Today I welcome Linda Rondeau to my blog. She is an accomplished, award-winning author and speaker who often helps lead Christian writers' conferences. Even so, she is accessible and approachable with a ready smile and a big heart. Thank you for stopping by, Linda. Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be here. Tell us a little about yourself. Humor has always been my saving grace and the way God has allowed me to rise above any circumstance, from being a single mom to the loss of loved ones to facing cancer. You can’t take it seriously when you’re bald. I laughed so hard, well….you know the adage. They say I’m a writer, however, I take greater joy in being a wife, a mom, a grandmother, and all the other wonderful roles God has allowed me have in this life. Because humor has helped me to survive, I have infused all my books, even the scariest ones, with a few laughs. How and when did you begin to write? I tell people not to judge me because I was born that way, with a pen in my soul. The little girl loved to tell stories to her younger sibling and the kids on the school bus, grew up to be the amateur who wrote plays and poems for Sunday School. I taught school for a short while, but ended up in social work as my heart bent toward changing lives more than filling a head with knowledge. I loved the writing aspects of that career. Little did I know that God prepared me for authorship even during those career and family days of raising three children. One day, I felt the tug. “It’s time,” God said. Though I don’t recommend this for anyone else, for me, God knew I had to leave everything else behind if I were to write for Him. So I quit the day job and the rest is history. I never regretted following His lead. Can you give our readers a short description of A Father’s Prayer (aka A Christmas Prayer)? Although it is not my first book or my most recent (I’ve published a novel and mini-novel since then), A Father’s Prayer is one from the heart. A journalist and country singer find romance through the needs of an autistic child. Gib is Alexis’s adoptive brother. She becomes a caretaker for him when her parents are killed. Ethan is Gib’s biological father, but by court order is gagged from revealing his identity during his quest to gain custody of this child, only aware of Gib’s existence for a short time. Gib, aged twelve, is in trouble with the juvenile court system and at risk for foster care placement since his caregiver seems unable to provide adequate supervision. I drew much of Gib’s character from my personal experience as a short-term caregiver for my autistic grandson. I also drew from my social work experience and love of music to present this story as honestly as I could. I am pleased that it was a finalist for the 2014 Selah Awards as well as 2014 Carol Awards. What are you working on now? I am balancing several manuscripts at the moment in various stages of completion, waiting for the Lord’s direction in regard to these works. As with all my fiction, my current work demonstrates how God uses our worst pasts to fashion our best futures. Hosea’s Heart, is a novel set in Washington, D.C. concerning a minister who has searched for many years to find his runaway, drug addicted wife. Legacy of Regret is a second Adirondack romantic suspense featuring a widow recovering from mental illness and Red Sky Promise, follows a young man who is a victim of childhood abuse. In addition to these works of fiction, I am following up my non-fiction book, I Prayed for Patience God Gave Me Children, with a series of Christian Living books, starting with Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt? Do you have any advice for beginning writers? Take your time seeking publication. Everyone thinks they’re ready to create the Great American Novel in their first try. While self-publishing has become a legitimate alternative, don’t be in a rush to do so. Develop your craft. Work on shorter pieces to hone your skills. While you’re figuring out what kind of writer you want to be, join critique groups and writing support groups. How can my readers find out more about you and your work? Email Me I will answer you. Visit My website Like my Facebook page Follow me on Twitter Follow me on Goodreads Follow me on Google Plus Follow me on Pinterest Follow my blog This Daily Grind Linda's Books A Father's Prayer finalist for 2014 Selah Award and 2014 Carol Awards The Other Side of Darkness It Really Is a Wonderful Life I Prayed for Patience/God Gave Me Children Days of Vines and Roses Joy Comes to Dinsmore Street Jolly Angel Coming soon: Snow on Eagle Mountain, a mini-novel
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While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, Ane has worn many different ones: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction (try saying that three times fast). She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA, with her artist husband, her chef son, and two very large dogs.
I'm not one of those authors who knew they wanted to write from the moment they discovered blank paper and Crayons. Who knew the stories I told (back then they called it lying) and played out for weeks with my dolls, would someday become books about women and their friendships? January 1st, 2003, I sat down and started my first novel. After writing most of that first manuscript, I found an online Christian critique group and a few mentors, who became close friends, ones who told me plainly I had a lot to learn. What an understatement. POV? Never heard the term. Omniscient? That's what God was. Show don't tell? How do I tell a story without telling? Yikes! Yet, with each critique, I absorbed a new concept. I bought all the books on the craft of fiction writing they recommended. I read them and absorbed more. I believe it takes a village to raise a novel. At least it did in my case. My critique partners (we've been together for 11 years) were serious about publishing, and we were tough on one another. So tough, we all earned nicknames: Attila the Holmes, Hannibal Dotta, Genghis Griep, and Ludwig von Frankenpen. Me? Oh, I'm Ane of Mean Gables. And so the legend was born. I went to editorial committee several times, but was always rejected. My critique partners got published but not me. I got discouraged. I asked God ... okay, I whined ... why wasn't I getting anywhere? I had been so sure He called me to write. I needed a sign. God gave me one. I signed with an agent. I started getting further, going to pub board. This was it! Whoopee! Pub board loved it, but their slate was filled, so the editor was going to hold it for their next quarter. Only she retired before the next quarter, and her computer hard drive was wiped clean. I was lost in cyber oblivion. Then my agent retired. Do you see a pattern here? I did and it looked like a rollercoaster. But God said, "Wait. Trust me." He didn't offer me another choice, so I chose to trust. Finally, in August of 2013, nearly eleven years after I began this journey, my agent called me to tell me we had an offer from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. If there's one thing I've learned during this journey, it's this: God must be part of the equation. Though I'd learned the craft earlier in my journey, He wasn't ready for me to publish. I won't know why this side of Heaven, but I'm okay with that. With a friend like Claire, you need a gurney, a mop, and a guardian angel. Everybody in the small town of Chapel Springs, Georgia, knows best friends Claire and Patsy. It's impossible not to, what with Claire's zany antics and Patsy's self-appointed mission to keep her friend out of trouble. And trouble abounds. Chapel Springs has grown dilapidated and the tourist trade has slackened. With their livelihoods threatened, they join forces to revitalize the town. No one could have guessed the real issue needing restoration is personal. With their marriages in as much disarray as the town, Claire and Patsy embark on a mission of mishaps and miscommunication, determined to restore warmth to Chapel Springs —and their lives. That is if they can convince their husbands and the town council, led by two curmudgeons who would prefer to see Chapel Springs left in the fifties and closed to traffic. Amazon link: Chapel Springs Revival Barnes and Nobel link: Chapel Springs Revival Sandra Merville Hart loves to find unusual facts in her historical research to use in her stories. She and her husband enjoy traveling to many of the sites in her books to explore the history. She serves as Assistant Editor for DevoKids.com where she contributes articles about history and holidays. She has written for several publications and websites including The Secret Place, Harpstring, Splickety Magazine, Pockets Magazine, Common Ground, Afictionado, and ChristianDevotions.us. Her inspirational Civil War novella, A Stranger on My Land, was released on August 21, 2014. Welcome to my blog, Sandra. We're glad you stopped by to visit. Thank you, Carol. I'm happy to be here. Tell us a little about yourself. I've always loved history. My two favorite subjects in school were English Literature and History. Everywhere we went on vacation, I always wanted to learn about the significant history of the place. I love reading historical romances. It seems fitting that this is the type of novel I most enjoy writing. How and when did you begin to write? I wanted to be a writer in elementary school. I wrote my first book, a mystery story, in the sixth grade. Of course, it wasn't very good and I received no encouragement. In fact, my dad discouraged the idea strongly, telling me that I would starve to death trying to make my living that way. The dream died before I became a teenager. It always made me a little sad. About ten years ago, the dream returned stronger than ever. I took a few college classes, correspondence writing classes, and began attending writers' conferences to learn the craft. Can you give our readers a short description of A Stranger On My Land? A Stranger on My Land is an inspirational Civil War romance. Carrie finds a wounded Union soldier, Adam, outside her family's home on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Her father fights for the Confederacy and her bitter aunt hates Yankees, but Adam's grateful yet teasing manner soon sparks feelings deeper than friendship. His condition worsens and he requires a Union surgeon. How can Carrie save Adam's life and still hide her livestock from the Union Army? What led you to write it? I read a variety of books by Civil War soldiers to research for another novel. When I discovered that several families on Lookout Mountain hid in caves while the soldiers occupied Chattanooga, it fascinated me. The soldiers mentioned how cozy the women made these temporary shelters. Clouds shrouded the middle of the mountain during the Battle Above the Clouds. This image intrigued me and the idea was born. What are you working on now? I'm over halfway through a contemporary romantic suspense novel which is not my usual genre. I love reading them but hadn't attempted to write one. A story idea came to me that I couldn't get out of my head until I wrote it. Historical romance is my usual genre and even this contemporary story has a historical element. My next story will be another Civil War romance. This one will be set in Gettysburg, a place that has captured my imagination. I need further research before writing it. A beautiful seamstress and a war-weary soldier would never meet if not for the battle that raged outside her Gettysburg home. Do you have any advice for beginning writers? I once had a very wise teacher. Though he didn't teach writing courses, he advised his students to "be patient with your own learning." What he meant was that we all learn at different rates. Some writing tasks will come easier than others. Writing can be a lonely venture when you have to be the one to get everything done. I often become overwhelmed with tasks that I don't know how to accomplish. I've met many writer friends willing to answer questions and pass on what they've learned. Attending writer conferences is a great way to acquire writing skills, but we all learn at our own pace. It's okay to push yourself to strive toward the next step, but be patient with yourself, too. How can my readers find out more about you and your work? I serve as Assistant Editor and write historical articles for the DevoKids.com http://devokids.com/category/stories/adventures-in-history/. I also serve as an Assistant Editor for The Barn Door Book Loft website, http://www.barndoorbookloft.net/. You can also find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.m.hart.7 Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sandramhart7/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ My book can be purchased on: Amazon and Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Land-Civil-War-Romance/dp/1941103278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409663423&sr=1-1&keywords=a+stranger+on+my+land Barnes & Noble and Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-stranger-on-my-land-sandra-merville-hart/1120155194?ean=9781941103272 A Stranger on My Land by Sandra Merville Hart Back Cover Carrie and her little brother, Jay, find a wounded soldier on their land after a battle which later became known as "The Battle Above the Clouds." Adam, a Union soldier, has been shot twice in the arm. Though Carrie is reluctant to take Adam to their cave where her family hides their livestock from both armies, she cannot turn her back on him. But her Aunt Lavinia, bitter over what Yankees have done to their land, urges Carrie to allow Adam to die. Carrie refuses, but cannot remove the bullets. Adam's friendship with Jay softens her heart toward him. It's not long until his gratitude and teasing manner spark a friendship between the young couple. Even though Carrie's father fights for the Confederacy in far-off Virginia, her feelings for the handsome young soldier begin to blossom into love. When Adam's condition worsens, Carrie knows a Union surgeon is needed to save his life. How can she accomplish this and keep her family's hiding place a secret? |
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