Join me in welcoming friend and award-winning historical Christian fiction author, Susie Finkbeiner, to the Diamond Mine! Every time I pick up a book by Susie, I'm whisked away with her relatable characters and touching storylines. If you haven't had a chance to read a book by her, treat yourself! You won't be disappointed. Without further ado, here's Susie!
Susie Finkbeiner is the author of The All-American, All Manner of Things — both of which were selected as Michigan Notable Books —The Nature of Small Birds, and Stories That Bind Us, as well as A Cup of Dust, A Trail of Crumbs, and A Song of Home.
When she isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and three kids or performing at her local community theatre. She lives with her family in West Michigan.
First let’s learn a little bit about you. Can you share a few things about yourself that have nothing to do with writing?
I live in West Michigan with my husband, our three teens, and Flannery the calico. I also live with an incredible book collection (don’t we all?).
Who can resist adding to a book collection, I know I can't :) What drew you to write?
I grew up in a story-oriented family. My dad is a writer and used to tell us all sorts of stories (I’m still working out which ones were true and which fiction). My mom read to us kids every day (she was amazing at doing character voices). I was encouraged from my earliest years to read and daydream and enjoy imaginative play.
As soon as I was able to spell, I started making up stories. I guess it was only natural for me.
I love that! What a blessing to be surrounded by story from a young age. What’s your writing process?
You know, it ends up being different for each project. I do a lot of reading and research before and during the drafting stage. I write a lot. Delete a lot. I give up and restart and despair and enjoy the work.
My process? It’s a hot mess, to be perfectly honest with you.
I can totally relate to that (living it right now!). I just love so many of your stories! My first Susie Finkbeiner book was “The Stories that Bind Us” and I was hooked! Each of your stories are so unique, How do you come up with your story ideas?
Thank you so much for saying that! Stories That Bind Us was a special one for me to write and I wish more people would give it a chance (hint, hint, everybody!).
I get story ideas from all over the place! Sometimes I’ll be reading an article for research and come across a tidbit from history that becomes a seed for the next book I write. Other times I’ll see an old family photo and start wondering what it was like to live in the 1960s. Rarely, I’ll be walking into an aquarium, minding my own business, and have an idea for a story when I look up at the green tiles in the ceiling (this is how I got the idea for Stories That Bind Us).
I literally took my whole family to that aquarium after reading Stories that Bind Us (that's all I'm saying, you guys gotta read it). Tell us about your most recent book.
My latest book is actually a collaboration I got to work on with two of my dear friends, Rachel Scott McDaniel and Allison Pittman. It’s a collection of novellas, each set during a different era in New York City. Three different female protagonists, three different wars, one beautiful wedding dress.
I usually don’t toot the “I won an award” horn, but this one feels different because all three of our stories were finalists for the Christy Award. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a huge win for all of us!
That IS a huge win for you! Congratulations!! Are there certain themes explored in the story?
In my story, my protagonist is a widow who get a second chance at a love story of her own. She’s afraid to start over (who wouldn’t be?), but has to decide if this new thing deserves a chance to grow.
Do you have any favorite characters in your books?
I wish you could see how I cringed when I read this question. Ack! How do I pick favorites? I honestly have so many that I loved writing that I couldn’t pick just one.
Oh. Okay. It’s Flossie. Flossie from The All-American is my favorite.
I just got that book for Christmas and cannot wait to read it! I can't wait to get to know Flossie! What are you working on now?
I can’t tell you much about it just yet. This novel is still figuring out what it needs to be and that work has to be done in private (for me, at least). But I will say that it will involve music, which is one of my very favorite things in the world.
I'm intrigued! When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
I am a woman of many hobbies. There’s just so much about life to enjoy! In the summer months I spend a lot of time in my pollinator garden, weeding and enjoying the butterflies and bees and just generally fretting about the state of my echinacea. I also love walks in the woods where it is socially acceptable to completely freak out over spotting a bird. I’m still a big reader and love watching a good movie.
Probably most time consuming of all is the time I spend at my local community theatre. Not only do I serve on the board, I also act and help with social media. Next year I have my directing debut and I’m so excited to try my hand at that type of storytelling.
In this novella collection, three renowned Christian historical fiction authors trace generations of wartime romances through a wedding dress with love sewn into its seams.
A Heart in Disguise by Rachel Scott McDaniel
Clara Westlake loves her job in the US “Camouflage Corps,” sewing suits for snipers and contributing to the war effort. But when she overhears a threat against her beloved New York City, the Great War comes too close to home—except no one believes her forewarning. She must recruit Marcus Reeves, a childhood friend searching for his purpose after suffering a devastating war injury. As they hunt for clues, they may also uncover a love that lasts.
A Letter to Eli by Allison Pittman
Bette and Alice are longtime friends, trying to make a good life for themselves in New York City while World War II rages. It’s never far from their thoughts—not with Alice’s fiancé serving at sea, in danger every minute. That’s a worry Bette doesn’t envy. Then a secret letter reunites her with her soldier ex-boyfriend, now wounded and back in the States. But can the innocent love these two had before the war be rekindled in the face of tragedy?
A Daffodil in the Dress by Susie Finkbeiner
Kate Becker and Ike Finch have worked together at his family’s bookstore since Kate’s husband died in the early days of the Vietnam War. Because she has bills to pay and her daughter, Eloise, to take care of, the job was a godsend. A second love is not in the cards, especially with the world still teetering on the edge of insanity. But when Ike brings little Eloise special flowers one spring day, Kate begins to look at him as more than an employer. Is falling in love again worth the risk?
No comments:
Post a Comment