-read pile when it arrives. How can readers find you on
the Internet?
Please drop by Christine’s website www.ChristineLindsay.org or follow
her on Amazon
on Twitter. Subscribe to her quarterly
newsletter, and be her friend on Pinterest , Facebook,
and GoodreadsThank you, Christine, for sharing this new book with my readers and me. It's always a pleasure to host you.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Sofi's Bridge - Paperback
Sofi's Bridge - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. 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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18 comments:
This sounds like quite an interesting tale. I would love to read it.
Edward A in VA
Thank you Lena for having me as a guest on your blog today. I am hoping to connect with lots of readers. They become dear friends. And thank you Edward for starting things off. Blessings.
would love to win. angela in ky
This sounds really great! I can't wait to read it!
J.C. -Indiana-
I have seen "Sofi’s Bridge" around the Internet today. Already on my reading list.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
What a beautiful testimony, Christine, and a fabulous verse. I love the image of being engraved in the palm of God's hand. Your story has already hooked me! Thank you for sharing.
Sherri
Florida
Sofi’s Bridge sounds like a must-read full of intriguing characters you want to know better.
Sandy Q TX
Sofi's Bridge sounds very intriguing. Thank you for sharing.
Blessings!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you for the interview - now another book on my must read list. And what a blessing that you got to meet your daughter Sarah! Elaine from Wisconsin
Sounds like a good read. north platte nebraska.
Thank you all for such lovely comments and encouragement. It is a joy to be a guest on Lena's blog. Lena is a dear friend, whom I met about 10 years ago at an ACFW conference in Dallas or was it Minneapolis? Anyway, Lena is special to so many of us. I hope you all get a chance to read Sofi's Bridge, this book was a joy to write. And of course, I love the spiritual message in this book, and hope it encourages many.
Enter me!!
Conway, SC.
Looks great! Enter me.
Blanch NC
Hi Christine & Lena! I've been looking forward to reading Sofi's Bridge ever since I first heard of it a few months ago!
Kristen in OK
Enjoyed the interview and the book sounds quite good. I hope to win a copy.
Brenda in VA
I love historical romances!
Beth from IA
I have been wanting to read this one. Sounds great.
Deanne P. in PA
Wow! Could the reviews be any more stellar. Congrats. Definitely a must read for me.
Terrill - WA
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