JESSIE'S PEARLS - Patti Lacy - One Free Book

Welcome back, Patti. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

I’m Patti Lacy, the novelist from Normal, Illinois, and did not feel called to write anything but embarrassing love letters and maudlin poetry until I was 50 years young. If I can get my stories down on paper, so can you!!

Tell us about your family.

From the very beginning of my writing journey, my husband Alan, a textbook writer and college professor, told me I could write the story of my best friend, an Irishwoman who dealt with, not one, but two dysfunctional mothers. Two years later, An Irishwoman’s Tale hit the bookstores. I so appreciate 37 years of wonderful marriage! Alan and I have two grown children: Sarah, who is getting a doctorate in Central American history, and Thomas, who works in Waco, Texas, where, eons ago, I went to college. We also have a dog named Laura who loves to take long walks through our neighborhood.

Have you written other nonfiction books?

Yes! Tattooed by Jesus, a memoir, traces the amazing journey of Bonnie Kae Lentz, a Christian minister who once thought Jesus was a cuss word. Bonnie now runs The Jesus House in our sister city, Bloomington, Illinois. I’ve also published four novels: An Irishwoman’s Tale, What the Bayou Saw, The Rhythm of Secrets, and Reclaiming Lily.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?

My agent, Natasha Kern, has a proposal for a contemporary fiction series and a historical fiction series. I also have a few ideas percolating in my gray matter.

What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?

Is there a writer who doesn’t love books? Every night, they tuck me in bed and carry me away…

I also love jogging and have completed marathons, though these days, we’re talking 5Ks.

Why did you write the featured book?

At the most unexpected place, my 40th high school reunion in Monroe, Louisiana, a classmate, Gary McCormick, the son of Jessie, our book’s heroine, approached me and said, “Has my mom ever got a story!” I bit back, “Doesn’t everyone?” and listened halfheartedly, more interested in seeing old friends and drinking in the scenes on the bayou out back. A few weeks later, Gary called me and continued sharing his mom’s story. He finally hooked me with talk of Jessie’s back-breaking labor in the 1930s as a cotton picker and her determination to escape the eviction notices that hounded their family. Single-mindedly, Jessie faced crisis after crisis in her life. Then she found herself financially comfortable, even wealthy, but a knock at her door brought the biggest crisis of all.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?

Jessie’s Pearls explores the life of a driven woman who learns the meaning of family, loss, perseverance, and, through the grace of Jesus Christ, finds a faith that will last forever. Despite our heroine’s incredible work ethic and generosity, Jessie made mistakes in her life, and paid a steep price. I loved seeing how Jessie learned from her trials and determined to let God work for good in all things.

I also want the reader to understand the depths of pain suffered by many during the Great Depression, World War II, post World War II, and the Vietnam era. History can be a marvelous teacher!         

Is there anything you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book?

Jessie’s Pearls has a Southern flavor and a country girl’s heart. I want you to smell the fragrant magnolia blossoms and see the live oak trees droop their moss-covered branches over the bayou waters. I want you to taste the twice-dipped fried chicken and fresh snap peas. I pray that this memoir will prove to be an enjoyable read, a story with take-away value, and a sensory experience!

I know you’ve piqued the interest of all my readers. Where on the Internet can they find you?

This is a GREAT time to mention my long-time critique partner and Jessie’s Pearls cowriter, Sara Richardson, whose debut novel, No Better Man, has been endorsed by Debbie Macomber, Lori Wilde, and Katie Lane. Find Sara at www.sararichardson.com.

My website is www.pattilacy.com. I also talk books, art, and Jesus at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/patti.lacy; www.facebook.com/pages/Patti-Lacy/190783284280488.

Lena, thanks for chance to share with your great readers. God bless!

And thank you, Patti, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Jessie's Pearls - Paperback
Jessie's Pearls - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

RECLAIMING LILY - Patti Lacy - Free Book Here, Plus Facebook Party

What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

What a GREAT place to start with a Christian author interview! Romans 8:28, God working for good in all things in the lives of those who love Him, who call on His name, lays a foundation for all my works. Inspired by real-life stories, I write about God’s working through women who’ve suffered abandonment, sexual abuse, judgment. Reclaiming Lily, my latest release with Bethany House, explores how God uses the insidious genetically-based PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) as an instrument to heal TWO families.

What books of yours are coming out soon?

The Rhythm of Secrets (Kregel, 2011) and Reclaiming Lily (Bethany House, 2011) are my latest babies. Stay tuned for what God has in store for me by visiting my blog, www.pattilacy.com/blog, or my website, www.pattilacy.com. 

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

Anne Graham Lotz, Billy Graham’s daughter. I LOVE Ann’s writing and could “sit at her feet” and soak up her Biblical teaching. Plus she’s funny and has that fabulous Southern drawl. And all Southerners love good food, so it would be one fine dinner!!!

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Oh, wow! Great timing on this one! HONEST ABE! I’m reading genius Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography, Team of Rivals. Through this Pulitzer Prize winner, God has taught me to use humor as a response to criticism; forgiveness as a response to insult; humility as a response to…EVERYTHING! Of course I’d like to meet every interesting history-maker from Jesus’ apostles to Rosa Parks. Can you imagine a huge dinner party, with table after table of fascinating folks?

That would be a good evening, wouldn’t it? How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

When rejection strikes (a constant for ALL writers, whether your stories live only on your hard drive or actually sag bookstore shelves) I find humor in some of the “well-meaning” “we-don’t-like-your-work” comments. Turning to laughter has transformed my attitude! Then I call a few friends, who holler and denounce every snippy comment and take on my resentment in a wonderful, vicarious way. Finally I let my fingers do the walking to Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” Yes, I know I should reverse the order of my process. I am working on it J

Tell us about the featured book.

When a deadly disease strikes the Wang family, Harvard graduate Dr. Kai
Chang must alert Lily, the sister Kai left on orphanage steps years earlier.

Standing in her way is Gloria Powell, a Fort Worth pastor's wife who
distrusts Kai and thinks her entry into Lily's life will send the troubled
seventeen-year-old over the precipice of teenaged angst.

A Texas-sized tornado whirls about the meeting place of the Kai and
the Powells. Tempers and cultures collide. Can Kai, Gloria, and Joy reconcile
their differences, surrender their dreams, and allow God to implement a plan
that provides supernatural, unbelievable joy?

Reclaiming Lily spans seas and secrets to portray the fictional truths of Romans 8:28, God working for good in all things in the lives of those who love Him, who call on His name.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Eastern China, 1990

The van jostled its way to the orphanage. Hunkered beside her pastor husband, Andrew, Gloria Powell craned her neck to gaze out the filmy window. Though she’d read books and studied photos until bleary-eyed, nothing—nothing—had captured this wild land! Waterfalls cascaded velvet hills, yet garbage carpeted the countryside with tin, paper, and plastic. A naked child squatted to pee near a dismembered dog. Bent-backed peasants formed graceful shadows on rice fields

robed in green and silver.

A sigh escaped Gloria. This was a strange land, a magnificent land, the homeland of their baby.

But it sure was a long way from Texas.

The van wheezed to a stop near a crumbling stone wall circling a weathered two-story building. Children streamed from a blistered wooden gate and clustered about Gloria’s van window. A bow-legged toddler pointed at her, as did others with rice-bowl haircuts. A gangly child—he or she?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Oops! Already answered that one, but would LOVE to do it again! www.pattilacy.com/blog and www.pattilacy.com. Please visit both my author and personal Facebook pages, as I post daily Artbites along with snippets about the seas and secrets that this writer spans.

Thanks for having me over. I loved meeting y’all!

Win a KindleTouch Enter 10/5-10/19. Winner announced at Patti's Facebook Party on 10/20!

Follow the blog tour and read the reviews!

Patti and her publisher, Bethany House, are giving away a Reclaiming Lily prize package worth over $150 to one lucky winner!!!!

Enter the Reclaiming Lily Giveaway and you could win:

• A brand new just released KindleTouch with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift cetificate to Amazon.com

But, wait there’s more!


Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. Giveaway ends on 10/19! Patti will be announcing the winner of the Reclaiming Lily Giveaway at her Party on Facebook October 20th! She’ll be hosting a book club chat of Reclaiming Lily (it's okay if you haven't read it - you could win a copy!) and giving away other fun prizes! (signed copies of her books and gift certificates to Amazon.com, Starbucks, & iTunes!). Don’t miss the fun at Patti’s FB Author Page on 10/20/11 at 5pm PST ( 6 pm MST, 7 pm CST, & 8 pm EST)! RSVP today!

 

In addition to this, you can win a copy of the book on this blog.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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.

Or you can order the book using this link: 

Reclaiming Lily

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

THE RHYTHM OF SECRETS - Patti Lacy - Free Book

So good to have you back, Patti. And thanks for having me on your blog this week. Readers, if you wan to read that interview, check it out. http://www.pattilacy.com/blog/ God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

At fifty-five, I’m struggling to keep with God but so grateful He has given me work. Just this month He planted the idea for a series, which will be my first. My agent fell in love with it at first sight (also a first).

Here’s the hook: Evelyn Secrest, a recently widowed homemaker, and Jamie Sue Symmes, a mentally challenged grocery store bagger, blend their vastly different skill sets, spice them with the love of Jesus, and push past civic and family opposition to open a soup kitchen.

I’m also writing my first book sold before completion, Reclaiming Lily (Bethany House, Fall 2011) (deadline of 11/15) and editing The Rhythm of Secrets, which will be released in January 2011 by Kregel.

Writing has been redefined as a full-time passion in the Lacy household.

We can see from that last answer that you worked on these questions a while ago. Tell us a little about your family.

My husband Alan shares my passion for ministry, not just through writing, but as Sunday school teachers to 3rd and 4th graders at Grace Church in Normal. When we married, we followed a tradition in both our families to teach. Day by day he lives that commitment in the halls of Illinois State University. My daughter Sarah and fabulous son-in-law Josh moved to Nashville to pursue postgraduate work with a passion to one day be involved a la Three Cups of Tea in South American villages. Son Thomas calls school locker rooms home and aspires to teach and coach after completing college. Our canine family member regulates the Lacy exercise patterns and sits in my office chair to supervise writing. We love our mongrel Laura!!

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Yes, ma’am! I hone the craft, pen in hand, with nearly every word I read. It’s SO fun to scribble “Wow!” and “Look at that POV use!” on the pages of my friends the books. There’s SO much to learn from experienced writers. Like you, Lena.

I don't thing we ever stop learning. What are you working on right now?

Three books: The Rhythm of Secrets, Reclaiming Lily, and Those Below Normal

I'm going to add Reclaiming Lily to the schedule now so we'll be sure to have a spot when it releases. What outside interests do you have?

What outside interests do I NOT have? In that way, I’m like Cynthia, Father Tim’s wife in At Home in Mitford. I love gardening, running, films, of course reading and writing, sharing the gospel of Christ, leading Bible studies, housework (really), cooking, ART, teaching, environmental issues, traveling. I’ll stop there!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Settings are so integral to my stories, they become characters. As I “meet” my heroine, I also “meet” the mystical cliffs o’ County Clare or the swamps of Louisiana, tawdry Thai brothels, the hallowed arch of Moody Bible Institute, far-from-plain ole Normal, Illinois!!!

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

Of course our Lord and Savior, for a taste of what lies ahead. Perhaps Moses. There’s so many things I’d like to ask him, like was he really slow of speech. Did he tremble when walking through those parted waters?

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

Hmmm. You know, Lena, I’ve loved this crazy ride. God has been so good to keep my focus on Him MOST of the time. I guess it would be those moments when I got caught up in the whole publish rush, the $$ side of the business, the hurry up and do SOMETHING urge instead of writing solely for Him and letting everything else take care of itself.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

How to reach out in love to EVERYONE, even enemies. Even those I don’t like. To die to self so the Holy Spirit can REALLY work.

Learning to see everyone through the Lord's eyes will revolutionalize your life. What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?


Take the readers God gives you, one by one, and make them feel like the most important people in the world.

Write SOLELY for the Audience of One and surround yourself with people who feel the same way you do. Cling to those soulmates and make them feel like the most important people in the world.

Wrestle with God to determine if He wants you to write. Then become a professional. Put in long hours. Support other writers by purchasing their books, trumpeting their talents, attending their functions. Read those craft books. Spend $$ to get professional edits. Don’t play around with God’s talent.

Tell us about the featured book.

A phone call threatens to destroy the security of Sheila Alexander, the wife of a prominent Midwest pastor, and expose secrets Sheila has managed to conceal for decades. Will Sheila save the one she loves most of all…or protect her husband and her church? The Rhythm of Secrets will transport you from bawdy Jazz era New Orleans to the turbulent Vietnam War era in Chicago. As with all her books, Patti weaves music into the manuscript, this time focusing on classical, jazz, and blues tunes.

Sounds very intriguing. Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter 1

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Spring 1969, Chicago, Illinois

Stormy days call for Rachmaninoff. Rain thrummed the window and blended with cantata chords Sheila Franklin coaxed from her piano. Soon she’d be done with the choir piece and could continue her Rachmaninoff affair. Or maybe she’d play jazz, wild and free, though Edward had forbidden it. But Edward wasn’t here . . .

“Jesus is love.” She sang as she played, but her movements jerked rather than flowed; a second-year music student could do as well. Eager to be done with it, she glanced at the clock. Ten more minutes, that would do it. Ten more minutes, and she’d play the jazz she’d heard when Papa set a needle on a scratched record in their marvelous Esplanade parlor. Or Rachmaninoff. Yes, Rachmaninoff would be better. Safer. Sheila sat up straight, precisely positioned her hands on the keyboard, but her past refused to be disciplined. Her past . . .

Oh, New Orleans! Images of the noisy French Quarter and Maman’s heart-shaped face pulled her into a keyboard promenade, slow and sassy, toward the Mississippi. A tugboat sounded . . . or a wrong note. She glanced at her hands, again heard the musical hiccup. She hadn’t missed a key. It was that darned phone, threatening to shut down a riotous Mardi Gras parade. Irritation clapped through her. She continued to pound the keys, but the wretched thing buzzed insistently.

When icy resentment froze her hands, she stared at them. Her diamond solitaire dazzled her eye and reminded her of her commitment eighteen years ago. She’d agreed to interruptions like this when she’d married Edward Franklin . . . and his congregation. Life, death, or a dozen things in between waited at the other end of the line; the knowledge propelled her toward his phone. She and Edward had battened down their marriage with the surety, the safety, of Christ. And it was enough, Lord. Yes. It would have to be enough.

As she moved to his study, she kneaded her knuckles but could do nothing for the memories. Beautiful memories. Painful memories. The lonely Russian composer understood—she knew from his music—but Rachmaninoff would have to wait.

She picked up the phone from its perch on Edward’s roll-top desk. “Hello?”

Static answered, and a noise like the wings of a large bird taking flight. She leaned against the desk, reminding herself to be polite, even if it was Mr. O’Leary, ringing up Edward from the pay phone outside the neighborhood pub. Or someone who needed money. “Franklin residence. Can I help you?”

“Is this Sylvia Allen?”

She tried to breathe; nearly choked. Her elbows banged against solid oak. Nobody knew she’d once been Sylvia Allen except . . . What was this? Blackmail?

I can't wait to read it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.pattilacy.com/, www.pattilacy.com/blog. I also LOVE my Facebook fam and enjoy sharing Art Bites with them five days a week.

Thanks, Lena!

And thank you, Patti, for the fun interview again.
 
Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.



Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (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 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.


If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

Patti Lacy - WHAT THE BAYOU SAW - Free Book

Welcome, Patti. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Lena, I’m passionate about sharing the secrets women keep and why they keep them. And ever since I read People and Places, a primer my great aunt used when she taught teach third grade, I’ve dreamed of sailing away to exotic countries. Now you see why the tagline “Spanning Seas and Secrets” fits me like a girdle!
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

When I gave birth to each of my children. My daughter, born December 22, was an early Christmas present, and also an early bird. I held the delicate little doll so close and sang her my favorite carols. Songs about the Holy Infant pierced my soul, and I saw Him in a wonderfully different way! My precious son was born March 13 and was an early birthday present. Because of his blue eyes, I sang “Baby Blue” to him. Even though he was a newborn, his gaze fixed on me, and I fell in love…forever.

How has being published changed your life?

Because of book signings, library appearances, and guest speaking, I have opportunities to share “all my broken pieces” with more people. In each book I write, I try to show, kaleidoscope-style, how God can make a lovely, unique piece of art with shards of glass and bits of metal. He can do the same with us if we give all those pieces to Him.

That is so true. What are you reading right now?

Jill Eileen Smith’s Michal. I just finished The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner and End of the Season by Linore Rose Burkard. Also Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth. Another great book for the summer will be Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana, by Melanie Dobson (I got a sneak peak at this one!) As you can see, I’m an avid reader and truly believe that every good book I read teaches me something about the writing craft. Books have been my friends since I was five, and oh, I have so many friends now! They’ve taken me around the world, gotten me in awful fixes and into some lovely times. Oops! Back to the question. Shape of Mercy helped with dialogue and tightening a framed story. Linore had great flow and control. Mary got me into the heart of a young teenaged boy (not easy!) Melanie has captured the fear of oppressed people. Great job, writers!

What is your current work in progress?

My Name is Sheba. Here’s the tag line: Preacher’s wife Sheila Alexander loves a husband who doesn’t know her and a son she never knew. Then the past comes knocking, in the form of a young soldier and a prostitute, and threatens to expose her deceptive ways. I’ve been to New Orleans and St. Paul and Thailand with this book, the latter two, only in my imagination and through those best friends, books! Thank you, Sandy Sperrazza, for your willingness to share this story. I’m actually going through a second edit to add “visceral reactions” and “tighten the POV.” Those are my “areas of learning” right now!

What would be your dream vacation?

Right now, China, scene of my next work in progress. My husband and I also yearn to plod the cobblestones of Italy and be steered along the waters of the grand canals in Venice before they sink in the ocean. I’ve also heard of a place, Cinque Terre, where five villages nestle in green rolling hills, all in view of an azure sea. Sigh…maybe one day…

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Setting becomes a character in my book and pulses in the lifeblood of the other characters. In My Name is Sheba, my bold little twelve-year-old skips through the noisy farmers markets, ducks into the seedy alleys, and stands behind the artists at their easels in 1940s New Orleans. I usually hear a story that inspires me, like Sandy Sperrazza and her time in a Home for Unwed Mothers in St. Paul, Minnesota, then research that area through either visits, books, or lots of interviews with the inspirer.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Besides family and friends, I’d say Billy Graham, who has led so many to the Lord through the Holy Spirit’s work. In My Name is Sheba, I seize upon a historical appearance Graham made in Chicago to include him in my main character’s conversion. If things really went well, his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, one of my favorite writers, might be seated across the table!

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Since an old boyfriend introduced me to jogging in college, I’ve loved to clear my mind and move my stiff limbs by running. It’s a cheap—and easy—way to exercise my dog, Laura, who is used to sitting for hours while I pound away at the keyboard. My family also looks forward to vacation times, when we can hike the national parks. Sarah, my daughter, just returned from her second mission trip to Costa Rica, and she wants to gather us up and take us there soon. We all have been bitten by the travel bug!

I love to travel, too. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Adding emotion and visceral feeling to my work! Also, unlike many of my ACFW friends, I tend to write slowly, so my day starts at five a.m. to get my set number of daily pages behind me.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Read, read, read, and write for the Audience of One.

Tell us about the featured book.

Since leaving Louisiana, Sally Stevens (of An Irishwoman’s Tale) has held her childhood secrets at bay, smothering them in a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her husband Sam, has heard the truth about what happened to her when she was twelve years old.

Now a teacher in Illinois, Sally has nearly forgotten the past herself. But when one of her students is violently attacked, Sally’s memories of segregation, a chain link fence, and a blood oath bubble to the surface like a dead body in a bayou. As Sally’s story comes to light, the lies she’s told begin to catch up with her. And as her web of deceit unravels, she resolves to face the truth at last—whatever the consequences.

I'm hooked. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Oh, I’d love to have you visit http://www.pattilacy.com/! I host monthly contests for a $15 Barnes & Noble card and post book reviews of some of ACFW’s latest good reads.

Thanks, Lena, for hosting me today! Happy writing—and reading!

And thank you, Patti, for spending this enjoyable time with us.

Readers, here's a link where you can order What the Bayou Saw:

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. The winner announcement post on this blog will be the only notification you'll receive. So be sure to check back a in two weeks to see if you won. Or you can sign up for Feedblitz at the top of the other column, and all the posts will come into your Inbox.

If you're reading this on Facebook or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave a comment:

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Author Patti Lacy - AN IRISHWOMAN'S TALE - Free Book

I'm really happy to feature Patti on my blog. We were together at the national American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Minneapolis this month.

Welcome, Patti. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Sally, in An Irishwoman’s Tale, is Southern and moves to the Midwest, like I did in 1995. She loves chocolate and eats when anxious, like I do. I wish I had more of her sympathetic heart. Since this novel is inspired by a true story, it has more of “me” in it than my next two. My husband, who reads my proposals, is always saying, “Did this happen to YOU? Is this YOU?” It’s fun to keep him—and everyone else—guessing. Nearly all of my characters are based on someone—or a composite of someones. So watch out, friends and acquaintances!

I know. I own a T-shirt that says, "Careful or you'll end up in my novel." What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Ran outside in my nightgown on a rainy spring morning to save drowning earthworms. I love the little creatures that enrich my perennial bed and can’t stand to see them all waterlogged, swollen, stranded, and comatose on the concrete after a downpour. At the time, a friend of my daughter was living with us, and she happened to be looking out the window. Of course she ran screaming the news to my daughter and son, and they spread it all over the neighborhood. (I still do this from time to time but usually get dressed first.)

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I didn’t start writing until 2005, when God whispered to me that I needed to tell The Irishwoman’s story. However, I did begin inhaling everything I could read around the age of five, starting with Illustrated Bibles and Dr. Seuss, and I think that’s the best training ground for picking up the old ballpoint and scribbling on paper.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I read everything from Agatha Christie to literary fiction and nonfiction. This is a three-pronged screening test I apply: 1. Values that need to be examined. 2. Several recommendations by time-tested reader friends. 3. Writing, settings, characters which grab my attention and won’t let me go when I sit down in a coffee bar with the book. Latest rave reads? Three Cups of Tea, The Family Nobody Wanted, Demon: A Memoir, Just Jane, LBJ biographies by Robert Caro.

What other books have you written, whether published or not?

What the Bayou Saw, Sally’s story, will be published sometime in April 2009. I’m halfway through My Name is Sheba, the premier novel in a four-book series entitled “Spanning Seas and Secrets.”

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Mainly by walking, walking, walking down the very ordinary streets of my town, Normal, Illinois. Discipline keeps my life simple. I try to get up early, write a set number of pages, take my daily constitutional (walking or jogging, depending on how achy old legs are), do housework, and cook dinner for our family. Spice is added with the occasional coffee shop chat with a friend or a video with hubby.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I draw from Biblical characters, those nearest and dearest, stereotypes, phone books, other books. It’s all fair game!

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Raising godly children, both of whom love the Lord. However, that’s not really our accomplishment, but God’s grace.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A sea otter! I love paddling through the water even though I’m not a great swimmer. How wonderful it would be to have a sleek body, glide effortlessly through deep sea waters, then surface with a splash and a shake or two. The fish diet wouldn’t be a problem, either.

I loved watching the sea otters when we visited Pacific Grove, California. What is your favorite food?

Dark chocolate!

My kind of woman. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Getting the emotion that I felt in my heart down on paper. Camy Tang helped me with ruthless editing. She also pointed me to several great reads, Writing for Emotional Impact (Iglesias) and Getting into Character (Collins).

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Honestly assess the time you can devote to writing. Then set a daily goal, either number of words or time, whichever yanks the most pages from you. Do not pass go, collect $200, or even get a fresh cup of coffee until you meet that goal. Read that section, then rewrite. Do it again. Find a critique partner and repeat until they have run out of things to mark on your pages. Then hire an editor and do what they say, which will probably be…rewrite.

What would you like to tell us about the featured book?

An Irishwoman’s Tale explores the painful first memories of Mary, an impetuous Irishwoman. When she dares to share them with her new friend, a gregarious Southerner, God jump-starts the healing process by leading the women on a wild trip, On rocky Irish cliffs, Mary glimpses God’s plan for her life and begins the long road to recovery from those early memories. In this novel, I examine issues such as substance abuse, Catholicism, and Alzheimer’s looking through the rose-colored glasses of Romans 8:28, God’s working for good in the lives of those who love Him.

Patti, how can readers find you on the Internet?

I’d love for you to leave a message at Contact Me, www.pattilacy.com.

Thank you, Patti, for spending this time with us.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. BE SURE TO CHECK BACK EVERY WEEKEND TO SEE IF YOU HAVE WON!!!

Then go to Patti's web site and leave her a message.