Author Interviews
Check out the author interview index HERE.
Interview with Shannon Symonds
8/24/2017
About the Author Shannon Symonds currently works as an Advocate serving victims of intimate partner or family violence. Shannon responds with law enforcement to the scene of domestic or sexual assaults, works with victims, accompanies them to the hospital and provides follow-up care. She is a trained trauma and recovery specialist, has completed the Oregon Coalition training as a professional advocate, has completed training as a parent educator, Head Start Teacher, early childhood education certification and one year program, an Associates Degree with an emphasis in Social Services, has worked and trained as an advocate for over 15 years total. She is the recipient of the Oregon Trial Lawyers award for her work to change housing for victims of domestic violence. She is a confident trainer and speaker, and is comfortable working with the public. The InterviewFun Questions1. What is your favorite dessert? I live in a small town on the Oregon Coast. My favorite dessert is really an entire family ritual. In my little town, along the ocean, there is a seawall and promenade which locals call the Prom. For as long as I can remember, on summer evenings our family walked together on the Prom to get ice-cream or gelato. We are an odd bunch. Due to Heaven’s sense of humor and a serious genetic mishap, many of us are gluten free, dairy free, nut free and fun free! Our local gelato store carries gluten free waffle cones and 6 or 7 creamy non-dairy flavors for some of us. It also has wickedly fattening flavors like “S’more,” and “Confetti Cake” for the rest of us. Although I love the gelato, it is the ritual of walking with my family along the ocean to the gelato store that makes it wonderful. Now if only they made black licorice, gluten free, dairy free, calorie free gelato! 2. What is your favorite beverage? Well! Here is an indication of my inner oddball. If I could have anything I wanted it would be a coconut milk, banana, peanut butter, protein powder smoothie with spinach and a tiny bit of raw ginger. But, since I am a writer and often find myself up until all hours of the night creating, I often resort to a drink that you can also clean your driveway with, diet coke. If I could just stay on the wagon and give up caffeine I know I could write and not be weary, but movie popcorn simply screams for diet coke. 3. What is your favorite movie and/or TV show? I would love to say something cerebral and show my massive I.Q., but the truth is, I love anything BBC or British Broadcasting Company and Harry Potter. I love the BBC so much, some of my children have perfect British accents. I choose clean entertainment and avoid anything graphic, which is a constant challenge because I do love Sherlock Holmes and a good murder mystery. Lately, I have been stuck on, “Father Brown.” Growing up, I loved anything from Masterpiece Theatre or Dr. Who. 4. Where is your favorite place to go on holiday? I love to travel and was privileged to go to castle hopping in Germany and France. But I actually live in my favorite place on earth. The truth is, if I can’t go to Europe on my monthly starving author’s entertainment budget, my favorite thing to do is drive about two hours down the coast, check into one of my favorite beachfront rentals, (which I get on amazing deals) and go deep sea fishing. Fishing, crabbing and being on a boat on the ocean are some of my all-time favorite things to do and brings home my all time favorite food, seafood. Author Questions1. Whom or what inspired you to become an author? I totally blame all the teachers in my family for encouraging me. When I probably only deserved 1 gold star, they always gave me 5. The teachers, who were my grandmother and great aunts, read to me and listened to what I wrote. I remember being very young and reading Ozma of Oz at our family beach house on a rainy day. I felt absolute anguish when the book ended. I decided to carry the stories on. Every night at bedtime I spent hours making up stories, which I still do when sleep escapes me. I wrote my first stories and poems in elementary school. I read everything to the family teachers, my grandmother and great aunts. I would mail them poems, and as they were teachers, they would return them to me with red pencil corrections. I loved it! When I was 12, our young women’s leader had us write down a list of long term goals. Publishing a book was on my list. I never forgot my list or goals, even when I set them aside to change diapers and cheer for 6 little people for several years. The only thing left on my list is hang gliding. 2. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did becoming an author ever cross your mind? Becoming an author seemed like an unattainable dream. More than once I heard I would starve. Life and my need to support my family consumed me. My children grew, time passed and one day, the money didn’t matter to me anymore, nothing mattered. It just had to be. It was finally the right time to take a leap of faith and put my dream into words. 3. What authors do you enjoy? Do these authors inspire your own writing? I love a wide variety of authors, but J.K. Rowling, Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie are my lifetime favorites. They all inspire me. I relish their ability to have multiple characters in a story which takes you away, immerses you in another universe, and then magically brings the characters all together in a happy ending, unless it is Dickens. 4. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear? When I am not writing, I am spending time with family and friends doing anything outdoors like walking the beach, crabbing or kayaking.I can’t go without running at least 3 miles a day, going to church, and if I am very lucky reading!. My day job is as a manager in a national nonprofit organization. I still work a few nights a week as a domestic and sexual assault advocate answering the crisis line and responding along side law enforcement. In addition, I love volunteering. I currently volunteer at church as the compassionate service leader. I am donating a portion of the proceeds from Safe House to Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.). It is an organization dedicated to ending sex trafficking and providing aftercare to survivors. I write for their volunteer newsletter and am working with a group on a small awareness event. Book Related Questions 1. What inspired the idea for Safe House? I am very passionate about the need to support survivors and create awareness. I honestly spent some spiritual time struggling and wondering how I could bring more awareness to the issue of abuse from my small town world. Safe House was my answer. Statistics or news stories can’t tell you what it feels like to listen to a 12-year-old boy worry about a parent who has just gone to jail, or what it feels like to listen to that same boy feeling guilty because they failed to protect their mother during an assault. I had to write Safe House, like I will write other stories of hope and healing, like I need to breathe. I want the world to know the true story about what is going on right next door. I want survivors to know they aren’t alone. Other’s have experienced the same feelings and thoughts as they have. There is hope and safety for survivors, and the world cares. 2. What do you want readers to take away from Safe House? I want readers to be swept away in a Pacific storm, hope for love, cheer for the good guys and possibly gain insight into the guys who make bad choices. I want them to be so involved in the story, they don’t even realize they are experiencing something entirely new. They are seeing the world through an advocates and survivors eyes on the treacherous road to hope. 3. What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about this project? Currently I have an outline for another story involving some of the same characters, but in a stand alone novel. I am donating a portion of the proceeds from Safe House to Operation Underground Railroad to help end sex trafficking and provide aftercare to survivors. I am also volunteering some of my time to the cause. I have seen this very issue in my own small tourist town. I plan to write a story that explores some of the challenges….well you will just have to wait and see what they are! Book & Utah Photographic Artist CollaborationI collaborate on with a Utah Photographic Artist, Haley Miller of Captures Photography. Haley and I wanted to create some informative memes that would tickle the book at the same time as bringing messages of hope to survivors.
 Interview with Janet W. Ferguson
8/23/2017
About the Author Janet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served her church as a children’s minister and a youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space. The InterviewFun Questions1. What is your favorite dessert? All of them! 2. What is your favorite beverage? My first cup of coffee in the morning! 3. What is your favorite movie and/or TV show? Currently Poldark by BBC, so romantic! 4. Where is your favorite place to go on holiday? Any beach by an ocean with warm weather! Author Questions1. Whom or what inspired you to become an author? My first story was a personal quest to alleviate some of the stigma and embarrassment connected to anxiety and depressive disorders. Then the stories kept coming. :) 2. What did you want to be when you grew up? A singer/actor or a teacher or a missionary. Just a bit all over the map. Did becoming an author ever cross your mind? No, that seemed like a lot of work. :) 3a. What authors do you enjoy? SO MANY! Right now I’m reading Charles Martin, Lisa Wingate, Misty Beller, and have a Mary Connealy book waiting. 3b. Do these authors inspire your own writing? For sure! I wish I could write like these authors! I try to study their craft as I read. I’m underling, folding pages, back book treatment, ha! 4. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear? The Lord’s servant, wife, mother, friend, aunt, sister, dog owner, cook and cat slave. I’m supposed to like… clean the house, I guess, too. Oops… Book Related Questions 1. What inspired the idea for Magnolia Storms?
Researching the port of Mobile, Alabama, for my book Blown Together, I emailed a college friend who is a ship pilot. When he answered my questions, he also included of videos ship pilots transferring from their pilot boat to larger vessels to guide them into the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was fascinating and beautiful and exciting. I knew right away, I had my next hero! Here’s a video (You might want to turn off the sound of the heavy metal music): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtdZZrepBSQ&feature=youtu.be The other part of the story is Hurricane Katrina. Once the levees broke in New Orleans, many people missed the fact that the storm obliterated whole towns and communities on our coastline and wreaked havoc over three hours inland. For Mississippians, time is often divided Before Katrina or After Katrina. There are still vacant lots on our coast after over a decade due to the storm surge that was up to thirty feet high in places. I felt a calling to delve into those emotions. Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_lGgdJRplA 2. What do you want readers to take away from Magnolia Storms? Here are a few quotes from the book that sum up the takeaway. “Being a Christian doesn’t disqualify us from heartache.” “God isn’t caught off guard when disasters and tragedies assail us from all sides. He is not shocked.” “Jesus himself quoted the Psalm, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Isaiah says ‘He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.’ He understands pain and disappointment. He understands having His best friends abandon Him when He needed them most.” “God has a purpose for your pain. Your pain can become your platform. Trust Him.” “Isaiah 43:2 says, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,’ Being a Christian means we have a Comforter and a Savior who walks through our floods alongside us.” I hope your readers find comfort and encouragement in my little story. :) 3. What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about this project? I’m working on a story that deals with drug and alcohol addiction, and it is set in St. Simmons, Georgia. The title will be The Art of Rivers. Addiction is a heartbreaking condition that transcends all socioeconomic status, race, and geographic boundaries. Interview with Kate Breslin #2
8/16/2017
About the Author A Florida girl who migrated to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Kate Breslin lives with her guitarist husband, John, and a spoiled cat named Coco. Kate has written several travel articles, published award-winning poetry, and her first manuscript, a Scottish historical romance, was finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart Contest. These days, when she’s not writing inspirational fiction or spending time with her author friends, she’s reading books, watching anything Jane Austen on BBC, or following John’s musical career as his #1 fan. An avid “tree-hugger” she often enjoys long walks in the forests or playing in the garden. Kate’s also a traveler–she and John have toured most of Washington state and many places in the U.S. And with her intrepid mom as traveling companion, Kate’s also been abroad–Paris, Munich, Rome, Pompeii, Athens, even a day trip to Turkey. She’s always looking for the next story idea! The InterviewFun Questions1. What is your favorite dessert? New York cheesecake...or any kind of cheesecake. :-) 2. What is your favorite beverage? I have more than one, of course. I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, usually Merlot or Chardonnay. My morning fix is coffee, but I love a cup of Lady Grey with a dash of cream in the afternoons! 3. What is your favorite movie and/or TV show? Once again, I have more than one—dozens! However, I’ll choose BBC’s movie production of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. I never get tired of watching this Cinderella story! 4. Where is your favorite place to go on holiday? My husband and I enjoy taking our “home on wheels” to stay at any of the Washington State parks. I love campfires, being out in the woods, and just soaking up the beauty of nature! Author Questions1. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did becoming an author ever cross your mind? Well, Sydney, in my teenage years I’d considered going into law. I was an avid fan of TV’s Perry Mason and I read books by F. Lee Bailey (a famous attorney some might remember) but as life will change, I ended up pursuing a career in the construction industry instead. I still enjoyed writing poetry, song lyrics, and a few newspaper articles, but my practical side always dissuaded me from trying to make a living as a novelist. Only when I reached my thirties and had read all of the books by my favorite authors, did I begin to consider the idea of writing my own. Thus my journey began. I continued to work full-time while I wrote and it was slow going, but I finally received my first publishing contract five years ago. 2. What authors do you enjoy? Do these authors inspire your own writing? I have so many, with lots of keepers on my shelves! :-) I love Julie Garwood’s writing style, especially in her historical romances and I admire the research and detail in Jean M. Auel’s prehistoric series, Earth’s Children. Francine Rivers wowed me with her Mark of the Lion trilogy, which is one of most impressive Biblical-era Christian fiction series I’ve read to date. Her edgy, high-stakes stories also encouraged me to take the plunge into writing inspirational fiction. I hope that through reading the stories written by these authors, and others, I have improved my writing and will continue to learn. 3. How many publishers have you written for and who are these publishers? Bethany House is the first publisher I’ve contracted with and I have continued writing books with them. 4. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear? Sydney, I think I’m always writing lol! Actually, these days when I’m not working on a book I try to catch up on being a domestic goddess and enjoy time with my family. I’m a wife, a mom, and grandmom, so I love preparing Sunday dinners when we can all get together. I also volunteer with pro-life activities through my church, and I love working in my rose garden. :-) Book Related Questions 1. What inspired the idea for High as the Heavens? Well in writing historical fiction, I love searching out tidbits from the past that fuel my imagination for a story. :-) High As The Heavens is my second novel set during the Great War, and while I touched on the fate of the alleged enemy spy, Mata Hari, in my previous novel, Not By Sight, I wanted to delve deeper into the espionage world of WWI Europe. I discovered underground resistance networks secretly aiding the Allies in German-occupied Belgium and France. I was also amazed to learn about several real-life Belgian heroines, one a British nurse, who risked their lives working as spies for the British Secret Service behind enemy lines. I wanted to share some part of their history with readers, and the storyline seemed to segue naturally into the spiritual themes of hope and forgiveness. 2. What do you want readers to take away from High as the Heavens? I hope readers will want to learn more about the men and women who dared all to become spies for the Allies in WWI and WWII, many whose bravery and sacrifice still remain in obscurity to this day. And I pray that the story’s message of finding hope through the acceptance of God’s infinite mercy, will reach those who need to hear it. 3. What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about this project? Currently, I’m working another story set during WWI, this time featuring a character from my second novel, Not By Sight. I’m having lots of fun with my new hero and heroine as they venture deep into southern France on a search for something very precious! When they find themselves caught in a web of intrigue they didn’t expect, it’s only through love, and a courageous leap of faith, that they’ll have any chance at all of surviving. This newest adventure with Bethany House is scheduled for spring of 2019. Sydney, thank you so much for a fun interview, I’m honored to be able to share a little bit of my world with you and your readers. As always, you’ve been a lovely host and I appreciate your support! GiveawayClick the graphic below to enter the giveaway. Giveawa ends 08.23.17.  Interview with Jean Ann Williams #3
8/10/2017
About the Author Jean Ann Williams is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She writes regularly for Putting on the New blog and Book Fun Magazine on the topic of child suicide loss. Her book “God’s Mercies after Suicide: Blessings Woven through a Mother’s Heart” started out as a blogged book on her Love Truth blog. Jean Ann and her husband of forty-six years have thirteen grandchildren from their two remaining children. They reside on one acre in Southern Oregon where they raise a garden, fruit orchard, goats, and chickens. Jean Ann’s favorite hobbies are practicing archery, hiking through the woods, and big game hunting with her bow. The Interview1. Who are some of your favorite authors? Do these authors influence your own writing? My favorite authors write inspirational/historical, which includes, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Tessa Emily Hall, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Laura Frantz, Jane Kirkpatrick. Last but not least for the deeper Point of View, Virginia Smith, and for my most favorite time period with captivating stories, Sydney Tooman Betts. Each of these authors have taught me differing things; how to write better, go deeper into story, and deeper Point of View so the reader is allowed to live in the characters’ heads. 2. What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about this project? Season of the Fawns is written with the new adult audience in mind, but it’s for all ages. Synopsis: Born on the same day, Vale acts older than her cousin Caleb and is protective over him because of the loss of his family at age ten. Days before they turn twenty, the two cousins yearly hunting trip approaches. Caleb no longer cares about participating, as he suffers from migraines caused by an injury while mountain climbing. Before leaving for the hunting cabin, Vale discovers how severe Caleb’s depression has become. Though worried she will lose Caleb by his own hand, she insists the trip will be good for him. As the cousins enter a new season of change, will Vale’s grit be enough to save Caleb’s life? 3. What advice would you give potential authors/writers? Never, ever give up on your dream of writing and publishing, and when you think you’ve hit a writer’s block wall keep writing even if it’s junk. 4. Does writing energize or exhaust you? Writing energizes me and editing my work exhausts me. 5. What inspired the idea for Road Trip to Delusion? Now, a bit about how this story came about. I told my California resident mother-in-law we would pick her up when she was ready to stay in our home. She commented she just might get in her car and drive her own self to Oregon. To this, I stared at my granddaughters and said to Mom, “Well, you better bring my granddaughters with you.” Because of this conversation, Road Trip of Delusion took root and I watered it and God gave the increase. 6. What do you want readers to take away from reading Road Trip to Delusion? I hope readers will get a strong sense of the value of family, especially when not everyone gets along. Also, I’d like readers to consider the importance of prayer to a Lord Who loves us.  |
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