The Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction: self-publishing

Showing posts with label self-publishing. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Interview with Catherine Brusk

I am thrilled to introduce The Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction community to fellow independent author Catherine Brusk! Catherine sat down with me and took the time to answer some of my questions on her author journey. I am excited to share with you my interview with Catherine.

Here is a little bit about Catherine:

Catherine is a writer of realistic, gritty Christian fiction/romance. You can find her "Finding Faith" series and "A DGI Romance" Collection available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Catherine has a bachelor's degree in Communications with an emphasis on film. She loves everything that includes a story and thinks humor and dessert are some of God's best blessings in life.

Let's learn more about Catherine!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to interview you Catherine! When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

Catherine: That’s a hard question for me. Writing stories began for me in junior high as a source of entertainment. It changed in high school to writing in a journal to record goals, dreams, and prayers. Then I hit an incredibly painful part of my life during college. I can remember going to write in my journal what had happened and thinking, “I don’t want to remember this.” I put my pen down and I didn’t pick it up again for years. When I finally did, my writing had become a combined mess of entertainment, pain, questions, and, ultimately … hope. It wasn’t until a close friend read my work that even the thought of publishing entered my mind. So really, it was God speaking through her that finally pulled me into that thought process, and by then I was working on the third book in my first series. It’s been a journey of ups and downs and crazy spiral circles ever since!

It's crazy how God can use our painful circumstances to lead us to his purpose. Is there anything you wish you did when you were younger to become a better writer as an adult?

Catherine: To be flat out honest, I wish I had taken some graphic design classes in college. Marketing as an indie author is no joke!

I feel this DEEPLY. I always say we have to be our own enterprise as indie authors ...meaning we own and lead EVERY DEPARTMENT. It can be exhausting! Is there any writing advice you've been given that stuck with you?

Catherine: Here’s the thing about writing advice: just because it works for some people, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. We’re all different people who are layer after layer of complications and opinions and beliefs. So ultimately, I take it all with a grain of salt. I don’t write every day. I don’t read every day. I certainly don’t market my work every day. I do what I can and let God take care of the rest. The one unique thing that I do that I specifically think helped my writing immensely though, was actually taking acting classes in college. I learned all about body language and how to get into someone else’s head and how to ask questions to create characters. Those classes have been a Godsend in my life when it comes to my writing. So, that’s my own advice to give: if you get a chance, take some acting classes!

This will also be helpful If your books are ever turned into a series or film. You'll know what to look for in the lead actors! ;) Do you have a special place you like to write?

Catherine: I will write anywhere. In fact, my book What Hope Washed Up was written completely on my phone in the Google Docs app, due to the busyness of life at the time. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! However, my absolute favorite spot to write will probably always be the corner of a coffee shop. Caffeine, yummy snacks, earbuds so I’m not too distracted by the noise, and people-watching for when I get stuck are always a good thing. Plus, it means I won’t be distracted with chores at home.

WOW. I am so impressed you wrote an entire book off your phone!! I'm curious what has been your favorite part of the independent publishing journey?

Catherine: Hearing from my readers. Hands down, that’s my favorite part. Second favorite part is working with my cover designers. They both have been great friends of mine and the process was so much fun and resulted in deeper friendships.

I would have to agree, hearing from fans who have been touched by your work is really something special. And your covers are so beautiful! Okay let's throw a fun question out there. Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink (or both)?

Catherine: I am a Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi girl – especially out of an ice-cold two liter. I tend not to snack very much while actually writing since my fingers are busy typing, but I’ll never turn down good popcorn and a cheese stick, either.

I shamefully love white cheddar cheetos which is the ABSOLUTE WORSE snack for a writer. My keyboard becomes a disaster. Were there any challenges you faced when publishing your first book?

Catherine: Goodness, yes! I am not the most tech-savvy person in the world and, honestly, if it weren’t for my husband, I would have no books released! The formatting, though getting easier with each book, always presents some sort of issue which almost always requires a line-by-line indent check. I will say after having six books under my belt now, it has gone from something that had me in absolute panicked tears with the first book, to, with the most recent book, something that only made me grumble and roll my eyes before getting down to business. Yay, growth!

Yes! For my ebooks I always mess up the page breaks somehow when I upload to KDP. It is the most frustrating thing. Since this is the Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction, what advice would you give to someone who wants to be a Christian Fiction writer?

Catherine: I have a two-fold answer. First, study your Bible. Don’t just read it, study it. Research it. Second, remember that you’re writing for the masses. You’re writing for those who want to know the Greek and the Hebrew but also to the new baby Christians. One thing I do is I have an atheist read my work. Her responses are invaluable to making sure anything too “Christianese” is explained properly.

That's incredible. On that same note, do you have a favorite Bible verse that inspires you?

Catherine: I absolutely love the verses in 2 Corinithians 12:9-10 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

We have the same favorite verse!! Catherine thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today! What’s next for you? Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

Catherine: So many projects going and so many more in my head! I am in a busy season in my personal life, with the ages of my kids, so it’s extremely hard to make promises of the “wheres” and “whens” of the future, but eventually books two and three of A DGI Romance Collection will make their own Christmas debuts. Then I have two other standalone projects currently competing for attention on top of that. Slowly but surely, and of course the ultimate thanks to my readers for their understanding and patience!

One last question! What do you hope Christian Readers take away from your books?

Catherine: I hope they take away questions that only God can answer for them. I hope they take away inspiration to care about the injustices of the world. I hope they take away a newfound courage to discuss topics rarely talked about in the church, and I hope they take away hope in a God who is always faithful, even when they can’t see it.

You can learn more about Catherine and find links to her books and to her social channels on her website: www.catherinebrusk.com

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Susette Williams Never Meets a Stranger

Welcome Miners. You most likely don't recognize my name as I'm new to the Diamond Mine and this is my first official post. I'm thrilled to join the team and introduce you to some great reads.

So, without, further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Susette Williams.

As a fellow hopeless romantic, I have to ask how you met your husband?

My husband and I actually met in a donut shop and actually went on to start our own. We were only twenty years old! I can’t imagine many twenty year olds doing the things we did at that age.

My husband likes to tell people about when he first asked me out. He said, “If I wasn’t so shy, I’d ask you out.” My response, “Huh?” Yep, I didn’t hear exactly what he said so he had to repeat himself. We still laugh about that to this day.

With six children to care for, how do you find time to write?

If anyone tells you it gets easier when your children get older—they’re lying! I started writing when our twins were ten months old—they turned nineteen this year and it has not gotten any easier trying to find time (or peace and quiet) to write. Stress is probably a bigger inhibitor of writing, and we’ve been under a lot of stress. (Two family members in the house in walking boots, one recovering from a broken bone, the other still recovering from surgery he had in January; and my second grandchild is due shortly. There’s more stress than this, but you get the picture, it all adds up and can be mentally taxing!)

[Side note, Susette and her family could use prayers while they've got so much happening right now]

In the beginning of your Mail Order Brides collection, you mention you and your husband ran a bakery in House Springs, MO (the setting for the books) for more than eighteen years. As a fan of sweets, I have to ask, have you shared recipes in any of your books?

The recipes I have shared in my Amish books were not from the bakery, except for maybe the crumb topping I use for apple pies. We have experienced some odd things over the years in the bakery. We had a person come through the drive thru on a horse, a plane land on the highway and taxi into our parking lot (they came in and got a cup of coffee), and we had a car drive into the building (nobody got hurt thankfully).

You’ve written several different genres—historical, Amish, cozy mysteries, contemporary, and children. In addition to writing, what is your research process? And do have a preference or favorite genre?

I have a wide interest, which is evident by the various genres I write… and have yet to write, but will get around to one day! Some of the things my children went through, did, or said, inspired story ideas for children’s books.

Historical was actually a genre I thought I would never write, but researching information about the city I grew up in (St. Louis) and hearing the locals talking about the area I moved to after marriage, intrigued me.

I struggle with the fact that I want to write so many different things, but unfortunately, I can’t write it all fast enough!

Your mother, husband, and children say you’ve never met a stranger. What’s one of the more unique initial meetings you’ve had? I won’t even ask which book it ended up in.

My husband and I went out to eat yesterday and he said the server needed a good tip because we didn’t know his life story. He then told me I was going to eventually give up writing and become an interrogator if I kept getting detailed information about people’s lives.

I can’t think of anything specific that is unique. Although, my husband had a wrong number phone call from someone whose house was on fire. He got them away from their home on the phone and drove to find their house to make sure they were safe. The police and fireman weren’t too sure about how or why he ended up there. Sometimes God puts us in situations to be there or to pray for a person. I had a wrong number this past week in which I was able to pray for a situation the person and their loved one was going through. I’m trying to be better at asking God to show me what I am supposed to do or learn in different situations. Sometimes it is harder to focus on others when we are going through storms in our own life, but often that is when God has something for us to learn or do, which may just be being available to meet someone else’s needs. When you’re giving and doing, the weight of your own burdens is lifted it seems.

I enjoy books that make me smile at parts because my dad has a healthy sense of humor. There were several scenes in your Mail Order Brides collection that made me laugh. My favorite was how Caleb obtained his bride. I’m sure there is a lot of laughter in your home, but have you used some of those experiences in your books?

My sense of humor has come back to bite me, because my children can be just as ornery. I love making people laugh, even if it is at me. I told hubby, my next profession will be a stand-up comedian. LOL

Since you didn’t mention Maid for Murder, I’ll assume you haven’t read that book yet. That was probably the most fun book I have written because I got to let loose on my humor. I read a book one day that I loved, but it had a couple questionable scenes, that I threw the book away and couldn’t recommend it to anybody. I told myself that one day I wanted to write a book that would have readers feeling so embarrassed for the character that they would have a hard time reading. Bailey was my attempt, and to be honest, I still didn’t make it as zany as I had hoped.

Is there one of your characters you relate to more than the others? One that has some of your characteristics or likes and dislikes?

Bailey [from Maid to Murder: Deadly Business]! I used to be bad with the sarcastic comments and one-line zingers. I’ve actually mellowed over the years. While I do have plans to write some more serious books, I think you will usually see a hint of humor somewhere. In one book I still have to finish, the humor comes from a secondary character. While things in life may be serious or solemn at times, not ‘all’ the people around you are in the same mindset, so I don’t think it should be that way in books either. Humor has helped us to get through some really rough times in life.

Thank you for spending time with us today, Susette. I enjoyed reading your Mail Order Brides collection and look forward to delving into some of your other books. It's been a pleasure getting to know you.

Author Bio:

Susette Williams is the mother of six, and has been married to her husband for 32 years in September. She loves writing various genres; anything from romance, mystery, and suspense to name a few. She usually can't resist the urge to let her ornery sense of humor shine through in one of her characters and has always believed that laughter helps you deal with the obstacles life puts in your way.

Connect with Susette:

www.susettewilliams.com

AuthorSusette Williams

@SusetteWilliams

AmazonAuthor Page

Don't miss out on the Kindle Countdown Deal (Aug 26-27) and get the Mail Order Brides Collection for only $0.99. Four brides for four brothers in four novellettes.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UPVHTSA

Here's a peek at the first story in the collection:

Jessie’s Bride ~ Book 1

Jessie Kincaid doesn’t plan to follow in his three older brothers’ footsteps, which seems to include being bachelors. There might be twice as many men as women in their town, but there are still other ways to go about finding, or competing, for a wife.

Jessie begins writing Sarah Engle in hopes that she will become his mail order bride. Even though there are miles between them, he feels connected to her. He sends her money, along with a stage coach ticket, to come see him so that they can be married.

Not everyone is happy with their decision to wed. When the preacher said, till death do you part, did he mean literally? Or can a mail order bride and her groom truly have a happily ever after ending?

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Welcome Sylvia Wheatley to the Mine!

Today I'm privileged to have independent author Sylvia Wheatley with me on the blog. She's produced several books in both fiction and non-fiction. As a special treat, Sylvia has agreed to make one of her titles Your Time or Mine available for free until the end of the day tomorrow (July 31, 2014). Read ahead for details.

Welcome, Sylvia! I'm so glad to have you with us today. Tell the readers a little about yourself and how you got into writing.

I was born in South Africa and brought up in a home where my parents loved the Lord with all their hearts. At nine years of age my mother told me I was not a Christian because they were. This made me think and I asked Jesus into my life. At twenty one I came to England and went to theological college.

After college I trained as a registered general nurse and when I was trained nursed. I then married, had a daughter and became a district nurse. After that I became a teacher and later a chiropodist. I also became the minister of a church.

I have always written, right from very young. Stories, articles, Bible studies, anything. To me writing is an intrinsic part of my life. I cannot imagine life without writing. My imagination is acute and I even dream stories though what I dream I do not usually write.

How fascinating! I'll bet you have some fantastic stories from all your travels. Since you don't usually write about your dreams, what sort of books do you write and why?

Mostly I write novels and in all of them I like some excitement. Usually there is some medical aspect to a story though not always and there is always romance. My book ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ is about soul winning and I am hoping to publish some other Biblical books soon, God willing.

I'm a huge romance fan myself. I can't seem to write anything without at least a touch of it somewhere. Discovering how it fits is always fun. What's your favorite part of the writing process?

The most favourite part of the writing process is actually writing because I never plan my books. An idea pops into my head and I open my laptop and start typing. Because I do not plan I find the process very exciting because I never know what is coming next. It just comes. It feels as if I am reading a book, not writing it. Once the book is completed I go back and add to it, subtract from it, try to make it as readable as possible.

That does sound exciting! Like an adventure with your characters. :) Writing seems to be full of adventures, including the publishing process. How did you decide to self-publish and what challenges/rewards did you experience with that?

I decided to self publish because going through publishers is a long and tedious process. It involves sending books to various publishers and waiting for ages to receive responses, even to having the book printed. Short articles are a bit different but even they take ages until you receive the final payment. There are many would be authors who probably never publish because of these difficulties and I have found from reading self published books that most of the ones I have read are good.

What do you hope readers take away from your story?

I always hope people will enjoy the plot. I also want them to think about God and how necessary Jesus is to our lives. That does not involve preaching. It involves bringing it naturally into the story. One can clearly tell people of their need for Jesus in just a few words and then bring it up again later in the story. My book on soul winning is slightly different because it is about that subject but in that I try to make it as readable as possible, not preachy and with lots of stories.

Any last words to your readers?

If you like reading I invite you to read one of my books and make up your mind about it. Below are the links to my books and my web page. I am also on Facebook. I have a personal page and also an author page.

Don't miss Book 1 of the 'When Times Collide' series, free on Amazon for 2 days only! Get your copy now at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KECYWI0. And make sure to leave a comment for Sylvia to make her feel welcome at the Diamond Mine.