By Linda Cox

While visiting my 90-plus grandmother in the nursing home, I told her about  preparations for Daddy’s birthday. She asked how old he was. I can’t remember his exact age at that time but he was in his 70s. When I told Grandma that, she thought for a moment and then said, “Wow. I have a son that old?”

I laughed as I reminded her that she was in her 90s. She pondered that for awhile and then said, “Well, that means you’re no spring chicken either.”

Thank you very much, Grandma. Out of the mouths of babes and the elderly!

BUT it did put things into perspective.

This happened about fifteen years ago, and I am definitely NOT a spring chicken now. Not sure that I’m in the “old hen” category yet, but I also know I have fewer years left to live than I have lived.

And now it’s my turn to ponder. Especially about one of my favorite Scripture verses— Psalm 90:12: Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

We don’t know how many days God has planned for our lives. But however many He’s given us, they are GIFTS for us to use in living a life for Him. As we start a new year, resolutions abound. Whatever resolutions we do make, right at the top of the list could very well be Psalm 90:12.

Whether baby chicks, spring chickens, or tough old birds, may we make our days count in 2012 as we grow in the wisdom of the Lord. And may we remember that even when our time here on earth is over, we will have all eternity with the One Who teaches us to number our earthly days aright.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we first begun.

(from “Amazing Grace”)

Gina Conroy used to think she knew where her life was headed. Now she waits on the Lord to show her the way, reminding herself often that His timing is perfect.

The mother of four children, Gina is the founder of Writer…Interrupted, a blog that encourages other writers who struggle with balancing family and a passion for writing. Gina’s novella, Buried Deception, is included in Cherry Blossom Capers, a four-story collection which will release from Barbour on January 1, 2012.

How early in life did you know you wanted to be a writer? When and how did you begin your writing journey?

I remember in second or third grade, when I got my first diary how freeing it was to be able to put down the thoughts I didn’t know how or was too afraid to express. In school I would always write more than the teacher required and received praise for my writing. I’m not sure the exact moment I knew when I wanted to write, but there was nothing else I saw myself doing. In high school I finally got the nerve to join the school paper, and in college I studied journalism. After I got married, I wrote for local magazines and eventually found that I had a passion for fiction. That’s when I devoted myself to studying the craft and seven long years later, I can finally say I’m a published fiction author.

At your website, Writer . . . Interrupted, you write about interruptions or “detours” in writing and in life. What’s your best solution for overcoming?

I don’t think you overcome the detours and interruptions in life. What you overcome is fighting them! Over the years I’ve learned it’s better to flow with the detour than fight the current. I’ve also learned that sometimes what we think are detours are actually God’s way of getting us back on track.

To answer your question more specifically, I learned by trial and error, and error always led to pain and prayer! Better to learn this lesson early!

How does your faith play into your writing?

I don’t know how those without faith travel this crazy, wild publishing road. I’ve wanted to quit so many times, but knew writing is my calling and I wouldn’t be complete without it. My faith in Jesus is what’s helped me get through the tough, painful times in my writing life. My characters experience different pains and trials in their lives, but ultimately they learn to surrender and lean on the Lord to help them through.

Let’s talk about Cherry Blossom Capers (Barbour, January 1, 2012). Please tell us about your story.

Cherry Blossom Capers is a collection of four stories featuring four women who encounter love, danger, and mystery beyond their neighborhood near Washington, D.C.

My novella, Buried Deception, was really fun to write and combines my love of mystery and suspense with my fascination with archaeology. It’s about a Mount Vernon archaeology Intern and widow Samantha Steele who wants to make a good impression at her orientation, but her babysitter gets sick and she’s forced to take her rambunctious children to work. There she has a run in with security guard and ex-cop Nick Porter who’s haunted by his past. Through several mishaps, a forgery is discovered, and it’s up to Samantha and Nick to set aside their stubbornness, and rely on each other to catch the thief . . . or the results could be deadly.

It’s a fun series of novellas where characters from previous stories have cameos in the others! So if you’re someone who hates to say goodbye to a “friend,” then you’ll enjoy the reunions in Cherry Blossom Capers.

Besides entertainment, what do you hope readers will take away from your story?

I hope they realize that the theme of my novella is “surrender.” The hero and heroine in the story have different reasons for fighting to stay in control of their lives, but when they try and do things on their own, it just gets worse. If they don’t surrender to God who has their best interest in mind, their lives will never be complete. Surrender is something God has been teaching me about over the last several years, and I know it’s not easy, but it’s necessary for growth.

Do you have any writing-related New Year’s resolutions?

Not so much resolutions, but goals. To finish my current WIP and work on some half finished ebooks.

A few fun questions…

When the words aren’t flowing—or when you want to celebrate if they are—what is your favorite comfort food and why?

I try not to munch and write, but if I do, it’s usually when the words aren’t flowing. My comfort foods varies, but Peanut M & Ms are always a staple especially when I’m procrastinating! Plus, I can justify the indulgence with the redeeming value of the protein! ; )

This website features musicians as well as writers. Do you have musical, as well as literary, talent?

Writer…Interrupted is devoted to helping busy writers pursue their dreams of publication. Defying Gravity is where I encourage ALL dreamers! My children just happen to be the musically gifted ones there! I can carry a tune and always had an inclination toward music, but never got the proper training so I encourage my children in their talents and support them any way I can. Like driving them to a Disney audition!

If you were a song, what kind of song would you be?

Bohemian Rhapsody! Because it’s a jumble of different kinds of music and tunes that seem to flow into one continuous story. I see myself as a composition of different melodies, sometimes soft and contemplative, sometimes loud and passionate, other times fun and free. That song seems to incorporate many moods into one song.

Are you a major or a minor chord?

Confession time! Not having a music background, I had to ask my cellist son what the difference was to answer this question. He decided to make his own chord for me . . . an augmented minor seventh. He said, “Because you’re crazy with some melancholy and all together can sound tense.” Um, only when you don’t do your chores, son! Did I mention he’s a teenager? LOL!

In the story that is your life, are you the strong, female lead; the girl next door; the mysterious woman behind dark glasses; the super heroine; or the little girl trying to walk in high heels?

All of the above! Just like we don’t have one “role” in life (writer, mother, wife, teacher . . .) I don’t think anyone has just one story to tell. Depending on the role I’m playing, I can be the strong female lead, strong and confident. Then in the next moment, possibly in the same exact role, I’m the little girl trying to walk in high heels, so determined, but at the same time unsure and afraid of falling. I strive to be the girl next door in my relationships, faithful, supportive forgiving, and the mysterious woman behind the dark glasses, hopefully she shines through in my writing and on the ballroom dance floor! : )

But if I had to choose ONE, it would be the little girl in the high heels holding out my hand for my Heavenly Father to steady me as I step out in faith to try and walk the path He’s set before me.

I’m a dog lover. Please tell us about your pets, if any, or your favorite pet as a child.

I’m really not an animal lover (don’t hold it against me) but knew the day would come when I’d have to get a dog for my kids. So I decided to do my research and plug in all the characteristics I wanted in a dog. Although such a dog didn’t exist, I did come close with our King Charles Cavalier. He’s a tri-colored. His name is Jedi, and he’s been a great dog!

Thanks Gina! Jedi is adorable. And it’s nice to have you as a guest at DivineDetour. Happy New Year and congratulations on your new release!

Thanks so much, I really enjoyed my time here!

~ ~ ~

For more information about Gina, visit her website at www.writerinterrupted.com or her blog at http://www.ginaconroy.com/ginablog/wordpress/.

To purchase Cherry Blossom Capers logon to:

by Linda Cox

There are times in our lives when the best thing we can do is simply get out of the way and let God work. This is one of those times. In the midst of all the Christmas activities, it is not “my voice” that you should “hear.” But God’s. Let us pause for just a few moments and “listen” to Him.

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

~ Luke 2:1-20 KJV

May the profound beauty and simplicity of the Christmas Story remind us why we celebrate.

Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

Since November of last year, Becky Kelley’s music video for Where’s the Line to See Jesus? has been viewed more than three million times on YouTube. This year she’s back with a new album.

Becky made her stage debut at two years of age, but after earning a college degree at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, she opted out of the music scene. A decade later, she’s back in full force.

To view the Where’s the Line to See Jesus? video, click photo to the right.

Please tell us about your new album, A Keeper, which releases December 16.

Yes—so excited about that! I wrote all of the songs except one, which is a remix of the 1960’s hit Tell Him. These were all recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with my longtime friend and amazing musician/producer, Pat Flynn. He has been in the Nashville scene for a long time, so it was an absolute blast to work with him.

He was the first one I called last year when Where’s the Line really blew up . . . I just wanted a friendly voice to talk to about everything, (someone) who really knew the business like he did. After talking more about possibilities of my next step, we decided to record a selection of songs I have written over the last ten years or so. We had so much fun and I think he did a really great job capturing the essence of my songs, which range in topics from my faith to love and heart-break, etc. It’s essentially a pop album with roots in country, rock, and even a little bit of the blues.

What’s the first single from the project?

I think our first single will be Send an Angel . . . it will be interesting to see what others think about this album as a follow-up to Where’s the Line to See Jesus. We decided to take the most natural step after much thought and prayer, so I really hope the album is well received.

Who wrote Where’s the Line to See Jesus? What’s the story behind the song, how did you become a part of it, and where did you shoot the music video?

My dad wrote the song after my sister came home from taking my nephew to the mall a few years ago. They were in line to see Santa, and he looked up and asked her if they were in the line to see Jesus . . . how precious is that?

She came home and told my dad what happened, and he wrote the song that day. We’ve had some people claim they don’t believe it’s a true story, but it absolutely is. After my dad tried to get the song some attention in Nashville with no luck, he asked if I wanted to record the song with him at a studio here in St. Louis, where we live. It was there where our producer, Chris Loesch, rewrote the second verse adding a little flair to the story with the boy being an angel, which we all loved.

The video came next to bring attention to the song, and did it ever. : )  We shot the video in seventeen hours all in one day in Illinois. We released it Thanksgiving weekend last year, and the rest is history.

Has God ever provided an unexpected “detour” in your life that turned out to be positive?

This entire experience has been an unexpected detour! : )  The really funny part is back when I was nineteen, Pat Flynn saw me singing in Nashville back when I was in college there at Lipscomb University. He wanted to do an album with me then, and I turned him down, came home and got married, but always thought about “what if . . . ” Who knew ten years later I would be directed back to working with him—sometimes God gives you second chances, and this time it was clear as day what I should do. Even if nothing ever happens with my music, I am 100% OK with that . . . I’ve just really enjoyed this experience, and I hope I can inspire some people along the way.

A few fun questions…

What is your favorite Christmas comfort food and why?

I love homemade chocolate chip cookies all year, but especially at Christmas! My grandma makes the best cookies and always had trays and trays of them on Christmas Eve for everyone. She doesn’t do that anymore, but those memories will always stay with me.

Please tell us about one of your favorite Christmas traditions.

I have a four-year-old and a four-month-old, so we are starting to create our new traditions, which is so much fun. My newest favorite tradition is The Elf on the Shelf . . . if you haven’t heard about him, look him up! It is the best! One that I have loved for a while now is always watching A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve . . . it doesn’t feel like Christmas can come until we watch it! : )

Which best describes your perfect Christmas tree: an elegant, evergreen covered in the latest couture; a vintage aluminum tree with shiny glass bulbs; a shaggy cedar covered in homemade ornaments and strung with popcorn; or a palm tree adorned with pink flamingos?

I used to be #1 before kids, but now we’re starting to look like #3 with the homemade ornaments everywhere . . . which I LOVE! : )

Thanks so much, Becky! It’s nice to have you at DivineDetour. Merry Christmas and best wishes with the new album.

~ ~ ~

For more information about Becky and her music, visit http://beckykelley.bandcamp.com/ or

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Becky-Kelley/140275889345683?sk=wall.

To view the Where’s the Line to See Jesus? music video, logon to http://wheresthelinetoseejesus.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=159.

To purchase Becky’s music, logon to:

Camille Eide writes contemporary romantic women’s fiction and was a 2009 Zondervan First Novel Competition finalist and a 2011 Genesis winner. Her novella eBook, Savanna’s Gift, released earlier this month.

A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, she serves on the board of the Portland Chapter. She is also a member of Oregon Christian Writers and Randy Ingermanson’s Columbia River Christian Writers.

A church secretary, Camille plays keyboard and bass guitar, sings in the worship band, and knows how to do a bunch of random things like baking four dozen cinnamon rolls in a flash for a crowd of drooling young adults.

Camille lives in the evergreen Cascade foothills near Portland, Oregon with her hero of twenty-eight years and is mom to three brilliant college-age kids.

Please tell us about Savanna’s Gift (White Rose Publishing, December 2011).

Savanna’s Gift is a Christmas romance about lost love, second chances, and recognizing God’s gifts to us, set in an elegantly adorned, rustic ski lodge in the beautiful evergreen Oregon Cascades.

Forced to return to the ski lodge where she once worked, Savanna Holt is reminded of one special Christmas and how ambition led her to make the worst mistake of her life: Leaving Luke Nelson.

Stunned to discover Luke never left, but worked his way up from lift operator to manager, Savanna sees the opportunity as a gift from God. She’s determined to win Luke back. But Luke wants no reminders of his past hurt, or a relationship with the woman who put ambition before love.

Can Savanna convince Luke she’s changed and her interest isn’t because of his position? And when her dream job beckons, will she sacrifice her dream for a second chance at love?

What inspired the story?

At times in my own life, I’ve made choices that hurt those I love most. I wanted to tell a story about a woman who has lost the love of her life due to her fearful, foolish choices. I’ve found that truth brings healing, and surrender (to Christ) brings freedom from the things that bind us. I wanted tell the story of someone finding hope as a result of repentance, the kind of hope available to us all. I love a great love story with a happy ending, one that addresses the value of a person’s flawed but noble character. I hope Savanna’s story will inspire the hope of second chances in readers as it did me.

Detours in life can be frustrating—especially around the holidays. Can you tell us about a recent “detour” in your life that turned out to be positive?

A good example would be the basis of this story, as I mentioned. Making mistakes based on fear can be painful, especially when we know we’ve caused pain to others. But God provides the courage to face mistakes, sometimes helping us right a wrong by revealing a painful truth, a truth that brings freedom and allows healing.

A few fun questions…

What is your favorite Christmas song?

O Come, O Come Immanuel. Love the beauty of the message: God with us, to ransom us. Rejoice!

What is your favorite Christmas comfort food and why?

Oh, you had to ask. I love Christmas cookies, but I’ve had to give them up, carbs are not my friend. But I still like baking them for my kids (who aren’t kids any more but still insist on their special favorites at Christmas . . .)

Please tell us about one of your favorite Christmas traditions.

We’ve always waited until our kids were in bed on Christmas Eve to put their gifts under the tree. We didn’t really push the Santa thing, but just to make the surprise a little more special. We’ve also attended a candlelight service on Christmas Eve every year, followed by driving through the neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights.

Which best describes your perfect Christmas tree: an elegant, evergreen covered in the latest couture; a vintage aluminum tree with shiny glass bulbs; a shaggy cedar covered in homemade ornaments and strung with popcorn; or a palm tree adorned with pink flamingos?

Sorry, none of those really appeal to me. I like a nice fat, fresh fir tree covered with assorted ornaments we’ve collected (we’ve saved the homemade ones from school though). We have a collection of figure-type glass ornaments, the kind that remind me of the ones I’d liked as a kid.

Thanks, Camille. Merry Christmas!

Thank you, Kathy, and Merry Christmas to you too!

~ ~ ~

For more information about Camille, visit her website at http://www.camilleeide.com/.

To purchase Savanna’s Gift, logon to:

Melanie Dickerson loves retelling popular fairy tales with Christian messages—and, by all appearances, her readers love it too.

Her first book, The Healer’s Apprentice, a retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty, which was released last year, was a Christy Award finalist in the Young Adult category and won the National Reader’s Choice Award for Best First Book. Last week, Zondervan released, Melanie’s second book, The Merchant’s Daughter, which is loosely based on Beauty and the Beast.

Melanie earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama, and has taught children with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee. She also taught English to adults in Germany and the Ukraine.

She now lives with her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama.

You have a degree in Special Education. What sparked your writing journey?

I wanted to be a writer when I was in high school. I wrote two novels while still in high school, and my goal was to be a novelist. But, as a senior, I realized I needed to be practical and go to college to get a “real job.” I quit writing altogether, and even quit reading fiction for about fifteen years. I got back into writing when my second daughter was just a year old. I decided to see if I could really make it as a novelist.

How does your faith play into your writing?

When I start plotting, planning, and then writing a book, I don’t think about the faith element. It just happens. Just as God permeates every aspect of my life, so it is with my Christian characters. They can’t NOT apply God’s principles, or at least consider how their actions will impact their faith and their beliefs.

Let’s talk about your new book The Merchant’s Daughter (Zondervan, November 29, 2011). Please tell us about it.

The Merchant’s Daughter is a Medieval romance. It’s also a fairy tale retelling based on Beauty and the Beast. Zondervan is publishing it as a Young Adult novel, but I think it appeals to anyone who likes historical romance.

It takes place in 14th century England, and my hero and heroine, Annabel and Lord le Wyse, have had some devastating, painful betrayals in their pasts. Their story will help readers to discover, along with Annabel and Lord le Wyse, how to overcome their fears, how to trust God, and how to learn to love and laugh and be joyful again.

I love the gradual way my two characters learn to trust each other, to trust God, and to fall in love. Isn’t that what the Beauty and the Beast story is all about?

Detours in life can be frustrating—kind of like plot twists in the stories we write—but the outcome is often more intriguing than our original plan. Can you tell us about a recent “detour” in your life—or in one of your character’s lives—that taught you something?

Just as Annabel and Lord le Wyse were learning to trust God, I have had to do the same. Throughout my writing journey toward publication, the theme of my life seemed to be trust. God kept making me do things that were way out of my comfort zone, and I had to just force myself to say, literally, over and over, “God, I trust you, I trust you, I trust you.” As someone who has always struggled with low self-esteem, I’ve had to do public speaking, promote myself to strangers, and hardest of all, I had to do a live interview on TV. God has brought me a long way, I have grown a lot. I still have a ways to go, but I trust Him way beyond what I used to before I started writing.

What’s next for you?

I have a Snow White story and a Cinderella story that are both sequels to The Healer’s Apprentice and I’m hoping Zondervan will publish them in about a year. Right now I’m working on a Regency for an adult Christian audience.

A few fun questions…

When the words aren’t flowing—or when you want to celebrate if they are—what is your favorite comfort food and why?

Chocolate is my favorite food because it tastes so good. I love chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream cones. And pretty much every other food known to man. Except for bananas and other slimy fruits. Fruit is my least favorite food group.

This website features musicians as well as writers. Do you have musical, as well as literary, talent?

My grandfather was a great fiddle player, and I played the flute in high school band, but I haven’t played in about twenty years. So no, not really.

If you were a song, what kind of song would you be?

I like for people to think I’m happy and upbeat, but I’m really a fairly melancholy person, although I try to fight it. So, I don’t know. Maybe an Andrea Bocelli love song, kind of sad but intense and romantic.

Are you a major or a minor chord?

No clue.

In the story that is your life, are you the strong, female lead; the girl next door; the mysterious woman behind dark glasses; the super heroine; or the little girl trying to walk in high heels?

I am the weak, scared little girl trying to look and act like the strong female lead.

I’m a dog lover. Please tell us about your pets, if any, or your favorite pet as a child.

We have a crazy dog named Ginger who is beautiful. She’s big and has long white hair that sheds like manna from heaven. But she loves to run away and just laughs when we try to catch her. Fortunately, she is very friendly and thinks everybody she sees wants to rub her belly, so our neighbors usually catch her for us. She is also a Houdini who can escape any fence. I can’t tell you how many things we have done to try to keep her from escaping.

Thank you, Melanie! It’s nice to have you at DivineDetour!

Thanks so much for having me, Kathy!

~ ~ ~

For more information about Melanie, visit her website at www.melaniedickerson.com or her blog at http://www.melaniewrites.blogspot.com/.

To purchase The Merchant’s Daughter logon to:

by Linda Cox

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12

The book was too good to put down! But the beautiful fall day beckoned me outside for a walk. I wanted to do both! So I did. I walked AND read the book at the same time. All went well till the end of our lane, when my foot slipped on the edge of a new gully left by the night’s rain. I fell hard on my knees with a cry of pain. And the thought of “idiot” bouncing around in my head.

I sheepishly hobbled home and put ice on my “boo-boo.” When I was finally brave enough to peek, I found one skinned knee worthy of any five-year old.

My husband called me stupid. My BFF, after she quit rolling on the floor in laughter, said there was a devotion in there somewhere. I think it was her nice way of saying “and what have you learned from this?” (BTW, thanks to my 92-year-old mother-in-law who later shoveled enough rocks to fill up the gully so I wouldn’t do it again.)

As I thought about it, I remembered something I read in Oswald Chambers’ My Upmost for His Highest. He wrote that “the things that are right and noble and good . . . keep us back from God’s best . . . . It is the good that hates the best.”

I smiled. Walking is good. Reading is good. But together? Not exactly the best!

Then I thought of the season which is rapidly approaching. How many of us will sacrifice the best of Christmas once again this year as we lose ourselves in all the good things this season has to offer. Buying presents for loved ones is good. So is sending Christmas cards. And what about cookies and candy? How can they not be good! And the decorated homes and trees are so beautiful. Listening to Christmas music is joyful and good. As are all the gatherings with family and friends.

Yet how many of us arrive at Christmas exhausted, so busy that we have “fallen down” and missed out on the BEST part of Christmas?

We don’t have to give up all the good things. But by keeping them in the proper perspective and focusing on the birth of Christ as the real reason we do them, we’ll find God’s peace and joy in all our activities.

So, as we make our journey to the manger this Christmas, may the true “reason for the season” guide us in all we do to celebrate the birth of Christ.

If Travis Thrasher has had a Divine Detour in his adult life, it wasn’t the epiphany to write, because writing is something he’s wanted to do since third grade.

Travis continued to pursue the dream through high school and college, and then took a job with Tyndale House Publishers as Author Relations Manager. Tyndale would eventually publish his first two novels.

He says of the thirteen years he spent working with authors, as opposed to just being one, that he learned a lot. That time also brought the revelation that he didn’t want to be “boxed in” by a brand or genre. Since then, he has made the deliberate choice to write spontaneously, rather than be concerned with what might be expected of him.

Subsequently, Travis’ novels have been compared to authors as diverse as Nicholas Sparks and Stephen King. His eighteen critically acclaimed releases vary from love stories to drama to suspense and even teen fiction. This fall, he collaborated with Nashville singer-songwriter Jimmy Wayne (well known for his 1700-mile walk to raise awareness for foster children in America.) The book, Paper Angels, was released in November.

Travis Thrasher lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife and three daughters.

What sparked your personal writing journey?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since third grade. My teacher encouraged me in my writing while also inspiring my imagination by reading C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.

How does your faith play into your work?

Hopefully it plays out in a natural way. That’s the tough thing about being a novelist in a genre considered “Christian fiction.” The older I’m becoming, the more comfortable I’m getting by that term. I don’t want every novel to be an attempt to witness/preach/pontificate/insert-your-own-term here. But I am a Christian and my worldview comes out. Hope to me—hope for today and hope after we die—can only be presented from that perspective. Yet my goal is still always to write a compelling story.

Let’s talk about your new novel Paper Angels (Howard Books, November 1, 2011) co-authored with Jimmy Wayne. The book has been described as ‘not just a Christmas story but an everyday story.’ Please tell us about it.

Paper Angels is about the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program that provides gifts to families in need around Christmastime. It’s also about a boy who shows the spirit of Christmas by his actions and about a man who learns the true meaning of Christmas by the gifts he’s been given. The spirit and meaning of Christmas isn’t simply a thing that should happen once a year.

I understand the story began as a song. What method did you and Jimmy use to collaborate on the book long distance?

First off, Jimmy needed to make sure I was as crazy as he is. Once we got that squared away, we were good. He had actually started walking across the country to raise awareness for youth who grow too old for the foster care system and find themselves homeless. The publisher told me he was walking and I just thought, Who is this guy? The walk turned out not only to be an amazing story in itself, but one of the best ways to work together. He had a lot of time on his hands since he was . . . walking. All day. We’d talk about story ideas and characters and all of that. I got to understand Jimmy’s past and the core of the story he wanted to tell. So this went on for six months back and forth.

Has God ever provided an unexpected “detour” in your life that turned out to be positive?

Yes. Over and over again. One of the first detours was getting expelled from Ben Lippen High School during my sophomore year. If I hadn’t gotten booted out, I would have stayed at that school for the remainder of my high school years. Instead, I moved with my parents up to Chicago where I still am.

God has shown time and time (and time) again that He can make good things out of the poor choices I’ve made. All of my books are reflections of this. God has had to bat me over the head with a two-by-four every now and then. But those hard lessons have resulted in some amazing things.

What’s next for you as a writer?

It’s really a toss up. I have two books in my teen series called The Solitary Tales releasing next year. I could be the next Stephanie Meyer. Or I could end up working at Arbys. Regardless, I love that horsey sauce.

Hopefully there will be more Jimmy Wayne collaborations as well. He’s got this whole other thing called a “record” that he’s working on. : ) Seriously though, we’ve got some more story ideas in mind. And I’d love to help him with his life story.

A few fun questions…

When the words aren’t flowing—or when you want to celebrate if they are—what is your favorite comfort food and why?

Chips and salsa. In good times and bad. On rainy days and sunny days. In winter or summer.

This website features musicians as well as writers. Do you have musical, as well as literary, talent?

I feel I think and create as a musician. Honestly. My Uncle Chris was an exceptional musician and I feel I take a lot after him. I took a little piano but that’s it. But I do have an exceptional boombox/synth that I can create simply by making the sounds. I’m not joking either. My close friends have heard many of these sounds. I’m pretty good. But that’s an act for a circus, so I’ll keep to writing.

If you were a song, what kind of song would you be?

You’re trying to box me in, aren’t you? Look at Paper Angels—that’s a country song, right? Look at 40­—that’s alternative rock. Look at my teen series. That’s an 80’s synth-pop record. I don’t want to be defined by a simple song. I’d rather be a playlist full of all of these.

Are you a major or a minor chord?

Minor chord. Without a doubt.

In the story that is your life, are you the tall, dark stranger; the romantic lead; the mythical warrior; the mad scientist; or the child in an adult’s body?

I’m all five. And at the end of the story, I realize that I’m a mental patient who’s delusional and thinks he’s five different people.

I’m a dog lover. Please tell us about your pets, if any, or your favorite pet as a child.

My wife and I have three daughters. So I need a strong, masculine dog. Right?  We have a female Shih Tzu named Hailey. But I love her since she was our first girl.

Thank you, Travis! It’s so nice to have you as a guest this holiday season at DivineDetour!

There is nothing I like more than talking about myself. Oh, wait. Thank you for featuring me! Happy holidays and Merry Christmas.

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For more information about Paper Angels, visit Travis’ website at www.travisthrasher.com.

For more information about Jimmy Wayne, logon to http://www.myspace.com/jimmywaynemusic.

To purchase Paper Angels logon to: