EXTENDED ANOTHER WEEK!
Don't miss your chance to win Connor Royce's book
Don Roberto's Daughter!
COMMENT TO ENTER!
And~
just to make this drawing irresistible, one lucky person who comments will win a $20
Amazon card.
Let the games begin!
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like as a novel? Would it be an intriguing mystery? A enlightening biography or a unforgettable adventure?
Impossible you say?
You're too average? The every day, Joe-schmoe kind of life you claim? I refuse to believe it! Why, you ask? Well, this week's author's real life actually became fiction! The swoony romantic sort, which is just the right kind. With plenty of Godly wisdom thrown in for good measure. So for goodness sake, DON'T MISS THE FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY!
Let's welcome, Connor Royce.
PT: So glad you could join us on the Diamond Mine, Connor. I like to start with the basics. So, give us a little background on you/the genre you write in/and how you started writing.
CR: My
preferred genre for reading is historical fiction and biographies of historical
figures. That’s what I plan to write as soon as I finish the work I’m doing
now. I was working on a novel in that genre for a few years, but I realized I
would never finish it as long as I was working full time. I didn’t have the
time or resources to complete all the research. Women often told me that my
relationship with my wife sounded like a romance novel. I decided to shift my
energies to writing her story.
CR: Yes,
it is personal. The short answer is this is my wife’s testimony. While the
novel begins as a romance between two people from very different backgrounds,
it evolves into a turbulent romance between Natasha and God, and the resolution
comes in knowing and submitting to Him. I changed the names of the two
principal characters because it was easier to write the book thinking of them
as other people.
The
most difficult and personal part of the book was writing about myself. To stay
true to the story and true to Natasha, I finally had to swallow my humility and
write the book from the perspective of a young girl in love.
The
chapter that takes place in El Salvador, is both real and complete fiction. By
that, I mean the sort of things portrayed in this chapter truly happened.
Natasha’s friend, Rosa, came from El Salvador and witnessed some terrible
things. She never shared the details. I do not know, nor do I wish to know,
what that young lady experienced. In that regard, it’s pure fiction.
CR: It
was written as a stand alone novel, but I had so many people ask what became of
Sean and Natasha. What happens to them after the book ends? Did they live
happily ever after? Eventually, I decided the next stage of their lives was
interesting enough to warrant a second novel.
The
sequel follows Sean and Natasha to war in the Middle East. It is as fact based
as the first book and even more personal and dramatic. I hope both books will
inspire people dealing with traumatic events in their lives. It was my goal to
do this with a measure of grace and humor.
PT: Have you ever been to Mexico? Tell something unique or that you enjoyed about the country if you have.
CR: I’ve been to Mexico often and lived there on three separate occasions. I have travelled extensively and love the country and culture. In a few years, we hope to retire there. I made a deliberate effort to present Mexico and the Mexican people as I know and love them.
Now,
I have the luxury of working in my own home. I usually wait until my family
goes to bed and retreat to my library. It is my sanctuary. When I write, I’m
basically transcribing what I see. Each scene is like a movie playing in my
head, and it’s my job to help the reader see and feel what I’m experiencing.
CR: Presently,
I’d have to say Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will
direct your paths.”
My
life tends to be a little chaotic. My wife will tell you that is an
understatement. I need some “directing my paths.” I’m also notorious for leaning
on my own understanding.
PT: That is a great verse. Does your book cycle around any certain Bible verse/theme?
CR: There
were two deliberate themes in the novel. The first is read and learn your
Bible. Don’t take anyone’s word for what’s in there.
The
second theme is simply that God is good all the time. While we’re going through
trials, someone else is praising God for a miracle or deliverance. While we’re
praising Him for being so wonderful, someone else is struggling with tragedy
and deep questions. He doesn’t change depending on our circumstances. God is
always good.
1. I
was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray Studios, a doorman at a five-star
hotel, and supervised a top secret computer office at NORAD before becoming a
truck driver. Basically, I can’t keep a job.
2. I
spent half my childhood in Germany.
3. I’ve lived in five foreign countries and
visited the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, and many other
famous sites.
4. My
truck was blown up twice in Iraq, and I’ve been shot at more times than I can
count.
5. I
have ridden bulls and won a national title in Tae Kwon Do.
CR: Now
I am writing the, still untitled, sequel to Don Roberto’s Daughter. It’s about
our time in the Middle East. While my wife worked on camp, I drove trucks on
convoys all over the country. Iraq was like the wild west back then. It was a
trying time for her, and she had to trust God. We both did. We have some very
fond memories, though, and that’s what we cling to.
I’m
probably half way through the book, and working steadily. I hope to finish it
sometime in the next year, but that depends on many things. Presently, I’m
waiting to deploy to another job overseas. When that happens, it will certainly
disrupt my writing.
PT: Going overseas? Who would have guessed?
Connor is giving away one copy of Don Roberto's Daughter to one lucky person who leaves a comment. You know the drill, but if you're new, (Hi, howareya? Glad you're here!) leave a comment with your email address ('cause I throw ya out if'n ya don't) to be entered. I literally, yes, literally pull the winner out of a hat. Well, maybe a bowl. But baby, you ain't making in my Corelle bowl if you don't leave your email address!
OR.........
BUY CONNOR ROYCE'S BOOK RIGHT THIS VERY INSTANT!
And please check out the P.S. at the bottom for more fun prizes.
Bio:
Although Connor Royce has deep roots in Texas, he spent much of his youth growing up in Germany. After serving in the Air Force and attending college for a few years, he began driving trucks across America. This led to three years driving convoys in Iraq at the beginning of the second Gulf War. He later spent a year in Afghanistan. Throughout his life he has lived in, and travelled, to many foreign countries. Don Roberto’s Daughter: Natasha is his first novel, and represents his wife’s testimony of God’s love. The sequel, still unfinished and unnamed, follows his characters to the war in Iraq. Both books are based closely on real events and sound Christian principles.
Although Connor Royce has deep roots in Texas, he spent much of his youth growing up in Germany. After serving in the Air Force and attending college for a few years, he began driving trucks across America. This led to three years driving convoys in Iraq at the beginning of the second Gulf War. He later spent a year in Afghanistan. Throughout his life he has lived in, and travelled, to many foreign countries. Don Roberto’s Daughter: Natasha is his first novel, and represents his wife’s testimony of God’s love. The sequel, still unfinished and unnamed, follows his characters to the war in Iraq. Both books are based closely on real events and sound Christian principles.
_____________________________________________
 |
