THE YEAR OF JUBILEE - Cindy Morgan - One Free Book

Bio: Singer/songwriter Cindy Morgan is a two-time Grammy nominee, a thirteen-time Dove winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Songwriter of the Year trophy. An East Tennessee native, her evocative melodies and lyrics have mined the depths of life and love both in her own recording and through songwriting for noteworthy artists around the globe, including Vince Gill, India.Arie, Rascal Flatts, Amy Grant, Sandra McCracken, and Glen Campbell. Cindy is the author of two works of adult nonfiction—the memoir How Could I Ask for More: Stories of Blessings, Battles and Beauty (Worthy Inspired, 2015) and Barefoot on Barbed Wire: A Journey Out of Fear into Freedom (Harvest House Publishers, 2001)—and of the children’s picture book Dance Me, Daddy (ZonderKidz, 2009). The Year of Jubilee is her debut novel. Cindy is a cocreator of the charitable Hymns for Hunger Tour, which has raised awareness and resources for hunger relief organizations across the globe. Cindy has two daughters and splits her time between a small town near Nashville and Holly Springs, North Carolina, with her husband, Jonathan. 

Welcome to my blog, Cindy. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. I think it is impossible to escape not interjecting some of yourself into at least one character, though I think the function of each character’s role often determines how much you merge with them. I think for me, the protagonist in The Year of Jubilee would be around 70/30: 30% the way I see the world, and the other 70% a creation of the story and the process she undergoes.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? I created a secret Instagram account (at my daughters’ request) of little videos with a tiny plastic baby performing absurd little skits for them while they were away at college.

When did you first discover that you were a writer? My parents were both songwriters and my dad actually wrote two novels before he died in 1999. I was always around writing so it came early for me. I stared writing songs when I was five. I think I started writing poetry—like notebooks full of this angst-filled, tortured-soul poetry—when I was in middle school, during all of those emotional years. I have been a professional songwriter for 30 years.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I love this question! Right now, I am reading The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson—nature and spirituality, just beautiful. I have read C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce about ten times. I listen to the entire series of The Chronicles of Narnia every year—amazing audiobooks. I am also reading a novel called This Is Happiness by Niall Williams, a beautiful Irish writer. Feels like Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry, but Irish. I also love informative books about psychology, crime, and history; biographies like The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown; and memoirs such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Also, I have enjoyed Garden City and Live No Lies by John Mark Comer this year, and of course, almost anything from Timothy Keller. My fave of Keller’s is The Reason for God. And I do love coming-of-age novels, Southern fiction, and a good legal thriller.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? I’m not sure I always do. I try not to talk on the phone till late morning so I can keep the mornings quiet to read, pray, and get my foundation set for the day. I am definitely a bit of a workaholic and a pleaser, so saying no is very important—not overcommitting, which I do often. I think I’m still working on all of these. Balance. It’s all about balance. Exercise is very important for me in keeping my sanity. I am also an introvert. I LOVE my friends and family, but if I have too much people time, I start to go crazy. I definitely recharge by being alone.

How do you choose your characters’ names? I am obsessed with character names. I have a file of names that I am constantly adding to. Because I write historical novels, it’s important to choose names that were known during the era that I am writing in. I also believe certain characters and their roles will tell you how their names should make you feel. Aunt June in The Year of Jubilee is a comfort character, so I wanted to give her a simple name, one syllable, that felt like home. Emoline, who is the antagonist to Grace (the protagonist) needed a name that felt formal and complex. I think a lot of it is a gut instinct, but I have changed names halfway through when something about the name is nagging me.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? My daughters, Cova and Savannah, are just magnificent. Most of the credit for who they are goes to God and to each of them, but I’m grateful to have played a role in their lives.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? Ha! I love this. My daughters and I have discussed this. They say I am an elephant or a kangaroo, which I thought was sweet. Remember Kanga in Winnie the Pooh? She was the ultimate.

What is your favorite food? If I was ordering my last meal on death row, I would probably ask for angel hair pasta with Alfredo sauce, blackened chicken, a side of pesto, and a Caesar salad with vinaigrette dressing. I’m not sure there is a better smell in the world than olive oil and fresh garlic sizzling in a cast-iron skillet.

What problem with writing was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? My greatest challenge in writing this novel was starting without a plot. Writing by the seat of my pants for sure! I went through draft after draft correcting plot issues. The complexities of making sure to resolve everything that needs to be resolved. Also, writing realistic and natural dialogue was something I worked on. I really hate it when dialogue feels wooden or predictable.

Tell us about the featured book. The Year of Jubilee is a coming-of-age novel set in a small town called Jubilee in eastern Kentucky, nestled in the foothills of coal country. The book takes place 1963 at the height of the civil rights movement. Grace Mockingbird is a 13-year-old girl struggling through family trauma and dysfunction while trying to maneuver through the changing times and find her own voice. The book was inspired by my first memory as a child and by a similar scenario my family experienced.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue

There are some moments in your life you don’t forget. Even when your eyes grow dim and your skin is thin like a moth’s wings, you can find them there, buried deep. You dust them off, and they shine like new again. Even now, in my middle years, I only have to crack open the cover of my red journal, and though the ink is fading, the words remain.

I remember.

I remember the feeling of my father’s rough shirt beneath my bare legs as he lifted me onto his shoulders and up to the window of Isaac’s hospital room. I remember the white walls and silver railings along his bed. I remember Rojo in my arms, still, with only the sound of his soft clucking as we peered in through the glass. The crest atop his head as red as blood against the windowpane. I remember thinking Isaac looked like a bird in a cloud, covered in a mound of sterile white sheets and blankets. I remember long clear tubes from a machine, feeding liquid life into his tiny bird arm.

I remember his lips moving as he looked up at us, and I wondered what he was saying.

I remember my mother in her pale-blue dress standing beside him, holding his hand with a river of sorrow in her eyes. I remember the sound of my heart beating like a drum in my chest and the smell of the rain as it held its breath before relenting.

I remember how we stood there as it started to rain, afraid of breaking the spell we were in. I remember the rain becoming a flood and our lives getting swept away in it.

I remember.

How can readers find you on the Internet? My website is www.cindymorganmusic.com

Thanks so much!

Cindy

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Thank you, Cindy, for sharing your novel with my blog readers and me.

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