Perfect for Publication. . .Author Megan Besing!

   I couldn't be more excited if I drank a gallon of Mountain Dew while parasailing behind my own speedboat waving at family and friends on the dock of my own beachfront home! (Yellow, please.) Slap me and call me silly, my very own daughter is publishing! (Can you tell it's a proud Mama moment? If not, rewind and read above one more time.)
  If you don't believe dreams come true, cast your mind back to 2014 when I first interviewed this lovely lady. (https://diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com/search?q=Megan+Besing)And now, also a bone fide author. (I can almost hear her blush. LOL) All right here. Switching to professional mode (for your safety), I have a super interview for you, our faithful readers. Let's dive in!

PT: Welcome to the mine! Make yourself at home, here on this Adirondack at my yellow beachfront home. We always have to get the particulars out of the way, as usual. So, what genres to you write in, Megan?

MB: I think the genre I'm being published in is perhaps a less complicated question. But if I’m completely honest, my absolute favorite stories to create are YA Fantasies…which is close to polar opposite of my debut which is Historical Fiction. I’ve dabbled in a bit of everything, however as long as there’s a thread of romance, a message of hope, and I like my characters, the worlds I find them in whether past, present, or make-believe isn’t as important for me.

PT: And where did the inspiration come from for your debut novel?

MB: When my publisher sent out a call for mail-order bride stories, the first thing that popped into my head was the hero. I knew I wanted the star of the show to be a preacher. Between my husband and my extended families, there’s a lot of preachers. But if you stop and think about all the main heroes of different books, preachers don’t usually get drafted very often, which I thought was a shame because they have such potential.

Then I started thinking what would provide conflict… a bride whose background was less than stellar, and a congregation that was bent on keeping them apart quickly rounded out the story. And that’s the super short run down of how Perfect for the Preacher came to be. 😊 

PT:  All the readers want to know if this is based on reality or totally made up?

MB: This Historical Fiction is completely made up. However, growing up around preachers and my husband and mine’s numerous military moves, which meant many, many different church homes…I felt confident in my ability to portray the inner workings of a church. In most books you have two main characters, but Hilltop Chapel, the church in Perfect for the Preacher, became a character all its own. And I hope they are a realistic portrayal of a congregation that isn’t perfect, yet of course is very redeemable.

PT: Of course! Now let's get to food. You have to have something that fuels you, lifts you, inspires you! Share your favorite snack for the writing room.

MB: Crunchy Snacks! Whether they actually help my brain become more creative, or if it’s just my imagination that they do, I seem to work better with some kind of crunchy food. My current favorite is Traditional Chex Mex and of course a Vanilla Coke is my drink of choice.

PT: Speaking of fuel for your creativity, let's get to the ultimate spiritual food. What is your favorite Bible verse?

MB: As long as I can remember, Proverbs 3:5-6 has always been my go to verse. It has so much truth and application packed inside those two short verses. Got problems, doubt, fears—Trust—God’s got this, whatever the ‘this’ may be.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” –(NIV)

PT: I think that covers it all. Now, lets take the readers on a little trip here on my make-believe deck. Tell a favorite place you visited.

MB: #Ihearttravel I have had lots of opportunities to visit lots of cool places. My go to answer is always: THE BEACH. Love it! Been to several, several beaches. But I think my favorite vacation was when my husband and I went to Puerto Rico, but our visit to Washington DC was a close second. However, we’re planning a trip to Ireland that I imagine will soon take the top spot. 

PT: Ahhh, well there you have it! And now nothing better than to show you the cover. Let me remove my virtual sunglasses. There. What do you think?

Oh, did I fail to say there were nine total mail order bride stories? Oh, my. It must have been the imaginary sun affecting my brain. Yes, you read that right. Nine authors and nine mail order bride novels all bound within one cover. And a gorgeous one it is. As my granddaughter would say, Bam-What???

I am happy to give you a little blurb as well. (PS: I've read it and it's AWESOME!)

Perfect for the Preacher by Megan Besing
1897, Indiana
Fresh from seminary, Amos Lowry believes marriage will prove to his skeptical congregation that he's mature. If only his mail-order bride wasn't an ex-saloon girl, and worse, pregnant.

Short and sweet. And very tempting! Just like my spot here, sipping fictional lemonade and enjoying the mythical breezes of the salt sea wind. But this book isn't imaginary! And you can win a copy right here on the faithful ole' Diamond Mine. Here's the drill, if you're unfamiliar-become a reader to catch all the giveaways-leave a comment and your email, and we'll get in contact with one of you lucky readers! If you will excuse us now, we must grab our towels and be off to the fabricated white sands of the beach! Thanks for reading!

Megan Besing adores reading, writing, and reviewing stories with happily-ever-afters. She’s received many awards, including being a multi-category finalist in ACFW’s Genesis and a winner of MCRW’s Melody of Love contest. Her debut Perfect for the Preacher releases February 2018 in Barbour’s Mail-Order Brides Novella Collection.

She lives in Indiana with her husband and their children, where she dreams of the beach and drinks way too many Vanilla Cokes. Connect with Megan at www.meganbesing.com.