Welcome back,
Candace. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on
the horizon?
Interestingly, God has me moving in an unexpected direction.
For a while now, He has been whispering “be still” as far as my writing is
concerned. It has felt as insistent as His initial call to write. After much
prayer, I’m now taking time to fill the creative well through other outlets, and
spending precious time with my husband and our growing gaggle of grandchildren.
Though I’m officially on hiatus, it doesn’t mean stories won’t percolate. They
have a way of doing that . . .
Tell us a little
about your family.
We are a blended family. When I married my husband, I became
Grandma to his three “littles.” In eighteen years (next month), we’ve seen that
blessing grow to eight grandchildren and one great grandchild—an age span from
first-steps to college graduation! We recently had one of the toddlers for a
“sleepover” that, thanks to her playful grandpa, included Donald Duck voice
lessons. Papa takes his job seriously.
We have three great
grands, aged 2 to almost 10. They are so much fun. Has your writing changed
your reading habits? If so, how?
Actually, I’d say writing has most changed my habits as a
TV/movie viewer; writers are notorious for analyzing plots, characters, and scene
structure. Sometimes much to my husband’s chagrin!
James doesn’t like me
to tell him what’s coming in a TV show, but I’m almost always right. What are
you working on right now?
Though not on deadline, I’m busy marketing my newest
release, hosting giveaways, and being a blog guest—always such a delight. I
also volunteer in our grand daughters’ elementary school classes as a “Sight
Word Buster.” An author helping to grow new readers! How cool is that?
What outside
interests do you have?
Folks who follow me on Facebook know I’m a passionate
“foodie” and post dozens of dinner photos that often include my orange “Happy
Face Spoon.” I’m also an avid gardener, a bird nerd, Fitbit aficionado, and
world traveler. We just returned from an Australia
and New Zealand cruise where
I had the thrill of signing books in Tasmania
and hanging out with some new Kiwi friends (readers, writers, editors, reviewers).
Plus, I saw for-real Tasmanian Devils AND learned the best way to pet a
kangaroo. Fabulous!
I would love a trip
like that. How do you choose your settings for each book?
I like to welcome readers to places that have been home for
me. The Mercy Hospital series is set in my native northern California, the
Grace Medical series in Texas, and my newest series, Crisis Team, brings
readers back to California again—beginning with my home town of Sacramento.
If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
Anne Frank has been one of my heroes since childhood; her
humor, her hope, her courage inspire me; her great need to express herself on
the page is one we share. I had the privilege of visiting Anne Frank House in Amsterdam , the hiding
place where she penned her famous diary. The experience brought me to tears, and
I came away even more touched by this brave young girl’s beautiful spirit.
What is the one thing
you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
Probably that it’s a challenge to find a balance between Fiction Land
What new lessons is
the Lord teaching you right now?
A refresher course in being “still” in this too-noisy world;
making time to really savor the gifts I’ve been given. And to count my
blessings—they are many.
What are the three
best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
Connect with other writers, especially those farther along
the publishing path.
Study craft: via books (read! Fiction and nonfiction),
workshops, and online courses.
Attend conferences like ACFW’s annual event. Invaluable.
I’ve missed three
ACFW conferences in a row, but I’ll be there this year. I’m really looking
forward to connecting with my friends there. Tell us about the featured book.
Maybe It’s You is the exciting third book in my Crisis Team
series, a high-adrenaline and high-emotion medical drama with plenty of action,
romance, and suspense.
I always love reading
your books. Please give us the first page.
“Your relation to the inmate?”
Sloane Ferrell’s stomach tensed. “He’s my stepfather,” she
confirmed, lips brushing her cell phone in a whisper. “It was . . .
manslaughter.”
She glanced past a grouping of palm trees toward the peach
stucco entrance to Los Angeles Hope hospital’s emergency department. Would she
ever stop peering over her shoulder—watching her back? This past year it had
felt as necessary as breathing and was the biggest part of why she’d left San Diego . New zip code,
new living space, new job . . . a paper trail painstakingly shredded. She’d
done all that, and thankfully, the last few months had been uneventful. Right
now Sloane was simply concerned that a fellow ER nurse would join her at any
moment. She’d said something about taking their break together. This return
call from California State Prison couldn’t have come at a more awkward—
“We don’t have you listed,” the office assistant announced.
Her tone was as friendly as the slam of a cell door. “It had to be arranged in
advance and approved.”
“I did that—and I was,” Sloane insisted over the distant
whine-hum of saws; preliminary work had begun on the new hospital wing. “I was
promised a chance to speak at the parole hearing. My name has to be on the
list. Could you check again?”
Here’s a link to the complete Chapter One of Maybe
It’s You.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
I love connecting with readers! You can find me here:
Thank you, Lena . It’s a joy
to visit you here and have this chance to connect with your readers.
And it’s always a
pleasure to host you on my blog.
Readers, here are links to the book. By
using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Maybe It's You - Christianbook.comMaybe It's You (Crisis Team) - Amazon
Maybe It's You (Crisis Team) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.
You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us
where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America . (Comments containing links may be subject
to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the
number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of
eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any
pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on
this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You
will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz,
Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave
your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
