This is the other exception I'm making to my not featuring ebooks this year. I've known Pam Hillman for several years and love her. She's also part of the Tyndale Digital First initiative, just as Lynne Gentry is. Welcome, Pam. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I’d like to say I don’t write any of myself into my characters, but I suspect when close friends and family read my work, they say something entirely different.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
This is so hard. I’m not sure if I’ve ever done anything quirky. Stupid and crazy, yes, but quirky? I got caught in a stampede of 100 Holsteins once. In the dark, in a cutover cornfield. When I realized I couldn’t outrun them on the uneven ground, I turned to face them and started jumping up and down, waving my arms, and screaming my head off. They parted like the red sea, and I sank to the ground, scared out my wits.
I'll be you did. When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I knew I wanted to be a writer by the time I was 8 or 9 years old. There was a small public library where we checked out books once a week on the way home from school. My brother and my cousins were okay with stopping by the library on the way home from school, but it was the highlight of my week! I checked out the maximum allowed (I think it was 3) and my cousin, Joy, checked out 3 more that I wanted to read in her name. I’m sure I even twisted her little brother’s arm and made him check out books I picked out! lol
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love historical romance and romantic suspense, but when I was moderator of the ACFW Book Club, it was my job to read every book we discussed in the club. I discovered I loved a wide range of genres, including science fiction/fantasy. I still read historical romance most of the time, but I can pretty much get lost in any genre.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
Sanity? Can you define that please? I think I just always assume that just around the next corner of our run, run, run world is a quiet, peaceful meadow just waiting for me to stretch out in the wildflowers and watch the clouds go by. So, I keep running, looking around the next bend.
How do you choose your characters’ names?
Sometimes the story chooses them for me. I don’t remember how I came up with Jake, but Livy O’Brien is of Irish descent, hence the surname O’Brien. Livy is short for Olivia, which came from Oliver Twist.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Other than my two smart, handsome sons, I’d have to say achieving my dream of being a publisher author.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A cat. I have always loved cats. Almost every story I’ve ever written has cats and kittens in them, and Stealing Jake is not exception. I like cats because they don’t require your attention all the time. I love dogs, too, but if I could only be one, I’d be a cat.
What is your favorite food?
Oh my word. You had to ask this question of me NOW? Let’s see, since I’m cutting back drastically right now, it would have to be my mother-in-law’s extremely delicious to-die-for homemade banana pudding that she made LAST Sunday and I refrained from putting one bite in my mouth. Or was it the sock-it-to-me cake she made on the 4th of July? Sigh. That’s a toss-up for sure!
Tell us a little about your journey to publication.
I’ve been writing most of my life, but seriously started pursuing publication a little over 15 years ago. Over the years I’ve developed relationships with industry professionals and other writers, learning and improving my craft a bit at a time.
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Finding time to write with a full-time job, a part-time job and a family. Overcoming it is a daily struggle, and commitment. You just have to overcome it.
What advice would you give to others who are trying to get their first book published?
Never give up. Pay your dues, and find a group of people who support you 100%. I found that group in the Seekers, www.seekerville.blogspot.com and on a broader scale, ACFW. www.acfw.com
Tell us about the featured book.
When Livy O'Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut , Illinois
Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy--literally--while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town--as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off--Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.
Sounds like a book I'll love reading. Please give us the first page of the book.
PROLOGUE
October 1874
“Where’s my little brother?” Luke glared at the man with the jagged scar on his right cheek.
“You do as I say, kid, and he’ll be along shortly.” Pale-blue eyes, harder than the cobblestone streets of Chicago
Luke stood his ground, memorizing the face of the man who’d paid off the coppers.
Luke stood his ground, memorizing the face of the man who’d paid off the coppers.
“Get in.” The man motioned to a wooden crate not much bigger than an overturned outhouse.
How can the readers find you on the Internet?
I can be found at www.pamhillman.com. And to celebrate the release of Stealing Jake, I’m giving away a Kindle on October 8th. Your guests can register to win at http://pamhillman.blogspot.com/2011/07/pams-blog-tour-kindle-contest.html
Thank you for having me, Lena . It’s an honor to be invited to your blog for a day!
And I loved hosting you, Pam.
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