Interview with Publisher weekly best-selling author Tabitha Bouldin

Join me in welcoming Publisher's weekly best-selling author, Tabitha Bouldin to the Diamond mine! Tabitha has so many amazing Chrisian Romance novels . If you haven’t had the chance to enjoy her Love Inspired “Forgiving the Cowboy,” yet, definitely treat yourself. Tabitha's newest book, "The Rancher's Stolen Past" is the newest book in that Love Inspired Series and releases in March. I can't wait to read it, and hear what she has to share about it. Without further ado, here’s Tabitha!

Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor's degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She's a Publishers Weekly bestselling author and an avid reader. When she's not homeschooling her kids, you'll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha's genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.

First let’s learn a little bit about you. Can you share a few things about yourself that have nothing to do with writing? 

 Oh, that’s a fun one. Let’s see. I worked for over a decade in a doctor’s office as a medical assistant before leaving to be a stay-at-home mom. I have two kids that I homeschooled, and I’ve been married for twenty-three years. I love coffee. Like seriously more than is healthy. I’ve never met an animal I don’t like, and when I was little, I dreamed of being an equine vet. 

  I, too, love coffee :) You are in good company! What drew you to write? 

I’m one of those people who had a story idea that wouldn’t let go. I dreamed of being published by Love Inspired, since they produce some of my favorite cowboy books, and after years of work and prayer, God saw fit to allow me to achieve that dream. I love storytelling. There’s a beauty in it that lingers long after the tale is told.

That’s amazing! I have a feeling God placed that story on your heart for a reason. What’s your writing process? 

Controlled chaos. I set goals for myself so that I have my best chance at meeting deadlines, and I love outlining. But I also seem to reach a point in the outline where I stop listening to what I’ve told myself to write and let the story take me wherever it needs to go. I write every day. Even on days when I say I’m going to take a day off, I find myself at the computer or sitting down with a pen and paper because I can’t seem to stop writing. 

I feel the same way about outlining. Sometimes the characters start to decide haha. How do you come up with your story ideas? 

Stories are everywhere. I have always had a vivid imagination and a desire for creativity. A lot of what I write comes from “What if?” questions. I like to wonder what would happen in this instance or that instance, and all of those questions eventually lead me to an idea with enough backbone to hold up a story. 

Tell us about your new release. 

The Rancher’s Stolen Past is book three in my first Love Inspired series. It’s about the youngest daughter in a set of siblings who has suffered the loss of her husband and is struggling with the idea that it never should have happened. While she has been the one touting forgiveness to her older siblings, when it comes time for her to forgive the man she holds responsible for her husband’s death, she discovers that it’s much harder than she realized. It's the kind of story that hit me right in the heart because forgiveness is one of the more difficult things for me. Sadly, I’m the type who will potentially hold a grudge when wronged. It’s not something that I like about myself, and I pray that God works through my stories to help me become a better person and Christian. 

Forgiveness can be hard! I can’t wait to read this story. Are there certain themes explored in the story? 

Forgiveness is the obvious one for The Rancher’s Stolen Past. There are myriad ways that forgiveness can sneak past us or be denied, and I wanted to look at that from the perspective of a character who thought she had it all under control, only to realize she’s been hiding the truth from herself for years. 

 Do you have any favorite characters in your books? Tenley will always be a favorite. She’s one of the siblings in this series, and her story was written from a place of deep hurt in need of redemption. 

What are you working on now?

I just finished my fourth book for Love Inspired and I’m plotting the next one for that series while also editing my first book for Bethany House. I try and keep my work on a loop so that I’m constantly either writing or editing for an upcoming release. I love to be busy! 

That explains how you have so many amazing books! When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing? 

As expected, I love reading. I’m a genre hopper, so I’ll read a little bit of everything. Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoy getting out with my camera and taking pictures and spending time with family. 

Thanks for joining us, Tabitha

Check out Tabitha's Newest Book

A man in search of redemption.
A love he will fight to deserve.

Coming home isn’t easy for cowboy Zane Kingsley—but he’s eager to earn back the trust of the woman he never stopped loving. Single mom Molly Jacobs is still grieving the husband she lost six years ago, and the last person she wants to see is the man she blames for his death. When they’re forced to work together at a summer riding program for kids, Molly can’t help but notice the growing bond between Zane and her young son. Can Zane convince her that he’s a changed man and that he’s worthy of her forgiveness…and her love?

Pre-order: https://a.co/d/7hOj3zc

Want to connect with Tabitha?

www.instagram.com/tabithabouldin

www.facebook.com/tabithabouldinauthor

www.tiktok.com/@tabithabouldin_author

https://sendfox.com/tabithabouldin

Kim Griffin Spills the Tea on her Favorite Things and her New Novel

Hi readers! It's me again, and I'm peppering this week's featured author for a list of her favs. Kim Griffin, a huge Jane Austen fan, joins us to talk about what's going on in her life and her new book Not Quite Mr. Knightly. (PS. Her next novel, Not Quite Miss Austen drops on Jan. 31st.)

PT:  Hi, Kim! So let’s start on page one. What genre do you write in and why?

KG: I write Christian women’s fiction with romance. Most of my books are contemporary, but there is a 1970s book and a 1955 book. I love to craft stories that point Christian women to Christ and encourage them to read His Word.

I also love a good romance story, but always want readers to understand that though a godly romance is very satisfying, it will never completely fulfill our desire to be loved and will never be perfect. Only God can love us perfectly and fill those empty places. When we go into a relationship and ultimately marriage understanding this, we learn to gain our significance from Christ and not our spouse. This frees us up to love them better and strengthens us when our spouse fails us (because they are not perfect).

I also write devotionals, and I’m working on a Bible study. This is a natural outpouring of my years of studying scripture and leading Bible studies. I’ve been leading Bible studies since my freshman year in college, so I’m in my 37th year! I advocate for inductive Bible studies, which teach people to study deeply using God’s word as the primary source and uncover God’s truths for themselves.

 PT: Is there any genre you secretly would like to write in?

KG: Christian Regency romance. I love Regency romance but it is intimidating because there are so many who have gone before me in that genre, including those, like Jane Austen, who lived through it. I worry I will get the details wrong. Eventually, I will try it.

PT: What drew you to become a writer, and what’s the best thing about the writing process for you?

KG: I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember. I was almost five by the time my twin brother and sister were born, and at that time I had a whole cast of imaginary friends and family that I made up stories about. I was just too young to write them down. I wrote a number of short stories throughout my younger years and even wrote a couple of plays for my siblings and neighbor friends to perform.

In sixth grade,  I convinced my best friends to help me put together a “newspaper” for our grade, and we wrote stories and articles for it. In middle school, my creative passion moved to interior design.

I was always a reader, though, and as an adult, it wasn’t until my oldest two children had graduated from homeschool and my third was taking dual enrollment classes that I had time to read for myself and not just books for their schooling. In 2019 I discovered an online writing platform, and it had a lot of non-Christian garbage, but there were a few Christians there. I decided I could put some of the ideas that were always bouncing around in my head into story form and use it as a platform to share Christ.

At the time, I had no aspirations of publishing my books, though people suggested I should publish. Eventually, I realized that my reach there was limited as the platform became less popular, and God kept placing people in my path through social media who were independent authors. I did some research, prayed, and felt like God was laying everything before me to begin publishing my books. Not Quite Mr. Darcy was my first published book, and I just celebrated it’s two-year anniversary on October 18.

PT:  Do you have a genre do you enjoy reading the most?

KG: Most any Christian fiction with romance. I read a little of almost every type of book except horror, and I’m picky about fantasy. I love historical, mystery, and books with unexpected twists and turns in stories.

PT: I love music so let me ask what your favorite song is right now?

KG: I have a couple that are very different. The first is Andrew Peterson’s “Is He Worthy.” I love that it puts me before the throne, worshipping and longing to be face to face with my Savior. The second is “Dusty Bibles” by Josiah Queen. It is a reminder that we are constantly distracted by electronics and should pick up our Bibles and spend time with God.

PT: I’m stuck on a favorite list now, LOL. Favorite verse?

KG: I have so many, but I’ll share a section in Hebrews and my writing verse from Romans 15.

Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV - 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

I love the way Hebrews beautifully ties together the Old and New Testaments. In fact, I have a lot of verses from Hebrews in my Starry Night: Christmas Advent Devotional. But these particular verses remind me to keep my eyes on Jesus and lay aside and ignore the things that distract me from what He has called me to do in my time here on earth. I’m reminded of the faith of those who have gone before me (those listed in the chapter before). And most meaningfully, I’m reminded that Jesus endured the cross for me and each believer—we were the joy before Him that spurred Him to go on.

I’d also like to share my writing verse. Romans 15:13 ESV - 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

This is the verse I use as my theme verse for writing—both my fiction and nonfiction. In my nonfiction, I strive to lay out important truths in scripture that will strengthen your relationship with God and help you understand those truths so you will have joy and peace in Him! My fiction takes characters through hard things and brings them to a place where they see God is the only one to place their hope in, and they also have glimpses of His mercy (not getting what they deserve) and grace (getting what they don’t deserve or God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense).

PT: Favorite drink?

KG: Hot tea. I love both herbal and caffeinated teas with no sugar or cream. Right now I’m loving Lady Grey tea. I’ve never been a coffee drinker, though I love the smell, and it reminds me of growing up since my parents drank it.

PT: Favorite season?

KG: Summer. I love to run around in shorts and flip-flops, and I get cold easily. I thrive when it’s above 70. In the winter I have to wear so many layers and I want to hibernate.

PT: Favorite holiday?

KG: As an adult, Easter because it’s easier to focus on Jesus. I love Christmas, but there’s so much commercialism around it, and so much is always scheduled that time of year that it is real work to carve out quiet times with God. That’s how I ended up writing my Starry Night: Christmas Advent Devotional. It was a way to slow my mind down and focus on Jesus in the midst of the Christmas chaos.

PT: Favorite Fictional character?

KG: Elizabeth Bennet—I love her introspection and dry wit.

PT: Now MY favorite prompt. Tell 5 things about Kim Griffin that have nothing to do with writing.

KG: My degree is in Interior Design / Interior Architecture.

I was a homeschool mom, but all of my children have now graduated. My youngest just did in May!

I have 4 children; the youngest is adopted from Haiti, and two grandchildren.

I’m a city girl living in a rural community in middle Tennessee, and we have a few beef cows (I leave that up to my husband. LOL).

I love to cook healthy food, but I will eat a delicious dessert now and then, especially if it’s chocolate.

PT: Tell us how you started the Not Quite Series.

KG: I’ve loved Jane Austen’s books for years and had read Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility many times. But I always wished Jane had put a faith message in them. As much as I enjoy a good love story, I know that our culture often builds up romance and romantic love as the ultimate goal in life—as if we will be fully satisfied once we find our person. That creates an unrealistic burden on marriages and relationships because our spouses are not perfect. 

I had written several books that I hadn’t published before I decided to publish, and in my first published book I wanted to marry the idea of the perfect Mr. Darcy, who generations of women have swooned over, with the realism that no man except Jesus can love us perfectly. That was my idea behind Not Quite Mr. Darcy. I didn’t intend for it to be a series at first, but when I was partway through, the idea for Not Quite Colonel Brandon formed. The stories kept coming.

PT: How do Jane Austen’s books connect with yours?

KG: None of the series books are anywhere near retellings, but they each have nods to the books that correspond with the name. Each of the main characters also enjoys the books that correspond with the name. In the back of each book, I have a QR code for an extras/trivia page on my website that tells its connections with the corresponding Jane Austen book. It also gives fun details about how I came up with ideas, other Easter eggs, and details I found when researching the book.

PT: Tell the readers more about Not Quite Mr.Knightly.

KG: Here’s the tagline and blurb:

A runaway bride

A marriage of convenience

A love worth fighting for

While interning at the U.S. Embassy in London, Nancy Wilson, a spirited Southerner from Greenville, South Carolina, thought she’d found her very own Mr. Knightley—straight from the pages of Emma.

Yet on the eve of her wedding day, a devastating letter from her future father-in-law shatters her dreams, leaving her with a heart-wrenching decision. Opting to leave London, Nancy returns to the familiarity of Greenville, only to be haunted by regret and a longing to reclaim her lost love. After attempting reconciliation and facing an unexpected rejection, she questions everything she once believed.

Back home, Nancy must grapple with newfound challenges, testing her resilience and faith. Amidst her broken heart, she encounters a surprising proposal that could change her life forever—a marriage of convenience that may hold the key to finding her true Mr. Knightley. This tale of love, loss, and self-discovery will resonate with anyone who has ever yearned for a love story worth fighting for.

Set in 1970, Not Quite Mr. Knightley is the third book of the Not Quite Series and can be read as a standalone, though it’s best enjoyed after reading Not Quite Colonel Brandon. While not a retelling of Emma, this story contains elements Austen fans will appreciate.*

PT: Ahhh, the tea tastes great! And that cover is sweeter than sugar. You can get your copy of Not Quite Mr. Knightly today by following the links or visiting your favorite bookstore, or you can stay around for the free book given to one lucky person who leaves a comment. 

Thanks, Kim for visiting the Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction and spilling the tea about your new novels!

 

*Content Warning: This book contains characters who consider abortion and who have an abortion in their past. Abortion is discussed several times from a Christian perspective, emphasizing forgiveness and healing in Christ. If you have an abortion in your past, please read the resources section at the end of the book and visit DeeperStill.org for free Christ centered retreats.

Interview with award-winning and best-selling author Sarah Hamaker!

Hi, guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ;-) And one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends at coffee shops before heading to the bookstores. Yes, plural. After all, books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination! 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. <3

Today we are going to pry into the private life of CHAT with award-winning and best-selling author Sarah Hamaker!

Award-winning and best-selling author Sarah Hamaker loves writing books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s written romantic suspense novels and nonfiction books, as well as stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul volumes. As a writers coach, her heart is encouraging writers. Her podcast, “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” can be found wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Connect with Sarah on her website, newsletter, Facebook, Book Bub, Goodreads, and Amazon Author Page!

Interview ~

This may be the most important question I ask -- no pressure or anything, LOL! 

*drum roll*

What are you drinking in our virtual coffee house? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Something else altogether?

Hot tea all the way! I love a good cuppa of black tea. Some of my favorite blends of black tea are Earl Grey Supreme, cranberry black, blueberry black, and Scottish Afternoon. Add a little sugar and a splash of cream—the perfect drink for writing.

Tea is so comforting! If you could order anything in the world to eat (we can dream, can't we?), what would it be?

This is a hard one for me because I’m not a huge foodie—I’m more like my late father in that he ate to live, not lived to eat (not that I don’t like to eat, just not super picky about what I’m eating). But if I could order anything in the world, it would be a juicy cheeseburger made with grassfed beef and cooked medium rare with crispy, lightly breaded onion rings on the side.

Yum! Where is your favorite place to write, and why is that your favorite place?

My office because I have a comfortable chair, a split keyboard and large monitor. I can also shut the door if I need a little peace and quiet. But I do my best thinking there.

Awesome space! Do you have an odd habit that is only explained by your bookish, writer tendencies? Safe space. ;-)

I have a reader’s vocabulary. At least, that’s my mother’s explanation for the fact that I have trouble pronouncing (and spelling, if we’re being honest) some words. I wasn’t taught phonics as a child and always read above my grade level, so I’d pronounce things in my head and usually that was not how those words are actually pronounced. Even today, I’ll substitute a “smaller” word for the “bigger” one in my head because I’m not sure how to correctly say it.

I can definitely relate. What inspired you to write Justice Denied? 

The story. It’s always the story that needs to get out of my head and onto the page. In Justice Denied, which is book two in my Seeking Justice series, I wanted to give the hero, Seth Whitman, his own story because I liked him as a side character in Justice Delayed, book one. Seth needed to find his own happily-ever-after and was the perfect complement to my heroine, Jetta Ainsely.

A father’s tarnished legacy drives a daughter to untangle a web of deception with the help of a photojournalist. 

Jetta Ainsley’s life had been complicated enough as she navigates cleaning out the family home while her mother recovers from a car accident. When her dog is hurt, her next-door neighbor, Seth Whitman, offers his help. Seth would like to do more for Jetta but the walls she’s placed around her heart are unsurmountable.

Then she learns her late father had been accused of embezzlement, drawing Jetta into a web of secrets that could prove his innocence—or destroy her. When digging into her father’s past brings danger to their doorstep, Jetta turns to Seth for assistance in uncovering who stole millions before someone gets hurt. 

Seth tries to protect Jetta and her mother from the increasing danger, while clues lead them ever deeper into a tangled conspiracy. Unraveling the sinister plot will require all their courage, faith, and trust in each other.

But will uncovering the truth clear her father’s name—or destroy their growing love for one another?

Everyone, check out Justice Denied! What led you to write in this genre? 

I love weaving the romance around the suspense part of the story, probably because I read way too many mysteries as a kid and teenager. I started with the Happy Hollisters and Nancy Drew, then graduated to Agatha Christie and other gothic mystery writers. Frankly, I doubt I could write anything without the dash of mystery and suspense!

How fun! What message do you hope to convey to your readers? 

That our God is a God of second chances and redemption. All of my main characters are believers and it’s important to me to have them live out their lives as authentically as possible on the page so that readers can see how faith in action in sometimes hard circumstances looks like.

That's awesome! Can you tell us a little about your next project(s)? 

Right now, I’m finishing the rough draft to a short novel for a collection next summer, then I’ll move on to editing the first book in a new series featuring 911 dispatchers as the heroines. Like my husband says, I’ve always got something on my writing plate.

Exciting stories are coming! Do you have a favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level?

One of my favorite verses is Psalms 37:4, which says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” All too often we focus on the latter part of this verse about how God will give us the desires of our hearts rather than the vital first part about delighting ourselves in the Lord. When we focus on the former part, our desires and God’s will align, and God’s desires for us will be what our hearts desire too.

Well put! What are you currently reading? Inquiring minds -- mine! -- want to know. ;-)

I’m currently reading Honor, book three in the Long Hot Summer Christian Romantic Suspense collection. I enjoy anthologies and these short novels are a great way to sample many different authors.

Anthologies are so much fun! Thanks for answering all of my prying questions, Sarah!

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer loves to write romantic and comedic stories that proclaim God’s deep love for us. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and an avid blogger. In her spare time, Joy loves to sing (especially Disney songs), drink large quantities of coffee, and create aesthetic content for Bookstagram. When Joy isn’t fighting with fictional people, she’s hanging out with her husband and their adorable daughters. Connect with Joy via www.vjoypalmer.com!

Connect with Joy on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Amazon Author Page!

Author Terri Reed

  

                       Terri Reed, Author                                         Available by preorder.

Hi everyone, Gay N. Lewis here. I’m excited to introduce to you Terri Reed today. Terri Reed writes heart-warming romance and heart-pounding suspense. Her books have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller list, Publisher's Weekly Bestseller List, Nielsen's Bookscan top fifty, Amazon Bestseller List and have been featured in USA Today.

Terri met her husband in college. After college, they moved around the country before settling in Oregon to raise a family. Her two children are both adults now, but she has a beautiful Australian shepherd to keep her company while she’s writing.

Terri has been writing for over thirty years. During that time, she raised a family, provided daycare in her home, taught aerobics at a gym, and worked weekends at Nordstroms. She says when her kids reached high school, she was able to concentrate solely on writing. Now writing is her job and passion.

Gay: How many books do you have in print?

Terri: I have 60 books in print with Love Inspired, and three more coming next year.

Gay: That’s amazing! I can’t imagine coming up with all those stories so quickly. Tell us about your book that became a movie.

Teir:  I have five other books I’ve written for various other publishers other than Love Inspired. Most notably, A Family Under the Christmas Tree. It was published by Howard Books and adapted into the Hallmark movie titled, Picture a Perfect Christmas.

Gay: Congratulations on the Hallmark movie! We all wish one of our books would make it to the screen, and you did it!  How did you find your publisher, Harlequin?  And how long have you been with them?

Terri:  I discovered the publisher through my grandmother. She was a huge romance reader. When I decided I wanted to be an author, I looked at Harlequin and was so excited when they opened their Christian fiction lines. I started submitting to them in the mid-90s and finally sold my first full-length book to them in 2003.

Gay: You write a lot of suspense and romance. Where do you get ideas? How do you come up with so many twists and turns?

Terri:  Like many writers, I have an active imagination. I can spin most anything, a nugget of an idea, into a story. Sometimes those nuggets come from the news, or snippets of overheard conversations, and from playing the ‘what if’ game; this prompt leads to many of the twists and turns in my stories. And while the romance comes out developing characters who will have strong reactions to the ‘what if’.

Gay:  You also write about dogs. Tell us briefly about your K-9 Series.

Terri: Yes! I write many stories where dogs are central characters. Dogs are so intelligent, trainable, fun, and loving. I love my Australian shepherd; she’s so clever and attentive. We do agility training, mostly to keep us active and bonded. Though to be honest, she’s my shadow all day long.

Gay: How many Christmas novels have you written, including your upcoming book, Texas Christmas Cover-Up?

Terri:  I love to write Christmas stories. I have written at least a dozen. My upcoming book is set on South Padre Island, Texas, so it was a bit different writing a book in such an interesting setting. In my research, I discovered that the island offers a variety of fun Christmasy activities. They have a sandcastle Santa’s village, put Christmas trees on the beach, have a Christmas parade and light show. I tried to touch on all of these in the story amid the danger and romance.

Gay: I live in Texas and did not know South Padre Island does that. Maybe I’ll check it out. It sounds fun. Christmas will be here in a few weeks. What’s your happiest Christmas memory?

Terri: My happiest Christmas memory is being with my grandparents during the holiday. They were very generous and loving, and I always felt safe and cared for when we went to their house.

Gay: Tell us about your latest book.

Terri: Texas Christmas Cover-Up is the companion story to Trained to Protect, which came out last February and made the New York Times Bestseller list. In Texas Christmas Cover-Up, the hero, Police Chief Jeremy Hamilton, is reunited with his ex-high school sweetheart, Kara Evans. Kara is an FBI profiler and widowed mom who returns to the island to sell her childhood home. But soon it’s apparent that Kara and her young daughter are in danger, and it has something to do with Kara’s father’s unsolved murder. Jeremy will do everything he can to protect them while he and Kara work together to solve the mystery.

Gay: What do you want your readers to take away from this latest book?

Terri: This is a book of second chances, which we all are offered through Jesus.

Gay: I can hardly wait to read this book! It is available now on preorder, and I have ordered it. It will be delivered on October 28. Here’s a bit more about it.

When widowed FBI agent Kara Evans returns to sell her late mother’s home, eager to shed reminders of her tragic past, she’s assaulted by a masked attacker. With the house ransacked and a daughter to protect, Kara must turn to her former love, police chief Jeremy Hamilton, to track down her assailant. But when the trail of clues leads to unanswered questions about her father’s cold case murder, it’s clear that someone is determined to keep Kara from uncovering the truth. As a string of new murders unfolds, can they expose this deadly plot before Kara is silenced forever?

Gay: Thanks, Terri for visiting with us. I hope everyone will read your books. I’ve read many, and I’ve never been disappointed. 

You can visit Terri online at www.terrireed.com, sign up for her newsletter for exclusive content, or email her at terrireedauthor@terrireed.com

Interview with author Jean Pike!!

Today we welcome author Jean Pike to The Diamond Mine to promote her new book, Super-Heroes!

Hi Jean!!

Tell us a little about your book, please.

Thank you for having me today, Nancy. I'd love to!

It all started with a prayer...

After a lifetime of of being controlled by her parents, and most recently by her ex-fiancée, Abby Callahan has had enough. She moves out of her parents' home and into a rented motel room a few towns away, where she takes night classes at the community college, finally free to pursue her dream of becoming a music therapist.

From now on, she will live her life her way, answering to no one except God. She is done letting her parents make her decisions. And she is done with men. Until she meets Rory St. George.

Growing up on the wrong side of town,  Rory has worked hard to claw his way out of poverty. He has a good job as assistant manager at the local feed store, a good church, and a few close friends. He thinks that's all a man can ask for in life. Until he meets Abby.

Their fragile relationship is tested from the start with missteps and misunderstandings, but their genuine attraction to each other and their faith in God hold them together. Until disaster strikes. Can their newfound love survive being tried by fire? And can the power of love turn ordinary people into superheroes? 

This sounds wonderful, Jean! How did you get your idea for this story?

Reading the daily news can be both depressing and uplifting. The ideas for many of my stories stem from things I've read about that have either filled me with wonder or filled me with sadness.

The world is full of stories of ordinary people performing superhero acts--- A volunteer firefighter who risks his life to rescue a family from a burning house. A man, fishing on the bank of a river, dives into deep waters to save a drowning child. Heroism is also found in a hundred small, everyday sacrifices made in the name of love.

A new romance can be so much fun!  Picnics and hikes and bouquets of flowers' just because! But when things get hard and life turns messy, few have what it takes to keep the flame burning. To stay in it for the long haul, even when it costs something precious. The truth is, one never knows if they have what it takes to be a superhero until they have no other choice.

Superheroes is a story about everyday heroes who love in the most extraordinary ways.

Wow! How could I not be interested in a story like that?

Do you have any underlying themes that you want your readers to come away with?

The underlying theme in Superheroes is that God is sovereign over His creation. God is still God, even in hard times. 

There is a verse in Job that I've always loved: But He knows the way that I take: when He hath tried me. I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10 KJV)

Bad things happen in life, but God can use them to refine our faith and make us more like Him. This story seeks to showcase His great love for us, and hopefully, point the way  to the greatest Superhero of all time, our Lord Jesus.

Well said, and I found your words very touching. I'm sure your story is, too.

I'm curious-- Do your characters ever surprise you?

Oh, all the time! I'll usually do a rough character sketch before I start any in-depth writing, a few sentences about who each of the characters are and what they want from life. Many times the characters turn out to be something quite different from what I first imagined. I like to think that's a combination of God's direction and my crazy, overactive imagination, lol.

In Superheroes, Olly was originally going to be Rory's youngest brother, heading down a wrong path that Rory would have to try and correct. But something as small as a typo changed my mind. Instead of writing the word coffee, I accidentally wrote coccee. Which is exactly how my special needs nephew, Michael, pronounces the word. I have always wanted to include a special needs character in one of my stories, but I struggled with how to do so with grace and dignity. As I started to look more closely at Olly's character, he and Michael began to merge together, and I knew the time had come to honor this lovely, complex young man. Hence my dedication: For Michael, a superhero indeed.

Tell us how you incorporated Olly with Michael.

First, as I said, Olly's character is based on my nephew. Michael is a young man with special needs who loves pink shirts, orange shirts and coloring books. It may not always seem as though he is paying attention, but he is! He notices the birds that come to his mother's feeders, and all the pretty colors of the flowers in their garden.

He notices who is in church each week, and who is not. On Sundays, after lunch, he makes a card for each person on the prayer list, using construction paper and pictures colored and cut from his coloring books. His favorites are the superheroes, whom he makes up his own names for, names that make sense to him.

Michael has a stubborn streak as wide as the Ohio river, but oh, he has a heart filled with love and compassion that often astounds me.  He uses what he's been given to lift others up. I gave those same traits to Olly. 

 

Michael sounds like quite a work of art, as well as being an artist himself.

Do you have a favorite character in any of your other books?

I enjoy creating all of my characters, but some stand out for me because their parts are just so much fun to write! But with all of the time and effort spent developing my main characters, it is often the secondary characters that seem to grab my readers' hearts. In The Little Things, it was a grumpy senior bulldog named Gus. In King of Hearts, it was forgetful, lovable Aunt Clara.  As the reviews for Superheroes began to come in, it was clear that in this story, it was Olly that readers loved the most.

I can see why!

So, what are you working on now?

I was four chapters in to a new Redford's Crossing Romance when a coworker made a statement that brought all work on that story to a screeching halt. We were talking about relationships, and how, as a widow, she feels she is "done." 

And then she said, "But my mother thought she was done, too. She just sat in her porch rocker day after day, waiting to die. And then a man pulled in the driveway and asked if he could pick from her blackberry bushes. They've been together forty years."

Wait, what?

An opening sentence immediately popped into my mind: Norah Sutton was sitting in her porch rocker, waiting to die, when the red pickup truck pulled into the driveway...

And Blackberry Summer began to take shape. :)

Sometimes, that's all it takes for inspiration to hit: a typo, a passing comment, and the whole direction of your story  takes a different path.

Thank you so much for this interview, Jean. I have completely enjoyed hearing your answers.

And readers, here are some links for Jean, and her books:

https://www.amazon.com/Superheroes-M-Jean-Pike-ebook/dp/BOCYPSLQ5D/

https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main page=product info&cPath=3746&products id=1711

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/superheroes-m-jean-pike/1147169381?ean=9781522305064

https://books.apple.com/us/book/superheroes/id6744548266

Jean's blog:

https:// jeanpike.wordpress.com/