Bio: Renae Brumbaugh Green is an ECPA Bestselling Author,
award-winning humor columnist, and wannabe superhero. She lives in
Welcome back, Renae. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?
I don’t know. I’ve reached a point where traditional success doesn’t matter as much to me as it once did. I just want to please God and use whatever gifts He’s given me to point others to Him. I’ve had some unique, unexpected opportunities in the last year, such as writing articles for a mental health newsletter and teaching writing to college students, and I can see God’s hand in each of those. As for books, I’ll keep writing more stories until He tells me to stop.
Tell us a little about your family.
I am married to the most wonderful man. He’s kind, hard working, and a total hunk! We are a blended family, and together we have four children. Hannah, 26, is married to Kyle, and works with people with special needs. Nick is 25, has autism, and knows all the words to every Disney song. Charis, 23, teaches first grade, and Foster, 18, plans to enter the military. They are each so different, and I am blessed to get to be part of their lives.
Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?
It’s harder to just enjoy a book anymore. I find myself making each book I read into a writing textbook. I highlight beautiful passages and make notes in the margin about things I’d like to imitate in my own writing. I also think I have less tolerance for mediocre writing, simply because I want to improve as a writer. The way to improve is to study writers who are better than you.
What are you working on right now?
I’m still in the beginning stages of book two in The Stratton Legacy. I also have my weekly humor column, and I write about six articles a month for that mental health and wellness newsletter I mentioned earlier. Plus, I teach, and that takes a lot of time. I love it, though!
What outside interests do you have?
I actually started out as a music (voice) major in college. I love to sing, and I enjoy singing in church choirs and on praise teams as I have the opportunity. For the past couple of summers, I’ve gotten to lead worship at the SoCal Christian Writers Conference, and each time it was a highlight of my year.
How do you choose your settings for each book?
Even though I write historical, I try to choose settings I’m
familiar with. Most of my books are set in
If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
Jesus Christ. He’s already my best friend… I’d love to look in his face and hear his voice. My second choice would be C. S. Lewis, because I love his books and his writing. I think he’d be a fun dinner companion!
What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
I’m not sure. If I had known how hard fiction writing is, I probably wouldn’t have tried… so I guess I’m glad I didn’t know that.
What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?
He’s teaching me to trust Him. I’m actually going through a pretty deep valley, a pretty hot fire right now, but it’s one I have no control over. Some days, I have to trust Him just to get me through the next minute, the next hour. It’s not a fun season. But I know from experience that every season will pass, and with God’s help and guidance, I will be stronger for the storms. Many days I say to God, “I don’t know what You’re doing. I don’t like it. But I trust You.” Other days, I breathe these simple words as a constant prayer, a constant reminder: “I love You. I trust You. I know You are good.”
I went through a season like that from November 2018 through March 2020, so I understand. What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
1. Write every day. 2. Read beautifully-written books, and use them as textbooks. 3. When you finish a writing draft, step away from it for a few days or a week before revising and editing. When you read back through it, you’ll find all those areas you can improve or tighten. If you revise too soon, you’ll see what you think you wrote instead of what you actually wrote.
Tell us about the featured book.
In 2008, my dear friend and writing mentor, Chip Ricks, shared a book idea with me. Loosely based on her own family history, she wanted to write a story about two brothers—one who chose to live for Christ, the other who didn’t. She wanted to follow that family through the generations, to show the impact of that one choice, on the people who came behind.
She just had one problem. Chip was a brilliant writer, but she wasn’t a fiction writer. “Will you help me write this book?”
Now, Chip was in her 80s at the time. She was a mother, a grandmother to me in the faith. If she’d asked me to paint the moon pink, I’d have given it my best shot. For several years, Chip and I worked together on several versions of the book. We only ever got through the first few chapters, and we’d change our minds about the characters or the situations. Finally, one day she smiled at me. She said, “You know, Renae. This is your book. I know I whispered the idea to you, but I always wanted you to be the one to write it. I’m getting too old to work on this...please take it. It’s your story.”
Soon after, she moved across the country to live with her daughter. We stayed connected via phone calls and Facebook, until eventually, she stopped responding. We lost touch. I continued to write the book—Chip’s book. Now my book. I’d work on it a while, then put it away for several months, even a few years at one point. In 2017, I finished what would become the first final draft. I fiddled with it more, here and there, but I hung onto it until I met Misty Beller, my publisher at Wild Heart.
I submitted the book to her, and she accepted it, right away! Then the editor got hold of it. God bless Erin Taylor Young! She was brutal, in the best possible way. I spent weeks (months?) making the suggested changes, and each one made the book so much better. The day I turned in those final edits to my publisher, I opened up Facebook. There, on Chip’s FB page, was a note to all her friends.
From one of her children.
She’d gone to see her Heavenly Father.
I sat there, frozen, looking at my screen, big fat tears tracking my cheeks. How was it possible that on the day the book was complete, I learned of her death? She was so instrumental in my walk of faith, and in my path as a writer. It was almost like the Holy Spirit wanted me to know...this particular journey was now complete.
Please give us the first page of the book.
Nineteen-year-old Emma Monroe watched the rain, like tears, make tiny splashes on the toe of her boot. Fascinating, wet patterns formed on the leather and offered a welcome distraction from the day’s events. At least the February rain hid the fact that she’d shed no tears...not a single one since Ma left them early yesterday morning. If she let one teardrop loose, she’d never stop the torrent that would follow.
The preacher droned words of comfort. Empty, bitter-tasting words, for there was no comfort to be had. Ma was dead. Yes, she knew Ma was in a better place. But she didn’t want her mother in a better place. She wanted her here. Now.
After several hours or minutes, she really couldn’t tell which, the small group of mourners dispersed in a rising flood of black lace veils and good intentions. Emma nodded and thanked each person with duty-bound politeness, but she just wanted them all to go away. To leave her and Pa and Lyndel alone with the mound of dirt under which Ma lay buried.
An expensive-looking pair of shoes stepped in front of her. All this mud would ruin that hand-tooled, imported leather. She knew the owner of those shoes even before looking up into Riley Stratton’s warm brown eyes. She’d heard he was back in town.
Instead of taking her hands, though, Riley wrapped his muscular arms around her and drew her into a tight embrace. He didn’t say a word, just held her against him, and it felt so good. For just that moment, she didn’t have to be the strong one. For just that moment, she could lean the weight of her emotions on someone else.
After a long time, Riley let her go, cupping her face in one hand before stepping away, invoking memories of a school-girl crush that best lay buried with the other dead things in this graveyard.
That's powerful! How can readers find you on the Internet?
Connect with me on Facebook – Renae Brumbaugh Green. I also have a website: www.RenaeBrumbaugh.com, but I’m horrible about updating it. If you really want to connect, send me a FB Friend Request and tell me you’re a reader. I will accept!
***Thank you,
It’s my pleasure. Thank you for sharing your book with my blog readers and me.
Book Links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089MFPDT2/
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/legacy-of-honor-2
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/legacy-of-honor-renae-brumbaugh-green/1137127130?ean=2940164312879
https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1516676517
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