Carol Cox is a long-time writer friend, and I really enjoy reading her books. Trouble in Store is a wonderful read. The characters really leapt from the pages into my mind and heart. Their lives and trouble are often in my thoughts.
Welcome back, Carol. God
has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?
I’m very excited about this month’s release of Trouble
in Store. This historical romantic suspense was so much fun to research
and write! Arizona
offers a wide panorama of settings to explore, and I love the opportunity to
bring those fascinating places to life in my books.
A bit farther out on the horizon is a novella collection
where I detoured from my Arizona
settings and traveled to your part of the country. Mary Connealy, Karen
Witemeyer, and Regina Jennings were the other authors, and working with them
was such a delight! Look for A Match Made
in Texas next January.
I want to feature
that book on my blog. I love to read books by all four of you. Tell us a little
about your family.
Dave and I celebrated our 39th anniversary earlier this
month, and what an adventure it has been! He’s the pastor of two small
churches. In addition to that, he owns and operates the Davis Leather Company,
which means I have a handy resource available for information on guns and gun
leather.
Our daughter will be a senior in high school this fall. One
of her goals for this summer is learning to drive … with me as her teacher. If
you sense a nudging to pray for the two of us, please feel free to act upon it!
Our son is in the Air Force, and I’m very proud of his
service to our country. He and his wife have blessed us with three sweet
grandchildren who light up our lives.
I have a grandson in
the Army overseas now. And I know how much grandchildren add to your lives. We
now have a great grandson with another on the way. Has your writing changed
your reading habits? If so, how?
Between writing, making revisions, checking galleys,
promoting the current release, and researching the next project, I simply don’t
have the free time I used to be able to devote to reading. Much of the reading
I do these days is for research, so I treasure the rare moments when I’m able
to curl up with a book and read for sheer pleasure!
What are you working
on right now?
I’m nearing completion of another story set in Arizona . This one
features a heroine who inherits a newspaper, and I’m having a great time
learning about the printing process in the late 19th century!
I’ll want to feature
that book on the blog as well. What outside interests do you have?
As you might suspect, church activities take up a lot of my
time. I play the piano at both our churches, teach children’s Sunday school,
and lead a monthly women’s Bible study. And then there’s the youth group, which
keeps us hopping! We’ve been blessed with two wonderful congregations, and I’m
very grateful to be able to work with all these different age groups.
When I do have some free time, I enjoy knitting and
crocheting. And one of my favorite ways to beat stress is working in the
garden.
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
More often than not, I feel like the setting chooses me.
Sometimes, all it takes is a visit to a location to start the creative juices
flowing. What kind of people would have lived there? What problems did they
face? How did they resolve them? When questions like that spring to mind—and
when the answers start flowing—I know a new story idea may be on its way.
If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
One of my favorite places to research Arizona
history is the Sharlot Hall Museum
in Prescott .
Ranch woman, activist, lover of history—and a writer, to boot—Sharlot was
fiercely independent, preferring to live life on her own terms, unencumbered by
the constraints society placed on a married woman.
Her appointment as territorial historian in 1909 made her
the first woman to hold office in the Arizona Territorial government. Her new
post was a perfect fit for her passion to preserve history, and she conceived
the idea of establishing a historical museum in the cabin that served as the
Governor’s Mansion for the territory’s first governors. Eventually, the museum
that now bears her name came into being, and her dream became a reality.
I can only imagine what a treat it would be to spend an
evening with Sharlot, listening to the stories this remarkable woman could
tell!
I’d love to be there
with you when you talked to her. What is the one thing you wish you had known
before you started writing novels?
I always heard that writing is a solitary pursuit, so I
expected a degree of isolation . . . but I was in for a wonderful surprise. I
never dreamed of the enduring friendships I would make with other writers, and
with my readers as well. Those connections have been unexpected blessings that
have enriched my life immeasurably!
Yes, they make it all
worth it. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?
Right now, the lessons are all about priorities. I can’t say
this is a new topic for me, but it seems like the Lord sends a reminder every
so often. And I’m so glad He does! With today’s hectic pace of life, it’s all
too easy to get caught up in the urgent and let the most important priorities
slip out of place without even being aware of it.
What are the three best
things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
Here are the 3 B’s of Writing listed on my website’s “For
Writers” page:
Be patient.
Like any career, writing requires preparation and training.
The learning process takes time, so gear yourself mentally for a marathon
rather than a sprint.
Be teachable.
The longer I write, the more I realize how much I still need
to learn. There is always the joy of growing, of improving my skills, of
learning to be a “workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
handles the word of truth.” (from 2 Timothy 2:15
NIV )
Be willing.
If we’re called to write for the Lord, we need to do this
for His glory and not our own. Place your writing in God’s hands and be willing
to give Him control as to what happens with it. He’s the one who sees the big
picture and knows what’s best—both for us and for His plan.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Fired from her most recent governess position, Melanie Ross
muse embrace her last resort: the Arizona
mercantile she inherited from her cousin. But Caleb Nelson is positive he
inherited the mercantile, and he’s not about to let an obstinate woman with
newfangled ideas ruin all he’s worked for. In hope of turning her interest
elsewhere, he determines to get Melanie married off, and luckily, there are
many single men in town quite willing to take her off his hands.
The problem is, Caleb soon realizes he doesn’t want her to
marry any of them. He’s drawn to her more every day, and he has to admit some
of her ideas for the store offer unexpectedly positive results.
But someone doesn’t want the mercantile to succeed, and
threatening words have escalated into destruction and danger. Will Melanie and
Caleb’s business—and budding romance—survive the trouble that’s about to come
their way?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
April 1885
“Are the children ready, Miss Ross?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Melanie Ross bobbed her head, trying not to
wince at her employer’s clipped tone. She shot a quick glance at Mrs. Deaver’s
daughter and son to make sure nothing had happened to mar their appearance
since her last inspection.
Five-year-old Olivia stood on Melanie’s left, long golden
curls framing her cherubic face and cascading over the wide collar of the pink
dropped-waist dress so carefully ironed by Melanie the night before. The little
girl’s eyes glowed with anticipation, and the dimple in her round left cheek
deepened when she offered her mother a bright smile.
Mrs. Deaver’s features softened enough to give her daughter
a fleeting smile in return.
On Melanie’s right, Clarence Harrington Deaver Jr. dug the
toe of his black patent-leather shoe into the Aubusson carpet, his dark scowl
indicating the nine-year-old’s distaste for the blue velvet suit, complete with
lace collar, designated as his attire for the afternoon.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
I love to connect with readers online! Visit my website at:
www.AuthorCarolCox.com
to learn more about me and my books.
Then there’s my Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/carol.cox.
I also blog at Writes of Passage on the 1st and 3rd
Saturdays of the month: http://www.writespassage.blogspot.com/
And I’m just getting started with Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorcarolcox/ I’m still very much a beginner there, so if
any of you would like to share helpful hints, I’d love to hear them!
Thank you for inviting me to visit your blog again, Lena . It’s always a joy to spend time with you and your
readers!
It's a pleasure to talk to you and help you introduce your new books to my readers.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Trouble in Store - Christianbook.comTrouble in Store: A Novel
- Amazon.comTrouble in Store
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