Into the Fire

While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, Ane has worn many different ones: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction (try saying that three times fast). She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA, with her artist husband, her chef son, and two very large dogs.

My publisher asked what I saw for my cover. Being a savvy Southern peach, I asked my two beta readers what they saw. "The village" was both their answers. I love it when we all think alike.

Then, during a phone conversation, I happened to mention that my husband was an artist. My publisher asked if he wanted to paint the cover. Most authors don't have much say in their covers. I wasn't about to pass that up.

The hard part from my dear hubs was extracting the village from my imagination. I'd find a picture online and holler for him to come see it.

"It's like this … only different."

"How is it different?

For someone who can describe a scene in minute detail, I was clueless to describe the town. Oh I had a map to show him, but to me the village was a feeling. It wasn't concrete. I went back online for more photos.

This went on until we had about a dozen of "like this but different" photos. Then he drew a sketch that took my breath away! He found Chapel Springs. From that sketch, he began to paint. I'd go downstairs to his studio and take a look each day, critiquing what needed changing, until it was just right.

Here's the painting. Then Ken Raney (yes, Deb Raney's [author] husband) did the graphics. He offered two different views. We chose this one for the cover. There is a sequel, so I'll be able to use the same painting with a couple of additions apropos to the story, and the more colorful side of the original.

                Ane Mulligan, Author of Chapel Springs Revival

Father, Ane is your cherished daughter. Please continue to bless and direct her life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Part Two with Ane Mulligan

11. Your planning and access allowed for you to get a pretty good jump on marketing your novel. Do you enjoy marketing and promoting?

I have to plan and have it done early; otherwise marketing resembles an elephant and scares the fire out of me. My mind isn't organized, I'm too right brained, so I have to have my world around me in line.

12. What is your primary job at the highly respected Novel Rocket website and how has it evolved over the years?

Janitor and orchestrator. Seriously, Gina Holmes started the site back in 2005. Nobody was blogging author interviews back then. We were the first. It was soon apparent that she couldn't keep up the pace of finding authors to interview, putting new content up every day, and still find time to write.

She brought in Jessica Dotta and me (we'd been critique partners since 2004) and we each took 2-3 days a week. We don’t know why God chose to bless Novel Rocket, but He did. So, after a few years, we wanted to offer others the chance to build a platform like we'd had. I moved to senior editor when Gina contracted her first novel. Since then, we've added several team members, of which you're one, and I'm now president (whatever that means).

13. If you had to choose between being respected as a writer or being widely read, which would it be? "Both" is not an acceptable answer. We're talking difficult choices here because we know they don't have to be mutually exclusive but they definitely can be.

Widely read. I don't have any misconceptions or delusions about my work. I'm not a literary genius or poetic. I'm kind of a blue-collar writer. But the world needs more laughter (and a bit of Lucy and Ethel). I'm just happy to provide it.

14. What is your preferred POV (point of view) to read? Favorite to write?

I used to say third person, but I've found I love first person, too. I don't have a favorite. For me, I've read and written both, and the story dictates the POV. Some call for third person while others refuse to be anything but first person.

15. In the course of your story development, is there a particular part that gives you trouble?

The hardest part is the first draft. I love to edit. For me, that's where the magic happens. Getting the first draft down is really hard work, requiring much hair pulling and cabinet kicking. 

16. If you could pinpoint one characteristic which makes Chapel Springs Revival unique, what would you say? 

It's Claire, the main character. She's a mess! She has no filters. But she's so much fun. 

17. Your tagline is "Southern-fried fiction". Tell us what that means to you and how you expect it to define your work.

My stories are set in the South, populated with Southerners. The fried part is, like good Southern-fried chicken, it crackles with humor. Author Rose McCauley pinned the brand on me through my emails. I realized it fit my novels, too. It's my voice.

18. Tell us something about your publisher Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

Lighthouse is a small press that is headed up by Eddie Jones, who was willing to take a chance on my book. He thinks outside the box when it comes to marketing, and I'm seeing him do things most small presses don't.

19. Finally, Ane, what specifically do you want your readers to know about Chapel Springs Revival and your future books?  

Chapel Springs Revival is a romp through miscommunication in marriage. The sequel, Chapel Springs Survival, will offer up more fun and misadventures in Chapel Springs.

Father, you love to bless your people. Please continue to bless Ane in all your wonderful ways because I know she blesses you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Ane is my lifesaver at Novel Rocket where I'm privileged to post once a month. Without her I could never get the pictures situated with articles. She's gracious, fun-loving, multi-skilled, a beautiful southern belle, and her debut novel (available for pre-order) will release Monday, September 8th, 2014. We did an interview for you just to set the tone and give you a taste of what to expect in Chapel Springs Revival.

While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, Ane has worn many different ones: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction (try saying that three times fast). She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA, with her artist husband, her chef son, and two very large dogs.

Ane, I'm probably the only person on planet earth who isn't sure how to pronounce your name. So tell me.

It's pronounced like plain old Ann, or Anne. The funny thing is, one person pronounced it like Jane without the "J" for ages. She finally got it right. Then I got an iPhone and Siri says it the same way. So you aren't the only one to not know. ;o)

Part One

1. First question I like to ask authors/writers is this one. Who is Ane Mulligan as you perceive yourself?

I laugh loud, talk loud, love theater and books, and I'm a princess—a daughter of the King, who's lived long enough to no longer care what people think if I wear white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. If I want to wear it, I'll wear it. My mama is probably rolling over in her grave right now.

2. What do you like most about your fiction writing? Be honest.

I love exploring and creating characters, discovering the secrets in their lives. Digging deep into their motivations makes them come alive to me. Then I can systematically dismantle their world. Insert evil laughter. Finally, I love mixing that with some humor, to deliver a story I hope will change lives.

3. How did you discover you were going to write novels?

Now there's a story. I'd been a published playwright for a few years, but never thought about writing novels. In 2002, I left my job and was looking for a new one. One day, Hubs said, "You've been buying and reading books for years. It's time you write one."

Who, me?

Then, it was as if God knocked me upside the head and said, "Listen." And an idea for a book tickled my imagination.

Hmm. I wondered if I could.

Little did I know how much I had to learn.

4. You've decided on the traditional publishing route and it's taken some time to meet your goal. Tell us about your particular journey.

Do you have an hour? No? Okay, here's the Reader's Digest condensed version. I sat down Jan 1^st, 2003, and started my first manuscript. Back then, traditional was the only way I knew to go. It became a dream.

I worked hard to learn what I needed to learn. And was there a lot! POV? Never heard of it. Omniscient was something God is. Show don't tell? How in the world do you tell a story without telling?

I met some other writers online and we became critique partners. We pushed each other hard to attain the dream we shared. But God has to be factored in, and He said not yet. After about 4 years, I began to go to editorial committee. Naturally, I thought, "This is it!"

I was wrong. A couple years later, I went to pub board. "Okay, this time it's gonna happen!" Wrong.

Then things like agents retiring, editors retiring and their hard drives wiped clean of my novel—all these things made me hear what God was saying. "Trust me, and wait."

I asked if there was another option, but He said there wasn't. So I chose to trust Him and wait.

In September 2012, I signed a contract, and I knew the time and place were right. Yes, it's been a long journey, but I've learned so much and made so many wonderful friends, it's been worth it. Besides, this is the journey God had for me. It's perfect for me.

5. If you wanted prospective readers to know one or two things above all others about you and your writing, what would it/they be?

Expect to chuckle and to find some seeds of God's truth planted in the pages—and maybe a little slobber from one of my two English mastiffs.

6. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you? By that I mean did you write your story because you couldn't find it on the shelves or did you write your story because something inspired you to write this specific tale?

Good question! I wrote this story because of two overheard conversations. Yeah, I eavesdrop. A couple of women were complaining about their husbands. It wasn't the "men are form Mars" type of complaining. These women were stirring bitter waters. The other conversation involved one not sure her husband was God's choice for her. That became the springboard for Chapel Springs Revival.

I love women's fiction. I love stories about women's friendships. So my two protagonists have marriages in need of reviving. But being who I am, the story came out with these two getting into all kinds of trouble.

7. As a reader, what kind of literature do you prefer to read? I know you're a member of Brandilyn Collins' BHCC (for non-members: Big Honkin' Chicken's Club ) so I suspect thrillers and suspense and murder mysteries are not among your chosen genres.

Boy, you've got that right! My favorite genre is what I write – women's fiction. But I like historical, and some romance if there is more to the story than just the romance. And I adore romantic comedy.

8. Also as a reader, do you prefer those authors who stick to "the rules" or who experiment and take liberties?

I firmly believe in learning the rules. But once you do, then know when and how to break them to make the prose sing. The end result isn't so much about HOW it's written but whether the story is a symphony.

9. Why Christian Fiction and how do you like faith issues presented in stories?

I'm a Christian so my worldview is reflected in my characters. However, I write with a light hand. It goes back to my years as a Creative Arts director. I believe people let down their guard when they think they're being entertained. Then, when they least expect it, our words can reach out, touch hearts, and change lives. 

10. Although most authors choose to answer this question broadly in hopes of snaring a wide variety of readers, who is your target audience?

Women 35-70, married with kids, some with grandchildren, and who enjoy their women friends. And they have to like to laugh.

Lord, you know Ane's heart, the desires therein. Help her in all she does to honor you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The CFBA presents Gina Holmes' new release Driftwood Tides, published by Tyndale Fiction (free for review).

I love Gina Holmes' voice. It's that down-home, occasionally snarky, often lovely prose, and excellent heartfelt characterization that epitomize her novels. She writes honest and uses the need for forgiveness as a predominant theme in her work. Driftwood Tides is no exception.

Elizabeth "Libby" Slater learns of her origins in a most unexpected way and it rocks her world in Casings, North Carolina, like nothing she's ever experienced. Confronting her mother, who she addresses by her first name of Caroline, Libby's shock wave continues.

Caroline is in the process of planning Libby's wedding to her fiancé Rob, completely and intentionally oblivious to Libby's and Rob's desires for a simple, small wedding, when she confirms Libby's shocking news. The momentarily paralyzing truth accentuates the differences she's always shared with her mother and sends her on a journey to Nags Head to explore the possibility of who she truly is.

Arriving at a beat-down "cabin" on the beach, she views the prone gifted driftwood sculptor Holton Creary through the window and realizes upon entering the unlocked door that the man seems to be in dire straights from drunkenness. Attempting to help him amidst a legion of empty gin bottles, she realizes the woman she's looking for isn't there and yearns to know why.

This begins the story of each interlaced character in the novel Driftwood Tides. All needy of separate things, but also in need of figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives which have suddenly become incorporated, each one's approach to satisfying their needs is sometimes in polar opposition to the other's.

Rob is the clingy fiancé, Caroline the controlling mother, Holton, the alcoholic and gifted sculptor, Tess, Holton's lovestruck assistant, Adele, the absent but prominent wife to Holton and object of Libby's search and affection, Libby, the lost and confused daughter seeking a real family who can love her and include her in their lives, and the peripheral feisty Elsie who appears conveniently to fill in the blanks. 

The focus of this story varies according to the emphasized point of view (POV). Each one's weakness and need surface and determine the reactions of the other characters. Selfishness and unforgiveness, of either others or oneself, dominate each character's pursuits as gradually hearts soften after crisis situations erupt in their lives.

Although Libby's search and goals seem to be the primary focus of this story, there's a bit of a herky-jerky feel in the telling of this tale because of all the character's POVs. Although the characters are well-defined, they're only moderately likable. To me, occasionally the story seemed to veer off track but regained enough control to conclude with a clever and satisfactory ending.

Faith elements ride the ever present waves in the distance and alcoholism is accurately penned.

Like I said, I love Gina Holmes' work and the cover of Driftwood Tides is lovely, but this one isn't my favorite of hers.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Driftwood%20Tides%20by%20Gina%20Holmes     

Father, you know Gina's beautiful heart. I pray you would continue to fill it with stories just for her to tell. Bless and protect her. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

"An FBI agent’s obsession with his late father’s secret sets him on a collision course with a past he has carefully avoided, shadowy enemies he never suspected, and a most unlikely friendship with an autistic man who sees reality in ways no one else can. Will Jackson Barrett’s determination to unlock secrets his father took to the grave save or ultimately destroy one he only knows as — The Source?"

My friend Tim George debuted his first novel The Source this month (August) on Kindle, a bargain at $2.99. It's a complex tale of secrets, codes, murder, an autistic savant with a direct connection to God, and that amazing camaraderie which results from unidentified extreme danger and having only a handful of friends and colleagues to trust.

As with much of e-reader products, Tim's book shows formatting difficulties. Sometimes the editing corrections refuse to come through in the final version, leaving the work straddled with errors resulting in a frustrated indie author.*

The Source is a unique story about two sons, FBI Special Agent Jackson Barrett, Jr., and "Manny", the autistic savant. Jackson seeks to unwrap the secret message left by his Special Agent father, and Manny proves to be the only one who can unlock the code. Mysterious and unidentified forces want Manny because of his capabilities, but Jackson knows Manny is the key to deciphering what his father left him. Jackson thinks it's all about dangerous things in this world. Manny knows it's all about a much more important place where things don't "smell bad". Following the journey of the trustworthy and devoted players in this mystery to find "the source" proves enlightening to each one and dangerous for all of them.

In the end Jackson knows that Manny knows. And that's what Jackson had to learn. 

Good characterization, dialogue, voice, and portrayal of this particular autistic character. The Source by T. E. George is a worthwhile read, a tale of confusing interpretations, desperate actions, noble sacrifices, and major conflicts.

(*Tim has been able to correct the errors in formatting since my Kindle book was ordered.)

Father, you know Tim and all of his needs. I pray your blessings to pour down upon him. I pray you would continue to fill his mind with stories you have just for him to tell. I pray your divine protection upon him. Bless him in every way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

. . . but let the wicked be put to shame

   and lie silent in the grave.

Let their lying lips be silenced,

   for with pride and contempt

   they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

Psalm 31:17b-18 (NIV)

I crave insight. I experience hindsight. I want revelation. I receive understanding. None of it all the time.

Christians know they are not privy to all of God's mysteries, the whys and wherefores of life and its happenings. We must endure sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness, depression, and fear. We celebrate joy, laughter, growth, fun, talents, and gifts.

Prayer occupies a significant part of our lives. Petitioning, plying, proposing myriad hopes, ideas, and dreams to our Lord all keep us busy at His feet. We need. He supplies. He answers. He gives. Sometimes we don't appreciate or like His answers. Sometimes we come close to hating them if the truth be known. We fail to see "the big picture". Through the desperate need, we can't understand why He wishes us to persevere through an unbearable situation or circumstance. Sometimes we endure. Other times we set out upon our own solution. This course usually worsens our problem(s).

If we had the insight to remedy the problem, we could act successfully. But true insight comes from God, and many times we aren't prepared or willing to listen to Him. We need something and we need it now. Or so we think.

Believers and unbelievers alike fail to realize "every good and perfect gift" comes from the Father. Sometimes He allows us to know His mind on a thing, sometimes He lets us in on an answer to a future dilemma. Sometimes He provides an answer we don't want to obey. And sometimes He lets us in on what will take place if only we will be patient and wait for it. Many of us fail at both patience and waiting, become disgruntled, or forget we even asked since the given and hoped for answer comes along much later. When hindsight appears.

Hindsight shows us we shouldn't doubt. Hindsight demonstrates our insights from the Lord proved to be correct. Hindsight reminds us God is on the throne of all life. 

We are not.

Father, thank you for your insights, your revelation knowledge, your hindsight for understanding so much of what we cannot see. Thank you for everything, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

There is something ultimately satisfying in slamming a receiver down or punching the "End" call option on a cell phone. It accentuates the ire, the passion, the dissatisfaction with whoever or whatever upsets us during that telephone call. Now it's not an emotion we should hold onto, but it definitely generates a bit of an adrenaline moment. Whether or not it's few or many things which might drive us to this point, ending a call forcefully demonstrates a curt reaction to what has or hasn't taken place during that call.

As writers, we try to avoid cliché moments with our "accent marks" of expressions. However, sometimes those moments aren't atypical and work well with the expected response. If we can find a new way to describe it to make it all the better? Terrific, but it must be effective or the cliché will have worked just as well. Life is full of clichés. People get them. We just can't fill a story up with them.

So what are your most striking accent marks in stories?

Father, we're allowed to express our anger provided we don't sin in the process. Sometimes anger is the exact correct response, but we must guard against rage. We can call evil what it is and be mad about it as long as we don't commit the same evil in the process. Thank you for your ever present wisdom. May we be aware of it always. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

   Summertime. Can't beat it. Summer evenings . . . silky, soft, sensuous, soothing, and sacred.

Father, thank you for the seasons, each with their own beauty and mystery. Thanks for future perfection and please forgive us for ruining the experience in the Garden. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

At some point in my life – I'm not sure when – I learned to put away victories and keep marching on. What has always been tougher to put away are those numerous defeats. They tend to stall my forward progress and suggest I give up. Those "suggestions" seem to initiate the biggest response.

Giving up is not my nature. Thinking about it: definitely is.

There should be a designated place for "defeats". Someplace to put them away. Professional athletes and other competitors must learn to quickly analyze the reasons for defeat and just as quickly put them away.

We've all heard "Learn from your mistakes" one too many times, but what do you do when you didn't make a "mistake"? When writing a novel, there are many kinds of mistakes to be made. Not fleshing out sympathetic characters, leaving plot holes, breaking the writing rules ineffectively, and so on. But sometimes you tell a story and some people don't like it. They tell the world why in curt criticisms, perhaps adding brutal sarcasms, and overall trash what took a piece of your life to put on the page.

It's possible we can make multiple mistakes when writing novels, but it's just as possible that readers will love the story as it is or hate it for personal reasons unrelated to those "mistakes". If an unintended reader from a non-target audience picks up your book and is floored by your brashness, your unholy diatribe, look for equally unholy comments. If you write of faith and an unbeliever resents it, look out. They tend to annihilate faith authors with every accusation manufactured by their resentful hearts.

Hearing "Don't take it personally" is a joke to me. How can we not? We wrote the story. It's definitely personal.

I cherish good reviews or comments on my work. Be it a blog post or a novel, I love to hear that people enjoyed it, identified with it, or "got" it. It's affirming and reinforces the passion to continue. But, just as with the bad reviews or comments, I must put them away. I can always open the place where they both exist and mull them over, smile or cry, but in order to move on, I've got to put them away. I can only suggest you do the same.

Father, you desire humility and will actively help us to remain humble. Writing is definitely a humbling experience, but I love it and thank you for it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.