Friday, March 25, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Feature Friday Author Paula Mowery and Her Book "For Our Good"
I’m pleased to introduce
as my guest today Author Paula Mowery.
What keeps you the most humble as a writer, Paula?
In writing, there is no such thing as “arriving.” I can
always improve. There’s always more to learn and always a better story to
write.
What gives you the most satisfaction in your
writing—besides "The End," that is?
Because I write Christian fiction, I just love those God
moments when He drives home the message through my story. Like my pastor-hubby,
I tend to learn the message before I can share it. So satisfying and humbling
to be called to share about Christ in this way.
So true, Paula. What type of books do you like to read?
My favorite books to read are contemporary Christian
romantic suspense and Christian romances. I write reviews for authors of these
types of books. I also tend to contract these types of books in my role as an
acquiring editor for Prism Book Group.
Fantastic! What other writing have you done?
I have two women’s fiction titles, The Blessing Seer and Be the
Blessing. My romance titles include: Forgiven,
in the anthology, Brave New Century; Legacy and Love; Love Again, a Christmas romance. For Our Good is considered a Christian romantic suspense. Then I
have another book releasing at the end of April 2016 called “The Crux of Honor.”
I have also written several devotions which are included in several
collections. The most recent is A Walk in
the Valley which recalls six women’s journey through infertility.
A nice list of credits to be sure! So Paula, when
writing, how do you come up with your plots?
My ideas have normally come from bits of stories from
friends and family. I’ve even had a sermon illustration spark a plot or two. I
usually take those little tidbits and start asking, “What if?”
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
God truly does have a plan for all of His children. Even
though bad things can happen along the way, God really can bring good from
them.
What a truth, Paula! Is the book completely fictional?
For Our Good is
based on an experience my father had as a corporate pilot. The story he told us
about being approached one day to carry a package for a large sum of money was
the spark for this story. There is also a character who deals with infertility,
which is something I have dealt with.
How did you come up with the title for name book?
The title, For Our
Good, comes directly from the Bible verse, Romans 8:28. Just seemed
fitting. What’s interesting is I’m working on the sequel and its title comes
straight from Scripture as well.
I do like scripture titles. Tell us, Paula, what do you
have in store for the year of 2016?
As mentioned above, I do have a new release coming April
29th called “The Crux of Honor.” This story is included in a series called Love Is from Prism Book Group and is
based on The Love Chapter in the Bible. My book focuses on the part, love does
not dishonor.
Oh, nice. I see where Love Is series is headed! What parting wisdom do you wish to give
those of us not book published?
Keep reading. Keep learning. Keep writing.
Read authors who model good writing. Take advantage to
learn through online classes, writing craft books, and conferences. Write
consistently, practicing what you learn.
You may follow Paula at www.facebook.com/pages/Paula-Mowery/175869562589187
For Our Good
Blurb
Charlie Jarvis is haunted by loss that fuels her desire to
rid the world of drug traffickers. When her next assignment takes her back to
her hometown, she has to confront her painful past. She has no interest in a
relationship since God seems to kill everyone she loves.
Colton Thomas appreciates material things and the status of
being a corporate pilot. When someone approaches him to deliver a package for a
large sum of money that could wipe out his debts, temptation knocks loud on his
door even as his partner, Marshall, slams it shut. Meeting Charlie challenges
his non-committal stance with women. As he considers who he has become and the
kind of man he would want to be for Charlie, he confronts his own shallow
lifestyle and the fear he would never be able to help her heal her
wounds.
As Charlie pursues the man causing young boys to die of
overdoses, she struggles with the secrets she keeps from Colton. With people
around them shining the light of God and encouraging their courtship, both
Charlie and Colton have to face hard truths about life, death, love, and faith.
And maybe find a fresh start for them both.
Where readers may purchase For Our Good:
Paula, thank you for being my guest today on Feature
Friday.
Leave a comment and include your Kindle address to enter the drawing for a
chance to win Paula’s e-Book For Our Good.
Until next time . . . read a Paula Mowery book.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Feature Friday Author Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer and Her Novel The Executions
 |
| Courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution |
I’m happy to have as my guest
Author Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer.
Before we begin, Sarah is
offering a free eBook from her Choctaw
Tribunes series, book 1, The Executions. To enter the drawing, please leave
a comment with your Kindle address as to where you’d like the eBook sent.
SARAH ELISABETH SAWYER is an
award-winning inspirational author, speaker and Choctaw storyteller of traditional
and fictional tales based on the lives of her people. The Smithsonian’s
National Museum of the American Indian has honored her as a literary artist
through their Artist Leadership Program for her work in preserving Trail of
Tears stories. In 2015, First Peoples Fund awarded her an Artist in Business
Leadership Fellowship. She writes from her hometown in Texas, partnering with
her mama, Lynda Kay Sawyer, in continued research for future novels.
Sarah, I’m proud to have
you here today in honor of Native Americans. Where can you be found online?
What have you learned
recently about yourself, and how has it affected your writing?
This was seven years ago,
when I was twenty-three, but it had the most affect on my writing life. I had a
bit of a meltdown at that age. It was as if everything in my life was strewn
across a whiteboard. Everything I wanted to do, what I thought I was supposed
to do, what I thought everybody wanted me to do. I couldn’t do anything for
days. I prayed and knew it was time to surrender all. Not in the sweet sense we
sing about in songs, about surrendering all to God without truly doing it. I
knew it had to be real in my life.
I took an eraser to that
whiteboard and, one by one, wiped off each thing in my life. I surrendered
those things to Him with the full commitment to take nothing back He didn’t
give me. When I came to writing I halted. I was serious about this. What if He
didn’t give it back? But I erased it and handed the marker over to God.
Nothing happened for about
seven months, except I experienced more peace and harmony than ever before in
my life.
Late that summer, God put
writing back on the board. I’ve been writing ever since.
Very heart warming, Sarah.
What gives you the most satisfaction in your writing—besides "The
End," that is?
Reader response. At a book
signing, a woman came up to me and wanted to know when the next book in the
Choctaw Tribune series would be out. We had a wonderful conversation that came
around to a certain racial issue the book addresses. She shared a bit of her
dad's story and it seemed to dawn on her the connection with how a character in
The Executions handles a situation. She started crying as though finally
understanding why her dad had been that way on the issue. I believe it allowed
her to grieve, and hopefully to heal.
As I also read
The Executions, Sarah, it is helping
me to understand some of my families responses to being Cherokee and Apache. So,
tell us how did your writing career begin and how long did it take to publish
your first book?
I wrote my first
story when I was five years old. I had a story to tell about kindness, but was
far too shy to tell it. My seven year old brother illustrated it, and my mama
saved copies.
I drifted in and
out of writing through my teens and early twenties. After I seriously got into
writing in 2009, I didn't publish my first print book until the end 2013, an
anthology of Choctaw trail of tears story (Touch
My Tears: Tales from the Trail of Tears). This was a result of a program I
was in with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American
Indian. Then I published a short story collection (Third Side of the Coin) before finally releasing my first novel in
April 2015 (The Executions).
I’m excited to
learn more about you and your work, Sarah! What other writing have you done?
I've written regular
columns and freelance articles. This January, I was solicited to write stories
for First Peoples Fund eSpirit newsletter. What an honor. I received an FPF
grant in 2015 to support my book publications.
Is this book’s setting
based on a real place?
It's set in the fictional
town of Dickens, though I drew heavily on the histories of two towns in Choctaw
Nation, Indian Territory in the 1890s for inspiration. Some of the other places
like Paris, Texas, and Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, are real.
Is the book completely
fictional?
The characters mostly are,
but the events are based on actual stories from the time period. It was
pre-statehood Oklahoma, and the Indian nations were about to be divided by
individual land allotments. The tribes would be dissolved. Two Choctaw
political parties clashed over these issues, and the violence often turned
deadly.
How would you rate this
book: G, PG, or PG 13? And tell us why.
I would rate it G to PG,
depending on the guidelines you have for your children. Some of the subject
material is tough, but nothing I would have objected to my nieces and nephews
reading when they were younger. At a book signing recently, a mother bought all
four of my books for her nine-year-old son after I explained the potential
content issue. (On a side note, he thanked his mom for making his day!)
Oh, this was satisfying for
you, I’m sure. What was your inspiration for The Executions?
My mama shared our Choctaw
heritage with me at a young age. I'd always wanted to write stories about my
people. The more I learn about our culture and our heritage of faith, the more
I want to write these stories. I plan to have at least four books in the
Choctaw Tribune series.
What do you have in store
for the year of 2016?
Publishing two more books in
the Choctaw Tribune series, freelancing, speaking, teaching, and enjoying the
adventurous life we live. My mama and I partner in all kinds of cool, creative
projects. She gets me into film making and family. It's pretty amazing. We
always have something new going on.
Great, Sarah! What parting
wisdom do you wish to give those of us not book published?
Keep writing. I wish I had
written more as I was developing my brand. I spent a lot of time in the
beginning building my platform and learning how to market, and this was all
good and necessary, but I did lose sight of actually writing book after book.
But I'm focusing on this more now.
Remember, there are plenty of
options for publishing. You may go the traditional route. If you choose indie,
know that it's not the “easy way out.” Not if you do it right. You have to
learn how to be a publisher. Educate yourself. Network. Be professional. Keep
your heart in the right place, and you’ll come to love every step of the journey.
From the back cover of The Executions:
EXTRA, EXTRA!
Who would show up for their
own execution?
It’s 1892, Indian Territory.
A war is brewing in the Choctaw Nation as two political parties fight out
issues of old and new ways. Caught in the middle is eighteen-year-old Ruth Ann,
a Choctaw who doesn’t want to see her family killed.
In a small but booming
pre-statehood town, her mixed blood family owns a controversial newspaper, the
Choctaw Tribune. Ruth Ann wants to help spread the word about critical issues
but there is danger for a female reporter on all fronts—socially, politically,
even physically.
But what is truly worth dying
for? This quest leads Ruth Ann and her brother Matthew, the stubborn editor of
the fledgling Choctaw Tribune, to old Choctaw ways at the farm of a condemned
murderer. It also brings them to head on clashes with leading townsmen who want
their reports silenced no matter what.
More killings are ahead. Who
will survive to know the truth? Will truth survive?
The Executions Review: “Among the many
pleasures of Sarah Elisabeth’s writing are her attention to character,
language, and period detail. In The
Executions, a story grounded in history and the complexities of
pre-statehood Oklahoma, she brings to life, with great heart, the compelling
mix of cultures, faith, and political intrigue in the old Choctaw Nation. An
intriguing read.”—Rilla Askew, author of The
Mercy Seat
Thank you, Sarah Elisabeth, for being my guest here at Feature Friday.
Until next time . . . let's all read The Executions!
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