Dreams

Because of these crazy times, I got to meet today's guest in an online writing group. Tabitha Bouldin is a delight to visit with online. One day we may get to visit face to face. In the meantime please welcome her on The Diamond Mine.

Mishaps Off the Mainland

All Mel wants is to run the business of her dreams

Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor's degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has been writing since 2015. 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.

Tabitha: I'm so excited to be on the Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction today! Thank you for inviting me. Renette I'm always curious about other authors, and reading interviews is something of a hobby, so it feels a bit weird to be on this side of the computer screen.

Renette: I'm so blessed you could join me today Tabitha. Sit back and relax, just like on our zoom calls. I know you will bless us all here today. I'm already blessed by you joining me. Life is a journey, so is our writing. What personal journey did you take while writing Mishaps Off the Mainland?

Tabitha: My personal journey was the realization of a dream, joining a team of authors, and having a book contract (okay, maybe two dreams). I learned that I had shifted focus from my main goal (writing for God) and had started chasing that elusive feeling of validation. I’ll be honest, I love being told I’ve done a good job. Doesn’t everyone? And there’s nothing wrong with a little validation. But I had reached a point where I needed it. I wanted praise and all the ‘atta girl’ accolades. Through the journey of writing Mishaps off the Mainland I realized that my desires for more were in contrast with God’s order to WAIT.

Renette: I think we all like getting those accolades. But being in tune with GOD is the best validation we can have.  Tough lessons. Do you have a life verse?

 

Tabitha: This verse chose me this year, and I’ve since then made it my life verse. I love the constant reminder that God is with us and He will never fail us.

 

 

 Renette: A powerful verse indeed. Other than GOD, who has had the biggest influence on your life?

 Tabitha: I have amazing parents, so I have to say they’ve both been great life influencers. My dad’s also my pastor, and he’s been a preacher since I was eight. Both my parents live a godly life and have done so since my early years. Their influence and seeing them overcome life’s obstacles with God by their side, helped me to seek out God for myself.

 Renette: I love to hear stories about wonderful Godly parents.  Along the same line who has had the biggest influence on your writing? 

Tabitha: Writing has been a God-driven gift since day one. There are plenty of authors I love and many people who cheer me on during this journey, but without that constant nudge from above, I never would have penned the first story, much less all the ones that came after. I never sought out writing, and honestly, the idea of being a writer never crossed my mind until God put the desire in my heart and a story at my fingertips.

 Renette: GOD reminded me once I retired of the dream to write.  It is all for Him. I am so glad you followed His leading and can’t wait to read Mishaps off the Mainland. It sounds so fun. Speaking of fun what and where is your favorite way to relax?

Tabitha: I love going for a drive to our state park. If my husband is with me, he drives so I can take pictures along the way. If it’s just me, I usually head over to the waterfalls and spend a few hours snapping photos. There’s something so peaceful and relaxing in photography, especially when I’m working with landscapes. The colors, the motion, everything about it is soothing and helps me unwind. This is one I took last fall. 

 Renette: Beautiful photo. Waterfalls are my favorite. Think of the stories they could tell. The sound is so relaxing. Watching the water flow over the rocks reminds me of how we are molded and shaped. Did this story surprise you in any way?

Tabitha: As a pantser (a writer who doesn’t plan but writes by the seat of their pants) my stories often throw a curveball or two at some point during the writing. And while I can’t tell you exactly how this story surprised me (cause who wants spoilers?!) I will say that Mel’s journey took her down a path I didn’t expect. Through her journey, I learned that sometimes God says WAIT when we ask a question that seems to only need a YES or NO. I am not a patient person. It’s one of my many flaws. And those moments of WAIT are the equivalent of holding back a thoroughbred after you’ve already opened the gate.

 Renette: Wait is a hard one. I like your comparison of a racehorse at the gate. Wait, when is your most productive brainstorming time?

Tabitha: Early mornings are when the house is quiet, but I’ll be honest, I do love my sleep. If it wasn’t for the alarm going off to wake up my husband for work, there’s no doubt I would miss out on my best brainstorming. Just hand over a cup of coffee—or two—stick an ink pen and notebook in my hands and I’m ready to go…most of the time. Maybe another cup of coffee first.

 Renette: I’m more of a night owl. God makes us all so different. It is amazing. This has been so fun. I’m excited to get your book, Mishap off the Mainland. Hope everyone here will grab a copy.

Tabitha: Thank you again for having me today. It’s a blessing to look back and answer these questions since they refresh all those wonderful emotions and thrills that come from writing.

Thank You again for joining me at The Diamond Mine.

May you be blessed with His SONshine.

Renette Steele

Lady SONshine

 You can find Tabitha Bouldin here.

https://www.facebook.com/tabithabouldinauthor

https://www.instagram.com/tabithabouldin

https://www.twitter.com/tabithabouldin

https://tabithabouldinauthorhome.wordpress.com

https://mailchi.mp/336c3621e5e7/tabithabouldinauthor

 

 All Mel wants is to run the business of her dreams.

Melody Carmichael’s mobile pet grooming business might sink before it can sail when a favorite pet escapes her care. Doggie escape-artist, Daphne, got a taste of freedom, and the Afghan hound refuses to be found.

Enter Zeke Solomon. Desperate to bring the dog home for his grandmother, Zeke steps in to save the day.

And working together with Zeke would be a snap—if they could just find the dumb dog.

Zeke is desperate to prove himself worthy of the Solomon name and step out from his father's shadow. With his father breathing down his neck and demanding he return to the company business; Zeke must decide whether confronting the man he admires most is worth the risk of alienation.

Everything’s falling apart, and Mel’s dream transforms into a nightmare. She thought this was what God wanted for her life, but can you blame her for second-guessing everything?

Was it all just a mistake?

Mishaps off the Mainland is the fifth “Merriweather book” in a new series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

 Available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle: https://amzn.to/3pgh3yR

For signed paperbacks, contact me directly. 

Living the Dream: Brooke Williams on the Diamond Mine with Giveaway!

Hey everyone, guess who’s on the Diamond Mine? None other than Brooke Williams! We’re talking about her new release, Mamarazzi and writing and…well, read on…

She’s awesome and so is her new book. Brooke’s even decided to give away a copy of EITHER Mamarazzi or Accept this Dandelion to one lucky winner. Enter the drawing at the end of the interview!

Mamarazzi

R: Hi, Brooke, I’m glad you’re here. I’m so excited about your new book. I hear it’s terrific. Tell us about it…please!

B: Mamarazzi is a light-hearted romance that deals with one of life’s big questions…is the grass really greener on the other side? In the novel, the female lead is a paparazzo and she’s really good at what she does. She stumbles into a small part on a TV show and ends up on the OTHER side of the camera lens. Add to this that no one knows what she used to do for a living and she’s got a boatload of secrets to cover as well.

R: Whoa. That sounds like quite the story. I can’t wait to read it. With a title like Mamarazzi, it makes one think Italian. As a writer, I have to wonder…how do you pick your character names, especially for a book such as this?

B: I have to admit, I loathe choosing character names. I’m just really bad at it! For a while, I chose names I liked. Then I started grabbing random names from people I went to school with and knew growing up. Once I reached Mamarazzi, I was out! I wanted the names to really fit the characters so I had a name game through Facebook and my website. I outlined what the characters would be like and let friends, followers, and fans name them FOR me. I compiled a list of names for each character, narrowed it down to two or three per character, and then had everyone vote. And THAT’S how the names in Mamarazzi were settled! I especially like Vesper, the main character’s seedy cousin, who is really named Veronica Roy, but changed it to Vesper for Hollywood purposes.

R: What a great idea! I may borrow that one if you don’t mind. Sometimes I’m at a complete loss with character names. I have a book of names but it doesn’t always help. In addition to things such as this, do you have any other advice for a new writer?

B: Yes, I do. Write because you love to write and for no other reason. Never force it. You can always tell when something isn’t coming out right. And if writing is what you want to do, never give up. It is extremely hard to find an agent, the right publisher, or an audience. But if you stop looking, you’ll NEVER find him/it/them, right? Believe in what you do. Not everyone will love every word you lay out there, but if you love it, others will too. You just have to find them! It may feel like a needle in a haystack at times, but I guarantee you’ll never run across the needle if you stop looking. Write, write, write and love it, and you’ve already won!

R: You know, Brooke, I think that’s good advice for the “veteran” writer as well. Or even those authors who are on their way and still figuring out the ropes…so to speak. By the way, how long have you been writing and why did you start?

B: Oh, just since birth. Haha. Okay, I’m not THAT talented! But practically! When I was a kid, I used to cut pictures out of the newspaper (much to my dad’s chagrin when he hadn’t read it yet) paste the pictures onto blank paper, and then write a story about the picture. I’d then sell my “magazines” to my parents for a nickel. I should have known then what I was meant to do. I didn’t try my hand at novel writing until about a year after I graduated college. I was working in radio full time, but I was so compelled by a scene that formed and stuck in my mind that I couldn’t NOT write it. Once I had that scene out, I felt I owed it to the characters to see what happened. So I wrote Someone Always Loved You.

Someone Always Loved You

I searched for an agent and publisher for months without any luck and became highly discouraged. I didn’t write anything other than radio scripts for a full decade. And I’m sad by all the time I lost. Eventually, I put that book out on my own for fun, and it’s been a bestseller in its category on a number of occasions. I got back into writing two years after my oldest daughter was born. I was still in radio, though on a VERY part time basis. I wanted to leave radio and do something from home and writing seemed the natural fit. I started gathering writing jobs and clients and creating a freelance writing business at home. This only fueled my love of writing, and I segued back into novel writing again.

R: What an amazing story. You are a true testament to God’s provision if I’ve ever seen one. As well as a woman of grit and determination to put out your first book, Someone Always Loved You, on your own. Speaking of that, you chose that title. If you do that usually, how do your pick your titles?

Accept this Dandelion

B: That part is usually very easy for me. I generally have an idea for the title before I begin writing the book. Once I have a basic book idea, the title seems obvious. The Mamarazzi idea actually goes back to my college days or possibly even beyond. I was supposed to write a snippet of an original screenplay for a class and I called it Paparazzi. It was about a male paparazzo who stumbles onto a TV set, ends up on the show, and then the paparazzi are taking HIS picture. It was a small portion of a script, but it was an idea I’d always had in the back of my head. Once I went into more romantic comedy type writing, I decided to flush that idea out, make the main character a woman, and call it MAmarazzi instead. The title came naturally.

For my last romantic comedy release, Accept this Dandelion, the title was also easy. Have you ever seen the TV show The Bachelor? In that show, they have rose ceremonies and the man will say, “so and so, will you accept this rose?” It means that he wants the woman to continue to date him and if she accepts the rose, it signifies that she agrees to move on. The book was going to be a similar dating show, only on a local level and in a comedic fashion. So Accept this Dandelion seemed like a natural title! My first novel, Someone Always Loved You, was much more of a struggle. I had NO idea what to call it. My mom helped my come up with a fitting title and I love it now. But it took a while to get there! I much prefer having the title in mind when I start.

R: I know you write romantic comedy and I love your books. I couldn’t put Accept this Dandelion down! It makes it hard for me to imagine writing them could be a struggle, but alas, I know as a writer that’s not true. We all have issues which make writing difficult either with the process or at home. What did you struggle with the most to get Mamarazzi on the page?

B: I was super eager to write Mamarazzi. I don’t usually start a book until I have a basic premise and the very first line or scene formed in my mind. The line for Mamarazzi came to me, and I was itching to write it. But the holidays were upon me. It wasn’t good timing to just sit down and flush it out. To stall, I held the character naming contests and let the ideas stew. That was in November. I spend December preparing clients and flushing out blocks of time so I could write it in January. So waiting to write it was the first and biggest struggle. Second, I wrote a scene in the book that definitely looked like it meant one particular thing. I didn’t know what it actually meant, but I didn't want it to be what was assumed. I had to sit on that a while, and I remember when we were taking our Christmas tree down late in January (finally, I know!) the resolution just came to me. It’s a big tree and my husband was at the top of the stairs trying to take it apart and I’m at the bottom going, oh my gosh, I have it! I know what to do! HE’s like what, what?! Then he realized I meant the book, not the big heavy tree…  For the most part, when I’m writing I just write. I don't think too much about it. I let the characters have free reign!

R: I can see it. Especially his face. Did you have a camera? Those are the moments you really need to keep in a book. LOL Or he does!

Sorry, back to the interview…Okay, where was I? If you weren’t a writer, what do you think you’d be?

B: Being a writer is my dream job. I had NO idea doing this was even a slight possibility or I would have given it a shot a LOOOONG time ago. But if I couldn’t write, I’d love to be an audio book reader. You know, the voice that reads the book to you? Actually, once my daughters are in school and I have more time to work, I’d like to go into that as well. Or I’d like to be in Radio Theater. There are a few radio shows (especially those for kids) that still exist. They’re like TV shows, only it’s audio and not visual. I would love to use my radio skills and either voice characters or produce. I loved the creative aspects of producing when I was in the biz.

R: If you have the voice for it, do it! I sound like a bullfrog. Actually I have no clue what I sound like on the radio. I’ve never been on it before except maybe as a child when we lived in West Monroe, LA. I don’t remember those days though. It’d be cool to try it though!

I picture you working with a radio blaring next to you. Is that how it is? What’s your writing spot look like?

B: Oh, it’s all glamour and spice. Okay, so it’s a tiny desk in the middle of the kitchen. There are piles of random scrap paper on one side of the desk, which is weird because I write really small and can use one scrap of paper for like a year, no joke. Behind the computer screen is the Netflix DVD for the week and any outgoing mail there might be. Above the desk are cubbies jammed with important papers we never get out, stamps, and other odds and ends. Banking stuff, bills, and various whatnot. There’s just enough room on the desk for the keyboard and sometimes I stuff a drink nearby.

The Classic Writer's Workspace

R: I think all writers cram as much as they can into the smallest space possible. I have an office and choose to work out of my chair. Most of my junk stays on my little table next to me. Why? I haven’t figured that out yet…

Thanks for the interview, Brooke. You’re the best!

ENTER GIVEAWAY NOW!

YOUR CHOICE OF MAMARAZZI OR ACCEPT THIS DANDELION...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One e-book of Mamarazzi (upon release) or Accept this Dandelion will be awarded to one winner via random draw (via Rafflecopter widget).

Featured Book (Giveaway), “Mamarazzi”: Release Date: September 11, 2015

Danica Bennett isn't sure what she hates more...her job or the fact that she's good at it.  As one of the many Hollywood paparazzi, she lives her life incognito and sneaks around trying to get the best shot of the latest star.  When she is mistaken for an extra on a new, up and coming TV show, her own star rises and she becomes the one in the photographs.  Add that to the fact that she's falling for her co-star, Eliot Lane, and Danica is in a whole heap of trouble.

About the 2nd prize, “Accept this Dandelion”:

Renee Lockhart has her eye on a lofty goal…to fill the open position of morning radio show host at the station where she works. When her co-workers sign her up for a local TV version of The Bachelor, Renee goes along with it in order to raise her profile. 
Upon seeing her bumbling audition, Ben McConnell, one of the most eligible bachelors in town, insists that Renee be placed on the show. But Ben gets much more than he expected in Renee… he gets a girl who can’t seem to do anything right…and a girl he can’t seem to resist.

About the Author, Brooke Williams:

Brooke Williams is a sleep-deprived mother of two young girls who finds the best way to laugh is to create fictional characters and put them in strange situations. Brooke has a background in radio, but now spends her one free hour a day writing on a freelance basis for clients all over the world. Her previous novels include “Someone Always Loved You,” a family drama as well as the romantic comedies “Wrong Place, Right Time,” and “Accept this Dandelion.” Brooke and her husband Sean married in 2002 and have two daughters, Kaelyn and Sadie.

Website Link: http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/

Blog Link: http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/blog

Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/authorbrookewilliams

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/151184.Brooke_Williams