Bio: Brenda S.
Anderson writes gritty, life-affirming fiction that offers hope and reminds the
reader they’re not alone. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction
Writers, and is currently President of the ACFW Minnesota chapter, MN-NICE.
When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, theater, roller coasters, and
baseball (Go Twins!), and she loves watching movies with her family. She
resides in the Minneapolis ,
Minnesota
Her debut novel, Chain of Mercy, Book #1 in the Coming
Home series, came out in April of 2014, and Pieces
of Granite, the prequel to Chain of Mercy, is scheduled to release on
September 16, 2014!
Welcome, Brenda. Tell us how much of
yourself you write into your characters.
You may not recognize me from the outward appearance or
personality or behaviors of my characters, but each character, be it
hero/heroine to secondary, each carries a piece of my heart.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I don’t know how quirky this is, but it definitely registers
on the geek meter. My entire family LOVES the Marvel Universe, and when a new
movie comes out, we have to see it on opening day—or before opening day, if we
can wrangle tickets. When The Avengers
came out in theaters, we purchased Avenger Marathon tickets. That meant we
were in the theater for Iron Man, The
Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain
America
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. I still
have stories I wrote back in grade school. Also, back in grade school, I wrote
plays that our class put on for the elementary grades. Unfortunately, I don’t
have copies of those plays.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I’ll read any fiction. The classics, historical, romance,
women’s fiction, mystery, speculative, etc. I don’t look at genre as much as I
look for a well-crafted story. Give me a voice that has a lyrical quality to
it, characters (protagonist and antagonist) who are multi-layered, descriptions
that transport me to the setting, and a story that makes me want to know the ending,
and it won’t matter what the genre is.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
By knowing my limits and learning to say “no.” I’ve
discovered that when my plate gets overfull, it’s not healthy for me or my
family. I’d rather do a few things well, than a bunch of things poorly. I also
haven’t joined the modern world by having a smart phone, not that I’m afraid of
it, but because I see too many people tethered to their phones. That life isn’t
for me.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
First, I take care to choose names befitting the setting of
the story and the ages and personality of the characters. From there, I don’t
have any specific formula. In one novel, the characters all had names that
symbolized who they were. In another novel, I chose names by looking at the
authors’ names on my bookshelves. It’s whatever strikes me at that moment.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
That’s easy! My husband and I have raised three wonderful
young adults (ages 22, 19, 18) who have a deep faith. Albeit, God gets more
credit for that than we do.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
I’d be a cat. Cats are very independent. They can be loving,
and they can be playful. They’re social at times but also need their quiet
time.
What is your favorite
food?
Does chocolate count as a food? J
Honestly, I have a very bland palate, and I like simple
meals. I could eat hamburgers all the time and be happy.
Chocolate is a food
group in my house. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest
roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I tend to enjoy reading grittier stories than are currently
popular within Christian fiction, and that’s what I write. I don’t curse in my
books, nor do I go beyond the bedroom door, but my stories deal with the messy
side of life. My main characters are usually very broken people, but it’s so
much fun watching what God can do with that brokenness! Given that, finding a
publisher willing to take a chance on my work was a challenge. But my
persistence paid off. I kept praying, learning, networking, and querying, out
of obedience—God wouldn’t let me stop. Finally, I found a publisher, Winslet
Press, who was delighted to take on my mess-filled stories.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Chain of Mercy is the first book in my 4-book Coming Home
series. Writers talk about the story of their heart—that’s Chain of Mercy. Here’s
the story description:
They forgave him for the accident that killed their son, but
he will never forgive himself.
Richard flees to Minneapolis
where he repairs ancient boilers instead of solving corporate problems, and
he’s determined to live the solitary life he now deserves.
But Executive Sheila Peterson has other plans for the
handsome custodian. Richard appears to be the perfect match for the
no-strings-attached romance she’s after, but she soon discovers that he’s
hiding more than the designer suits in his closet.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
“The good news is that the company only lost a million this
quarter.” Richard Brooks smirked at his assistant and slapped the quarterly
report down on her desk.
“That’s the good news?” Verna stopped typing and turned to
him, propping a hand on her hip, her Southern accent always a welcome sound in
this sea of nasal New Yorkers. “Young man, in my day people didn’t make a
million dollars, much less lose it. Now, tell me, if that’s the good news,
what’s the bad?”
He stared at the Picasso print above Verna’s desk. Reminded
him of his life. “It looks like we’re going to have no choice but to close the Phoenix plant.” How had
he missed the unmistakable signs of its mismanagement? Now, because of his lack
of foresight, hundreds of people would lose their jobs. In all his years in New York City , he’d never
made such a costly blunder.
“Goodness. And you’re blaming yourself. I can see it in
those beautiful blues of yours.”
“I should have seen it coming months ago. All the signs were
there.”
“It just so happens you’ve had a few other things on your
mind lately.”
The muscles in his cheeks tightened. “I’m not paid to think
of other things.”
“You stop putting yourself down. It’s time I see that
gorgeous smile again.”
He chuckled. “Happy?”
Only Verna could make him smile under these circumstances.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Like all writers, you can find me a number of places:
Website link: http://brendaandersonbooks.com/
Blog links:
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaSAndersonAuthor
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/BrendaSAnders_n
Pinterest link: http://www.pinterest.com/brendabanderson
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8144547.Brenda_S_Anderson
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Brenda-S.-Anderson/e/B00JHO3J3U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1Thank you, Brenda, for sharing your new book with us today.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Chain of Mercy (Coming Home) (Volume 1) - Amazon
Chain of Mercy (Coming Home) - Kindle
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