A Cup of Tea with Rachel Fordham

Welcome back, friends!! I'm so glad you've come for a cup of tea (or coffee) and a chance to meet Rachel Fordham! As always, I have a pot of hot tea and platter of fresh scones with jam and clotted cream to offer you. Go ahead and curl up in a wingback chair or if you want to get fancy, I have a couple beautiful antique Victorian chairs and a settee. 

I had the blessing of meeting Rachel Fordham in person at the last ACFW conference and couldn't wait to interview her for the blog. 

Rachel Fordham is the author of The Hope of Azure Springs. She started writing when her children began begging her for stories at night. She'd pull a book from the shelf, but they'd insist she make one up. Finally, she paired her love of good stories with her love of writing and hasn't stopped since. She lives with her husband and children on an island in the state of Washington.

You can connect with her on Facebook at facebook.com/rachelfordhamfans or her website rachelfordham.com.

 

Thanks so much for joining me here today, Rachel! I am so honored to have you. So let's dive in!

Crystal: What are you reading right now?

Rachel: I just picked up Jane Kirkpatrick’s latest but haven’t started yet. Soon…I hope!

Crystal: What do you like to do when you aren’t reading or writing?

Rachel: I have six kids and we foster so sometimes we have seven. I spend a lot of time at sporting events and church activities for my kids. As a family we love playing board games, going to the beach or working on our yard. We also love taking road trips together.

Crystal: What was the best advice someone ever gave you about writing, life, or anything that strikes your fancy?

Rachel: One thing I always think of when I feel like my plot seems unbelievable is that you can make any character do anything you want as long as you give them a reason why. Often going back and giving them better cause for their actions solves my believability problems.

Rachel has a new book releasing soon called Yours Truly, Thomas. So let's talk about that for a minute. 

Yours Truly, Thomas

For three years, Penny Ercanbeck has been opening other people's mail. Dead ends are a reality for clerks at the Dead Letter Office. Still she dreams of something more--a bit of intrigue, a taste of romance, or at least a touch less loneliness. When a letter from a brokenhearted man to his one true love falls into her hands, Penny seizes this chance to do something heroic. It becomes her mission to place this lost letter into the hands of its intended recipient.

Thomas left his former life with no intention of ending up in Azure Springs, Iowa. He certainly didn't expect a happy ending after what he had done. All he wanted to do was run and never look back. In a moment of desperation, he began to write, never really expecting a reply.

When Penny's undertaking leads her to the intriguing man who touched her soul with his words, everything grows more complicated. She wants to find the rightful owner of the letter and yet she finds herself caring--perhaps too much--for the one who wrote it.

Crystal: Who was the most challenging character to create? What made them so difficult?

Rachel: Eliza Howell is a secondary character in Yours Truly, Thomas. She has a lot going on in her life but doesn’t get a ton of page time so trying to give readers a real sense of her was a struggle. I wanted them to sympathize with her and root for her without having her storyline take over. It was tricky but in the end, I think it came together.

Crystal: Which character was the most fun to create? What makes them fun?

Rachel: Margaret Anders runs a boarding house in Azure Springs and is a dominant secondary character. I LOVE writing her because she’s full of wisdom but delivers her speeches in quirky ways. It’s fun pretending like I have a lot of answers!

Crystal: What was some of your favorite research you discovered while preparing for Yours Truly, Thomas?

Rachel: Researching the dead letter office was so much fun! I had a really hard time not including more details and trivia about the office. I loved reading about the random things that came through the mail, the skills the employees possessed to be able to redirect so much mail (can you imagine all that research with no internet) and I loved reading tidbits about the real-life employees.

You can check out Yours Truly, Thomas at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbooks.com, or your favorite retailer. (I highly recommend you pre-order your copy!)

Those who leave a comment with their email address will be entered to win a copy of Rachel's first book, Hope of Azure Springs. There must be at least five different commenters for the giveaway. Comments will close June 5th at 11:59 pm EST.

Multiple interview and book giveaway with Pelican authors!

Today on The Diamond Mine, I'll be interviewing more than one author, and offering a free copy of one of each of their books. To qualify for the drawing, please leave a comment on the link at the end of the interview, with your email, and you'll be entered!
First up is Kathy Neely!

Today we're focusing on her book, "Beauty For Ashes!"

How long can he hide the truth? 

His Secret was safe until he fell in 

love.

Nathan Drummond’s actions at the age of eighteen had devastating consequences. Writing became therapeutic, leading him into a successful career as a mystery writer. With seven novels to his credit, Nathan is rapidly becoming a household name. 

Family responsibilities force him to return to his home town , pushing him too close to painful memories. Although he’d intended the living situation to be temporary, Nathan didn’t count on falling in love. 
As guilt threatens a return of panic attacks, Nathan begins to write a novel paralleling the tragic event from his youthful folly. Will the novel be seen as a work of fiction, or will it expose his secret?

Hello Kathy! Welcome to the Mine. I have a few questions for you! When did you decide you wanted to write a book, and how did you get to that decision?

As an avid reader, I began writing at a time in my life when I didn’t have time to commit. I worked full time as a teacher, then later as an elementary principal while I was raising three sons. I would plug away at my manuscript then neglect it for months. Those months became years. Every now and then, I would pull it out and work on it. When retirement approached, I thought of that old, neglected manuscript. That’s when I began to take writing seriously. I joined a writing group, attended conferences, and met with two other writers weekly to critique and be critiqued. That manuscript is now my novel, The Least of These.

That's so interesting!My own pattern is similar. All my boys were grown when I started writing novels, even though I'd begun snippets of books many years earlier! 

What is your favorite genre to write, and why?

I write inspirational contemporary fiction. While I love historic fiction, and hope to write something in that genre someday, my mind continues to weave stories that are contemporary. I love to read about unconventional friendships, and that gave birth to The Street Singer. In that novel, you’ll read about the growing relationship between Trisha, a law student, and Adda, a 75 year-old street singer. I also love legal thrillers. While my novels are not that genre, you’ll find my fascination with law in The Street Singer and in Beauty for Ashes. While I wouldn’t label my novels as romance, you’ll find an element of that in each.

What do you want your readers to experience by reading your stories?

I read fiction for recreation. I want my readers to find an escape in the form of a story, one that they’ll remember long after they turn the final page. My stories reflect my Christian worldview without being preachy. My goal is to offer a clean, wholesome novel, yet one that remains authentic. 

Here’s a snippet of an e-mail from a reader regarding Beauty for Ashes. “I’m sitting in my car … Like sobbing. My. Eyes. Out!! This is a beautiful, well written story with so many layers. Guilt. Hate. Joy. Forgiveness. Wow! Very well done.” 

Authentic—that’s what I want my readers to experience.

That's wonderful! It's so gratifying to hear reader reactions like that! What do you experience when writing your stories?

I truly love writing. I can get lost in my own thoughts when planning a story. Characters become real and take on their own personality, sometimes different than I originally intended. Nathan, a novelist and the protagonist in Beauty for Ashes, describes this well. He’s explaining to Angie what writing is like for him.

Excerpt: “They are real people. I have to make myself become them. My mind lives out each scene. What would they feel? How would they react? I’m an actor playing a role, except that I have to play each role, each character. I immerse myself completely, then find words to capture it.”

Wow!! You nailed it. What a spot-on description!

So, what are you working on now?

I’m completing a novel titled True North. It’s a story about a mother’s love. After a teenage pregnancy, she gave her baby up. Twelve years later, she has another chance to be part of his life. Until the unthinkable happens. Throw in a little romance and a subtheme of astronomy.  That’s all you get. No spoiler alert.

Sounds like another great story from you! Kathy, thanks so much for being on The Diamond Mine. It's been a pleasure to host you! Okay readers, don't forget to leave a comment for Kathy at the end of the interview, using the comment link. Here's a bio, plus links for Kathy and her books:

Kathleen Neely is the author of The Street Singer, Beauty for Ashes, and The Least of These.  She is a former elementary teacher. Following her years in the classroom, she moved into administration, serving as an elementary principal. Kathleen is an alumnus of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and Regent University in Virginia. 

Among her writing accomplishments, Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel, The Least of These, was awarded first place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions. She continues to speak to students about writing. Kathleen is a member of Association of Christian Fiction Writers.

She resides in Greenville, SC with her husband, two cats, and one dog. She enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and reading.

Beauty for Ashes purchase link: https://pbgrp.link/2Gvkr3e

Website – www.KathleenNeely.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/kathy.neely.98

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NeelyKneely3628