Interview with Author Gay N. Lewis!

Hi, guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ;-) And one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends at coffee shops, then head to the bookstores. Yes, plural. After all, books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination! So consider this our virtual coffee shop. I'll wait a second for you to get your warm drink and a fuzzy blanket before we chat with today's guest. <3

Today we are going to pry into the private life of CHAT with author Gay N. Lewis! 

Gay N. Lewis writes under two names, Gay N. Lewis and G. N. Lewis. She writes two blogs, Gay N. Lewis and I’ll Always Remember, a blog about dementia. Visit Gay N. Lewis on YouTube and her Amazon Author Page! 

Interview ~

This may be the most important question I ask -- no pressure or anything, LOL! 

*drum roll*

What are you drinking in our virtual coffee house? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Something else altogether?

Thank you for inviting me to visit with you in a coffee shop. I love coffee. I like it plain with no sugar in the winter, and in the summer, I like it sweetened and iced. I stumble from the bed every morning and don’t wake up until the caffeine hits. There’s nothing better than that first cup.

That first cup is the best! If you could order anything in the world to eat (we can dream, can't we?), what would it be?

If I could order anything in the world to eat, what would it be?  That’s a tough question because I enjoy food. My favorite dish is my mom’s chicken and dumplings, but she’s in heaven now, and no one can make them as good as she did.  I’d like to order pizza from Italy, and I would also like to experience Belgium chocolates. However, I have no plans to travel to Europe, so these two authentic treats are not in my future.

Nothing tops mom's food! Where is your favorite place to write, and why is that your favorite place?

My favorite place to write is on my desktop in my office. I’m not an organized person, and I write amidst chaos.  My workplace is at the back of my house, and I can see into the backyard. The view of three huge trees, along with the squirrels chasing each other, refreshes me. Those tiny creatures are fun to watch.

That does sound fun! What inspired you to write Kade's Worth?

What inspired me to write Kade’s Worth?  When I heard of the Safe Haven Laws, the idea came to me. I had a distant relative who threw a newborn into a dumpster some 40 years ago, and she spent thirty years in prison. She could have aborted the baby back then, abortion was legal, but she didn’t. If the Safe Haven Laws had existed at that time, she could have saved herself and the baby after the child was born.

So interesting when family history inspires a story! What led you to write in this genre?

Kade’s Worth is about a young girl who is raped, wants to keep her baby, but with no help, she can’t. She learns of the Baby Moses Laws aka Safe Haven Laws and surrenders her baby. She manages to cope with her loss, but her self-worth vanishes. She marries, but after her husband dies, fury from all the injustice hits her full force. She can’t bring back the baby or her husband, but she can kill the men who raped her. She sets out on a quest to find them.

This book is a far cry from my usual Christian novels. Kade’s Worth is edgy. I normally write Christian historical and fantasy, but this one took me to another level.

That does take an edgy turn! What message do you hope to convey to your readers?

My purpose in writing this book is to help women with unplanned pregnancies. With the Safe Haven, or Baby Moses Laws, there is hope. Parents can surrender a child anonymously. No one needs to know about the baby.

Do you have a favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level? 

One of my favorite Scriptures is Philippians 4:6-7 from the NLT. “Don’t worry about anything; pray about everything, tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers.”  My children learned this at an early age, and when my daughter lay dying, we quoted it together.

How special to your family in times of hardship! Can you tell us a little about your next project(s)?

I don’t have the next project in mind, however, I may write a nonfiction book entitled Life in the Parsonage. I’ve lived in parsonages before, and I have friends who have also. We do have some funny tales to tell.

I bet you do! What are you currently reading? Inquiring minds -- mine! -- want to know. ;-)

I am currently reading Lily’s Redemption by Ann Marie Jameson. It is about a woman who dies, goes to heaven, and returns to earth. She is to make amends to all the people she wronged in her life. It is amusing and has a bit of fantasy. Those are two ingredients I love in a book.

Very interesting! Thanks for answering all of my prying questions, Gay! 

Check out Kade's Worth HERE!

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer loves to write romantic and comedic stories that proclaim God’s deep love for us. In her spare time, Joy loves to sing (especially Disney songs), drink large quantities of coffee, and create aesthetic content for Bookstagram. When Joy isn’t fighting with fictional people, she’s hanging out with her husband and their adorable daughters. Connect with Joy via www.vjoypalmer.com!

Connect with Joy on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon Author Page!

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CAROL JAMES!!

 Today we welcome author Carol James to The Diamond Mine!!

Hi Carol! It's great to have this time with you. Let's begin the interview.

Can you tell us a little about your book?

My most recently released novel is entitled Always and Only. It's a story about a young woman, Aurora Prentiss, and a young man, Caleb Daniels, who dated and fell in love in high school but broke up at her father's demand because he insisted Caleb was not good enough for his daughter. Years later three paths cross when they begin working for the same company. Caleb has just gone through a messy divorce and Aurora is putting the final touches on her plans to wed a wealthy man chosen by her father. Let the fun begin.

Sounds very interesting!! How did you get your idea for this story?

Ideas are all around us. This one, as many of mine do, came to me as I was listening to a song entitled (you guessed it) Always and Only. It's a beautiful love song to Jesus. I took the idea of eternal love between us and Christ and wove it into the novel.

What a wonderful inspiration for a novel. What made you decide to be a writer?

For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed making up stories, but I didn't start putting them on paper until my boss asked me to proofread her novels. (I'd been an English major in college and loved grammar.) Her work inspired me to try my hand at crafting novels.

What was your first story?

My first release was entitled Rescuing Faith. It was an Amazon number one best seller.

Wow! That's so awesome! Good for you! I'm curious. Do you write from an outline, or just from inspiration, or both?

Both, I guess. I like to use a Bible verse or two and a worship song for my inspiration. I don't use an in depth outline, but generally try to hit three or four major plot points. This gives me the flexibility to adapt the plot to  any additional inspiration I have as the story unfolds. 

Do you have any underlying themes that you want your readers to come away with?

Yes. My novels all revolve around Isaiah 43:18-19:

Forget the former things: do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up: do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

That's such a beautiful basis to build upon!                                         I always want to ask this of authors: Do your characters share any traits with you or someone you know?

The one character that appears in all my novels is Josh Lewis, a pastor. He reminds me very much of one of my previous pastors. In fact, sometimes Josh even (unknowingly) quotes my previous pastor's sermons.

Do your characters ever surprise you?

Yes! That's one of the things I like about having some "wiggle-room"in my planning. Sometimes the characters do or say things I could have never predicted before the story begins.

I always love it when that happens!! Do you have a favorite character in your books?

Sometimes I feel like a parent... I love them all equally. But if I had to choose one, I would say the pastor,  Josh Lewis. The first time he appeared in one of my novels, he was in his early twenties and had just returned from the Vietnam war. In my most recent novel, he's a grandfather. 

That's so interesting, to have an ongoing character in your novels.  Last question: What are you working on now?

I am working on a romance novel about emotional healing. My central concept is the idea of kintsugi. For those who may not be familiar with kintsugi, it's also called Japanese joinery. It's a process by which broken pottery is repaired by using gold, making the mended piece more valuable and beautiful than it was before the breakage. A true commentary on how God takes our broken lives and repairs them for His glory.                                                                      Thanks so much for letting me share today.

It's been an honor to spend this time with you and hear your answers. Thanks so much, Carol!

And readers, here's a short bio about Carol:

As an Air Force brat, the longest Carol James ever lived in one place was a year and a half. Maybe that's why, when she and her husband bought their first home forty-two years ago, they stayed put. she lives in Lilburn, GA with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.

Loving intriguing stories with happy endings, she  writes Redemptive Romance. She has had five full length novels and five Christmas novellas published. Her debut novel, Rescuing Faith, was an Amazon number one best-seller. 

Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter and get a free short story: https://www.carol-james.com

When she's not walking Zoe, Carole enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, as well as traveling. On Sundays, she loves serving in the production department at her church. And most days, in the late hours of the night, you'll find her bringing her newest novel to life!