Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Interview and GIVEAWAY with Christine Dillon

Hi guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ; ) And since we are all friends, one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends, family, the teens I mentor, and everyone else at coffee shops/bookstores. Books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination, after all. 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. ;-)

Today, we are chatting with Christine Dillon, author of Grace in Strange Disguise!

 
Christine Dillon was born in Australia but grew up in Asia. She now works in Taiwan as a Bible storyteller. Her book 'Telling the Gospel Through Story' was voted 2013 Outreach Magazine's Resource of the Year in Evangelism and continues to inspire innovative and engaging Bible storytelling. Believing in the beauty and power of story prompted her jump into fiction. Grace in Strange Disguise was runner-up in the Athanatos Christian Writing Contest. Christine loves reading and keeps sane by cycling, swimming and hiking. 
 
Connect with Christine at www.storytellerchristine.com, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Sign up for her newsletter for the inside scoop!

Interview ~
 
First things first, would you order coffee, tea, or hot chocolate in our virtual coffee shop? Something else altogether? No pressure or anything, but this is possibly the most important question...  ;-)

I'm mostly a water drinker, but peppermint tea on a cold evening is good. 

Mmm, peppermint tea is good! I mean, water is good, too. I suppose... You need it to make coffee, so there's that. LOL! ;-) On to our second most important question: if you could order anything in the world to eat, what would it be?

Lemon gelato or a bowl of fresh berries.

That sounds SOOO good right now. Where is you favorite place to write? And why is that your favorite place?

Anywhere where I can sit at a window and look at beautiful scenery. I do not have this in Taiwan, but I dream about it.
 
Windows and beautiful scenery are such a lovely combination! <3 Confession Time: do you have an odd habit that is only explained by your bookish, writer tendencies? Safe space. ;-)
 
 Not that I'm aware of, but maybe people don't dare to tell me!

Your people sound like they're a lot nicer than my people... Haha! What inspired you to write Grace in Strange Disguise?

I'm told that saying, 'God' is an absolute no-no, but I certainly wouldn't have come up with the idea on my own. I was having a half day of prayer over ten years ago, and the ideas for two novels dropped into my mind. I wasn't excited at all, but in the end had to say, "If that was really you God, then you will have to give me the ability to write fiction." I knew I had neither the ability or the desire to write.

Meanwhile, I wrote some non-fiction (much more my thing).

By 2012, the internal push to start had become difficult to ignore. Since I was a Bible storyteller, I wrote two Biblical novels for practice. Then in 2013, I started on what I regarded as the 'real' thing. It took me four and a half painful years to get it out there.

That's such a cool story! The different stories God calls each of His writers to pen truly amaze me. <3 What led you to write in this genre?

I found Francine River's contemporary novels inspiring and wanted to tackle issues that the people I disciple have to confront. So many believers are disappointed in God because he doesn't work as they think he ought to.

I wanted to consider the whole issue of 'blessing' and what we should expect from God.

The Christian fiction that has most inspired me has been what I call 'life changing'. I want to write that kind of fiction. Not just stories that stay with you, but aspects of the stories changing our lives and inspiring us to be more like Jesus.

We can always use stories that inspires us to be more like Jesus! What message do you hope to convey to your readers?

God is much bigger than us, and he works in very different ways to how we want him to. I hope to broaden our view of God and deepen our trust. I want readers to get excited about the God we serve and to want to share him with others.

Excited about God - uh, YES!!! <3 Can you tell us a little about your next project?
 
I'm working on the sequel to Grace in Strange Disguise. At the moment, I think the series will be four or five books. Hopefully book two will be out this year, but I don't want to release it before God's timing and before it is the best it can be.
 
That's so exciting!! Do you have a favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level?

As a Bible storyteller who tells stories nearly every day, it is difficult for me to choose a favorite. You'll have to read the novels to discover some of them.

A favorite verse is 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, which is about God choosing the "weak to shame the strong...so that no one can boast before Him."
 
I am very aware of how weak I am. Satan loves for us to focus on our weakness, but these verses remind me to rejoice at my weakness because it allows God's strength to shine through. If people look at me and see Jesus, then He gets the glory.

Awesome verse! What are you currently reading? Inquiring minds - mine - want to know! LOL! :-)

I'm finishing the excellent series of suspense novels by CC Warrens - Criss Cross, Cross Fire, and Crossed Off. One of the best writers I've read in the last two years.

I'll have to check those out!

Thank you for hanging out with us, Christine! Such a blast getting to know you!

Giveaway ~

Christine has generously offered to giveaway one Ebook copy of her novel, Grace in Strange Disguise!

 
Physiotherapist Esther Macdonald is living the Australian dream, and it doesn’t surprise her.

After all, her father has always said, “Follow Jesus and be blessed.” But at twenty-eight, her world shatters. Everyone assures her God will come through for her, but what happens when he doesn’t? Has she offended God? Is her faith too small? So many conflicting explanations.

Will finding the truth cost her the people closest to her heart?

Rules, Info, and Such ~

The author is giving away one Ebook of Grace in Strange Disguise. This giveaway is open internationally.

This giveaway will close on May 2nd, 2018, at 12:00 A.M. for all the night owls. A winner will be randomly selected within three days after the giveaway closes. If the winner does not respond to our e-mails within one week, then a new winner will be drawn in their place. We are not responsible for lost or stolen prizes. And the Cookie Monster may eat all your cookies. *whispers* Hide them!

May the odds be ever in your favor. ;-)

Enter using the handy Rafflecopter here ~
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by, my writerly, bookish friends! <3 See you next time!

Hugs,

V. Joy Palmer

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite drinks are water or herbal tea! I brought a glass of water to sip on! rose blackard (at) gmail (dot) com

V. Joy Palmer said...

Water, huh? I'm feeling a little outnumbered! ;-) Thanks for stopping by! <3

Christine Dillon said...

Just a note - my website address has just been secured and the link in the article probably won't work. It now needs an 's' after the http

https://www.storytellerchristine.com/

Anonymous said...

Woh I your blog posts, saved to my bookmarks!

Christine Dillon said...

The sequel to book 1 is out. Grace in the Shadows.
Physiotherapist Esther has survived cancer, but wounds within her family remain unhealed. Is her revived faith the reason for the rift or could a simmering secret be the root cause?
Cosmetics consultant Rachel buried her past - and her father’s God - but the past refuses to stay buried. Will she continue to run or is confronting her pain the way to freedom?
Two women.
One collision course with truth.
Can God’s grace shine even in the darkest of shadows?