I don’t base my characters on myself at all. I did in one
book, which, of course, was kind of hard and I was really uncertain about it,
so I entered it into a contest. One of the judges gave this feedback: the
heroine is completely unlikeable and unrelatable. You have pushed her flaw to
the point where she needs psychiatric help. Complete rewrite recommended. So,
yeah, I make everything up.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I’m very boring. I think I might have eaten pancakes without
butter once. (Not recommended.)
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
In 2013 after reading a not-very-good ebook, I slammed my laptop
shut and muttered, “Anyone could write a better book than this.” My husband,
who was walking through the room to go check our boiling maple sap outside,
stopped and looked at me and said, “Then why don’t you?” That’s when it started.
I had a similar
experience that started me writing my first book back in 1984. Tell us the
range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
The Bible is my favorite book. I read it through every year.
I love non-fiction, The Great Bridge
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
God.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
Google
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I think the Bible clearly tells us not to be proud. I haven’t
accomplished anything on my own. God’s (amazing) grace and the blood of Christ
is all I claim.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
One that sleeps a lot. When I get to Heaven, I’m going to greet
Jesus, say hi to a few other folks then find a quiet place and sleep for the
next ten thousand years.
What is your favorite
food?
I love cow tongue. Love it. Hot. Cold. Warm. On a train, in
a bus, in the rain. Although it must be cooked and have salt (and I don’t eat
it green). And cheesecake.
I like cow tongue,
too, but my husband doesn’t, so I seldom eat it anymore. What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Finding time to write. I have not overcome this one, yet,
unfortunately.
Tell us about the
featured book.
An Amish Sanctuary, the working title was Take Me Away, is a romance between a pop diva who is struggling
with everything people expect her to be and a simple ex-Amish farmer. They’re
from completely different worlds and are total opposites.
I love opposites attract stories. I also love stories that
show values, morals, and sacrifices. In this book, right at the beginning, Judah
A lot of my readers say Judah
Please give us the
first page of the book.
The room spun.
Breathe. Just Breathe.
Lucy Johnson, aka pop diva, Celeste, to her adoring fans,
stumbled into the wall of her small dressing room. Flattening a hand against
the cool white paint, she sagged against it. Her heart beat like sporadic
gunfire. She was dying.
No.
What had her therapist said? No one has ever died of a panic
attack. That thought loosened the vice that gripped her chest.
Focus on breathing. Slowly.
Using another relaxation technique her therapist taught, she
imagined herself sitting by the ocean, listening to waves, feeling the breeze
on her face. Her muscles relaxed slightly until the image in her head filled
with paparazzi storming the beach, cameras clicking. Before the picture faded
she saw herself hiding under her beach chair digging in the sand to get away
from the ceaseless questions and pictures.
Her heart hopped and skipped like a frog on a hot skillet.
Lurching to a chair covered in sequined stage costumes, Lucy
perched on the edge, wrapped both arms around her stomach and rocked back and
forth. Waves of panic rolled through her body. She fought the urge to run. Go
anywhere. Now.
There’s nothing to be afraid of. Self-talk. Another
technique. It worked a little because she knew it was true. She’d been to seven
doctors and specialists. They’d all pronounced her in excellent physical
condition. The anxiety and random panic attacks that came with no obvious
trigger were simply the warnings of her body that she’d pushed it too far. They’d
said she needed to rest. As if she had time for that.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Amish Sanctuary and my other Pelican books can be found on the Publisher's website. https://bit.ly/2yOjiDI
My newsletter is the best way to find out about my books and
myself. Sign up here.
Thank you, Jessie,
for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m intrigued by the story
line and the first page.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
An Amish Sanctuary
- Kindle
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