WHEN THE MORNING STARS SANG - Marcia Gunnett Woodard - One Free Book

Welcome, Marcia. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. I like to write my full-length fiction in the first person, and I think that influences me to write a lot of myself into my characters. Also, since I’m writing biblical fiction, the characters and their stories address issues that are common to the human experience. In the process of writing about human nature, I end up writing about myself. For those reasons, I think I write quite a lot of myself into my characters, although I'm not sure I do it consciously.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? In my opinion, the quirkiest thing that I have done is spending three weeks traveling alone by train from Chicago, across the  Southwest to San Diego, and up the Pacific coast to Spokane, then across the northwest states, back to Chicago. I saw so much of the beauty of God’s creation, and met such a variety of fascinating people—an Amish family, college students going to a “rave,” a professor, a wildfire fighter, a Native American, a Mexican family who were visiting the US, European tourists who were exploring America, and a drug dealer (unbeknownst to me, until he was arrested at the station in Minot, North Dakota). I had a blast, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

My husband, however, thinks the quirkiest thing I’ve done is to create the Brocklehursts, a family of humorous fictional characters, which I've written and performed at conferences, etc. So far, there is Minerva Brocklehurst, with her weekly program, “Today's Word from the Lord,” her daughters, Gina (who loooooves to talk about looooove), Sunny Brocklehurst (the gospel singer wannabe), and Cousin Ferdeena Brocklehurst Fennelalaneen. (When people express amazement or amusement—or down-right laughter at her married last name, she always responds “Don't judge me! The heart wants what it wants, and my heart wanted Hubert Fennelalaneen!”)

Something tells me we still haven’t met all of the Brocklehursts!

When did you first discover that you were a writer? There were little hints and indicators along the way. I can recall when I was young, being sent to bed for a nap, or tucked in bed for the night. Instead of sleeping, I would lie in bed and tell myself stories. I also remember the moment my relationship with words began. I was about five, and pretending to read the newspaper when, suddenly, those little marks on the paper said something to me. “t-h-e”…. “The!” It said, “the!” And so the love affair began…. Then there was the interesting “business” I had in high school. I honestly never thought of it as cheating, but the deal was, that if you did my Chemistry lab work for me, I would write the intro and conclusion of your English Comp paper. But, I really knew for certain that I was a writer when I was in college. I had begun my freshman year as a nursing major—I wanted to do something “meaningful.” Sometime during that year, after getting positive feedback from professors and other students, I began to understand that the most meaningful thing I could do would be something that I had a passion and a gift for, and switched my major to English.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I like to read almost anything—history, sci-fi, mystery, fantasy, the Bible, self-help, spiritual development, scripts, poetry, biography, and some romance (if it has an unpredictable plot line). When I was a kid, my mom had to put the cereal back in the cabinet at breakfast, after I poured my bowlful. Otherwise, I’d start reading the boxes and make myself late for school!

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? I talk to God all through my day. I listen to worship music—everything from George Beverly Shea to Rend Collective. Sometimes, God will plant a song in my thoughts and I’ll go around for hours (or longer) with it repeating in my head. I might “chew” on a scripture passage, finding new insight. I may play with grandkids, spend time with my husband, talk to a friend on the phone. I sew, travel, go camping. And of course, writing helps me keep my sanity. But when I’m writing to “stay sane,” my genres of choice are parodies, limericks, and top ten lists—something to bring laughter into my day, and into the lives of those around me.

How do you choose your characters’ names? In writing biblical fiction, the main characters names are usually already chosen for me. But in the case of the secondary characters that I create to bring the story to life, as well as when I write more modern fiction, the characters most often introduce themselves and tell me their names. Very rarely, I might have to give a name a little tweak.

In a children’s book I wrote, the main characters all have names that reflect one of their personality traits. For example: Mia is self-centered, and Sophia really values wisdom. I’m also working on a series of picture books that have kind of “cartoony” illustrations, so the characters’ names become kind of caricatures of the real names: for example, “Adele” becomes “Adeloonee”,

In this book, When the Morning Stars Sang, I gave the two main characters new names that sounded similar to the old ones, and retained the original meanings. The purpose was to avoid what a writer friend calls “the curse of the familiar.” This happens when the reader recognizes the characters’ names and dismisses the familiar story, as if they know it so well that there is no more to learn.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? That would have to be my family. The love of my life and I have stayed in love with each other, and married to each other, for forty years. Together, we’ve raised four relatively well-adjusted, reasonably mature contributors to society, and they are raising thirteen of the cutest, smartest, most loving kids in the world! The other day, my 11-year-old grandkid and I were talking about how God plans His care for us in advance. The child said, “Yeah, Grandma, God never says, ‘Whoa! I didn’t see that coming!’” (Oh! And did I mention these kids are wise, too?)

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? If I were an animal, I’d be a cat. If you’ve ever seen a cat sleeping in a patch of sunlight, you might understand why. Cats like to be independent and self-sufficient, but they’re open to pampering. They can be poised and dignified, or playful and goofy, but on their terms. They know how to totally focus, and how to completely relax. They know how to set boundaries, and they make it clear that you are not the boss, you are staff.

What is your favorite food? What day is it? Actually, I have a lot of foods that I really like—foods from different cultures and iconic American foods, main dishes, desserts, and snacks. But my current favorite is a Hoosier staple, Sugar Cream Pie. With only five ingredients in the filling, it’s super easy to make. I made my first one (really, two) over the holidays, and if you have a weakness for things that are rich and creamy and sweet like I do, it’s love at first bite! I’ve posted the recipe on my “Book and Blankie Society” Facebook group page.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? The problem that was the biggest roadblock for me was believing that God could use me, a stay-at-home mom with no college degree, living in a quiet, little town.  While I was giving God all my excuses, I stumbled upon the all excuses Gideon gave God, for why he couldn’t save Israel. Then, God said to Gideon (and to me). “Go in the strength you have…am I not sending you?” (Judges 6:14) My biggest roadblock was learning to believe what God says about me. And, as I trust and believe Him more, and go in the strength I have, He gives me more words to encourage me. “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” and “Let God dream for you…your dreams are too small!”

Tell us about the featured book? Eva had perfection. Her home, her marriage, her life—it was flawless. Then Sypher showed up, telling her she was missing out. Was it worth the risk? Should she trade the perfection she had for the “something better, something more exciting” Sypher claimed he could give her?

This re-imagining of the story of Creation and the Fall is told by Eva as she recalls the perfection of her life—the unbounded love she and Aidaan had shared, the perfect beauty of the newly created earth, the indescribable joy she’d experienced in the presence of Shaddai—all of which she valued so lightly and threw away so thoughtlessly. In the story, she recalls the enticements and rationalizations offered by Sypher. And how her choices had set in motion the downward spiral, from interest and intrigue, to temptation, to sin. As her story unfolds, it becomes clear that in the thousands of years since The Day of Darkness, the deceitful Serpent hasn’t changed, and he still uses the same old tactics and tricks on us as he has with every generation that came before us.

The books title comes from Job 38:7, where God in His conversation with Job, refers to Creation as, "...when the morning stars sang together....”

Please give us the first page of the book.

The book has a slightly larger than normal font size, because there are several people I love, who are vision impaired, so if you don’t mind, I'll give you the equivalent of the first page.

"Aidaan? When will it stop?”

I couldn’t take any more. I felt certain my husband was as clueless, as powerless as I was, but I asked him anyway. I couldn't keep myself from whimpering as another wave of pain came. It had started early this morning, waking me out of a sound sleep, and had been growing stronger and more constant as the day had passed.

Aidaan crouched beside me under our small lean-to. I could tell he wanted to do something to ease my pain, but nothing was helping. He sighed and waited. When he could see by my expression that the pain had decreased, he answered.

“I don’t know, Eva. I’ve never seen anything like this happen….”

“I know that!”

I realized my voice had been sharp, almost harsh. But in this moment, I had no patience with anything which didn’t help me accomplish whatever it was my body was doing. Another wave of pain stabbed at my lower back and squeezed at my belly like a giant hand. I heard a low moan and realized it was me. My entire body was drenched in sweat. Aidaan reached out and tried to brush back the damp hair that stuck to my forehead. I found him annoying. My mind and body needed to concentrate on the pain, and his touch was distracting, like a fly buzzing around my head. I swatted impatiently at his hand.

Sighing again, Aidaan stood and picked up the wooden bowl that sat by my sleeping mat. His stiff movements as he stretched his legs and straightened his back told me he had been sitting too long. I immediately felt sorry for my impatience, but I couldn’t bring myself to apologize.

“Your water is warm,” he said. “I’ll get you some cold from the stream.”

As he turned to go, I felt the hysteria rising within me, like a cobra preparing to strike. I could feel myself beginning to panic. I needed the water, but I needed Aidaan here, too. I would have to tell him what I had seen. I called after him.

“Hurry, Aidaan! Hurry! That thing is still there, in the tree. I saw it watching me with those lifeless eyes. It still wants something—it still wants more! Hurry!”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/margunwoo/?

fbclid=IwAR1hCmtFqQC2BNZUh1nL9IvdczXR6XP6Dn46v2egQ6JeJAPR8r3FU8sGvVc

Facebook Author Page -  https://www.facebook.com/marciagunnettwoodard

Facebook Group (The Book and Blankie Society) -  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mgw.book.n.blankie

Blogger (The Learning Curve) -  http://itsallaboutmarcia.blogspot.com

Thanks for inviting me here, Lena! I had a lot of fun answering your questions, and I hope sometime I’ll get to come back and answer some more of them. You have the best questions!

Thank you for sharing your book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it, which I can do soon, since my copy has arrived.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3oYLgBM - Paperback

https://amzn.to/3sDNZ65 - Kindle

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