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.

Books by Sylvia Wheatley

Why Didn’t You Tell Me?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KOWIENO

A book on leading people to Jesus

The Enigmatic Defection

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J4XS36W

A romantic thriller set in East Germany and England

before and when the wall came down

The Tangled Web

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JG7RF74

A Christian romance set in Alaska and Great Britain

The first in the series ‘The Web of Lies’

.Will The Web Break?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K8E8W6W

A Christian romance and thriller

The second book in the series ‘The Web of Lies’

Your Time or Mine

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KECYWI0

(Book 1 of a trilogy, ‘When Times Collide’))

This is a book about a young lady who accidentally discovers a

way to travel in time and travels back to just before the

first world war where she a friend who will change her life

Your Time is Mine

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LJEWZG8

(Book 2 of a trilogy, ‘When Times Collide’))

The first world war begins and Sylvia continues to travel back

in time while carrying on her own life in the year 2002

Web Page

http://sylviabiodoros.wix.com/sylvia-wheatley

Interview and Book Giveaway with Dvora Waysman

 Today I’m interviewing Dvora Waysman. She’s a multi-published author as well as a syndicated journalist, who lives in the ultimate city: Jerusalem! Her newest book, “Autumn Blessing,” an e-book published by Prism Book Group, is available now. After the interview, I’ll post a blurb about it. If you leave a comment, you’ll be included in the drawing for a free copy of “Autumn Blessing!” So, here we go!

Hi Dvora! I’m so enjoying getting to know you. Let me start the interview by asking what inspired you to start writing fiction books?

I have always been a writer - short stories, articles, poetry - anything that invoves the written word. I also love reading, so novels were a natural progression for me.

I’ve read that you began writing at age 7! What age were you when you began to write fiction novels? What was your first novel, and how long did it take you to write it?

My first novel was "The Pomegranate Pendant" now a movie titled "The Golden Pomegranate".  It came late in life - in1995 - when I was 64. "The Pomegranate Pendant" is a historical novel set in Jerusalem over 100 years ago (in 1882, when the first Jewish Yemenites arrived in the Holy Land to escape their persecution).  I had to do a lot of research, and especially about Yemenite jewelry as my heroine is a silversmith.  It took me 9 months to write.

“The Pomegranate Pendant” was made into a movie. What was it like to see something that began as an idea in your head actually fleshed-out into reality?

Having it made into a movie was very exciting.  It is fairly faithful to my book although certain things were added for dramatic reasons.

I’ve heard some authors say they wished they hadn’t let go of creative control when their book was made into a movie. Did you feel that way? Was it hard to let other people take control of your story?

I had the right of veto and was present on the set for much of the filming - in fact I appear, like Hemingway, in a cameo part - but if you blink, you miss me.  I exercised my veto on a rape scene they wanted to include. It held  up the filming for a while, but in the end they agreed to delete it.

You’ve certainly had a very interesting life so far, and I can see that some of your books incorporate your experiences into them. After I read “Autumn Blessing” I found myself wondering how much of it was based on your own life. Care to expound on that?

"Autumn Blessing" is pure fiction, except for the name Dorothy which was my name in Australia (Dvora is the Hebrew version).  Thankfully I am not a widow and have been married 59 years.  But I think all fiction must represent emotions the author has experienced from time to time, or it would not be realistic.

I really enjoyed the way you describe Dorothy as if she were a flower herself, coming out of a dark, dormant phase and gradually responding to light and new growth. Was this a familiar process for you in your own life?

In my long life, I have lived in many places and travelled the world,sometimes on book tours  When I was young, I lived a few years in London and Youth Hostelled  my way around Europe; I have spent time also in the Far East - Hong Kong, Bangkock and Singapore.  But my life took on a new dimension when we came to the spiritual city ofJerusalem.  It is a great privilege to live here.

A large portion of American women (the baby-boomers, as we call them) are now around the age of your main character Dorothy. What advice would you give on how best to navigate this stage of life known as the golden years?

The golden years are really a misnomer, for they can't replace youth where every day is a new exciting experience.  But if you keep your heart young and take time to look for the dewdrop in the heart of the rose, you will go on finding life to be beautiful.

What is the main idea you want to convey to the reader through Dorothy’s story?

I think that when one door closes, another one opens.  We shouldn't cry because it's over, but smile because it happened.  Memories should be cherished.

What do you like most, and least about being a writer?

I love everything about being a writer. The joy never leaves me.  I am in love with words!

What are you working on now?

A new novel called "Searching for Sarah" set in Jerusalem.  It is about a portrait of a young woman found abandoned in a studio and the search for the artist.  I am 83 now, so this will probably be my swan song.  It is both prose and poetry and I aim to make it memorable if God grants me enough time to complete it.

I pray that He will, and more besides! Thank you so much for doing this interview, Dvora. I'm honored and thrilled to know you. I pray for blessings and safety to you in this challenging time in Jerusalem. May God's protection cover you and all of Israel, and may there soon be peace. 

Now, here's a short  blurb about "Autumn Blessings."

Autumn can be a desolate season. For Dorothy, after losing her husband, the autumn of her life stretches before her lonely and uncertain. But a change, a new hobby, and new friends prove this new season to be bountiful with blessings.

Be sure to leave a comment, and you'll be entered in the drawing for a free copy of the "Autumn Blessings" e-book.

To visit Dvora's blog, click on: Dvora's blog

To learn more about Dvora, click here: Learn about Dvora 

To read about and purchase her books, click on either of these: Dvora's books on her website, Dvora's books on Amazon