I find myself returning to the theme of forgiveness a lot. Forgiving others as well as forgiving ourselves. It’s a concept that’s easily misunderstood, I think.
I'm often drawn to write about that theme, too. What other books of yours are coming out soon?
The sequel to A COWBOY’S TOUCH, THE ACCIDENTAL BRIDE (Thomas Nelson) will release in Jan. 2012. I have a novel-in-four-parts coming out in December 2011. SMITTEN (Thomas Nelson) is a novel I wrote with my best friends (and authors) Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, and Diann Hunt. It’s about 4 friends who try to save their hometown of Smitten, Vermont, by turning it into a romantic getaway destination. In the process, they all find loves of their own. It was a blast to write a novel with great friends!
I would love to feature both of those books. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?
I think I’d have to choose Beth Moore. I’ve done all of her Bible studies—some of them twice—and I already feel like I know her. I admire her love for God and her affection for God’s people. She’s a constant inspiration to me.
I've attended tapings of Life Today with James Robison where he interveiwed Beth Moore and her husband. I admire her, too. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?
If I can’t choose Jesus, I’d choose His mother. What was Jesus like as a baby? Did he ever try your patience even though he was perfect? When did you realize God’s plan for Him? Mother to mother, I think it would be a fascinating conversation.
And I'd love to listen in. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?
I like to encourage writers by reminding them that it only takes one yes. One of my books (Mending Places) was rejected by, I think, every Christian publisher—except one. Keep studying the craft, keep writing, keep submitting. Be persistent and eventually you’ll hit upon that one idea that connects with that one publisher.
Here’s a blurb for A COWBOY’S TOUCH:
Four years ago, rodeo celebrity Wade Ryan gave up his identity to protect his daughter. Now, settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, he lives in obscurity, his heart guarded by a high, thick fence. Abigail Jones isn't sure how she went from big-city columnist to small-town nanny, but her new charge is growing on her, to say nothing of her ruggedly handsome boss. Love blossoms between Abigail and Wade--despite her better judgment. Will the secrets she brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana, separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?
Oh, yes, I want to read this one. Please give us the first page of the book.
Chapter One
Abigail Jones stared at the blinking curser on her monitor and tapped her fingers on the keyboard. Beyond the screen’s glow, darkness washed the cubicles. Her computer hummed, and outside the office windows a screech of tires broke the relative stillness of the Chicago night.
She shuffled her note cards. The story had been long in coming, but it was finished now, all except the telling. She knew where she wanted to take it next. Her fingers stirred into motion, dancing across the keys. This was her favorite part, exposing truth to the world. Well, okay, not the world exactly, not with Viewpoint’s paltry circulation. But now, during the writing, it felt like the world.
Four paragraphs later, the office had shrunk away, and all that existed were the words on the monitor and her memory playing in full color on the screen of her mind.
Something dropped onto her desk with a sudden thud.
Abigail’s hand flew to her heart, and her chair darted from her desk. She looked up at her boss’s frowning face, then shared a frown of her own. “You scared me.”
“And you’re scaring me. It’s after midnight, Abigail, what are you doing here?” Marilyn Jones’s hand settled on her hip.
The blast of adrenalin settled into Abigail’s bloodstream, though her heart was still in overdrive.“Being an ambitious staffer?”
“You mean an obsessive workaholic.”
“Something wrong with that?”
“What’s wrong is my twenty-eight-year-old daughter is working all hours on a Saturday night instead of dating an eligible bachelor like all the other single women her age.” Her mom tossed her head, but her short brown hair hardly budged. “You could’ve at least gone out with your sister and me. We had a good time.”
“I’m down to the wire.”
“You’ve been here every night for two weeks.” Her mother rolled up a chair and sank into it. “Your father always thought you’d be a schoolteacher, did I ever tell you that?”
“About a million times.” Abigail settled into the chair, rubbed the ache in her temple. Her heart was still recovering, but she wanted to return to her column. She was just getting to the good part.
“You had a doctor’s appointment yesterday,” Mom said.
Abigail sighed hard. “Whatever happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?”
I love it. Thank you, Denise, for this fun interview.
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