Welcome back, Cheryl
and Mel. Tell us about your salvation experience.
My experience started out a lot like many of my
friends’—raised in church, came to Christ as a child of six. But in my teens, I
began to question everything in my life. I acted out. I never stopped believing
in Christ, but I began to think He didn’t care about my behavior. At one point,
I ran far away from home and was homeless for six weeks on the streets of a
large and frightening city in Illinois. As a farm girl from the country, I
learned a valuable lesson from that time in my life—home is a very good place
to be. And Christ is my home.
You’re planning a
writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be
and why?
I have held a few writing retreats and had a blast at every
one of them. In one retreat, I met Jill Eileen Smith before she was published.
That taught me that unpublished writers have a lot to teach me. In another
retreat, I had three writing friends who are also editors—Lissa Halls Johnson,
Miralee Ferrell (who is also a publisher), and Nancy Toback. I love engaging
with writers who are also editors. I have learned so much from these wonderful
women, and we are still good friends years later.
Do you have a
speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.
I did speak when we lived in Missouri, and it wasn’t hard to
travel. I loved to teach about writing, or when I spoke in libraries I would
talk about my writing and give away copies of books by fellow writers,
hopefully introducing readers to new-to-them novelists. We now live in the
wilds of Wyoming, where the pronghorn, deer, coyotes, wild horses, moose, and
mountain lions outnumber people by a large margin. I’ve always been an avid
hiker and explorer, and Mel has learned to love it as well. The move has cut
off my speaking engagements, and I have to keep in touch with others via the
internet.
The internet has been
a very valuable tool for authors. I have writing friends spread across the
world, including Mozambique and Australia. What is the most embarrassing thing
that has happened to you, and how did you handle it?
The most embarrassing thing happened to Mel soon after we
married and began writing our first medical thriller together. His first
writing conference was at Mount Hermon, where a lot of writers with well-known
careers attend each year. We were at lunch soon after the conference began. I
was ahead of him in line, and so I found a table where I saw a familiar face.
That face just happened to belong to Francine Rivers. We were having a
conversation by the time Mel arrived with his tray and sat beside me. He looked
at her nametag, his eyes bugged out, he tapped me on the shoulder, and said,
“Sweetheart, do you know who she IS?” And then he looked at Francine and said,
“Do you KNOW who you ARE?” That has become one of our favorite inside jokes.
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?
Yes, that’s happened to me a lot. I know that most people
will never actually write their story, but some have, especially those who need
to tell about hardships they’ve lived. I’ve seen their manuscripts, but when I
put them in touch with editors or encourage them to complete their work, I
think they realize that all they needed to do was get their thoughts down on
paper. Many people need to write things down because it’s a helpful therapy for
them. I always encourage people to write their stories.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Sable Chamberlin and Paul Murphy are running for their lives
on a bus during a Missouri ice storm. Because the other passengers in that bus
would plunge to their deaths if they are allowed to continue along the
treacherous road, Sable is forced to invite the passengers to take shelter in
her sprawling family home. But the killer begins to stalk them before they even
reach the house, and does not give up.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
The jarring bleep of the cell phone jerked Sable Chamberlin’s
eyes open to a dark room that had dropped at least ten degrees since she’d
nodded off. Had to turn up the heat and change that ring tone. Not only did she
hate the harsh sound but the ring often summoned her to the Boswell Community
Hospital for an emergency. Being on call sixty hours a week had gotten old. She
wasn’t on call this evening, however, she was in mourning.
She pulled the phone out of her pocket and answered, casting
a glance through her kitchen window at the lightning over the company town of
Freemont, Oklahoma. It seemed so much later than six o’clock.
“Sable, that you?” The voice of her elderly friend, Noah
Erwin, held comfort.
“Hi Noah.”
“How’d the funeral go?”
She closed her eyes, tears still too close. Her grandfather,
Josiah Kessinger, had been the only reason for her move here to Freemont from the
Missouri Ozarks.
“It went.”
“Hard?”
“Funerals are always hard but at least in Missouri no one’s
setting him up with false accusations.”
Good hook. How can
readers find you on the Internet?
The best way to find our novels is our website, www.hannahalexander.com
Thank you so much for inviting me here, Lena! I love the
innovative questions you present. You are always such a giving and caring
encourager!
Thank you for sharing
Hidden Motives with my blog readers.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
Hidden Motive: (formerly The Crystal Cavern) (The Healing Touch Book 4)
Leave
a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these
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10 comments:
Julie, Goodman MO
I enjoyed the interview! A medical suspense sounds interesting.
Beth from Iowa
I’ve always wanted to read books by “Hannah Alexander” but never realized the author is a husband/wife duo and that the husband is actually a physician! What an incredible way to do life together.
Thanks for the chance!
Mindy from NJ
I have enjoyed Hanna Alexander books for quite a while and always look to see what is new. Thanks for the opportunity to win this book. Paula Shreckhise from Missouri! That’s one reason I was drawn to these authors.
Missouri has always been a great setting for our novels. That will eventually change since we've moved, but I have a lot of experiences upon which to draw.
Great to see readers from Missouri!
I'm excited to see a new book from Hannah Alexander! This duo puts out some great suspense and Hidden Motive looks like it could follow that trend. Would love to win this one!!
Pam in OH
I enjoy suspense novels and Hidden Motives sounds like a great read. I thought that the observation about people who want to be authors are sometimes people who need to put their thoughts in writing. I think that is why journaling can be so valuable.
Blessings!
Connie from Kentucky
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
This looks like a really good read thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Lourdes Long Island, NY
Hidden Motives sounds like a must read!
Caryl K in TEXAS
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