Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love
by Candee Fick!
Danielle Lefontaine, a fledgling
actress raised to the lullaby of Broadway, searches for her long-lost brother
and her place on the stage, but a jealous cast member and numerous fruitless
leads threaten to drop the curtain on her dreams and shine a spotlight on her
longing for a place to belong. Meanwhile, Alex Sheridan is living his dream
except for someone to share it with. When Dani dances into his life, he hopes
he’s found the missing piece to his heart but fears the bright lights of a
bigger stage could steal her away.
Today we welcome author Candee Fick to the Diamond mine!And don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Candee's latest book!
Hi Candee! Great to have you on the Diamond Mine!
I see that you’ve written a number of non-fiction books
before your fiction novels. What made you decide to write novels, and was it a
difficult transition?
I actually started out trying to write a novel, but in the
process of taking an online writing course, I was assigned a few non-fiction
articles that led to books and so that’s where my publishing journey began.
Along the way, I continued to write fiction on the side, grew in my craft as a
storyteller, and regularly submitted my work to critique partners and contests
until I finally attracted the attention of an editor. My experience with
non-fiction, including blogging, taxes, queries, and proposals, has made the
business side of the transition easier, but I’m still learning how to write a
better novel faster.
Me too! So, how do you get your story ideas?
Some of my best story ideas have come either while waking up
from a dream or when daydreaming about a person or situation I observed. My two
favorite questions to ask are then “Why?” and “What if…?” because that’s where
I discover who these people are and why they are in this current situation. If
I’m interested in the answers, I’ll dig deeper with more questions until I’ve
harvested the foundation for a short story, novella, full-length novel, or even
a series idea. Some story nuggets have been percolating on the back burner of
my brain for a very long time.
I can really relate to that, as I'm sure so many writers can!
Do you plan out your story with an outline or general
framework, or do you write as you go?
I definitely work out a general framework for the story
before I start writing, but I leave plenty of room for my characters to walk
onto the page and surprise me. There’s a lot to be said for a solid believable
plot that initiates an internal change in the life of the characters, and both
plotters and pantsers eventually reach that same destination. Personally, I
don’t like investing time in extensive rewrites so I’d rather put in the work
ahead of time to make sure there’s a solid story arc with good character
motivations before I start romping on the page. As long as I don’t stray too
far from the framework, I can enjoy the journey while minimizing the necessary
time for revisions.
Good plan!
How much of your own life and self do you put into your
characters?
I definitely invest myself emotionally into my characters.
While I might not be an athletic trainer in a football program or a tap dancer
at a theater, I know a lot about trying to come up with a Plan B, struggling to
forgive, or wishing I could fit in with the popular crowd. The situation might
be different, but I can identify with the basic emotions that make us human.
That said, I like to write about things I enjoy so watching a college football
game, attending the dinner theater, or even hiking in the Rocky Mountains have
made it into my stories.
Are any of your characters based on real people?
Yes…and no. Certain antagonists may or may not have been
inspired by the actions, words, or sneers of real people I’ve known, but I’ve
certainly changed names, professions, physical characteristics, and more to
protect the guilty. I’ve even combined several “inspiring” folk into a single
antagonist before. As for my good guys, some of them might do or say something
that a real person in my life did, but the rest of the character is unique. For
example, my husband started our first date with prayer but he can’t play an
instrument or even enjoy watching a musical. When my mom read an early draft of
my latest release, she immediately recognized that event in the story, but it
was clear that my trumpet-playing, theater-running character was a completely
different person.
I know what you mean about weaving in some reality throughout our stories!
Tell us a bit about the main characters in your latest book,
and what you like best about them.
Danielle, aka Dani, is an orphan who survived years in foster
care, discovered the joy of dancing, found a new home, and now is forging a
path toward a professional career in theater while still searching for the
younger brother she was separated from at age six. I love her sense of humor
and the deep spiritual connection she shares with God while dancing. Alex on
the other hand is a talented musician and college business student who is using
his gifts to help run his family’s dinner theater, but he’s skittish when it
comes to dating an actress because his last girlfriend put advancing her career
above their relationship. I love his charming mixture of stability and
vulnerability…and those dimples are so adorable!
They sound like very engaging characters!
Since you’re writing romance stories, what part of a romance
do you find most compelling?
I like the part where a couple falls in love because it’s a
journey of discovery filled with giddy emotions and confusing signals. Does she
like me? He just brushed up against my arm and I still feel all tingly. What is
that look supposed to mean? People rarely fall in love at first sight and so
there’s a natural progression of attraction and getting to know each other and
being turned off by one thing about the other person while adoring another
aspect. Until they finally kiss for the first time and tentatively form a
couple who then navigate the rest of the story. I love discovering what draws
my characters together and then what makes it stick for the long haul.
Nicely explained!
If your stories have a basic interwoven theme for the
reader, what is it?
As a faith-based writer, I tend to weave in some aspect of
God’s character in such a way that my characters’ journey can inspire the
reader as well. For example, in Dance
Over Me, I wove in the idea of God as an adoptive Father as well the idea
that He is at work behind the scenes in our lives. My tagline is “Stories of
Faith, Hope, and Love” because my mission is to show God’s love through a
romance story, illustrate genuine faith in action through the challenges my
characters face, and then leave readers with hope that God is real and they too
can overcome their challenges with His help.
I think all faith-based writers can relate completely to your sentiments, and share the same hopes as you've just expressed.
What do you like most about being a writer?
I love the creative process where I get to dream up
interesting people and situations, block them into a corner, and then figure
out a way to rescue them. I especially love it when my creative juices start
flowing and the perfect plot twist drops into my imagination. That’s when I
can’t type fast enough to keep up with the story unfolding in my head. Those
are the moments where I feel God smiling as I write. (Unfortunately, even when
writing inspired, I still have to edit and revise. Bummer!)
I hear you!
What are you working on now?
I’m currently updating an older manuscript that has yet to
be sold. Once that proposal is back out the door, I’ll give the sequel to Dance Over Me another revision pass with
fresh eyes before diving into the fast draft of the third book in The Wardrobe
series. In the meantime, there are a few more ideas clamoring for their turn. I
have to keep telling myself to focus on one book at a time.
Thanks so much for the interview Candee!! It's been a pleasure.
Readers, remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Candee's latest book.
Here's a short excerpt from Candee's book: Dance Over Me:
(Partway into
the Prologue)
After
introducing herself, Miss Amy put her hand on Dani’s shoulder. “Mrs. Johnson,
this is Danielle Barker.”
Dani reached out
her hand to Mrs. Johnson the way Mommy had taught her. “Nice to meet you.”
Mrs. Johnson’s
hand felt warm as they shook hands. “Welcome to our home.”
“Dani’s joining
her brother, Jacob.” Miss Amy squeezed Dani’s shoulder.
“Jacob?” Mrs.
Johnson’s face got really white. “He’s gone.”
Gone? That’s what they said about Mommy and Daddy. Dani’s heart
stopped beating for a moment and then pounded under her sweater.
“Nobody told us
there was a sister. The Wilsons took him home yesterday.” Mrs. Johnson sounded
mad.
Dani’s arms
tingled and a noise like a waterfall echoed inside her head. “Why did the
Wilsons take him?”
The grown-ups
got that look like when they forgot kids were listening. Mrs. Johnson pulled
them inside the house and shut the door. Miss Amy left to use the telephone. Trembling,
Dani stood by the wall. Mrs. Johnson sat on a chair and covered her face with
her hands. Down the hallway, music played and children laughed.
After a long
time, Miss Amy returned. Her eyes looked sad as she got on her knees in front
of Dani. “You’re going to stay here with Mrs. Johnson. But your brother’s being
adopted. He has a new family now.”
A new family?
Dani shook her
head and tears filled her eyes. No. J. D. was her family. They couldn’t take
him away. Not with Mommy and Daddy gone to heaven. She had to take care of him.
She pushed Miss
Amy away and screamed.
Chapter 1
Danielle
Lefontaine wiped sweaty palms on her short skirt. Auditions always put her off
balance.
“Next up. Number
seventeen.”
Dani rolled her
shoulders once, gave each leg a shake, took a deep breath, and clicked her way
up the three steps to the polished hardwood. Approaching center stage, she
scanned the house and zeroed in on the older couple seated behind a table on
the second level.
“And what will
you be showing us this morning?”
Dani’s gaze
skipped over the tall woman who’d checked her in earlier and focused on the
middle-aged director who was busy rolling a pen between his fingers. She
swallowed hard to dissolve the cotton-like feeling in her mouth.
“I’ve prepared a
series of tap combinations.” Dani did a quick shuffle step to draw attention to
her footwear and break the tension that seemed to have paralyzed her body.
A snort of
laughter erupted from an area to the right of the judges’ table.
Dani shifted her
gaze to the critic. Female. About her age. The blonde bombshell diva-type
leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the dark-haired man beside her
as two other women giggled behind them. Based on the logo on their T-shirts,
they were part of the theater company and therefore in a position to enjoy
watching the auditions without the fear of dashed hopes.
“Do you have
accompaniment?” The director rested his chin on folded hands.
“I do.” Heat
from the stage lights sent a trickle of sweat down Dani’s back.
“Whenever you’re
ready.”
She glanced at
the cluster of actors. The diva picked at her nail polish, and the others
looked equally bored. Time to let her feet do the talking.
She stepped into
position and nodded in the direction of the soundboard on the third level at
the back of the room.
Okay, God. Here we go.
And readers, there you go! A little taste of a wonderful story!
And here's a short bio about Candee:
Candee Fick is the
wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children,
including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy with her day
job or writing, she can be found cheering on the home team at football,
basketball, baseball, and Special Olympics games. In what little free time
remains, she enjoys exploring the great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark
chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings through a good book.
And here are her social and purchase links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CandeeFick
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Author.Candee.Fick
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Author.Candee.Fick
2 comments:
Thanks for having me on The Diamond Mine today and I'm so excited to finally see Dance Over Me in the hands of readers. :-)
It's a pleasure to host you Candee!
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