Interview and Giveaway with Author Deborah Vogts

It's my pleasure to welcome back author Deborah Vogts to share about her sophomore novel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deborah Vogts and her husband have three daughters and make their home in Southeast Kansas where they raise and train American Quarter Horses. As a student at Emporia State University studying English and journalism, Deborah developed a love for the Flint Hills that has never faded. In writing this series, she hopes to share her passion for one of the last tallgrass prairie regions in the world, showing that God’s great beauty rests on the prairie and in the hearts of those who live there.


CHATTING WITH DEBORAH


JA: Seeds of Summer is a sequel to Snow Melts in Spring. What are the challenges and blessings involved in writing a sequel as opposed to something totally new?
DV: A blessing is that you are familiar with your setting and there is less research involved. I enjoy getting to know my characters deeper as each story progresses, but that may be a negative, because it’s going to be hard to say good-bye to them one day. LOL

It can be challenging to work with ongoing characters, especially when you come upon an aspect you’d like to change, but you’re unable to because it’s mentioned in an earlier book. For instance, in the third book, which I’m finishing up now, I almost wish I would have given Clara fewer children…but I’d already mentioned in the first book that she had three. So I couldn’t do anything about it—maybe kill one of them…but that wouldn’t be nice.

JA: Is there a theme running through this series?
DV: There seems to be one of forgiveness in each book—as well as following the path God gives us rather than our own. Each book also deals with family conflicts. I’d like readers to remember how important family relations are and that we can get through our difficulties if we remember to love and forgive each other.

I also hope to give my readers a taste of the Flint Hills and of how God’s beauty rests on the prairie and in the hearts of those who live there.

JA: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
DV: Ever since I was in high school. I began writing my Great American Novel as a junior—Splendor of the Sun. That earned me an A++ in Senior English. LOL

I studied English and journalism in college, but it wasn’t until 2002 that I began taking serious steps to be published. I joined a local writer’s group and ACFW, (an online writing organization). I also joined a critique group, started reading writing how-to’s and attended writing conferences. I met my first agent at the ACFW Nashville Conference in 2005. We hit it off at our meeting, and she gave me some tips on making my book series “bigger.” I did that and submitted my idea to her and she took me on. We shopped my Seasons of the Tallgrass series for a year and had a few bites (one of them Zondervan) but no sale. In the end, she released me, which was a real heart breaker. However, we don’t always see the big picture like God does, and six months later I signed with agent Rachelle Gardner, with WordServe Literary, and we had an offer from Zondervan three months after that in May 2008.

JA: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you dream it up as you go?
DV: When I begin a new book, I like to start off with my characters. I will interview them and create character worksheets for them. It’s a fun process and really helps me to get to know them. After that, I’ll start working on a plot outline, which may be very vague at the beginning. From there, I’ll form a short and long synopsis of the story that will be used for marketing. Once all of these steps are done, I’ll start writing. The plot might change, and the characters may go through transitions along the way, but it’s always fun to see how the story progresses and eventually ends.

JA: Do you treat yourself to something special when a project is completed?
DV: Dinner out with the family and total relaxation for a few days at least.

JA: What’s your favorite part of the writing business? What’s your least favorite?
DV: Least Favorite: Writing on deadline. LOL

Favorite: “Fan mail.” This is something I never equated into the “author picture.” I LOVE getting letters or emails from my readers. That has been such a huge blessing to me.

JA: What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a fledgling writer?
DV: Write what is on your heart and don’t be discouraged. Read LOTS of books (especially those in your genre), join a writing group and/or a critique group. Write, and continue learning the craft. Be open to criticism and helpful advice. Never give up.

Right before I landed my second agent, I almost gave up on my dreams, and I am so thankful I didn’t. Not that God would have let me. I searched and asked that he give me scripture answers that would lead me in the right direction. Some of those he gave were: Isaiah 41:13, Deuteronomy 31:8, Proverbs 3:5-6, and my favorite one that ministered to me and still does today, “Be Still and Know that I am God.”

JA: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
DV: I learned early on to take all contests with a grain a salt because they are highly subjective. One reader may love your entry while another may hate it. If all love it or hate it, maybe there is something you can glean from the contest.

Before being published I entered a few contests—and even finaled and won a few of them—but I also recall crying my eyes out and screaming with indignation at the crazy scores I received—the highs and lows can be so subjective. And this year, I entered my published book in a few contests. Didn’t final in any of them . . .

JA: What's next for you in the writing arena?
DV: I’m currently finishing up the third book in the series, Blades of Autumn, which is the story about Clara, the owner of Clara’s Café.

(Blurb for Book #3) With a café to run and three children to raise, Clara Lambert doesn’t have time for men or loneliness, despite what her heart might tell her. When two handsome cowboys vie for her attention, one of the brothers proves to be her soul mate, but at what cost? Will it tear the brothers’ relationship apart or is blood really thicker than water?

JA: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
DV: I’d be a stay-at-home mom. I’d do more work at home. More gardening and canning. More baking and sewing. More music involvement at our church. And I’d do more quilting and scrapbooking!

JA: Have you ever had a horrendously embarrassing moment that you ended up using later in a novel?
DV: The time I threw up on a small plane. I actually used my own experience in my first book, Snow Melts in Spring, when Mattie gets sick on her trip back to Kansas.

JA: What's your idea of a dream vacation?
DV: A cabin in the mountains or by a big lake like in Golden Pond, or even by the ocean. I’m not particular!

JA: Scenario: You’re about to be dropped off on a deserted island. You can take along one survival item, one book, and one person (living or dead… but they’ll be alive on the island). What and who do you take?
DV: A knife and my husband.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Seeds of Summer is the second book in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series. It’s a heart-warming contemporary romance set in the Flint Hills of Kansas where a former rodeo queen abandons her dreams in order to care for her deceased father’s ranch and her two half-siblings, only to realize with the help of a young new pastor that God can turn even the most dire circumstances into seeds of hope.


WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Seeds of Summer, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on June 16th. (NOTE: US residents only for this one.) Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview and Giveaway with Science Fiction Author Steve Rzasa

It's my pleasure to welcome back science fiction author Steve Rzasa.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Rzasa was born and raised in South Jersey, and fell in love with books – especially science fiction novels and historical volumes – at an early age. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University’s College of Communications in 2000, and then spent seven years as a reporter and assistant editor at weekly newspapers in Maine. Steve moved to Wyoming in 2007 to become the editor of a weekly newspaper there, and now works at the local library. He and his wife Carrie have two boys and live in Buffalo, Wyoming. His favorite authors include C.J. Cherryh, David Drake, Robert Heinlein, Kathy Tyers, Chris Walley and David Weber.

More information about Steve’s books is available at http://www.steverzasa.com/ and http://www.marcherlordpress.com/


HANGING OUT WITH STEVE

JA: The Word Unleashed is a sequel to The Word Reclaimed. What are the challenges and blessings involved in writing a sequel as opposed to something totally new?
SR: Well, part of the blessing of writing The Word Unleashed is that it and The Word Reclaimed were originally one book. So the beginning, middle and ending were already there. The challenge came in splitting Commissioned (as the manuscript was originally titled) into two – it necessitated the writing of whole new chapters, scenes, as well as the removal of old and creation of new characters. It was an overall rewarding process to conclude the two-part story.

JA: How do you come up with your story ideas?
SR: Well, I just kind of daydream, I guess. A lot of times I happen to think of a scene or a combination of characters – or a starship – and then it all kind of flows from there. Once I put pen to paper and write down that idea, more ideas seem to come naturally. But many times I troll through the current events and see what can be adapted as a future plot.

JA: How does your faith impact your writing?
SR: My faith drives me to present what I believe about God rather directly. It enhances my creativity and gives me the freedom to address topics not necessarily just for a secular or Christian audience.

JA: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
SR: The biggest surprise was that people other than my family and friends read my book and liked it! I’ve been gratified that men and women of varying ages – from 70s right on down to middle school – have enjoyed reading The Word Reclaimed and The Word Unleashed.

JA: What do you think about writing contests? Have you participated in any? What’s the benefit to an unpublished writer?
SR: I won second prize in the 2009 Christian Writing Contest held by Athanatos Christian Ministries for my short story, Rescued. It serves, I think, as a way to show potential publishers that an unbiased source read and liked your work, so I would encourage submitting to such contests.

JA: What’s next for you in the writing arena?
SR: I’m working on a novel set in the same Face of the Deep universe as the first two, except taking place a couple of years later. It is a kind of follow-up to my short story Rescued, which you can read at http://christianwritingcontest.com/entry/2009-joe-keysor-gk-chesterton-19-up-steve-rzasa/154.html. I’ve also got some short stories from the Face of the Deep universe in the works.

JA: What’s your idea of a dream vacation?
SR: Let’s see – eating donuts from Dot’s Pastries at 7:30 a.m., spending the first half of the day on the beach, lounging around, reading, writing, drawing, playing with my boys, visiting my family – wait a sec, that’s what I do every summer in Ocean City, NJ!

JA:  Sounds like you're living the high life, Steve! Thanks so much for visiting with us today.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Word Unleashed

Book 2: The Face of the Deep

Baden’s book won’t leave him alone.

He’d like nothing more than to get rid of the Bible he found in the wreckage if a derelict starship. It’s brought trouble – the secret police are closing in on him. He’s fighting more with his father. And he fears that the young woman he loves may be falling under the book’s spell.

But he can’t seem to let it go.

Now he’s sharing what he’s read with believers who have awaited the return of God’s Word for decades. His mysterious rescuer, Jason, wants the Bible taken to a safe place.

So now it’s his choice. He can hide it, or proclaim it.

With Kesek in control of the Realm and coming after all its opponents, Baden will have to trust not only in his friends but in a contingent of elite soldiers determined to save the king.

He’ll have to come to grips with the power he has unleashed on the Realm of Five. And that power has plans of its own.

WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of The Word Unleashed , just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on June 7th. (No, you're not imagining things... I extended the contest to give more people time to enter. Tell your friends!) Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Interview and Giveaway with Fiction Author Richard L. Mabry, MD

One of the best things about having my own blog is that I have the priviledge of introducing my readers to some amazing writers. Richard Mabry is that kind of person. I met Richard and his lovely wife for the first time last September. I was immediately impressed by his kind, gentle spirit, and pleasantly surprised by his sly wit. I know you're going to enjoy this interview and his new book, Code Blue.

THE BIO

Retired physician Richard L. Mabry, MD, now writes Christian fiction and non-fiction, and works fruitlessly on improving his golf game. His book, The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse, was published by Kregel Publications. His work has also appeared in Upper Room, In Touch Magazine, and Christian Communicator. Code Blue, published April 2010 by Abingdon Press, is his first novel.


A CONVERSATION WITH RICHARD MABRY

Q: Code Blue is your first novel, but you've previously published The Tender Scar: Life After the Death of a Spouse. How does writing fiction differ from non-fiction?
A: Let me go back even further. In my thirty-six years in medicine, I wrote or edited eight textbooks and had over one hundred papers published in medical journals…and none of it helped me in non-medical writing. One of my mentors, Randy Ingermanson, a scientist himself, warned me that I’d have to adopt a whole new mindset if I was to write fiction. How right he was.

My non-fiction experience was unique. The Tender Scar is based on the journaling I did after my first wife died, and the hardest thing for me in writing that book was seeing through the tears when I tried to type the words. I read through hundreds of pages of my journaling, picked out the subjects that seemed most relevant, and searched my own experience for the truths I wanted to share. The structure was there. I just had to find it.
But when it comes to fiction, everything changes. In fiction, although I draw on my life experiences and my medical background, they’re only background. For my novel, it was necessary to create a story arc, develop characters, and decide how to put all that into a classic three-act structure. I felt as though I was learning a foreign language, starting from the ground up. Just as with The Tender Scar, I believe God helped me put together the story that became Code Blue, but the process was much more difficult.

Q: On your website, you say you deliver "medical suspense with heart." I love that! How do you weave your faith and medical experience into thrilling fiction?
A: I think Janet Benrey came up with the tagline “medical suspense with heart.” She and I were struggling to find a niche for my writing. It wasn’t romance, it wasn’t suspense, it wasn’t a cozy. We were throwing out ideas, and that tag popped out. I think it totally captures what I try to write.

My desire was, and still is, to craft a novel that combines suspense and romance, set in a medical background, written from a Christian worldview. I can draw on thirty-six years of medical practice, both in the private setting and as a medical school professor, to give readers an inside view of that world. For romance, a combined fifty years of marriage to two wonderful women has provided me a bit of knowledge, and for the rest, I lean on Kay, whom I married two years after Cynthia’s death. She is my first reader, severest critic, and biggest fan. As for my faith, there are no contrived conversion scenes in my novels, and I try to avoid sounding “preachy.” Instead, I focus on the interrelationship of God and my characters. Sometimes they depend on their faith for strength, sometimes they’ve strayed from God, but there’s always a subtle subtext of the God-man relationship in the story, with a take-away message that I hope strengthens the faith of my readers.

Q: Code Blue is the first in a series. Can you give us an idea of what comes next?
A: The second novel in the Prescription For Trouble series, Medical Error, releases in September of 2010. In it, Dr Anna McIntyre learns first-hand that identity theft can be deadly. Her patient died because of an identity mix-up, her medical career is in jeopardy, and her credit is in ruins. She thought things couldn’t get worse, but that was before she opened the envelope.

In the third novel, Cause Of Death, which will be published in the spring of 2011, the medical career of Dr. Allison Perez Williams is in jeopardy as she is accused of ending the life of two critically ill patients, one of whom was her husband. A midnight caller torments her, and she can’t decide whether the people around her are friends or enemies. She only knows that one of them is stalking her.

Q: Your series sounds so exciting! I can tell right now that I'll want to read all three of them. Now, how do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I wish I had a sure-fire cure. My usual solution is to employ what Stephen King calls “the boys in the basement.” I set the problem aside and try to do something else. With my current work-in-progress, I’ve awakened on a couple of occasions with the solution to a problem clear in my mind. If that doesn’t happen, I just start writing, realizing that I may eventually find I’m on the wrong road entirely. That’s when I delete what I’ve done back to the point in question and start again. I guess this is sort of like the way I drive—don’t ask directions, just backtrack and try again if it’s obvious I’m wrong.

Q: How long does it take to complete a novel? How many drafts do you go through?
A: My first novel took somewhere between forever and eternity to “finish.” Seriously, I can finish a novel in six months, and the last few weeks before deadline are total anguish for me. That’s when I think, like every writer in history, “This isn’t good enough.”
My friend and mentor, James Scott Bell, preaches, “Get it down, then get it right.” I tried that, writing a first draft without regard to editing, but that didn’t work for me. So when I start to write, I review the previous chapter or at least the preceding several scenes, and edit them. That tells me where I’ve been and (hopefully) where I’m going, as well as serving to clean up the writing in those areas. After I finish the work, I revise it at least twice before sending it to my agent, Rachelle Gardner, who always has some great ideas for improvement.

Q: Do you plot out your story ahead of time, or do you dream it up as you go?
A: I’m pretty much a “seat of the pants” writer. I know how the story starts, who the main characters will be, the two pillars that bridge the three acts, and the conclusion. Then I turn the characters loose and see where they take me. That’s another reason I like to go back and edit as I go, because sometimes I see that a turn of events or even a character should be deleted or changed. There are times I can hardly wait to get back to writing, because I’m anxious to see how things come out.

Q: After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?
A: Like Karen Carpenter sang, “It’s only just begun.” Right now I’m sweating a deadline, and my wife, Kay, reminded me that a year ago I was complaining because I didn’t have a contract…or a deadline. Beyond the time constraints, I’m amazed at the amount of work that’s a necessary part of the marketing authors are expected to carry out: participating in blogs (my own and others), arranging book signings, getting endorsements, networking with other authors, etc. It was an eye-opener to discover that publishers, although they do what they can, depend heavily on authors to promote their books.

The other surprise: no one has stopped me on the street to ask for my autograph. Seriously, my family and friends think it’s neat that I’m published, but I’m no Tony Romo. Hey, I’m not even Chad Hutchinson (probably the least well-known Cowboy quarterback in franchise history).

Q: The next time I see you, I'll definitely ask for your autograph :+} What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a fledgling writer?
A: Every day, ask yourself, “Who am I writing this for?” If you’re doing it because you feel God’s leadership in that direction that’s wonderful. If you’re doing it because you have a message, and the printed word is your pulpit, write on. If you’re doing it because you want to see your name in print, get a copy of the phone book.

Seriously, if you’re writing for the right reasons, then learn the craft. Attend conferences if you can afford them. Study good books on writing craft. Read the work of excellent writers, so you’ll recognize good writing when you see it. And then write, write, write. Have one book going all the time. Keep querying, so when one book garners nothing but rejections, you’ll have another option ready.
One final thought. God will change people with your writing, even if it only changes one person—because writing will change you. Good luck.

What a great final thought! Thanks so much for hanging out with us, Richard.

Visit Richard's website 
Watch the trailer for Code Blue on YouTube


ABOUT THE BOOK – Code Blue

Code Blue means more to Dr. Cathy Sewell than the cardiac emergencies she faces. It describes her mental state when she finds that returning to her hometown hasn’t brought her the peace she so desperately needs. Now two men compete for her affection; the town doctors resent the fact that she’s a woman and a newcomer; and the potentially fatal heart problem that results from one of her prescriptions may mean the end of her practice. But a killer doesn’t just want to run her out of town—they want her dead.


WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Code Blue, just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on April 16th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Love Books & Authors? Keep Your Eyes on This Blog!

2007 was quite a year and the Lord blessed me more than I had dared dream. One of the biggest, most amazing things is the many published and pre-published authors I've had the privilege of meeting, and how gracious and giving they are. So now, it's my turn to give back.

As a way of blessing the community that's been so kind to me, I'm featuring author interviews on my blog. Right now, I've got more than 30 published authors lined up over the course of the year, with more joining the list all the time. Quite often, there will be a book giveaway in conjunction with the interview. So, if you love books and the authors who write them, check out my blog at http://jenniferallee.blogspot.com.

First up is Leanna Ellis, author of the awesome new novel, Elvis Takes a Back Seat. Come check out her interview tomorrow,January 7th, and leave a comment on the blog to be entered to win a free copy of the book!

Other author interviews this month are Sharon Souza, Debra Clopton, Susan Page Davis, Cheryl Wyatt, Jill Elizabeth Nelson, and Sharon Dunn. Come join the fun!