Meet Jennifer L. Wright

Hi all! It is my great honor and pleasure to introduce to you today, debut author, Jennifer Wright.

Jennifer Wright has been writing since middle school, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Journalism at Indiana University. However, it took only a few short months of covering the local news for her to realize that writing fiction is much better for the soul and definitely way more fun. A born and bred Hoosier, she was plucked from the Heartland after being swept off her feet by an Air Force pilot and has spent the past decade traveling the world and, and every few years, attempting to make old curtains fit in the windows of a new home. She tries to squeeze in time to write in between rolling with the punches of her husband’s unpredictable schedule and corralling her two children (and one grumpy old dachshund).

She currently resides in New Mexico and has discovered a passion for all things green chile.

She is a member of ACFW and can be found on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, and sometimes (but very rarely) on Twitter. You can also visit her website: www.jennwrightwrites.com

Her debut novel, If It Rains, will be released on July 6, 2021. Pre-orders can be purchased on Amazon, through Tyndale House Publishers, and any other place where Christian fiction is sold.


CC: What has been the biggest challenge for you on your writing journey?

JW: My biggest challenge has been patience! I have been writing steadily for over ten years, and yet ‘If It Rains’ will be my first published novel. Publishing requires a lot of grit and persistence, more than little luck, and mounds upon mounds of patience. It takes long time to complete a book, from first draft to polished manuscript, and even longer to get it into the hands of readers. Learning to be still and wait has been a huge but valuable challenge for me.

CC: What is your favorite Bible verse? Why?

JW: I keep several Bible verses taped to my desk, but the one I read daily is: “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is a mighty rock, my refuge.”—Psalm 62:7 Especially as I move into the time of publication, I know I will be confronted with criticisms and not-so-nice reviews; it comes with the business. This verse is a reminder that, no matter what happens with my book, my salvation and my honor depend on God alone. He determines my identity and nothing else.

CC: What is your writing Kryptonite?

JW: Reading a really, really, really good book! As crazy as that sounds, if I find one of those rare reads that leave me breathless and stay with me long after I’ve finished, I have a terrible tendency to hate everything I write because I feel as if I’ll never write anything as good as that book. It usually takes a little while before I regain my confidence enough to start writing again.




Let's talk about your book If It Rains.


CC: Who was the most challenging character to create? What made them so difficult?

JW: Helen was an extremely difficult character to write. There’s a fine line when you’re creating a villain; she had to be unlikeable but also believable. Though her actions may be unforgiveable, I hope I did justice to why she did the things she did. People are not black and white. We are all shades of gray, and I hope readers find something redeemable in Helen (even if they hate her!)


CC: Which character was the most fun to create? What makes them fun?

JW: Kathryn was the most fun to write. She’s obnoxious and immature and pigheaded, but she also has a lot of heart. She is based partly on how I was as a child (minus the clubfoot, of course), and it was so much fun to dig into that side of myself as I wrote her.


CC: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

JW: It’s no secret If It Rains is an homage to L Frank Baum and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I’ve hidden several Oz easter eggs within the pages, from names to character parallels to quotes, and I can’t wait to see how many my eagle-eyed readers can spot.


That is so cool. If you'd like to learn more about her book, you can read the blurb below. If you'd like to be entered to win a copy of the book, leave a comment with your email and whether or not you think villains can be redeemed?

A story of resilience and redemption set against one of America’s defining moments—the Dust Bowl.
It’s 1935 in Oklahoma, and lives are determined by the dust. Fourteen-year-old Kathryn Baile, a spitfire born with a severe clubfoot, is coming of age in desperate times. Once her beloved older sister marries, Kathryn’s only comfort comes in the well-worn pages of her favorite book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Then Kathryn’s father decides to relocate to Indianapolis, and only the promise of a surgery to finally make her “normal” convinces Kathryn to leave Oklahoma behind. But disaster strikes along the way, and Kathryn must rely on her grit and the ragged companions she meets on the road if she is to complete her journey.

Back in Boise City, Melissa Baile Mayfield is the newest member of the wealthiest family in all of Cimarron County. In spite of her poor, rural upbringing, Melissa has just married the town’s most eligible bachelor and is determined to be everything her husband—and her new social class—expects her to be. But as the drought tightens its grip, Henry’s true colors are revealed. Melissa covers her bruises with expensive new makeup and struggles to reconcile her affluent life with that of her starving neighbors. Haunted by the injustice and broken by Henry’s refusal to help, Melissa secretly defies her husband, risking her life to follow God’s leading.

Two sisters, struggling against unspeakable hardship, discover that even in their darkest times, they are still united in spirit, and God is still with them, drawing them home.


Buy your copy wherever Christian fiction is sold.

Interview and Giveaway with Author Lisa Prysock!!!

Today we welcome author Lisa Prysock to The Diamond Mine!! She will give away a free ebook copy of A Bride For Lane to 3 readers who comment on this post, and who answer these three questions:

1. Tell us how many books you plan to read this summer?

2. Something you enjoyed hearing about in this blog post

3. Do you prefer Tacos, Fettucini Chicken Alfredo, or something else as a favorite dinner?

So there you go, readers! At the end of this post, just click on leave a comment to answer these questions and be eligible to be in in the drawing for a free ebook of A Bride for Lane.

Now let's get started with  the interview!

What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Nancy!

I love being able to use my creativity and imagination to take readers to another world where faith can grow. It’s a world where anything can happen, and the impossible becomes possible.

What a great answer!

Do you have a favorite book or character among your many novels?

I think I love them all, but Katie from Marry Me Katie stands out because it was the first book I wrote where my inclination toward including humor in my stories really started to spark within me.

Where do you get your ideas for a story?

 I think the Lord sparks them within me since I’ve had a tendency to escape into books and dream world as a child from a very young age. I could dream wide awake for hours as a child, thinking about the stories I’d read, developing them until they took on a life of their own. I can look at a house or picture and instantly be pulled in, thinking about who might have lived there and what they accomplished in their lifetime.  

 I also grew up with a great love for books, inherited from my mother and maternal grandparents who always had great libraries and stacks of books on their nightstands. There are jokes in the family about the dread of who might have to help my mom or grandpa move next because of how many books they had. The family talked about dropping them in the mailbox to mail one by one as it would have been preferable to lifting the boxes. 

Sounds similar to how I grew up!  

Which comes first, the story idea or the characters? 

 I usually find a story idea first, and then I start building the characters, but not always. Sometimes I can see the characters, or even a title first.

 Yes, inspiration does tend to vary in the way it hits! 

What is the most odd or weird inspiration you’ve ever had for a story?

Tacos. I’ve recently had inspiration from tacos for a story, and I think it’s weird, but you never know…I’m still tossing that one around.

Well, that sounds interesting! 

Do your characters ever take over and run off with the story or do they always behave?  J

 Yes, they do sometimes seem to have a kind of life of their own. I’ll want them to be all nice to each other and get along, but they often want to take the long way around and have a couple of good rows or arguments first.

I know what you mean!! 

Do you ever base the qualities of your characters on yourself or people you know?

 Sometimes I find inspiration in someone I’ve known, but I try to avoid writing about the people I actually know. However, their character, behaviors, and qualities may definitely move me enough to end up as some part of a character. Sometimes the qualities are good, and other times, human nature displays itself in a more, shall we say, interesting route.

 I hear you! I imagine that's how it is for most writers.

Do you write in bursts, or in a more disciplined manner? 

 I try to write every day except for Sunday or the day we’ve chosen to take a Sabbath rest. However, sometimes I’ve been working so hard I’ll need to take a few days away from words. Right now I’m on a tight deadline, and it’s one, big, long burst after another with breaks long enough to eat, sleep, shower, and do it all over again.

 Oh those nerve-wracking deadlines!!

What do you hope that readers will take away after reading your books? 

 Jesus is who I hope they embrace, and I also hope they find the inspiration and courage to stay on the path with Him and toward Him. I hope they find encouragement, life, greater understanding, blessings, miracles, increased faith, joy, peace, divine intervention, love, healing, deliverance, acceptance, and friendship with the writer, as well as the characters on the pages. In a way, writers take readers by the hand as a friend on this journey of life, and we want to leave them with plenty of positives in an entertaining, faith-filled way.

Those are very worthy hopes and goals for a writer.

What are you working on now? 

 Last Friday, I released my historical Christian romance novel, A Bride for Lane. I write both contemporary and historical books, and they are always sweet, clean, and usually fun!

Readers can check out all of my books at my website, www.LisaPrysock.com, but here’s something new from behind the scenes about my next release.

 Currently, I’m writing another Whispers in Wyoming story. It’s called Secret Admirer. There’s a dancer in the story, so I’m researching the Cha Cha, the Rumba, ballroom dancing, hip-hop dancing, and that sort of thing. (Yes, I love to dance, so I’m really enjoying the research.) She’s moved to The Sweetwater Ranch to leave New York behind to teach dance and theater to the ranch guests.

 There’s also a character who was a kind of “bad boy” after he lost his father at a young age in a car crash. He didn’t get along with his stepfather, got into trouble in school, and although he has grown up a little and now owns a restaurant, he’s been acting like a womanizer and remained strayed from the faith. He’s also involved with the wrong sorts of people, and consequently, trouble follows him. However, he has to return to Wyoming to visit his grandmother in the nursing home and tend the property she is giving him as an inheritance.

When he meets the dancer, a strong Christian, she has promised herself she won’t get involved with another guy like the director of the last Broadway musical she starred in. She has decided she will only date someone who is a man of strong faith and integrity, everything he isn’t right now.

I’m also in a box set with 12 authors, each of us writing one book in the collection, releasing in September, Save the Date. I’m so excited to share more about it with you. Readers can pre-order it here.

Readers will receive 12 Christian contemporary romance novellas in this exciting collection. The set hits all the bases in these 12 books. Readers will find stories with themes which include all of these genres--: beach/coastal romance, office romance, rom-com, small town/rural romance, inspirational/Christian contemporary romance, Paris romance, a romance set in New Zealand, friends to lovers, two marriage of convenience stories, a military romance, and so much more.

 

My story in the set is A Valentine for Veronica. This will become Book 1 in my new Brides of Distinction series, releasing in 2022. Here’s a look at the cover, and I hope readers will consider grabbing this 99c pre-order now as it is only going to be available for a limited time at this price! We are trying to make USA Today with this collection, so we’ve lowered the cost to offer readers a fantastic deal and a way for them to get all twelve books for an incredibly special price. --:

  
        
 

 Don’t forget to pre-order it here. Below is another look at the eBook box set collection in three dimensional view--:

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Nancy!

And thank you so much, Lisa!!!

And readers, please remember to leave a comment with your answers to Lisa's three questions in order to be entered for the free ebook!

Also remember: Readers, you can check out all of her books at her website, www.LisaPrysock.com

Get Real with Your Favorite Author

 The Virtual Chat with Liz Bradford

Welcome to the Diamond Mine, everyone and I apologize for posting this late! As all of you know I am never one to be on time these days! LOL

Hi, it’s Renee Blare, your friendly Miner! Let me first say that this will be the LAST INTERVIEW ON THE DIAMOND MINE for me at least for a long while. I will be devoting my time to writing, advocating, and first and foremost, my husband. Life is taking more than I can balance at the moment and I finally feel like writing again.

That being said, I know I am handing over this blog into good hands. I trust Peggy and those under her wing to keep it about the ONE who keeps us all writing— The LORD.

And now let me introduce you to an amazing author who has helped me return my interviews to where I want them to be, Liz Bradford. I know you will love her and her books as much as I do, especially after this Diamond Mine Experience.

The Misfit Bride, Author Life, and More with Peggy Trotter (Plus a Giveaway)

It's my delight to introduce (or re-introduce) you to one of the Diamond Mine's founders. Peggy Trotter does a lot behind the scenes to keep us up and running, so it's a privilege to spend some time with her as she gets the spotlight as we celebrate her new book release.

About the Author

When Peggy Trotter’s not crafting or DIY-ing, she’s immersed in a story scene of some sort, always pushing toward that sigh-worthy, happily-ever-after ending. Two kids, two in-law kids, and three grandchildren (and one on the way!) are the delight her life, as well as her Batman of 37 years whose cape is much worn from rescuing his wife from one predicament or another.

On a dusty shelf lies a couple of writing honors like the prestigious ACFW Genesis Award, Novella category, even though she writes full-length historical and contemporary Ransomed-Ever-After Fiction. She strives to bring characters and storylines alive to reveal God’s guiding providence and unending love.

Always on a search to find one of her many pairs of glasses, Peggy’s a smoldering pot of determined discombobulation who, by the grace of God, occasionally pulls it together to appear in public as a normal, confident woman while privately craving a few hermit hours to woo the printed word.

Connect with Peggy: Website | Blog | Diamonds in Fiction Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram | Pinterest | LinkedIn | BookBub | MeWe | Parler | USA Life | Gab

SW: Welcome, Peggy, and congratulations on another book release.

Just for fun and as a quick introduction, let’s start with a few rounds of “Would You Rather.”

Would you rather be stuck on a broken ski lift or in a broken elevator?

PT: Elevator. It would be scary, but at least I wouldn’t be dangling thirty feet in the air in the freezing cold!

SW: I'm with you there. Would you rather go to dinner or a movie alone?

PT: Movie. I think I would just get lost in the story and forget about being alone.

SW: Plus it's dark in the theater so no worries about people watching you. Finally, would you rather explore space or the ocean?

PT: Ocean. I love the ocean and love snorkeling. I would love to learn scuba diving.

SW: Fun!

Ok, now tell us more about Peggy. This is your fifth book release. Can you share about what your writing journey has looked like?

PT: Sure. I’ve always wanted to write since I was a young girl and wrote sporadically since I was fourteen. Then school/kids/jobs/life/church took the main focus for a long time. I joined ACFW in 2012 to learn more about writing and head toward publishing. It was my “university” of sorts. Through crit groups/contests/networking/reading/writing I learned a lot about what I needed to do to sew a story together. I won the ACFW Genesis in 2014 and got my first contract shortly after. Now, I write full time and look forward to getting my newest series Society of Outcasts’ three books out there!

SW: Fantastic! And what about life outside of writing? Family? Hobbies? What fun facts can you tell us about Peggy?

PT: Oh, my. I am a DIY-er to my very roots! Right now, I’ve just finished painting the living and dining room a new color, torn down wallpaper and replaced it, patched, sanded, painted, spray painted base boards, and getting ready to do the crown molding. Then it will be on to the kitchen to do the same thing. Sometime this summer, I plan on re-staining our 2 decks. That will be a hot job! But, I am also a bit of a hobby junkie. I crochet, paint (on canvas), build, craft, sew, knit, sketch, etc. I love trying new hobbies. I guess I like working with my hands, LOL. But I also enjoy spending time with my family. We just got back from a family vacation to the beach. (I LOVE THE BEACH!) I crocheted two washcloths while I was there because our rental house didn’t have any. I guess my hobbies can come in handy!

SW: Yes, sometimes they can. Plus, it has been too long since I've visited the beach!

What does your writing space look like?

PT: Currently, it’s a mess! Ha! I have been working on my office for a while now. I have my own little space under the rafters upstairs. It’s painted in a dark color (I like things to be darkish when I write) and will eventually have a little loveseat (that I plan on making myself, of course!) and maybe a fireplace. (That I am dreaming to build as well.) That is, when I get it all organized. But, for now, I often write on my recliner downstairs on my laptop. (oftentimes with a DVD of a fireplace on the TV.)

SW: Do you have any words of encouragement or wisdom for new authors or those considering writing?

PT: A successful writer is one who didn’t quit. This is my personal mantra, and I’m sure a paraphrase of someone else, but I claim it as my own. I say that to myself all the time. Because there are so many times when I, and many other writers that I’ve spoken to, want so bad to just chuck it all in. A writer’s life is fanaticized as exciting, exotic, and amazing. And, it is! But it’s also lonely, discouraging, and extremely difficult. It very much is a “job.” There is very little support when things go awry. You have to be very determined. You better be prayed up and you’d better be willing to learn, grow, change, and deflect certain opinions. But I absolutely love it.

SW: Well said! The author life is not for the feint of heart, for sure!

Share about your newest release and how the story came about.

PT: Well, once upon a time Peggy wrote a first novel that was so horrendous, even she gags when she reads it! And it will never see the light of day except in my dark office. But—it has spawned forth four books. My first book Year of Jubilee came from this first manuscript. And the other characters wouldn’t go to sleep. Boy, they nagged me to death! So, I wrote them into the next three books, my newest series. The bad thing is, two more from the first book are whispering to me now. Perhaps there will be two more books in this series?

The full blurb for the book is below.

SW: Oh, The Misfit Bride sounds intriguing and hurray for the other books (and possibly more) in the series.

I’d like to end with the most important question. How can we pray for you?

PT: I love this question! I’m trying to figure out the marketing equation for my books. It’s a strategic area, and I am not a strategic sort of person. I’m more the “creative, doing” sort of person. So, keeping track of numbers and the business side of writing has always been a challenge.

I also, if I could, like to ask one other request of prayer. My message. I always want to put forth God’s message. I want to clearly imbue a Biblical concept that entertains or helps a fellow Christian on their journey through life. Sometimes that gets lost in the details until I get finished and then I realize, oh, it highlights this precept. And that is wholly a God thing.

In my new series, Cora, Rhapsody, and Sissy (main female characters in my next three books) became representations of people being left out, being odd, or misplaced. Or, at least feeling that way. And we, as people, often feel like an outcast—rejected, hated, scorned. Especially in today’s world of social media. I wanted to tell people that just because you feel like an outcast doesn’t mean God thinks you are. He loves the weirdest of weird, the oddest of odd, the squarest of all pegs because He made you that way! And He died for you, no matter how kooky or out-of-place you feel.

That is my message that I want to keep as the center of my books. God loves you. He sent His Son Jesus to die for you. It’s my whole point of writing. Thanks for praying!

SW: With so many hurting people in the world, your message is a needed one, too.

Thank you so much for visiting with us this week, Peggy. We will be praying for your marketing and that your books get in the hands of readers who need to hear that God loves them just as they are.

About the Book

Zero. That’s how many suitors Cora “Too Tall” Taggart’s entertained in her nineteen years. That is, until her father corrals a man nearly twice her age needing a mother for his children. However, Cora’s heart aches to find true love with a man who would embrace all of her misfit qualities.

When Trigg Gentry discovers Cora in a back alley, using his horse as her own personal writing desk, sparks fly between them. While he searches for his runaway sister, Trigg crosses paths once again with Cora on a steamer bound for St. Louis, and neither Trigg nor Cora can deny their blossoming relationship.

But Trigg’s unexpected exit from Cora’s debutante cotillion comes under suspicion. The guests’ jewelry is missing, and he’s linked to a murder case. Cora fears these accusations will make it impossible to avoid her father’s arranged marriage. And to make matters worse, her heart belongs to the man now pegged as a criminal. How can Cora convince her father that Trigg isn’t involved in either crime when all the proof points straight at him?

Amazon | Goodreads

Giveaway

Peggy is giving one of our visitors an autographed copy of The Misfit Bride, a bookmark, and a trio of crocheted dishrags. To enter, tell us in the comments what most interests you about The Misfit Bride.

 

*Giveaway ends Tuesday, 6/8/21 at 11:59 PM EST and is open to US mailing addresses only.