​Faith Blum started writing at an early age. She started even before she could read! She even thought she could write better than Dr. Seuss. (The picture doesn't show it well, but there are scribblings on the page of Green Eggs and Ham). Now that she's grown up a little more, she knows she will probably never reach the success of Dr. Seuss, but that doesn't stop her from trying.

When she isn't writing, Faith enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, writing, playing piano, and playing games with her family. One of her dreams is to visit Castle City, Montana someday to see the ghost town she chose for her characters to live in. She currently lives on a hobby farm with her family in Wisconsin.

​1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
My friend told me about a writing contest and I worked really hard to enter. I was a semi-finalist which was great! Even though I didn’t win, it got me started into looking at self-publishing and becoming a published author. The two people who have most inspired me are Aubrey Hansen and Molly Evangeline/Jaye L. Knight. They are both independently published and helped me get started.

2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
Written or published? I have written more books than I can count. Most of them are contemporary fiction or historical fiction, although I did do a light fantasy once that I intended to turn into a trilogy. As for my published books, I have a total of seven right now and all of them are Christian Westerns.

3. What writing projects are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
I am currently editing a novel (The Solid Rock [Hymns of the West #5]) and two novellas that go along with Lily of the Valley. I am also writing/editing three novellas that will go along with The Solid Rock and a couple of short stories one of which I hope to publish in a box set with some other authors and the other is for my little brother.

4. What authors/novels that you enjoy would you recommend?
Anything by Karen Witemeyer, Ride the River, Brionne Chantry, and any of the books about the Sacketts by Louis L’Amour, anything by Jaye L. Knight, and the Firmament series by J. Grace Pennington. 

There’s a few for you.

5. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
Crocheting, knitting, sewing, and reading.

J​C Morrows - Bestselling author of YA Christian speculative fiction, drinker of coffee and avid reader - is a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. JC has been telling stories in one form or another her entire life and once her mother convinced her to write them down, she couldn't stop.
 
She finished her first speculative fiction novel purely for the enjoyment of her mother - also known as her biggest fan.
 
She gives God all of the glory for her talent and ability!

​1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
I've been telling stories since before I can remember. My mother inspired me to finish the first novel in my Andarii series nearly three years ago. It was her birthday present that year. 

2. What writing project are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
I am currently working on a future book in my current series (Order of the MoonStone) - and a dystopian series, but I can't say any more about that yet.

3. How important are the names in your novels?  How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
Names are extremely important, but I rarely get to choose them. If you are an author, you will understand how quickly a character can take on a life all their own. When that happens, they will tell me their name. And sometimes characters walk into the story fully formed and I don't even have to ask their name. I just know it.

4. What authors inspire your writing?
Oh my word. There are far too many to name. Although I will say that my Master and Creator - my Heavenly Father - inspires my writing more than any one person could. 

5. What period of history interests you the most?  Does this influence your writing?
I was actually going to answer this differently until I realized that history has, in fact, had a strong influence on my writing. I've always joked that I was born in the wrong century. Obviously God knew what He was doing when He allowed me to be born in this century, but I have always felt a tie to the past . . . mostly the Victorian and Edwardian era.

6. What inspired the idea for A Reluctant Assassin?
This series has actually been a different journey than any other I've written. God inspired the entire series. I was working on something completely different and it was not going well at all so I asked God what He wanted me to write - and the story simply exploded in my imagination. It has been an amazing journey!

7. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
Honestly, I'm not convinced that Hollywood could do the series justice or that they would want to make it . . . just the way it is. And I would want far too much control for anyone to be happy, so I don't see a movie coming anytime soon, but I did an entire series on my blog - where I found pictures of actors and actresses who look most like my characters. Check out my blog posts: http://jcmorrows.com/category/character-bio/ 

 
A side note: My mother is a fan of my choice for Queen Shiara: 
  
 
Introducing… Her Majesty,
Queen Shiara Alessa Whynn-Fortine
 
Shiara Whynn never wanted to be Queen. She never even dreamed of being a Princess – but when she married Prince Devron, it was only a matter of time…
 
And now she must guide the Prince in making the most important decision he will ever make in his life, and she must do it… alone.

8. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
My hobbies include reading, swimming, taking long walks and playing board games with the kiddos. Writing, at least for me, is most definitely not a hobby, but a full time job. 

Check out my reviews for
A PERILOUS ASSIGNMENT
A RELUCTANT ASSASSIN
A CUNNING MASQUERADE

​Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deborah’s novels—for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.

1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
When I was six years old, I developed asthma after a long bout with bronchial pneumonia. That meant that while my brother and sisters were playing outside on the farm, I was stuck in the house trying to breathe. But my wonderful mom made that a special, special time for me because she introduced me to the library and books. My whole world opened up and by the time I was 11 or 12, I knew I wanted to write a book when I grew up.

2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
I just finished my 30th book. I’ve written 2 non-fiction book with my sister, Vicky Miller, and the rest are novels or novellas. I have one historical novella, and the rest are contemporary women’s fiction (with a few having a bit more mystery/suspense to them).

3. What writing projects are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
I have one more book to write in my Chicory Inn Novels series from Abingdon Press. This series tells the stories of the five adult children of Grant and Audrey Whitman, who have sunk all their retirement savings into renovating their home into a bed and breakfast. Of course, on the day of their grand opening, one of the children comes back home needing shelter…and throughout the book, each one finds need of their childhood home in some way. It’s been a blast to write!

4. What does your writing process look like?
I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, so I just sit down with only a vague idea of where my story is going, and run with it. I struggle with the first-drafting of every book, but I love the editing process. That’s when the story really comes to life for me. It takes me about 7-9 months to write a novel, but much of that time is spent researching and “playing with” my characters in my mind to learn who they are. I usually write 1000 words a day in the early days of a manuscript, starting each day by editing what I wrote the day before. I usually need to stop often to research a certain topic, or go back and rewrite scenes that didn’t work the first time, etc. Once I get two or three months out from my deadline, then I pick up the pace and write more and more words each day. By then I know my characters and setting better, and the research is done, so I can spend more time playing with the actual words. 

5. Where is your favorite place to write?
It’s a toss up between my office and our back deck:

6. How important are the names in your novels? How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
When we were having our kids, I always lamented that there were so many good names we’d never get to use. Now, I get to use all my favorite names on characters I grow to love! I have several resources for names. The Scrivener writing program has a great name generator. Baby name books are nice for knowing the meaning of a name (even if the reader never knows). If I just need a “throwaway” name for a walk-on character, I just grab a newspaper and use a first name from one article and a last name from another. Obituaries are a wealth of names and you can see the age or generation of those listed and their survivors. If you’re writing a novel set in a certain area of the country, getting names from the newspaper of that area is a good way to be authentic in the surnames of a region. Just be careful you don’t use the name of a real person—especially for your villain! Another good resource, especially if you write historical novels, is from the Social Security office: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/  You can see what the most popular names were in various decades through the years.

7. What authors/novels that you enjoy would you recommend?
There are so many I almost hate to start naming names, but here are a few of my absolute favorites: Susan Meissner, Tamera Alexander, Courtney Walsh, Ann Tatlock, Jan Karon, Jim Rubart, Denise Hunter… I could go on and on, but those are some of my recent favorites.  

8. Where is your favorite place to read and why?
That back deck is also a favorite reading spot, but since Kansas doesn’t have a huge number of days with perfect weather, I also have an indoor favorite reading spot in the corner of our master bedroom:

9. What period of history interests you the most?
I do enjoy reading historical novels, especially post Civil War era like those my writing critique partner Tamera Alexander writers. But I’m mostly a contemporary gal. I love reading about women much like me, what makes them tick, what we have in common, how we face the crises in our lives, and how our faith utterly transforms us.

10. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
For the last few novels, I’ve “cast” them as if they were movies. Not all with famous or well-known stars, but quite a few you’d recognize. I have a photo of the whole cast of the Chicory Inn novels, but there are too many spoilers there for those who’ve not yet read the books! But here are Dallas and Danae from Another Way Home.

11. What inspired the idea for the Chicory Inn novels?  How many novels are you planning on having in this series?
Really, all of my novels have been informed and inspired by events in my life. But it was my friend Courtney Walsh planted the idea for the Chicory Inn Novels one evening while we sat chatting late into the night at a conference. I’d told several family stories during our visit, and at one point Courtney said, “Deb, you have so many fun family stories, you ought to write a book about a big extended family like yours! Or better yet, a series!” That got my wheels turning, and I’ve been excited about the people who live on Chicory Lane ever since!

12. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
My husband and I love to browse in antique shops, flea markets, garage sales and Goodwill. We’ve found many a treasure there for a little bit of nothing and I think our house is cozy and interesting because of our treasure hunts. We also love going to art shows and museums. In addition we like working in our gardens. We moved to Wichita three summers ago and we’re still trying to get the flowerbeds like we want them. We’ve transplanted a bunch of roses and other flowers and bushes that were here when we moved. This year for the first time, we planted a tomato plant and it has been keeping us provided with delicious home-grown tomatoes all summer!

Check out my reviews for
HOME TO CHICORY LANE (coming soon)
TWO ROADS HOME (coming soon)
ANOTHER WAY HOME

 
Historical romance author Melanie Dickerson earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama and has taught students with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee. She has also taught English in Germany and Ukraine. Dickerson has won numerous awards, including the 2012 Carol Award in young adult fiction and the 2010 National Readers’ Choice Award for best first book. Her novels The Healer’s Apprentice and The Merchant’s Daughter were both Christy Award finalists. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and two guinea pigs near Huntsville, Alabama. Connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and her website

1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
 I loved writing when I was in high school, and Harper Lee was a big inspiration, since she grew up about 50 miles from where I grew up in south Alabama. But I gave up on writing novels when I went to college. I picked it back up when my kids were little because I thought it might be a good career for me when my kids went to school, and I immediately fell in love with it all over again.
 
2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
 I have written approximately 12 books to date. All but one are historical romance novels. Eight are Young Adult; one is contemporary (not published). One is set in 1880 Alabama (the only other one not published or under contract), and one is set in 1811 England. The others are set in Medieval Germany and England.
 
3. What writing projects are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
 I am currently behind (!) on a Little Mermaid retelling, which is a sequel to The Merchant’s Daughter and is set in 1300’s England. The hero, Wesley, is the son of Ranulf and Annabel (The Merchant’s Daughter) and the father of Colin (The Princess Spy). This solidifies the connection between all the Hagenheim/Fairy Tale Romance series books.
 
4. What does your writing process look like?
 It varies somewhat each time, but for the most part, I get an idea in my head, including the characters, and I use the basic premise and storyline of the fairy tale as a basis for my plot, and then I get some ideas for scenes in my mind, especially the dramatic turning points, and I start writing. Sometimes I brainstorm with other people, and I occasionally look at plotting worksheets and character questionnaires. But I don’t like to write an outline or make a lot of notes. I just write.
 
5. Where is your favorite place to write?
 I usually write in my study sitting in my striped armchair with my laptop in my lap.
 
6. How important are the names in your novels? How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
 Names are pretty important. For my main and secondary characters, I usually look at census lists on the Internet, or lists of the most common names of that time period and place. Often I take into account what the name actually means, but not always. I really just choose a name that seems to fit the character as well as the time period. Oftentimes I will do a find and replace with a character’s name until I get the name that feels right. This may take place over the course of writing the entire first draft, or even beyond.
 
7. What authors/novels that you enjoy would you recommend?
 There are so many good authors out there. I love Siri Mitchell’s Kissing Adrien, and her book under her pen name Iris Anthony, The Miracle Thief. I also love Judith Merkle Riley’s Margaret of Ashbury series, Mary Connealy, Julie Lessman, and several others, but my favorite books are the classics, like Ivanhoe, Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre.
 
8. Where is your favorite place to read and why?
 I read wherever I get a chance—most often in my study chair, in the car waiting on a kid, or at the doctor’s office!
 
9. What period of history interests you the most?
 The 1300s Medieval Europe, and the 1800s—both Regency England and post-Civil War South.
 
10. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
 I was recently contacted by a well-known management company in Hollywood about making The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest into a movie. I don’t know if it will actually happen, but I think Armie Hammer would be *AWESOME* as my hero forester, Jorgen Hartman.
 
11. What inspired the idea for your Hagenheim/Fairy Tales series? Your Medieval Fairy Tale Romance series?
 
The Hagenheim/Fairy Tale Romance series was inspired by two things. First, I got the idea for the first book while I was watching Sleeping Beauty with my daughters, and secondly, I got the inspiration for the setting from the trip I took in 1992 to Hildesheim, Germany. I loved the history and the amazing Medieval architecture. The political structure of Germany in the 1300s was just perfect, I thought, for my books.
 
12. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
 Lately I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction books, and I also love watching movies with my daughters and husband. I like to cook and try new recipes. In the future, when I have more time, I’d like to visit more museums.

Check out my review of
THE GOLDEN BRAID

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction. Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, who was raised Plain in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She travels back east a couple of times each year for research. For fun, too.
Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. She has an underlying belief in her books–you don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles into your life: simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily, trusting in God.
When Suzanne isn’t writing, playing tennis, or bragging to her friends about her grandbabies (so cute!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To her way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth.

​1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
 For years, I was a free lance magazine writer, all non-fiction. When my four children started heading off to college, I read a phrase by Brenda Ueland in her book If You Want to Write (published in 1938!), “Everyone is interested, talented, and has something important to say.” That phrase rolled around inside my mind for a while, until I sensed an “aha” moment. I realized that there was only one person telling me I couldn’t try to write a novel. Me!
 
So…I wrote.
 
And wrote and wrote. Four months later, I had my first novel! Eventually, it was published by a small royalty press publisher, Vinspire, and won some awards. It also caught the eye of a literary agent, Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency. Joyce signed me and connected me to an editor at Revell who was looking for a writer who had some familial connection to the Amish. (My grandfather was raised Plain.) What a journey it has been! Such a gift! At just the right time.
 
2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
Believe it or not…I think I’m closing in on 30 published books! Some non-fiction, but mostly fiction. Of the fiction, most are contemporary Amish. A few are historical. More historical fiction books are coming up, btw.
 
3. What writing projects are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
I’m just putting the finishing touches on The Devoted, book 3 in the ‘Bishop’s Family’ series. It’s wrapping up the story arc, begun in The Imposter, continued in The Quieting (releasing in early May 2016), about the behind-the-scenes of an Amish minister’s life.
 
4. What does your writing process look like?
 Every morning, I try to hit a word count. Those words might get revised dozens of times, but it moves the entire manuscript forward. As I get closer to the deadline, I sort of slip into another world and write/rewrite/edit/revise for hours. Days!
 
5. Where is your favorite place to write?
 The laundry room! That’s my office. Tiny, crowded, but in the heart of the home.
 
6. How important are the names in your novels? How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
 One thing interesting about the Amish is that there isn’t a wide variety of names. Most are biblical or very traditional (though now and then I do see some unusual names pop up in The Budget). And there are only about fifty surnames, most of which are regional. So the pool is small to choose from. I have to pick wisely and stick to it.  
 
7. What authors/novels that you enjoy would you recommend?
 It might surprise you that I read mostly non-fiction. A book I would highly recommend is Being Mortal by Atul Guwande (all of his books are fab!). The main takeaway point of the book is to figure out what makes your life meaningful. A great question for all of us to think about.
  
8. Where is your favorite place to read and why?
Wearing my jammies, in my industrial-strength glasses (I’m blind as a bat), and in bed. (Thus…no pix!).
 
9. What period of history interests you the most?
 All of it. Really! I love reading books about other time periods. If I had to pick, probably my two favorite eras are biblical history and early American history. Even though modern daily life might look radically different, so much of being human remains the same.
 
10. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
Well, I’ve always been rather fond of Gregory Peck. I think I would cast him in the role as Caleb Zook in The Waiting.
  
11. What inspired the idea for The Imposter?  This is book one in The Bishop’s Family series.  What inspired the idea for this series?
 The story line for The Imposter delves into the behind-the-scenes of church leadership. It took a lot of research to make sure I could write a credible story. But the drama is wrapped up in a quirky, endearing family, The Stoltzfus clan, who are new to Stoney Ridge. They’re looking for a fresh start, a clean beginning. As we all know, there’s really no such thing! Our past comes along with us.
 
What drove my story, though, was that I wanted to create a fictional minister, David Stoltzfus, who was based on a bishop whom I greatly admired. The Amish bishop tends to get stereotyped in the worst way—controlling and dominating, joyless, lacking grace. I wanted to show another type of bishop, who shepherded his flock guided by love for God.
  
12. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
 Tennis! I play 2-3 times a week in competitive and recreational leagues. And I’m a big dog lover. As in, I love big dogs. I have raised puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind and am currently a breeder keeper for two girls, Toffee and Vesta. Plus I love to garden and cook. 

Check out my review for
​THE IMPOSTER

1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
I've been "writing" since I was a kid, when I stand by my dad's typewriter and dictate poetry to him before I even knew how to read. I loved stories. I grew up among a bunch of Louisiana storytellers, and I was raised by two major bookworms, so I've just always loved stories.

2. What writing project are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
I'm just finishing up a story for my publisher, Covenant. I haven't done a book set in the LDS world for a while, so that's what I'm doing, and even better, I'm setting it in Louisiana. I hope it gives readers a sense of what the Mormon church experience is like outside of the western U.S. 

3. How important are the names in your novels?  How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
Names are a big deal to me and often change. In the one I'm working on now, the main guy's name has changed twice and the main girl's name has changed four times. My two biggest rules in contemporary stories are that you can't have TOO many weird spellings or unusual names or it's distracting to the reader, and you can't choose "traditional" names that are way too old for the character. For example, you might know a lot of Debbies, but how many of them are twenty? Probably none. So make sure the name matches the character's age. 

4. What authors inspire your writing?
It's a TV show: Gilmore Girls. I love the very fast, dialogue driven feel of that show. 

5. What period of history interests you the most?  Does this influence your writing?
Everything I write is contemporary, so I'm not too influenced by history. but on a personal note, I love American history, starting with the revolution. 

6. What inspired the idea for your story in the Mariposa Hotel novel?
I saw a hilarious article about a woman who checked into a luxury hotel and when the customer service app had a space for requests, as a joke she asked for a picture of Nicolas Cage to be sent up. It turned into a days-long joke between her and the staff, with her trying to stump them and them trying to outdo her. I wanted to do something like that but with Tom Hiddleston, because I love him as an actor. I just had to figure out who would request it and build a story around it.
​
7. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
This almost stumped me, but I think Anna Kendrick would be the perfect Pepper Spicer from Not My Type. 

8. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
Reading! And I love board games. And watching TV. And shopping. Hm. I'm not exactly an outdoorsy, sports-type, am I? 

Back row: my friend Renee Hardy and me
Front row: authors Melanie Jacobson and Christene Houston

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under the pen name H.B. Moore.  She writes women’s fiction, romance and inspirational nonfiction under Heather B. Moore.  This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom.  Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
When I was thirty I had an idea for a story. It became a strange process since I never considered writing a novel before. I was an avid reader and held authors in high esteem. When I started writing that first story, it was like the floodgates had opened. One of the most inspirational books I’ve read is Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark. I’ve long been a mystery fan and when I read this memoir, I realized that it was possible to be a writer and a mother at the same time. Ms. Clark inspired me when she said she’d write from 5:00-7:00 a.m. every morning so as not to interfere with her job and her kids (she was a widow at the time). I thought, “I can do that.” And I did—it took three novels before I finally got one published, but Clark’s story inspired me not to give up.

2. What writing project are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
​I’m currently editing the next Omar Zagouri thriller that I’m calling SLAVE QUEEN. This book is a mixture of modern-day and historical setting based on the story of the sultan Suleyman and his favorite wife, Roxelane. She was living in the Kingdom of Poland in the early 1500s when she was abducted by the Turks and brought to the sultan’s harem in Constantinople. There she worked her way up through the harem to become a wife of the sultan. I’m also drafting the 3rd book in The Moses Chronicles series.

3. How important are the names in your novels?  How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
I write a lot of historical fiction, so I try to use as many real names as possible. The other names I choose, I try to use names that aren’t super common, but names that aren’t too strange sounding. I want them unique, but pronounceable. I also try to make sure I don’t have more than one name starting with the same letter or sounding too similar, if at all possible. I just google names such as “female Turkish names” then scan through the list.

4. What authors inspire your writing?
Some of my favorite authors include Mary Higgins Clark, Maeve Binchy, Barbara Kingsolver, and Michelle Moran. They have interesting life stories and write in different genres.

5. What period of history interests you the most?  Does this influence your writing?
I’m drawn to historical events that change the course of history. For instance, my book LOST KING that comes out in December is about Hatshepsut, a woman who became Pharaoh of Egypt. And the current book I’m working on follows a woman who rises from slavery to become a sultan’s wife.

6. What inspired the idea for your story in the Mariposa Hotel novel?
When Julie, Melanie, and I brainstormed our plots, I wanted my heroine to be employed at the hotel in a management type position so that she was facing a lot of conflict each day. And then of course the hero had to be someone who would help her deal with the conflict. He needed a reason to be at the posh resort, so I made him a talented and wealthy man, but his work had dominated his life so he hadn’t allowed himself to carry on a serious relationship. But as I started writing, it all flip-flopped and the heroine became the woman to the rescue.

7. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
I have nothing. I’m so behind on movies and TV that I’d probably name someone who is dead. LOL.

8. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
I love to read and traveling is fun when possible. I love nature walks and doing puzzles.

Connect with Jennifer on:
- Facebook - Twitter - Website -

1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
 I started writing as a way to relieve stress. I never in a million years thought I would publish a book.
 
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
 It depends on the book. I've written one in as little as one month, but sometimes it can take up to six months. My average is around three to four months.
 
 
3. What was the process for getting your book published?
 As soon as the first draft is complete I will send it out to several beta readers to get their feedback. Based on feedback I will go back and make changes. Then usually my husband does the first edit before we send it to my editor. Once I get it back from my editor I will go through her line edit. When that process is complete I send it to a proofreader. And during this whole process I'm working with my designer on my cover getting it just right. When I get the book back from my proofreader I will go line by line through her changes. Once I'm satisfied we will upload it to Amazon. I will do another read through on their previewer. Then I go through tons of self-doubt and question whether I should click publish or not. My family always steps in and gives me the courage to click that button.
 
4. When did you write your first book and how old were you?
 I wrote my first book almost three years ago. It is a book I won't ever publish, but it was a great experience. I was almost forty years old.
 
5. When is your favorite time to write?  Do you have a set schedule or is it more sporadic like when an idea hits you?
 Since I have a fulltime job in addition to my writing career, I write at night. I try to write everyday except on Sundays.
 
6. This tour is for Jessie Belle.  What inspired the idea for this story and the other novels in the Women of Merryton series?  When will the other novels in this series release?
 A couple of years ago I was waiting for my son in the car line at school and the name Jessie Belle came to me. I typed it into my phone and thought about it for a while. My first draft of Jessie Belle was a much, much different story. Blake and Jessica weren’t even married in the first version and Blake had a different name. Then this past spring I kept having this thought or maybe even a vision of this couple. The man was holding a woman telling her he loved her, but she wasn’t so sure. I couldn’t get this couple out of my mind. I knew this was Blake and Jessica and I rewrote the whole story.
 
Merryton is based on my hometown in Colorado. In fact if you are paying close attention to it, I mention the name of my hometown in the book.
 
I'm hoping to have the other two in the series out by next year.
  
7. How often do you hear from your readers?  What kinds of things do they say?
 Usually on a weekly basis. If I've just released a book it is on a daily basis. The types of messages vary from they really liked the book or it touched them in some way. Jessie Belle has seemed to strike a chord with many people. I've had several people write me about how touched they were and how it has helped them to look at their own relationship differently.
 
8. Do you have any suggestions to help potential authors become a better writer? If so, what are they?
 I would say just keep writing and reading as much as you can. Also connect with other writers.
 
9. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
 Being a writer was never on my radar. I wanted to be a psychologist. Who knows, maybe someday I still will.
 
10. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
 I love Zumba and riding my bike. And when I have the time I love to decorate or re-decorate my home. I'm also a huge fan of music and theater, so I try to get to as many concerts and plays that I can.

Check out my review for:
JESSIE BELLE (coming soon)

1. How did you get started as an author? What or whom inspired you?
My wife Jane and I lived in Greece. We loved the people and I became fascinated with ancient history. I decided to write an historical fiction about the Persian Wars: Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. The novel took some time and the prose was terrible. I realized that I needed to learn how to write. I took a creative writing class from Ben Fountain at the University of Texas at Austin. I walked out wanting to write short stories. I toiled for three years, amassing a landfill-worthy pile of rejections, before my first piece was accepted. Since then, seventy of my stories have been published and now my novel, Birds of Passage, An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story.

2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
The Persian Wars novel is on the scrap heap, leaving only Birds of Passage. The piece is literary historical fiction with a touch of romance.

3. What writing projects are you currently working on? What can you tell us about these projects?
I’m working on a modern literary thriller about an Italian-American who runs afoul of the Russian mob. I hope the reader won’t be able to put it down. I continue to write short stories that explore various aspects of human nature that I’ve either experienced or observed. A sequel to Birds of Passage will be written if readers demand more.

4. What does your writing process look like?
A hurricane. There’s a lot of spinning, sometimes careening off in unpredictable directions, but the intent is to land with some oomph.

5. Where is your favorite place to write?
I write in a computer equipped man-cave. The shelves are crammed with travel memorabilia. Our shih tzu, Sophia, is often in my lap.

6. How important are the names in your novels? How do you choose names for characters? Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
Some names are suggestive, for example Basso (short), Drago (dragon), and Innocenti (innocent). Leonardo was chosen because it sounds powerful and is also the name of a friend. I kept the Italian character’s home region in mind when selecting surnames.

7. What authors/novels that you enjoy would you recommend?
Ben Fountain’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk was excellent. Cormac McCarthy cynically explores the depths of human evil. As I’m writing a literary thriller, I’m rereading Le Carre. I also read a lot of short stories for enjoyment and inspiration. Chekhov, Salter, and Richard Yates are favorites.

8. Where is your favorite place to read and why?
A: I read a lot in my computer man-cave, but otherwise there’s no special place.

9. What period of history interests you the most?
Recently I attended the University of Texas as an English and History major. So, I was able to explore many past periods, e.g. The French Revolution, The American Revolution and Civil War, ancient Greece and Rome. Recently, we traveled in Ireland and I was turned onto Irish history.

10. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made into a movie. Who would you choose and for which character?
He’s probably too old now, but Leonardo Di Caprio as Leonardo Robustelli. If Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Copolla directed the movie, I’m sure they’d find the right actors for Birds of Passage. I’d love to see who they’d pick for Azzura.

11. What inspired the idea for your novel Birds of Passage, An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story?
All my grandparents and my father were immigrants from Naples. They entered the United States during the Progressive Era. I was curious about the period and took a graduate course at UT Austin. My term paper focused on Italians who were called “birds of passage” because they were the first immigrants who returned to their home country. Many made numerous trips until the immigration laws tightened. During the semester, I wrote a short story, “The Sour Smell of Pain” about an Italian immigrant’s experience. Since my Greek novel tragedy, I had a number of short stories published. so I tackled Birds of Passage. The novel is not about my family, although insiders will recognize many veiled references. I’m old enough to have known people born in the nineteenth-century. I tried to capture how people of that time thought and acted.

12. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
Jane and I love to travel. We also play bridge and golf together. I’m always working on my Italian. 

Check out my review of
​BIRDS OF PASSAGE

Lynne Gentry was a finalist in the WestBow Press’s 2010 fiction contest.  She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and three of her novels have been selected as finalists for the ACFW Genesis contest.  Lynne is a pastor’s wife and the mother of two grown children.

Lynne has written for numerous publications.  She is a professional acting coach, theater director, and playwright.  Lynne is an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer who love spending time with her family and medical therapy dog.

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1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
Unlike most authors, I did not aspire to write. But I have always been a storyteller. When I was a child, I would cram a stick into the ground, pretend it was a microphone, and tell stories to our barnyard animals. I went on to major in theater and spent several years writing skits and plays. For one of my plays I cast romantic suspense writer Lisa Harris. She thought I was a good storyteller and encouraged me to try my hand at writing a novel.

2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
 The Carthage Chronicles series has five books. Three full-length novels and to eshort prequels. Before this time travel series I wrote short stories for Guideposts, HCI Books, and Worthy. Tyndale published a humorous women’s fiction novel for me in 2011 (Reinventing Leona) which is no longer in print. I have also co-written a medical thriller with my writing friend Lisa Harris and a Biblical fiction that will probably never see the light of day.
 
3. What does your writing process look like?
I’m what writers call a pantser. Usually an idea comes to me in the form of a title and the main character. I start with research. Research fires all kinds of ideas in my head. But it is in the writing process that the characters begin to take shape. I love to experience the story along with the characters.

4. Where is your favorite place to write?
We moved recently and I was fortunate to have a very nice space to make into an office. Lots of light. My bookshelves. And a comfortable, well-lit desk.

5. How important are the names in your novels? How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
Since my stories always have a basis in history, I try to pick names that fit with the time period. For modern names, my main character’s name almost always just comes to me. But if it doesn’t, I’ll have the character try on several names.

6. What authors/novels that you enjoy would you recommend?
I’m a very eclectic reader. Right now I’m wading through the David Wallace’s Infinite Jest and Orson Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead. But some of my favorite books are written by Kate Quinn, Kate Furnivall, and Veronica Roth.

7. Where is your favorite place to read and why?
I keep a stack of books by the bed, by my chair to watch TV, on my desk, in my car, and always one in my purse.

8. What period of history interests you the most?
I’m crazy about the Roman time period.

9. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
I love the striking features of Zooey Deschanel. Her dark hair and fair skin create such a stunning contrast. I wanted Dr. Lisbeth Hastings to be a mixture of dark and fair.

10. What inspired the idea for your Carthage Chronicles?  How many novels are you planning on having in this series?
The release of VALLEY OF DECISION completes the five-book series. I was inspired by an article I saw in the newspaper about some tourists who disappeared from the Cave of the Swimmers in the Sahara desert. My imagination kicked in and I thought what if they dropped into another time? Then I heard about the third-century Plague of Cyprian and the story of dropping a 21st century doctor into that chaos started to form.
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11. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
I love spending time with my grandchildren. I also have trained a medical therapy dog. Roman and I love bringing joy to patients in the transplant units and the cancer center of Baylor Hospital. 

Check out my reviews for:
HEALER OF CARTHAGE
RETURN TO CARTHAGE
VALLEY OF DECISION