A SILENCE IN THE HEART - Carolyne Aarsen - One Free Book

Welcome back, Carolyne. It’s been a long time since you were on my blog. We’re so glad to have you. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I have always loved reading romance, and I've always loved the Lord. So writing for Love Inspired has been a blessed confluence of both of the things I hold very dear. I love taking my hero and heroine on a journey that challenges their beliefs about themselves and about their faith.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

I have been a Christian my whole life, so I never had a “day” that I came to know the Lord. As far as the happiest day in my life, it's so difficult to put a point on one.  I've had so many happy days in so many areas of my life. It was a happy day when I got married, when my first child was born, when my fourth child was born, when my first book was published, my first child married, my first grandchild born. Each of these has been a happy day in various parts of my life.

That’s true. Wait until you have great grands. How has being published changed your life?

I was very blessed to be a stay-at-home mom. It was a choice my husband and I made early on in our marriage. So when I got published, I essentially had my first job. Suddenly there were more things I had to accomplish in the day, then doing laundry making suppers and lunches and breakfasts and all the other things required to maintaining a household. I felt I had gained my own identity. Besides all the things I loved being, I was now a writer. That was something that was only mine. I learned the language of writing – synopsis, proposal, line edits, copy edits - and my world expanded. Now it is so much a part of who I am, that I don't even think about it.

What are you reading right now?

I'm reading a book about talent. The author is putting forth the idea that talent isn't necessarily inherent. The people who are very good at what they do have spent a lot of time practicing and rehearsing and working. It's rather interesting and rather inspiring. I don't know if I agree with everything he says, but it's challenging my way of thinking. And it's a reminder to me to do the work. That I need to always be challenging myself and working harder if I want to become a better writer. And in spite of how many books I've written, I still feel like I have a ways to go.

As writers, I don’t thing we ever stop growing and learning. What is your current work in progress?

Currently I'm editing the fifth book in my Holmes Crossing series. I hope to get that to the editor in the next couple of weeks, and then it should be out in a month. I'm also finishing up a proposal for Love Inspired. This is a short two-book series about two brothers, who are completely different from each other and each approach life from a different point of view. The one is the solid, stay-at-home kinda guy. Follow the rules. Do what you are supposed to. The younger brother, naturally, does what he wants and doesn't always think about the consequences.

What would be your dream vacation?

I would love to go back to Paris, and I would love to visit Rome as well as Greece. In a few weeks, my husband and I will be traveling to Europe, but we will only be going to the Netherlands and England. I tried to talk my husband into Rome, but he said that was outside his comfort zone. So my dream vacation will have to wait until I can find a willing participant.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

A lot of my books tend to take place in southern Alberta, because that's solid ranching country. I write cowboy romances, so I need to set my stories in ranching country. It's beautiful country, prairies that roll up to hills that edge the Rocky Mountains. So you have the open spaces in the mountains – a beautiful combination of two amazing landscapes.

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

I can't really think of anyone. There are a few well-known people that I would love to sit down and give a good solid talking to, but I highly doubt they would listen to me. So what's the point? As I grow older, I find I'm becoming more of an introvert. So the thought of meeting someone new seems a little stressful. I like spending time with my husband, and we get along really good so that's not stressful at all. Unless were discussing where were going to go on vacation.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love making cards and photo books. I like taking pictures and putting them into photo books. I still knit from time to time but I have to be careful with that because writing has taken its toll on my neck and shoulders and knitting just adds to the strain.

My knitting and crocheting affects my shoulders, so I can only do a few rows at a time. I hardly ever do either. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Procrastination. I don't know if that's considered an obstacle, but it sure is to me. Every single time I sit down to the keyboard there's a part of me that would seem to be doing something else. Which is rather ironic, because when I'm away from the keyboard and away from the computer I'm always thinking about my stories. But procrastination is a bear. I watched a video a while back on Facebook. I forget who did it. But the woman was talking about organization and doing tasks. Especially tasks that seem overwhelming. She said, "Do one small thing." Don't take on the whole job, just do one small thing. So I think of that every time I want to put off what I have to do. Just write a little bit. You don't have to finish that chapter. Just do one small thing. And once I start, things seem to fall into place.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Do not compare. You are on your own journey and it's always going to be different from other authors. You are going to find one author who makes a sudden breakout with a book that you don't think is nearly as good as yours. But that's just the way things go sometimes. Things come together in different ways that you have no control over so stay focused on your work and do your job and do it diligently. And take note from the previous answer. There was always going to be something that will keep you away from your writing. You have to make the choice. I've sat in a room with a floor scattered with popcorn, books and papers, and assorted other detritus and had to fight to ignore it to get the work done. As for the comparing you know what you need to do. I've looked at other writers and wondered why they are doing better than me and then I listen to them talk and I realize how hard they are working. And my answer is right there.

Yes, the Lord let me know that I’m only to compare my writing to what I’ve done before, not to the writing of other authors. Tell us about the featured book.

A silence in the heart is the book that I got reissued back to me from Love Inspired. So it's not a brand-new story. But I had my Holmes Crossing series in place, and I wanted to continue it. So I reworked the book to fit better with the series and updated it a bit. I found it interesting as I read, how much I had learned in the meantime. So I was thankful to be able to apply some of that to this book.

Please give us the first page of the book.

She thought she heard the cry of a child.

The haunting sound slid through the early-morning quiet just as Tracy stepped out of her car. Still holding the door, she canted her head to one side, listening.

There it was again. Softer this time.

Tracy strode around the concrete-block building, trying to pinpoint the origin. But when she came around the side, the street in front of the clinic was empty as well.

The tension in her shoulders loosened, and she shivered, pulling her thin sweater closer around herself. Ever the optimist, she had left her warmer jacket hanging in the hallway closet of her apartment this morning, counting on the early-September sun to melt away the coolness of the fall morning.

Then a movement caught her eye.

She stopped and turned to face whatever might come.

Then a small boy shuffled cautiously around the corner of the clinic, his head angled down, his thin arms cradling something. He looked to be about six or seven.

Tracy relaxed as she recognized him. For the past two weeks, she had seen him walking past the clinic in the early morning on his way to school. The last few days, he had stopped to look in the window. It had taken a few encouraging waves and smiles from her to finally tease one from his wary face.

She always felt bad for him, going to school on his own, remembering too well her own early-morning treks as a young child.

Tracy might have been inadequately dressed for the weather, but this little boy was even more so. He wore a short-sleeved T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and in spite of the gathering chill, sandals on bare feet. As she watched, he shivered lightly.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can find me on my new, very spiffy, website.

www.carolyneaarsen.com  - if you sign up for my newsletter you will receive a free book!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CarolyneAarsenAuthor

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/caarsen/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/CarolyneAarsen

You can follow me on Book Bub to find out about new releases - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carolyne-aarsen

And Amazon for the same reason - https://www.amazon.com/Carolyne-Aarsen/e/B001HD1OJU

Thank you, Carolyne, for sharing this book with us. I'm eager to read it, and I'm sure my readers are, too.

Readers, here is a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

A Silence in the Heart (Holmes Crossing Book 4) - Kindle

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