Welcome back, Cynthia. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
I tell stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark. Like many
other Christian fiction authors, my personal goal is to create stories that
build character and relentlessly pursue hope, family-friendly stories even if
the families face their own dysfunctions, stories of how to build an enduring
love rather than a temporary less-than-fulfilling attraction, characters who
face crises without collapsing, or collapse without staying that way. I want to
show them addressing realistic needs in a realistic way...which sometimes means
heart-wrenching and soul-challenging, in an environment that recognizes dumb
choices lead to harsh consequences and smart choices don't always work out like
we'd hoped.
I want to create entertainment that doesn't celebrate the
baser side of humanity but knows it's there, that evil exists in our world and
imaginary worlds. I want to tap into the heart of humankind that rejoices when
truth wins, that knows a real hero when it sees one.
I write stories of family angst. But they’re books with an
ever-present thread of grace and joy in the outcome whether the book ends with
a happily-ever-after or a tenacious, indestructible hope.
The stories come from life turned on its edge, from life as
we wish it were, from life as it is only with its masks removed, from life with
a splash of imagination, from life after we’ve healed enough to look at it
authentically.
And I love your
stories. Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in
your life?
The day my daughter told me she and her husband were
expecting, we were together, celebrating Christmas, and I was holding another
newborn grandchild in my arms. I blubbered with joy through the entire
celebration. It became a family joke about “the holiday of happy tears.” That
was also the day my daughter and her husband donated a new computer for the radio
ministry I wrote and co-produced for 33 years. A much-needed computer. Talk
about an overload of happy crammed into one glorious day! (I remembered the
babies instantly, but didn’t recall the incredible gift of that computer until
just now. So many scripts written, so many stories told on that donated
computer!)
How has being
published changed your life?
If I’ve ever been bored in life, it sure isn’t now! Every
day brings a new opportunity and a new challenge. I love every aspect of
writing, editing, publishing, marketing…and spend a lot of time studying to
grow in those areas. Having six books on the shelves soon with more to come in
the next couple of years, I find that the change is in scope rather than in
focus. I’m doing what I’ve always done—love God and encourage people. He’s
given me the opportunity to reveal His heart through story to a broad audience
of readers through books, and one-on-one with the people He brings across my
path every day.
What are you reading
right now?
I’m reading a non-fiction by Janet Thompson—Dear God, He’s Home!—a book about
surviving having a husband around the house…a lot. I’m also reading the novel The Messenger, by Siri Mitchell. Lately,
I’ve been reading high quality poetry right before bedtime. It makes me feel
smarter. It also makes my dreams more curious. J
What is your current
work in progress?
I’m excited about the research and the storyline for a
Christmas novella for B&H called Merry
Christmas, Mine, based on the Merry Christmas zinc mine of Mineral Point , Wisconsin
I’ll look forward to featuring
that Christmas book, too, if the four of you will allow. What would be your
dream vacation?
I’ve never had a vacation longer than a week or two, unbound
by a schedule, and away from the continental United States . My dream vacation
would be schedule-less for the most part, with no fixed endpoint or
destination, but include a dreamily wandering through the seaport villages of Italy , France ,
and Spain .
Sweet sigh!
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
My 2014 Abingdon novel—All
My Belongings—is set in the area of my birthplace, near Oceanside , California
When the Morning Glory Blooms is set in the Midwest .
The characters reflect a Midwest mindset and
values, though from three completely different eras. Ivy’s apartment in the
1950s is an apartment I remember from childhood.
My debut novel—They
Almost Always Come Home—was set in a very specific area of the Canadian
wilderness because it’s a location that holds my husband’s heart.
Other books in the works and previously published are set in
places I either know well or long to know better.
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
Is it fair if I answer “my agent”? Wendy Lawton and I see
each other at industry events, smile and wave as we speed on to our
assignments. Every other year we have a nugget of face-to-face time at the
Books & Such retreat. We email and talk by phone. But if I had a whole
evening to listen to her wisdom and hear her stories, that would be as sweet as
homemade caramel sauce!
I totally understand.
My agent and I only get together at professional events, but we’ve become such
good friends online. Face time would be so precious. What are your hobbies,
besides writing and reading?
I don’t have as much time to do this as I’d like, but I love
designing on a dime, finding inexpensive or repurposed items to use in home
decorating. And music is ever-present in my life.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Balancing work-related writing assignment time and
novel-writing time is always a challenge. I’m more conscientious about maintaining
a better balance these days. But it doesn’t come naturally. I’m a firstborn
with a strong sense of responsibility. Recreation doesn’t score as high on my
priority list as it should. But those “breathing” times of rest, recreation,
and refreshment are so necessary. I write better when I’m breathing. J
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
Without question, I advise beginning authors to join ACFW,
if they write fiction. It’s one of the single smartest things a writer can
do—for the education, the camaraderie, the sense of community, and the
opportunities it offers. I also encourage new writers to consider the cost. Are
they willing to invest the time, soul, and effort it will take to seriously
pursue writing as more than a hobby or occasional lark.
Tell us about the
featured book.
When the Morning Glory Blooms is uniquely set in three very different
eras but in the same area, different social cultures but with the same
challenge—unplanned pregnancy. Anna is a young woman in the 1890s, compelled by
family obligation to open a home for unwed mothers. When she is near the end of
her life in the 1950s, she’s cared for in a nursing home setting by Ivy, a
young single woman with new life growing inside her and with her boyfriend
serving in Korea ,
unaware of the child. As Ivy takes care of Anna, she’s commissioned to commit
Anna’s memories to paper and finds her own answers on the pages. The present
day story is told from the perspective of a mother of a teen mom. My prayer is
there’s enough mystery to keep the reader wondering, enough emotion to keep the
tissues close, enough grace and hope to leave the reader grateful, and a
compelling enough story to make readers want to share it with a friend who
loves to read or a friend who’s heart is breaking.
This is a subject
close to my heart. Please give us the first page of the book.
The hand on her cheek weighed no more than a birthmark. It fluttered,
stirred by the breeze of a dream, but remained tethered to Becky’s face.
Her neck stiffened. A neutral position was out of the
question. She was trapped at an odd angle between the arm of the porch swing
and the breath of the child.
With one foot planted on the porch’s floorboards, and the
rest of her a cradle, Becky kept the swing in motion. A smooth backstroke.
Hesitation. Then as she lifted her foot, the forward stroke was accompanied by
a two-toned creak the baby must have thought was white noise.
Becky guessed thirteen pounds. The bulk lying stomach-down
across her torso like a seatbelt might have come into the world a wisp of six
pounds—less than a gallon of milk. But seven hundred bottles later, give or
take, and he could hold his own against a Costco-sized bag of sugar.
A sweat bee buzzed a fly-by. Becky waved it off. Baby drool
puddled at the top of her breastbone. She let it be, let it be.
The rich, woody scent of the neighbor’s cottonwoods melded
with the lingering aroma of her caramel latte, the one in her favorite pottery
mug on the small table just out of reach. The mug, her book, sanity—so much
seemed just out of reach.
The baby lifted his head. Feather lashes still closed, he
nestled the opposite cheek into the hollow of her neck. She patted his diapered
bottom with a rhythmic, unspoken “Shh. Back to sleep, little one.”
The buzz returned, but not above them. Underneath Becky’s
right hip, her cell phone thrummed. She reached for it, motionless except for
the espionage-worthy stealth of her retrieve arm and the unbroken choreography
of her swing foot.
The phone buzzed again. She held it away from her, saw the
familiar caller ID, and hit the “talk” button with her thumb. “What’s up,
Lauren?” An opportunity, no doubt. Chance du jour.
A finals study group that included two brainiacs and a
certified member of the National Honor Society had invited Lauren to a
cram-fest.
“Please don’t stay out late.” Becky felt the vibrations of
her words in her chest. The baby lifted his head and nestled, facing the other
direction again.
Not late, Lauren answered. No. But Becky did realize the
group would have to go get something to eat after studying, didn’t she?
Becky disconnected the call. She may or may not have
remembered to say good-bye.
The baby oozed awake and pushed against her chest until he’d
raised himself enough to lock gazes with her. Those denim-blue eyes looked so
like his father’s, if her suspicions were correct about the child’s paternity.
She brushed strands of cornsilk hair off his cherub forehead.
“Your mommy called.” Becky kissed one barely there eyebrow,
then the other. “She says hi.”
My book just arrived
yesterday. I can’t wait to get started on it. How can readers find you on the
Internet?
I love to interact with readers. They can find me at www.cynthiaruchti.com, www.hopethatglowsinthedark.com,
www.facebook.com/cynthiaruchtireaderpage,
or www.twitter.com/cynthiaruchti
and other social network places.
And thank you, Cynthia, for sharing this one with us.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
When the Morning Glory Blooms
- paperbackWhen the Morning Glory Blooms
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