Gay: “Carlene, please tell our readers when you became a Christian.”
Carlene: “Thanks, Gay. I love that question. I grew up
in a Christian home and did my best to follow “the rules”. Inside, however, I
never really got it. Later in life, I finally came to know a loving Savior.
Jesus changed my life when I finally gave my heart to Him. That’s when I
started writing.”
Gay: “I know you’ve been through painful situations.
What was the hardest.”
Carlene: “One thing I’ve learned is that a broken arm
hurts a lot less than a broken heart (and, yes, I’ve experienced both). My most
difficult trials are those that go on and on, sometimes for years. For example,
my father had Alzheimer’s for the last six or eight years of his life. It was
hard to see Dad suffering, and equally difficult to watch my mother shed
buckets of tears for him.”
Gay: “I understand the Alzheimer’s trial. Our daughter has it. On a lighter note, what is the craziest thing
that’s ever happened to you?”
Carlene: At a family gathering, I was pleased by the
number of people who told me how good I looked. Then someone called me Billie, and
I realized it was a case of mistaken identity. I suppose I was
in pretty good shape for a woman my mother’s age! I shouldn’t have been
surprised. Strangers routinely took Mom
and me for sisters. One of her doctors even asked if we were twins. It’s no
wonder I laugh when I hear someone say, “I’m becoming my mother,” because I’m
already there.
Gay: I’d love
to hear how you came to write your first book.
Carlene: I was concentrating on the pastor’s sermon,
when it was interrupted by an unexpected message. There was no sound, but I
clearly “heard”, I want you to write a book. I resisted, offering the
excuse that I didn’t know how to write anything but a lighthearted romance.
Nevertheless, the understanding that I had an assignment persisted. So, I went
home from church that day, sat down at my computer and began A Hero’s
Homecoming, a Christian romance, my first published book.
Gay: I loved that book. You set your characters in Texas, and the hero was a military man with a huge problem. What is the hardest thing about writing?
Carlene: I used to say
marketing was the hardest thing about writing. Now that I’ve (somewhat)
unraveled that mystery, my biggest challenge is time management. Too often,
after doing the “must” chores, there’s no time left over to get immersed in the
story I’m working on. I lke to write a few hours in the morning and again for
another hour before bedtime, but way too often there are competing priorities
that cut into my planned schedule.
Gay: “Did you ever feel you should give up writing, and if so, what changed your mind?”
Carlene: I was diagnosed with breast cancer during the COVID pandemic. In late 2021, after surgery, radiation, and a year of chemo, my energy level was at an all-time low. My publisher made a series of business decisions that made no sense to me, and sales of my books were dismal. I felt discouraged and defeated as an author. I wondered if writing was something I was supposed to do only for a season, which had ended. After a lot of prayer, with the encouragement of friends, I found the strength to self-publish my backlist and start writing again.
Gay: I know readers are happy to hear you create books again. Are you self-published?
Carlene: “Yes, happily so. I enjoy the freedom of having control over pricing, book covers, and the timing of special sales.”
Gay: I love your Remarkable Women of the Bible Series. You and your writing partner, Sharon Faucheux must have spent hours researching details.
Gay: Tell us about your latest book.
Carlene: The latest from Sharon and me is “Journey of
the Shepherd Woman”. Although it’s a sequel to “Song of the Shepherd Woman”,
either book can be read as a standalone. Here’s the blurb for Journey:
Saul of Tarsus
instigates persecution against followers of the Way, forcing shepherds from
Bethlehem to run for their lives. Taking only a few provisions, Channah and her
family escape to the seaport of Joppa. From there, they hope to make their way
to Ephesus where Channah’s husband grew up. However, travel is difficult and
sometimes treacherous. When disaster strikes, Channah relies on the mercy of a
kind woman named Dorcas. Through many trials, the little family cherishes their
goal of finding a place where they can freely worship Jesus.
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Shepherd-Woman-Remarkable-Women-ebook/dp/B0C8FNWN8P
Thank you Carlene Havel for visiting with us. You are an interesting author.
You are invited to connect with Carlene through her
Face Book author page, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarleneHavel
Follow her on BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carlene-havel
And follow her on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B008M9J8JA
