I like tackling hard subject matter. It challenges not only the reader to consider some gray areas, but the author must delve into some uncomfortable arenas and keep an open mind during the investigation. I wanted to write about the struggle and state of mind a woman experiences through the trauma of infidelity and separation. There isn't a lot of Christian fiction written on these issues, yet they certainly exist within the Christian community. For 19 years I have enjoyed a Christ-filled marriage, however earlier in my life I went down the dark road of divorce and experienced firsthand the pain and isolation that infidelity instills. |
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Being a woman, was it difficult to write your story from the man's viewpoint? Did you use an outside source to give you insights on how a man might think as opposed to a woman? |
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Instead of identifying primarily with the wife, I wanted to illustrate the challenges men are faced with in the world and how sin can easily slip in to destroy a marriage. Writing from the man's viewpoint gave me insight into the husband's emotions, as well. In today's culture, we have been made well aware of how differently men and women approach problems and conflict. Experiencing situations through the husband's eyes enabled me to consider some alternative reasons why a husband might stray and that, perhaps it wasn't necessarily dissatisfaction with his wife but more that he was caught up in an alluring world that caused him to drift from the things that, in the end, were most important to him.
As far as an outside source, one of my sons read the manuscript pages for me as the story was constructed. I found that I mostly got the male viewpoint correct, but my son was most helpful in developing what was going on inside the heads of the children. |
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In reading Love Rekindled, one sees that the family entity is the strong force behind most of the recent decisions in the lives of the characters. Are there similarities between this fictional family and your own? |
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While the characters in the story were not necessarily the people in my own family, I believe all of the emotions experienced and expressed in Love Rekindled were quite genuine. |
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What is your favorite way to spend time when you aren't writing? |
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I love to be holed up in some mountain lake retreat with my husband to explore God's creation, relax, read, and find inspiration for writing. |
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What do you enjoy most about the writing process? |
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I'm definitely not the kind of writer who begins with an outline. I usually know how a story that I'm writing will end, but I love the adventure of discovering what happens on the way! I can begin a story almost anywhere with any line but most often find myself rewriting or adding to the start of a story as the story develops and requires additional foundation work. |
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I know you're a prolific writer. Are you currently working on another novel? |
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My next work will not be as intense as Love Rekindled. I am focusing on contemporary fiction, but not necessarily women's fiction. |
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