Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life? Great question and several come to mind including the day I got married, the day my oldest son graduated from college and all the important people in my life were there to celebrate, and the day an editor called to offer my first book contract. Yes, that’s cheating but they were all happy for very different reasons after long seasons of adversity beforehand.
How has being published changed your life? It’s been such a blessing to be able to do what I love and get paid for it. I’m truly living the dream now as an author and editor, getting to create my own fictional worlds and then mentor other writers as their stories find a voice. And it sure beats the industrial hygiene research where I had to read mountains of depositions in asbestos cases. Sure don’t miss that day job.
What are you reading right now? Right now I’m reading Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter and Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado. I’m an avid fiction reader who usually devours 100 plus novels a year in addition to what I write as an author or evaluate as an editor, but there are always those non-fiction books that I have to digest more slowly.
What is your current
work in progress? I just wrapped up the 4th book in my Within the Castle
Gates series and am already tweaking the outline for the 5th book. Saving Grace is a contemporary romance
set at a
What would be your dream vacation? A cabin in the mountains near water (either a lake or a trickling stream or even a waterfall) so I could soak up the peace and quiet, hike in nature, and then relax on the porch or by the fire with a good book. My normal life has so much chaos and activity that unplugging from it all would be perfect.
How do you choose
your settings for each book? My first few contemporary titles were set near
where I live since I was familiar with the area and could focus my research on
other aspects of the story. However, my historical titles found their settings
based on the story needs. As in “I need a place in the north of
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why? Hmm. I’d have to choose Susan May Warren so I could thank her for how her writing craft books changed the trajectory of my career, and then pick her brain for how to juggle family and writing and diversifying her business. Oh, and the story ideas we could bounce around so I could decide what project to work on next…
What are your
hobbies, besides writing and reading? You just had to take reading off the
table. After that, I’d have to say crochet and baking. Although after eating
too many baked goods, I’d better move hiking up that list just to keep my body
moving while exploring my
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it? My biggest obstacle is the fact I’m also full-time caregiver to my adult daughter with special needs. I love how I can fit my work around her schedule…but depending on her mood (autistic characteristics plus anxiety that was only made worse thanks to COVID restrictions), she can drain all the creativity from my brain in a single hour. I have to schedule my writing time for when she’s at work or her day program, otherwise I’m frequently interrupted. And then I have to give myself a lot of grace when the to-do list remains undone.
What advice would you give to a beginning author? Read a lot in your preferred genre. It’s amazing how much you absorb about the market, pacing, story structure, and even how not to tell a story by reading. Then I’d say to write the story you are most passionate and excited about. You’re going to spend A LOT of time with those pages revising and honing your craft, so make it a story you’re less likely to dread coming back to. And finally, find a writing group that actually teaches and encourages you. This industry is tough enough without others offering bad advice or tearing you down so they can look smarter.
That is so true. Tell us about the featured book. The featured book is actually a boxed set collection of contemporary romances that contains a complete series including three main stories and two follow-up Christmas novellas. Readers can step inside the Wardrobe Dinner Theater and experience the backstage diva drama as three actresses embark on a faith-filled journey to find what matters most in life. Because some things are more important than the spotlight...
Please give us the
first page of the book.
(This is from Dance Over Me, the first book in the series.)
“Next up. Number seventeen.”
Dani rolled her shoulders once, gave each leg a shake, took a deep breath, and clicked her way up the three steps to the polished hardwood. Approaching center stage, she scanned the house and zeroed in on the older couple seated behind a table on the second level.
“And what will you be showing us this morning?”
Dani’s gaze skipped over the tall woman who’d checked her in earlier and focused on the middle-aged director who was busy rolling a pen between his fingers. She swallowed hard to dissolve the cotton-like feeling in her mouth.
“I’ve prepared a series of tap combinations.” Dani did a quick shuffle step to draw attention to her footwear and break the tension that seemed to have paralyzed her body.
A snort of laughter erupted from an area to the right of the judges’ table.
Dani shifted her gaze to the critic. Female. About her age. The blonde bombshell diva-type leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the dark-haired man beside her as two other women giggled behind them. Based on the logo on their T-shirts, they were part of the theater company and therefore in a position to enjoy watching the auditions without the fear of dashed hopes.
“Do you have accompaniment?” The director rested his chin on folded hands.
“I do.” Heat from the stage lights sent a trickle of sweat down Dani’s back.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
She glanced at the cluster of actors. The diva picked at her nail polish, and the others looked equally bored. Time to let her feet do the talking.
She stepped into position and nodded in the direction of the soundboard on the third level at the back of the room.
Okay, God. Here we go.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
The best place is my website at https://CandeeFick.com with my blog, information about my books, and where you can sign up for my biweekly email with exclusive subscriber deals. I’m finding myself less and less on social media these days, but readers can still find me on Facebook, Twitter, and more recently Gab and MeWe.
Thank you, Candee,
for sharing this collection with my blog readers and me. I have a background in
live theater, so I’m eager to read it.
Readers,
here are links to the book.
https://amzn.to/3yxqb6P - Kindle Edition
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