It’s another week at the
Diamond Mine! And what a week it is! To break the election hubbub, we have a
wonderful writer in our midst. We welcome Ryan Jo Summers to our corner of the
fiction world. Make sure you check out the giveaway for a chance to win an amazing
book after the interview! But right now, let’s get started…
About Beside Still Waters:
Top Journalist and
corporate climber, McKayla Buchanan, is sent to a remote California mountain
camp for inner-city, at-risk teens. Accustomed to political corruption and
high-society drama assignments, she is suddenly a fish out of water. At Camp In
As Much, she meets eight hostile and distrustful teens, assorted volunteers and
rescued horses—and Clay.
Clay Michaels is the man
who founded Camp In As Much and made it the success it is now. His hope for the
highly recommended journalist is to come and write a feature to send seeds out
to form other camps like his nationwide. He never considered the reporter would
turn out to be a lovely woman, or for him to have such an attraction to her.
Between McKayla’s
worldly experience and Clay’s strong faith, they form a partnership to help
with the endless challenges of the kids. While McKayla’s assignment is supposed
to be temporary, it isn’t long before she and Clay are each wishing it could
last longer. A serious situation will force McKayla to decide if she can give
up her worldly ways and place her faith in the same higher source that earthy
and godly Clay does.
A
note from Ryan Jo Summers: The inspiration for this novel is rooted in a single catalogue
photo. I work for a high fashion clothing retailer. A few years ago I was
browsing through the latest style guide and one image caught my attention—and
imagination. A handsome guy reclined comfortably in a high-back chair, modeling
corduroy pants. He was holding a tome of literature, pretending to be reading,
while soft light spilled out over him from the vintage lamp on the table.
Literary classics are piled around him. The scene was peaceful and provocative,
stirring something within me.
And the scene is
replicated in “Beside Still Waters”. The hero, Clay Michaels, retreats to his
den after a precarious situation with the kids at the camp. The heroine,
McKayla Buchanan, finds him, and the camp dog, there. Clay is reading a
copy of “Pilgrim’s Progress”, looking for insight to the circumstances. Her
heart melts at the tenderness of the picture he makes. They chat a bit and then
they go out to the labyrinth. With the full moon watching, they begin a walk
that will bring them closer together.
Renee: Hello, Ryan! Welcome to the Diamond Mine. I’m
so glad you’re here, and I want to hear all about you book. I bet everybody
else does too, so…let’s dig in. What’s special about your new book, Beside
Still Waters?
Ryan: Thanks for having me, Renee! Well…I’d have to
say it’s the sheer number of supporting characters. The story line revolves
around the hero and heroine, how their opposite lives, lifestyles and outlooks
slowly work to bring them together. However, McKayla has a life back in LA when
we first meet her. She reaches the camp she is assigned to report on and meets
not only the hero, but eight kids, half a dozen volunteers, and even a handful
of horses. Just keeping all those characters straight was fun. I tried to keep
their names linked for simplicity. The three young men who stay at the camp
part time and volunteer with the delinquents are Jake, Mike, and Zeke. All four
letters, all ending in 'ke', and shortened forms of Biblical names. The two
main volunteers are Heather and Amanda. Their initials form the word 'Ha', as
in laughter. Volunteering should be fun, with lots of laughter. The teens are
either one's your cheer for, want to hug or want to shake some sense into.
Renee: I’m so glad I’m not the only writer who has a
ton of characters! LOL Even animals deserve the consideration. It is a
challenge when penning a story and reading one, but sometimes the story calls
for it. It can’t be written any other way. Speaking of challenges, what would
you say is your biggest challenge as an author?
Ryan:
Oh my, finding the time
to write or promote! It seems I can't do both on the same day. I work,
technically, three jobs. Full time in security on a second shift for a fashion
retailer. I pet sit on the side, usually before work and weekends. That means I
have to use the blocks between those two for either writing my current
WIP, or promoting recent releases, or working on something like edits,
free-lance articles, blogging, other submissions, or whatever writing project
is on my desk. Any remaining time is spent on errands, housework, pet care,
yard maintenance, and 'me' time. Suffice to say, my day is packed from crack of
dawn to wee hours of the middle of the night with something to do! I wish I had
more hours just to push everything else away and work on my work-in-progress.
Renee: Oh, Ryan! Are you sure we aren’t the same
person in two different bodies? I can relate
to everything you say. LOL Where do you write or get away from your stress of
life? Do you have what I call a special, cherished spot?
Ryan: I am blessed to live near a national forest
nestled in the Appalachian mountains. There is a river nearby that I love to go
to. I sit by the edge, listening to the rapids rushing over the rocks, see the
birds soar over the trees and watch the leaves grow green or fall in red-gold
blurs. It is my corner of peace away from everything else. I might journal, I
might write short stories or parts of others. I might do nothing but talk to
God. We have lots of good conversations there. It's more 'our' spot.
Renee: I would love
to see your beautiful getaway. I have a spot much like it in my Wind River
Mountains. I hang out next to the Popo Agie River and watch the water run over
the rocks. The sound is amazing and the smell of the pine trees…I would love to
experience your Appalachians, too.
To switch topics, people
always plan for the future to leave things, whether physical or not, for those left
behind…a legacy. Have you thought of such and what your legacy would be?
Ryan: If I could leave a legacy, it would be my
house. I just bought it two years ago (October 27, 2014) It was built in 1920
and I have enjoyed this charming old place. I would like one of the area
colleges to take it when I leave this earth and use it as a writer-in-residence
location for authors to come, stay, and work on their craft. I've contacted the
colleges, explained my broad vision and how there is insurance to cover
expenses, but have not had any interested parties. If anyone has any
suggestions on how to engage the English departments from colleges in a
writer-in-residence program, please let me know.
Renee: Oh, what a good question! I have no clue, but
someone out there must know! Anybody??? Contact us or Ryan! What keeps you going,
Ryan? Do you do or know something special or is it something else?
Ryan: God never does leave us. This I know. Like many
writers, I also keep a journal. It is broken into periods of my life, that I
call chapters. Something significant happens and I enter a new 'chapter'. The
shortest chapter is a three month period I called 'Scattered like a Leaf in the
Wind". The longest chapter is the current one, chapter 9, which has lasted
two years and is called "By the Grace of God, I Made It: The Road
Ahead". Prayers by the untold number go into each chapter. For chapter
three, I was homeless. I'd been forced out of my rental by rain rot in the roof
and black mold and a landlord who refused to make repairs. I was so sick, I had
to leave. The plans to stay with family fell through and I found myself living
in the back of my Jeep, traveling the highway between two states a thousand
miles apart for three months. I cannot tell you how many times I felt
abandoned, how I identified with Jesus as he cried out from the cross, and how
I had to learn to stop depending on myself. Looking back at those pages
today--about seven years later--is a strong testament to God's love, mercy,
provision and how He keeps His promises in His time. It's hard to see that when
you are caught in the heart of the storm. I have a quote that reads: Life
is lived forward but understood backward. Nowhere is that more apparent
than in reading my journals.
A special quote I love
is more of a prayer. Lord, I can't say it in words. Can You just listen
through my heart? Isn't that beautiful? I think of the promised
Intercession Jesus spoke about, who would make utterances on our behalf. I
lean on that a lot when things get too complicated to say it in words. Another
one is God's dawn of deliverance often comes when the hour
of trial is darkest. Is that ever true!
Renee: Yes, more so than most people ever realize.
Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees?” I
think that sometimes we lose sight of the whole picture because of the mess in
front of us. Whether it’s busyness, small things, or nutty, tedious things,
they blind us to what’s most important…God.
Do you have something in
your life which roots you or reminds you of God’s love?
Ryan: Pets-- I have seven pets, most are rescues.
Five cats-- Whymzie Belle, age 12, Muldoone, age 12, Kryshnah, age 11, Aspen
Kennedy, age 4, and Avery Faith, age 3. Aspen and Avery Faith are
mother/daughter and I think I might be rounding their ages up a little more
than they really are. Three were feral, with no home. Two were not able to stay
in their homes. Now they fill my home with antics, joy and loving trust. I
have a 21-year-old blue & gold Macaw named Taz. I've known him since he was
an ugly, featherless chick and have lived with him since he was 4. He was
raised in a pet store, boisterous and out of control and then isolated to an
unlit room and lived in dark solitude for a year. Avian rescuers were trying to
get him and a cockatoo out of there. I cut a deal and bought him, so the rescue
group could get the cockatoo. Once I learned how to handle a big macaw, he and
I have bonded and have a wonderful relationship. And yes, he does talk-- a lot!
Lastly, March 22, 2015 I adopted a collie, a blue merle called Ty. He was
removed from a bad hoarding situation along with eight other collies in a
neighboring state. The collie rescue group in my state took all nine in. Two
weeks later I met Ty. He was emotionally shut down, much like some of the
characters in my book "Beside Still Waters". He was traumatized
and displayed severe PTSD. It has taken over a year to get him to what might be
considered normal, however he still isn't fully settled. I started a blog for
him, Travels with Ty and
our journey is chronicled there. My long term hope is to one day take it and
make it into a book and send the proceeds to the collie rescue group I adopted
him from. I also have some freshwater fish in two big aquariums in my study.
The bio-wheel filtration sounds like surround sound waterfalls.
Renee: It’s sounds like a crazy world in your house! Fun,
but crazy! LOL I like it. Well, let’s continue to explore the crazy world of
Ryan Jo Summers. If you could spend a week anywhere, where would it be?
Ryan: Mmm, it would be one of two places. Either
touring the New England coast in the Fall, with my dog and bird. I'd like to
see Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine of course, and inland to Vermont. I want
to spend time at the water, eat the local foods, tour the lighthouses, see the
residents and absorb the regional flair. Bucket list trip # 2 would be a week
on the North Carolina shore, again with my dog, staring at the waves,
lighthouses, and boats.
Renee:
Cool trips. Okay, that’s
it. We have to be sisters. I love lighthouses. I got the dog, but umm…a bird? I
can see hanging out in a lighthouse with you and your bird laughing at me when
a seagull poops on my head. Sorry, but I can. Can we leave the bird at home?
Please!?!?
Okay, I’ll stop dreaming
now. Thanks for being with us at the Diamond Mine but before you leave, can you
offer a bit of wisdom for the writers out there?
Ryan: A brief testimony? Sure, this is a true story.
I experienced a sudden, unexpected separation after a 12-year marriage. Life's
little surprises! I was devastated, humiliated, hurt, lost, adrift...you get
the point. The courts were a terrible long story. I ended up, eleven months
later, having to leave. I had no family, nowhere to go, no money, no hope and
no clue. I had a map of the US on the wall in my office, and I kept staring at
it. Where should I go? I have nothing but my pets and a few odds and ends. I
kept hearing a quiet voice, "Asheville, North Carolina." I was always
alone at the time. The voice persisted over days. I was in northern Michigan,
where in the world was Asheville, North Carolina? I didn't know anyone there or
where it was. I looked it up on the map...golly that was a long ways away! I
relented, bought a plane ticket, and prepared to go down and check it out. The
day I was due to fly in, I heard on the news the town was shut down to recent
hurricane flooding. I asked out loud into the room, "Are You sure about
this? It's shut down and flooded down there." I heard a distinct, soft
chuckle and the whisper to go, and trust. So I went, flew in, landed in what
looked like a swamp and fell in love. With the place, the people, the culture.
I was catching them at their worse, just like I was at my worse. I found a
place to rent and some leads on jobs. I returned home, arranged for the church
van and a driver. It took time, patience, and trust, but it all fell together
one day. With a tiny bit of cash, a rented van and driver, my pets and a few
personal belongings, I left Michigan with my tail between my legs, my heart
shattered and my faith fragile as a mustard seed. It took years-- 12 so far--to
gain a foothold. It has not always been easy. I've stood on mountaintops
(literally and figuratively) and fallen into the valleys of despair. My faith
and trust has been stretched, shaped, pounded and flexed in some incredible
ways. In my book, "Beside Still Waters", Clay explains how the
prophet Jeremiah tells of the potter at the wheel, reshaping the marred clay
vessel until it was how The Master wanted it to be. Clay explains that is what
he's doing with the kids at the camp, letting God use him to reshape the marred
kids into usable vessels. He was just The Master's potter at the wheel.
If I couldn't write,
what would I do? I can't imagine not writing. Even if not for publication, I
would still have to scribble something. I use poetry to cope with life's
tragedies and challenges. I would still do that to deal with life. I would
still have to journal. It's a mile marker and another coping mechanism for me.
I would probably still blog my thoughts and Ty's journey, sharing them in
cyberspace if anyone cared to read either one. I would still pen stories, if
nothing else to fulfill my heart and maybe enter in writing contests. If I were
to win, great. If not, at least I wrote it down. "Emily", a short of
740 words, was a dream that came to me. It's enigmatically mysterious and
leaves me full of questions, and some friends think there was an Emily at some
time and she chose me to write her story down. So I share "Emily" to
anyone who wants to hear it, to grant her wish if she was real and just to
write. Interestingly, I suffer from some chronic auto immune issues that
sometimes affect my hands/ fingers. It is painful, if not impossible to write
some days. I lean on Nehemiah, in chapter 6, verse 29 where he prays to God:
"Oh Lord, please strengthen my hands!" I wonder about if the time comes
when I cannot physically type or hold a pen. What will I do if writing were to
be taken away from me? I like to think I would still find a way to get the
words out. It might alter my career, but it cannot silence the desire.
In conclusion, first I thank
you, Renee, for hosting me here on The Diamond Mine. It has been a great visit.
I have one more quote I like: When it looks like everything is falling apart,
that is when everything is falling together. That fact has proven true so
many times. It just takes the faith the size of a mustard seed. Looking back,
thanks in part to my journals, I have seen so many times God was at my side,
holding my hand, sometimes holding me up, and always in control as life moved
around me. I write different kinds of romance fiction, but Christian is my
favorite. It is easier in that it's more honest than some other genres of
fiction, but it's harder because it leads me to holding a mirror up to myself,
doing some soul-searching, and dwelling deep into God's character, promises and
plans. My journey with God always advances in leaps and bounds when I am
writing Christian fiction, and I come away from the finished story with a
better knowledge of God and me.
Thank you so much for a
wonderful time, Ryan! It’s been a great interview and fun chat.
Now it’s your turn,
folks!
Ryan is giving away one
paperback copy of her book, Glimpse Eternity. The winner will be chosen from
those who sign up for her newsletter.
2.
Mention the Diamond Mine to enter the giveaway
and then comment below to confirm your entry!
This book is amazing and you will absolutely love it!
Ryan Jo Summers
writes romance across the genres. Her books contain love stories blended with
any combination of mystery, paranormal, time travel, shape shifting, Christian
and humor elements. She comes from a family of wordsmiths. Her dad is a
songwriter and his aunt wrote poetry. Ryan Jo dabbles in poetry, short
stories and non-fiction articles.
In her spare time, she
enjoys cooking and baking, reading, spending time with friends,
growing plants, playing
chess, mah jongg, and wiggly word find puzzles and exploring the great outdoors.
She lives in the heart of Appalachia in Western North Carolina in a
charming old cottage with a menagerie of rescue pets
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