Could you tell us a little about yourself?
One of the things I’m proud of
is that I was once patted on the head by Prince Philip (Queen Elizabeth’s
husband) when I was a baby, right outside the Belfast City Hall. I was born in
Ireland so a lot of British-ness is
in my novels. My great-grandfather and my grandfather—yes father and son—were
riveters on the Titanic, but as a family we accept no responsibility for the
sinking of that infamous ship.
That last bit is said tongue-in-cheek.
Seriously though, I’m happily married to David for the past 35 years, and we
have three grown children and currently 4 grandsons. I’m also a happily
reunited birth-mom—meaning I relinquished my first child to adoption in 1979
when I was an unmarried mother, and my birth-daughter and I were reunited 20
years later in 1999. Today, my birth-daughter Sarah is part of our extended
family.
So I understand—like my readers
do—what suffering is, and all my novels take those readers through dark valleys
but always bring them out in a wide plain of joy in the Lord.
What genre do you write under, and
what made you choose it?
I found my niche in historical
fiction. I’m not a romance writer exactly, because my stories don’t just focus
on the romance but on much more. I prefer to say I’m a historical author with
Big Love Stories.
I think it all started with my desire
to show how the Lord can heal a broken heart and fill it with scintillating
joy. But I have one contemporary romance out called Londonderry Dreaming.
What made you decide to be a
writer?
It was back in 1999 when I was first
reunited with my birth-daughter, and the reunion had not been as joyful as I’d
hope and prayed for 20 years. My husband caught me crying one day over my
renewed loss of my daughter. He went out and returned a while later with a
brand new pen and journal, and said, “Here, honey, write it.”
That journaling of my broken
heart was the beginning. A few years later I felt the Lord encourage me to put
what I had learned through that experience and the healing He had given me into
fictional novels to help others with their broken hearts.
What advice would you give to those
out there still striving to achieve their dream of being a writer?
I started writing in 1999 and it
wasn’t until 2011 even after winning the ACFW Genesis that my first novel Shadowed in Silk was published. Even
after that novel won a few more awards and my second book Captured by Moonlight won awards too, I still wasn’t selling a lot
of books. My publishers were small press, but I have learned that the Lord
isn’t just interested in the big and fast way to a writing career. Not all of
us will big splash in the world of novels in a fast way.
However, if He has called you to
write, remember this word PERSEVERANCE. After all this time, almost 16 years
since I started, am I just starting
to see my writing get noticed. Here’s another phrase, HANG IN THERE. As I’m
looking at book 6 being published this year by a small publisher, I’m thrilled
with what God has done.
Don’t underestimate THE SMALL
THINGS.
What book are you planning to give
away this week, and could you give us a little preview?
I want to give away a paper-back
copy of my latest novel Veiled at
Midnight which is the Explosive and Passionate Finale to the series
Twilight of the British Raj, following the multi-award-winning Books Shadowed in Silk and Captured by Moonlight.
I’m including the link here to
read the first chapter. Chapter One Veiled at Midnight
VEILED AT MIDNIGHT
The British Empire is coming to
an end. As millions flee to the roads, caught up in the turbulent wake is
Captain Cam Fraser, his sister Miriam, and the beautiful Indian Dassah.
Cam has never been able to put
Dassah from his mind, ever since the days when he played with the orphans at
the mission as a boy. But a British officer and the aide to the last viceroy
cannot marry a poor Indian woman, can he?
As this becomes clear to Dassah,
she has no option but to run. Cam may hold her heart—but she cannot let him
break it again.
Miriam rails against the
separation of the land of her birth, but is Lieutenant Colonel Jack Sunderland
her soulmate or a distraction from what God has called her to do?
The 1947 Partition of India has
separated the country these three love…but can they find their true homes
before it separates them forever?
Do you have a family, and if you do,
what do they do that helps toward your goals?
I have a wonderful family of 3
grown kids, and the best husband in the world. They all have been supportive of
my writing since 1999. In fact my birth-daughter Sarah is the model on the
front cover of Shadowed in Silk, and
my daughter Lana is the model on Captured
by Moonlight.
My husband helps me with my
historical research, and my mother is one of my first readers, and is almost
like an assistant, especially when I speak in public. I couldn’t do my writing
without them.
What do you have coming up for your
readers in the near future?
Now that the series Twilight of
the British Raj is complete, I am currently writing a non-fiction book for
WhiteFire Publishing. It’s about the relinquishment of my birth-daughter and
our painful reunion 20 years later. This book also includes other adoption
reunion stories to show a balanced view. In weaving these true-life stories
together the book will take the reader on a journey to discover a fascinating
aspect to the heavenly Father’s love for us—His El Shaddai love.
I also have a historical romance
coming out with Pelican Book Group called Sofi’s
Bridge. This book is strictly a romance, and it’s spiritual theme is that
we cannot save the ones we love—only Christ can do that.
What role does your faith play in
your writing, and what do you hope to convey to your readers?
I write only to express my faith
and the love relationship I have with the Savior. If it were not for this, I
simply wouldn’t write.
I want to convey that God is in
the business of healing broken hearts and broken lives through His son Jesus
Christ. He is an amazing God who is at the very heart of romance—His romance
with us.
One of my favorite things to ask
each person I interview is: Do you have a favorite book? A favorite character?
And if so, what makes them stick out in your mind?
Jane Eyre. In my opinion there
is not greater example of a Christian love story. And of course my heroine is
Jane Eyre herself. She stood up for her Christian beliefs and did not give in
to her human passion for Rochester, and God rewarded her in the end with the
man she loved, but all in God’s timing and in purity.
Lastly, what is your main goal for
writing, and have you achieved it? If not, what do you plan on doing to further
that goal?
Goals are so fluid. I find it
better for me to just take one day at a time and trust God with the details.
However, I found Him to be so faithful. I asked Him way back in 1999 if I could
be a Christian author and encourage others through my stories, and He has
allowed that to happen. As to how far He wants my writing career to go, I leave
that in His hands. I’m a very happy and satisfied woman. The joy of the Lord flows through my veins.
Thank you so much for sharing with
us this week, Christine. I hope you’ll come back and visit with us again soon. J
If you’re interested in any of Christine Lindsay’s books, here are the purchase links.
