This week I’m hosting Janet Dean with Brides of the West, M.K. Gilroy with Cuts Like a Knife, Cara Putman with A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island, and Karen Whiting with Stories of Faith and Courage From the Home Front. If you want to enter the drawings for the books, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (April 15th) evening.
Interview with Karen Whiting:
1. What made you start writing?
Friends kept urging me to write and share the activities I did with my children. Then I went on a retreat to pray about it where God gave me a vision. The next morning I received a painting of the vision and knew God wanted me to write.
2. How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?
I started to write in the fall of 1994. My first book released in 1997.
3. How do you handle rejections?
I use them to help me write better. They remind me that I need to work hard to have the work polished and the right match.
4. Why do you write?
I believe God wants me to encourage families and girls.
5. What would you be doing with your free time if you weren’t writing?
Enjoying my grandchildren, knitting, and sewing and I’m sure I’d be involved in some type of ministry.
6. What are you working on right now?
I have a girl’s book due May 1, a preschool devotional due June 1, and three books releasing this year, plus I’m trying to finish some proposals that have been requested.
7. Do you put yourself into your books/characters?
As a military wife and mom I readily identified with the people in my new historical. I’m sure the compassion for military wives and moms came through.
8. Tell us about the book you have out right now.
Stories of Faith and Courage From the Home Front: The French Indian War through the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is a daily story about someone on the home front who showed remarkable courage and faith. Their stories needed to be shared. Women, children, and volunteers served as the support for our military and when war took place on American soil they protected their homes and faced many hardships with great valor.
In the French Indian War some amazing and feisty women survived Indian captivity and a few captives later ministered and shared the gospel with the Indians. In the American Revolution women took up arms when the enemy threatened their families. In 1812 the courage of Dolly Madison and her desire to preserve founding documents over her personal possessions showed her dedication to our country. In Vietnam a woman’s prayers for her husband brought him to faith and he heard God speak as he nearly died. That moment changed his life and he became a preacher. These are just a few glimpses of the stories in the book.
9. Do you have any advice for other writers?
Listen to advice from editors and authors to learn the craft and wait on God’s timing. A “no’ often means it is not ready.
10. How important is faith in your books?
Faith is always at the heart of my books, even the craft books where crafts are paired to biblical passages.
11. What themes do you like to write about?
I like to write to nurture today’s families and grow tomorrow’s families. I also love being creative and sharing creative solutions. I enjoy designing new crafts and sharing fun activities with girls.
12. What is your favorite book you’ve written and why?
The Home Front book has a special place in my heart for many reasons. The people are real. People at home still face similar struggles, no matter the war. Being born in New England in the state my family help found American history is important to our nation’s foundation. I shared stories that brought me to tears, some stories of family members, and I admire the actions and faith of the people in the book. We can learn much from people who lived their faith. Some wrote eloquent entries in their journals and gave me glimpses into their lives and emotions during trying times while showing great trust in God.
13. What is your writing schedule like?
I generally write all day, 5 days a week, and sometimes in the evenings and weekends. I’m a fast thinker but a slow writer.
