Tragedy, love, and secrets meet on a journey of faith.

I logged onto Christianbook.com one day this week and saw these words printed beneath the description for my debut novel, The Road to Mercy—and they caught me by surprise. Someone from the Abingdon Press staff had taken the book’s 75,000 words and effectively capsulized them into only ten.

Later it struck me that someday someone will similarly summarize my earthly existence—and yours—in only a few words. Perhaps they already have. I wonder what kind of epitaph my actions—based on a single personal encounter or a lifetime relationship—have already inspired. More importantly, I wonder how I can best finish my story so it positively impacts those I meet.

Our personal story is written one day at a time. But together those days—and years—add up to who we are. If you could choose only ten words that others would use to summarize your life, what would they be? And how will you go about earning them?

~ Kathy Harris

Fay Lamb is an editor for Pelican Book Group—the publisher of White Rose Publishing/Harbourlight Books—and an Operating Board member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She also co-moderates the ACFW Scribes’ Critique Group. Her second novel, Because of Me, which finaled in the 2010 ACFW Genesis contest, was recently published by Treble Heart Books.

A Florida native, Fay lives in Titusville with her husband Marc. They have two married sons and five grandchildren.

Please tell us about your path to writing and working in the publishing industry.

I think I’ve been on the writing path most of my life. I’ve always loved to tell a story. My imagination doesn’t take a rest. In high school I was known as “the girl who writes stories.” I was a little older when I realized that any desire to write came from God and that if He has provided me with any talent, it should be used to glorify Him. Since that time, I became serious about my writing, seeking publication. It’s been a long road, but along the way, the Lord has given me encouragement and even changed my direction a couple of times. In fact, working for Pelican Ventures, Inc. is a dream I never thought would come true. Not only am I an author, I’m an editor—and I work with some pretty awesome professionals in the Christian publishing industry.

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

Because of Me was a wonderful unexpected detour. I wasn’t happy at the beginning of the journey, but looking back, I clearly see that God was at work.

I was told by an editor of a major publishing house that my work was too complex for Christian readers. My husband counseled me to write a contemporary romance with lighter issues and seek publication of it to prove that I can hold the interest of a reader with a less adventurous plot. His reasoning was sound, and I would recommend it for anyone who has taken on a complex project.

While I continued to tweak the contemporary romances, a friend offered me the chance to meet with the editor/owner of Treble Heart Books. We spent a delightful evening learning about the industry, and by the time we left a three-hour lunch, I had a sense that this editor understood me and the reasons behind what I write. I sent her my manuscript, and Because of Me found its voice in Christian publishing.

Let’s talk about Because of Me (January 2012, Treble Heart Books). Please tell us more about it.

Because of Me is the story of Michael Hayes, once a promising young investigative report, and his fiancée, Issie Putnam. In his ambition, Michael leads Issie into a very dangerous situation, and their lives are changed forever. Michael is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison while Issie is left alone to raise a child born of a crime committed against her on that fateful night. When Michael returns to their hometown to protect Issie from the man who harmed her, he finds that she’s not alone. Issie is raising her son, and though Michael is not the child’s father, the boy was definitely born because of him.

God often uses our stories to teach us when we’re writing them. What did you learn (about life, faith, and/or even yourself) in the process of writing this book?

I’m still learning this lesson. God never moves away from us. Even when we step away, even when we’ve messed up, even when we think He’s far from us, He is there. When we are going through the deepest struggles of our lives, God is fulfilling His promise that “all things work together” for those who love Him. When we call out to Him, God doesn’t have to rush to us from across a wide gulf. He simply has to wrap His arms around us and tell us, “I’m right here. I always have been here. Your needs are met, and I love you, Child.”

As a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Operating Board, you work with the Scribes’ critique group. What is the best advice that you can offer to writers—young or older—who are just starting out?

Writers who are just starting out can benefit greatly from a critique group, but they have to steel themselves against some assessments of their writing that will hurt. There’s no way to get around it, but there is a way to get over it. Write. Write. Write. Realize everyone has an opinion. Not everyone is going to like the way you write or what you write. The secret is working to find out which advice to take and which to discard. Then work toward eliminating those issues in your writing that rightly receive criticism.

It’s not easy, but writers are as much artists as a musician, painter, or sculptor. Anything that requires a development of talent takes practice—lots and lots of practice.

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?

Anyone who spends anytime with me on Facebook knows the answer to this one. We have a drive-in restaurant in town. It’s called The Moonlight. My favorite celebratory/comfort foods are: Moonlight fried pickles, a jumbo sweet iced tea with extra ice, and several different types of Moonlight ice cream, but mostly a hot fudge Sundae, light on the fudge, with bananas, and whipped cream.

And if my husband and I don’t show up at the Moonlight at least every other day, they worry about us.

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

Not an ounce of musical talent exists in me. I was maybe eight-years-old, singing away in the backseat of my much-loved grandmother’s car, when she turned to me and said, “You’re as tone-deaf as your father.” End of music career, and with so many people showing up and embarrassing themselves on American Idol, I’m so fortunate to have someone who loved me enough to tell me the truth.

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

Despite the fact that I’m not overly fond of the ocean, I think I’d be beach music, the kind you select on your iPod, earphones in the ears, chair in the sand, and the waves tickling your toes.

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 really had to think about this one, so here goes:  I’m the strong, female lead, wearing dark glasses, and trying to walk in high heels like a grown up and failing miserably. In other words:  I really am a mess, but if we want to put a positive slant on my personality:  I’d say I’m a wee bit complicated. [Note:  my dear husband would replace the word complicated with crazy, but I didn't ask for his opinion.]

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

We currently have five indoor pets and three outdoor rebels that will not come across the threshold. My husband and I have a rule that when an animal comes into our home, it is with us for life. Our cast of four-legged indoor characters: Max, a Cairn Terror (There’s a reason the witch wanted to kill Toto. He was a Cairn Terrier.) Next is Herbie, a Chihuahua named after my father. We believe that Herbie belonged to Methuselah. He’s older than dirt. Baby, our Maltese was rescued as she strolled down a major highway, her long hair matted to her body. Now she is queen of the abode. Charlie, a Himalayan cat, is currently the acting supervisor in my husband’s appraisal business, sitting on his desk all day, making sure he works hard to bring home the cat food. Then there is Melly, a sweet calico who has been with us for nearly thirteen years.

Our outside cast of characters consists of three stray cats:  The Artful Dodger, his one-eyed brother, Jack, and another old fellow we call Feagan.

Thanks, Fay. It’s nice to have you as a guest at DivineDetour.

~ ~ ~

For more information about Fay, visit her website at www.faylamb.com or her blog at http://faylamb.com/ontheledge/on-the-ledge/.

Fay also contributes to the Pelican Book Group’s Tactical Tuesdays: Advice for Self-Editing blog series, which can be accessed via www.pelicanbookgroup.com.

You can purchase Because of Me from Fay’s website, http://faylamb.com/book-store/, or logon to:

by Linda Cox

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord… ~ Isaiah 58:13-14a (NIV)

These verses from Isaiah are some of my favorites. Yes, really.

At first glance, one might think they are rather legalistic. That they apply only to the Jewish Sabbath. Or if applying to our Sunday, they fuel the debate of what Christians can or cannot do on that day. Do we have to go to church every Sunday? Can we go shopping? To the movies? Play golf? Eat out? Plow a field? Throw a party?

But as I read the verses, I see them extending beyond that issue.

To begin with, “sabbath” simply means rest, cessation, intermission. A time without the clatter of the world interrupting our thoughts and our lives. A time to rest and recharge. It can be all of Sunday. For some, it can be another day of the week. It can be the smaller amounts of time we take each day for devotions. For prayer. For a quiet time of just listening for the Lord to speak to our hearts.

These verses put the focus of any Sabbath time where it should be—on the Lord, not on ourselves and our selfish desires. And when our focus is where it should be, we can begin to see every day as a delight. A day for doing and saying what pleases God. A day that we honor as belonging to the Lord.

And look at what we find when we do that! Joy! Joy in the Lord! A joy that nothing in this world can give. A joy that nothing in this world can take away!

May we pause as often as we can in the midst of our busy lives for a Sabbath rest. And as we find our joy in the Lord, may we also delight in every day truly being the Lord’s day.

Linda Cox is a regular contributor to DivineDetour. She recently retired after twenty-five years as a district office secretary for the State of Illinois. Her first loves are studying the Bible and reading, but Linda occasionally tries her hand at writing. Her work is published in All My Bad Habits I Learned from Grandpa (Thomas Nelson), The One-Year Life Verse Devotional (Tyndale), Life Lessons from Grandparents (Write Integrity) and the Love Is a Verb devotional (Bethany House). She and her husband live on a farm with their two indoor/outdoor farm mutts.

Ada Brownell spent seventeen years as a daily newspaper reporter. She won the Colorado Psychiatric Society’s 1998 media awareness award, was nominated for the American Psychiatric Society’s media writing award in 1995 and in 1996, and was nominated for the American Cancer Society’s public health reporter award in 1994. Also an avid Bible student, Ada has a certificate of ministry from Berean College, holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, and has sold articles and fiction stories to forty religion publications.

She and her husband Lester had five children—all of whom have served, or continue to serve, in the Christian ministry. They lost their oldest daughter, Carolyn, to cancer in 1990.

You have an extensive writing history, having retired from a job as a medical reporter. What initially sparked your writing journey?

At age fifteen as youth president of my church I started submitting ideas for services to a youth magazine and wrote a few articles. After I married we moved to Thompson, Utah—population ninety-nine. At first I thought we missed God’s will, but after seeking God my eyes opened to the harvest field.

I started a Sunday school in that town and sold a couple of significant articles. I enrolled in a Writing for Christian Publications course and also became a stringer for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, about ninety miles away. A few months later, and another move, and I landed a full-time reporting job in Leadville, Colorado, and within a week after moving from Leadville was hired by the Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado. Pueblo was a city of 90,000. I worked three years in the 1960s, then stayed home with our children nearly twenty years. I earned my degree and was rehired by The Chieftain and became a journalist again, although I continued to freelance.

How does your faith play into your writing?

My faith is so much of who I am that it surfaces often when I interview people, write for a secular publication or a religion magazine—just as a non-Christian’s faith (we all believe in something) becomes evident in much of his writing. Spreading the gospel and encouraging people is why I freelance.

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

I would say the move to Utah was a U-turn because I never would have become a writer or a reporter had I stayed in my hometown. Another big turn came when I admitted we couldn’t send our children to Christian colleges without me going back to work, so I completed my degree. God miraculously opened the door because the morning newspaper in Pueblo folded the same time I graduated. But they created a part-time reporting job for me anyway (at the top union salary) and in a few months I was full time. There I was able to share the gospel through personal columns, and sometimes during an interview or to co-workers.

Let’s talk about your book, Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal (Createspace, December 2011). Please tell us about it.

Do you know you are more than a physical body? Evidence shows our body is constantly dying and being renewed cell by cell and about every seven years is totally rebuilt—even our skeleton. We start as an egg about the size of a dust mite, yet we were the same person in the womb we are today. We may lose limbs, gain and lose weight, have vital organs removed and mechanical or transplanted parts inserted, and we’re still the same person. Inside us is LIFE, and a soul and spirit which were designed by God to live forever.

Swallowed by LIFE is subtitled “Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal.” The book speaks about this mystery; how you know what to believe, the wonder of life with all its electrical systems, the awesome truth about cell death and regeneration, brain death and other mysteries of the change from mortal to immortal, where we go when our body dies, resurrection, a glimpse at what we will do in heaven, God’s mercy after man’s rebellion when He promised a Redeemer way back in Genesis to deliver us from death, and leaving a legacy here. Questions and answers are included for study groups.

What do you hope others will learn from reading it?

That medical evidence shows we are more than a body and Jesus came to do something about death, and He did it.

God often uses our writing to teach us. What did you learn (about life, faith, and/or even yourself) in the process of writing this book?

My own faith was strengthened after losing a daughter. Furthermore, as I’ve always known, although evidence and testimony is readily available so that we will believe, we can never prove we’ll live beyond the grave because faith is necessary for salvation. The bottom line is always faith in Jesus, our Redeemer, and the Heavenly Father who sent Him.

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?

A cup of decaf coffee and something sweet.

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

I’ve either been the organist or the pianist in most of the churches I attended until I had hand surgery and retired. I wasn’t the best pianist around because even though I can read music, I played mostly by ear with evangelistic style which is passé now. Pastors often used me over better qualified musicians because I was “reliable.”

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

Andre Crouch’s My Tribute: To God Be The Glory.

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’m part strong, female lead, but sometimes comedienne.

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

We once had a poodle named “Macho” because he thought he was part human and part Doberman.

Thanks, Ada. It’s nice to have you as a guest at DivineDetour.

~ ~ ~

Visit Ada’s website http://adabrownell.com/default.aspx or her blog at http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com/.

To purchase Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal logon to:

Mark “M.K.” Gilroy is a thirty-year publishing veteran, but he makes his debut as a novelist this month. Having worked in just about every aspect of the industry—from proofreader and occasional box packer in the early years to executive vice president and publisher most recently—he has a comprehensive knowledge of the business.

Mark has been a voracious reader since childhood, and his debut, Cuts Like a Knife, is a tribute to his love for character-driven mysteries and thrillers. It’s the first in his Detective Kristen Connor series.

The father of six, he and his wife Amy live in Brentwood, Tennessee.

You’ve worked in almost every aspect of the publishing industry. What was your first job in the business?

When I was in college I started writing and editing for the school newspaper. My junior year I applied for an internship with a small local newspaper with a circulation of about fifty thousand people at the time—the Kankakee (Illinois) Journal. I got the position and started getting paid at the age of twenty. My first job was to go to the office on Friday nights and take phone calls from high school football coaches. The sports editor, Bill Green, let me know what was the featured game and I would write ten to twelve inches of newspaper copy on that game. The others got two to three inches of newspaper copy. I got to where I could make it sound like I was at all twenty to thirty games I wrote up!

Have you always wanted to write?

I always wanted to read—in fact I would get in trouble in elementary school because I would read a book under my desk instead of doing the work the teacher assigned. I think I wanted to write too—but that was work and my work ethic came a little later in life.

How does your faith play into your work?

Much of my thirty-plus years in publishing has been with Christian publishing so my faith has had a very active role in every aspect of what I’m done from acquisitions to writing to editing to distribution and everything else. Another category I’ve done a lot of work in has been the business category. Most of the authors I’ve worked with have had a business ethic based on Christian values even if the book hasn’t been specifically Christian.

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

I became a Christian late in my teen years and soon after felt a call to ministry. I had a Biblical Literature degree in college but my sophomore year pursued a second major in Journalism. Within a few years it became obvious that those two degrees would converge to move me from plans to be a local church minister to focusing on the world of publishing. I did work as a youth pastor in a local church and was in youth work full time or as a volunteer for many years, but where I felt I could best contribute to the Church and Kingdom was through publishing.

Let’s talk about your new novel Cuts Like a Knife (Worthy Press, April 2012). Please tell us about it.

The star of my novel is Detective Kristen Conner. She followed her dad’s footsteps as a cop for the Chicago Police Department. Her life is centered on faith and family—even if she constantly fights with her mom and two sisters. And her partner and boss . . .  okay she has a bit of an anger problem. There’s good reason but I’ll let readers discover that for themselves.

She does coach her niece’s seven-year-old soccer team and as a former soccer star and a real workout warrior, even something that innocent and nice gets her into trouble. I guess you could call Kirsten a delightful, graceful and grace-filled “mess.”

The book opens with the FBI alerting the CPD that a nationwide serial killer has taken up residence in their city. The killer likes to find his victims in a certain setting so Conner is put under cover. She fits the profile of the killer’s victims. As she follows a few tenuous clues to get closer to the killer there comes a point when she realizes she is his new favorite target. So there is a lot of tension; lots of twists and turns in the plot. Even though the killer is on a brutal crime spree there is also lots of humor woven throughout the story. I’ve been told there are a lot of laugh aloud scenes.

One thing that is unique about Cuts Like a Knife is that, though the book is told from Kristen’s perspective, there are short chapters interspersed where the reader gets to hear from the mind of a killer.

I’ll just add that even though it gets scary and eerie I’ve left the violence off screen—so even if you have a good idea what happened before a crime scene and a little creeped out by the killer, you aren’t dragged through bloody details!

Where did you get the idea for the book?

I’ve read in a wide range of categories, but my bedtime pleasure reading has tended to be fiction, especially mystery and suspense. I think I’ve read so many hundreds of titles from that genre that I finally decided to try my hand at it. I didn’t have an outline in front of me, but I had a lead character, a criminal, and an ending in mind. From there the book just flowed.

One of my inspirations was to write a general market suspense thriller—but to make the star of the show a person of faith and convictions. Reviewers from both the Christian and general market are taking note and giving it very high marks. So I hope I’ve come close to meeting my goal.

When will the second book in the series be released?

Every Breath You Take (another 80’s hit song title) will release early in 2013. I’m just about finished and my publisher is anxiously awaiting a manuscript—I’m a couple weeks late and it’s time to finish my final edit! I have a few ideas for book three, but no title and no writing yet.

From a publisher’s perspective, what’s the most important quality a writer should have?

I’m not sure there is a singular quality that makes a great writer. I’ve worked with hundreds of authors and they come in all shapes, sizes, experiences, personality types, and anything else that makes us different as humans. The two words that we in publishing use to describe a good book proposal are unique and compelling. So I guess what a writer needs to have is something to say that is unique and compelling. Where each author gets that inspiration is a mystery between them and God!

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?

You said this would be a fun question—and I’m trying to lose a few pounds. So now you have me thinking about what I’m trying to do without! I guess when it comes to guilty pleasures with food it would be a big breakfast with too much of everything except oatmeal. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, biscuits and gravy—I could eat that any time of day.

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

Kathy—when do the fun questions start? No—I have very little musical talent. I sing in the shower and a little off key at church. My talent is enjoying an eclectic mix of musical styles. I wrote what Detective Kristen Conner likes to listen to into the storyline. My editor was confused. So what does she like—is it contemporary jazz or 80’s hits or Motown or whatever? The answer, of course, is yes.

What’s the last GREAT book you’ve read?

I’ve started rereading Volume I of Gibbons’ Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire—which is just incredible classic history. I have to admit it is a long term commitment and will take me most of the next year to work through a couple of the volumes. I got interested in George Martins’ Game of Thrones series and read all five books very quickly. He’s been compared to Tolkien. I don’t think he comes close to him and his books are definitely not as inspiring—but he is incredibly talented and has built some wondrous worlds. Graham Greene’s The Sound and the Fury is now at the top of my nightstand stack. As soon as anything new comes from Daniel Silva or Lee Child they go to the front of the list.

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?

My sense of humor can be a little juvenile so maybe I’m a child in an adult’s body. But my wife still thinks I’m romantic . . . so maybe I’m a mix of all the above.

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

For twelve years we had a wonderful black and silver miniature schnauzer named Colby. He liked to take a stroll through our neighborhood every morning and became known as “the major” because he checked everything out to make sure all was okay. He suffered from diabetes and it grew progressively worse his last two years. So he passed away a couple years ago and it felt like a loss in the family. A new dog is being discussed but no decision has been made yet!

Thank you, Mark! It’s nice to have you as a guest at DivineDetour.

Thank you so much for interviewing me—loved your questions and enjoyed this!

~ ~ ~

For more information about Mark and Cuts Like a Knife, visit his website at www.MKGilroy.com.

To purchase Cuts Like a Knife logon to:

Twila Paris is one of Contemporary Christian music’s most prolific songwriters and renowned vocalists. She’s chalked up thirty-three Number One hits, numerous Dove Awards—including three for “Female Vocalist of the Year”—and more than 1.3 million albums sold in the course of her career. Now a home-schooling mom, she balances career with family, recently releasing her twenty-third album, God Shed His Grace—Songs of Truth & Freedom.

Paris is a life-long “patriot,” and her thirty-plus year career as a songwriter has been significantly influenced by current events and the ups and downs of American history. God Shed His Grace, a collection of old and new songs, is a self-described “love letter and prayer” for her country—a reminder for Christian Americans “to be truly salt and light in our culture for this moment in history.”

Twila, her husband and their son J.P. reside in Northwest Arkansas.

How old were you when you wrote your first song? Do you remember what inspired it?

I wrote a silly song with made up words when I was around three. Then when I was twelve, I wrote a very bad song in response to a piano assignment from my dad. The first song that I actually recorded was written when I was seventeen. It was called Morning Sunshine and was about spending time alone with God in the morning.

What’s the writing process like for you? Do you sit down with the intent to write, or wait for an idea? Do lyrics or music usually come first?

All of the above. I most often write at the piano, but many songs have come while I was doing something manual that keeps my mind somewhat free, such as washing dishes or cooking. I’ve written quite a bit in cars and planes as well. I have written lyrics first and music first, but the initial lyrics and music sometimes come together.

Let’s talk about your new CD, God Shed His Grace—Songs of Truth & Freedom (e-One Christian Music, February 28, 2012). Please tell us about it.

The best way I can describe it is “encouragement for Christian patriots.” I realized a couple of years ago that over time I had written quite a few songs with an eye towards current events from a Biblical world-view. So I selected several of those songs, along with a few that were originally written on a more personal level, and two recently recorded patriotic hymns. My hope is that when heard together in a new context, these songs will invite us to hear God about how we should be thinking, praying and acting in order to be truly salt and light in our culture for this moment in history.

Was there one particular event that was the catalyst for the project?

There was not one particular event. I was born in the last few days of 1958, so I have been a witness to the dramatic changes in our society in the last half century.

When I was in elementary school, we prayed together for lunch and the Bible was read over the intercom. Now many public schools don’t dare to have Christmas parties for fear of offending someone. This is just one example, but it is an important one because as Abraham Lincoln said, “the philosophy of the school rooms in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” We see this coming true before our eyes and the pace of these changes only continue to accelerate.

America was founded on Biblical principles and until recent decades there was a common understanding that we are a Christian nation. This did not in any way conflict with the first amendment. Our collective Christian faith is the reason we have a first amendment. Patrick Henry made the case very well. “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here.”

The Christian faith holds up the ideal of liberty in a way that is singular among world religions. And the Christian faith is the reason that America has occupied a singular place among the nations of the world.

Sadly, realitvely few voices have insisted loudly and repeatedly that we are a secular society until even some Christians have begun to believe that Christianity has no special place in our heritage. But it is our very foundation. The more we remove the place of honor it has occupied in our life, the more we decline as a nation.

We must once again realize that we have the moral authority of history and heritage behind us as we declare the real truth graciously but without compromise.

What one thing do you believe is most important to turning our nation around?

The most important thing is prayer. Without repentance and prayer for God’s mercy, our efforts will be fruitless. It is impossible to over emphasize God’s instructions in 2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Has God ever provided a detour in your life that turned out to be something positive?

When I graduated from high school, I turned down a full music scholarship to attend a school which offered an intense focus on discipleship. It was during this time that I began writing songs inspired by the work God was doing in my heart.

A few fun questions…

What is your favorite comfort food and why?

Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It’s easy to make, tastes great, and is nostalgic because we had it so much growing up. I make a healthier version with goat cheddar and Spelt bread. It’s a Sunday night tradition.

This website features authors as well as musicians. What was the last GREAT book you read?

I’m currently reading Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas, one of my favorite authors. I also highly recommend his book Amazing Grace, the Story of William Wilberforce. Both of these books have great application for our time.

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?

Definitely the girl next door.

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

My first dog was a mutt named Niña, rescued from the side of the road. She was very sweet and gentle and sometimes understood me better than anyone.

Thank you, Twila! It’s an honor to have you as a guest at DivineDetour.

~ ~ ~

For more information about Twila and her music, visit her website at www.twilaparis.com.

To purchase God Shed His Grace—Songs of Truth & Freedom logon to:

Nancy Herriman left Arizona and a career in chemical engineering to return to Ohio, where she began a new career—in writing.

After several years of learning the craft, she won the 2006 Romance Writers of America Daphne du Maurier award for Best Unpublished Mystery/Romantic Suspense. Three years later, she was selected as a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest. This month, Worthy Press releases Nancy’s debut novel, The Irish Healer.

She resides in central Ohio with her husband and two teenaged sons.

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer? What led to your interest in historical women’s fiction?

Maybe I’m like many writers in that it seems I have always wanted to write. I didn’t start writing until after I’d spent many years as an engineer, however. I write historical fiction because I love the escapism, the absolute ability to lose oneself in another time and place. As I tell people, I live in the contemporary world; I don’t have any desire to write about it. I need to get away!

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

There have been many detours in my life, big and small, but the greatest has been a diagnosis of breast cancer last year that was utterly unexpected. I have been forced to reevaluate life and living, learn to fully appreciate all the many blessings I have, and give thanks for them regularly, and value the people I have in my life, so many of whom have given so much to me. In unanticipated ways, the disease has provided numerous blessings.

How does your faith play into your work?

Since I write Christian historical fiction, it’s a vital element of my work. I hope that readers are touched by the themes within my books, and that they are encouraged in their own faith.

Let’s talk about your new book The Irish Healer (Worthy Press, April 2012). Please tell us about it.

The book is set in London during the cholera epidemic of 1832.

Here’s a blurb:

Acquitted of murdering a child under her care, Irish healer Rachel Dunne flees the ensuing scandal and vows to never sit at another sickbed. She no longer trusts in her abilities—or God’s mercy. When a cholera epidemic sweeps through London, though, she is forced to nurse the dying daughter of the enigmatic physician she has come to love. James Edmunds, wearied by the deaths of too many patients, has his own doubts about God’s grace. Together, they will have to face their darkest fears . . . and learn what it means to have real faith.

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

I hope that readers come away with the message that, through a sincere trust in God, we can find the strength to heal past wounds and overcome the most fearsome of obstacles. And that even if our faith in God stumbles, He will still be there for us.

As a debut author, what advice would you offer to other writers—young or older—who are just starting out?

I am of the firm belief that you learn the craft by working at it, so keep writing! Also, keep submitting. I spent more than ten years attempting to become published, and it would have been very easy (and many times I was tempted) to give up. The support of fellow writers, and the advice I gleaned from them, has been invaluable. This is not an easy journey to make alone.

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’m sure this is a common answer—chocolate!

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

I love to sing and have fronted a rock bar band, done musical theater, performed with gospel choirs and received training as a classical vocalist. Right now I sing/solo with my church choir as well as with a community chorus. Singing is truly my greatest joy.

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

No doubt about it, I’d be a gospel song.

Are you a major or a minor chord?

I’m very drawn to the sound of minor chords, but I feel more a major chord.

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 like to imagine I’m the mysterious woman behind dark glasses, but I dare say most of my friends would claim I’m the strong, female lead.

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

Sadly, due to allergies in my family, we don’t currently have any pets. I grew up  owning dogs, though, and spent my teenage years with a black Hungarian Sheepdog named Skipper. He was a wonderful dog.

Thanks, Nancy. It’s nice to have you as a guest at DivineDetour.

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For more information about Nancy, visit her website at www.nancyherriman.com.

To view the book trailer for The Irish Healer logon to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxLa0YILakE&feature=youtu.be.

To purchase The Irish Healer logon to:

by Linda Cox

As I worked around the house one morning, I realized I was humming a hymn I hadn’t heard in years. It was one of my childhood favorites, Wonderful Words of Life. Written by Philip Bliss in 1874, it is a good example of how Bliss used his hymns to preach the Gospel message. While many may consider it “old,” its message is one that will never  grow old. Just like the Easter story in the Bible.

What better way to celebrate Easter this year than to read again the old, yet ever new, “wonderful words of life” from the Gospel of Matthew. And as we do, may the joy of our Lord’s Resurrection flood our hearts with praise and thanksgiving for the salvation He won for us.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me. . . . (Matthew 28:1-10 NIV)

And we too will see Him one day, for Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Have a blessed Easter! (And for those of you who are not familiar with Wonderful Words of Life, why not check it out at www.cyberhymnal.org.)

Linda Cox is a regular contributor to DivineDetour. She recently retired after twenty-five years as a district office secretary for the State of Illinois. Her first loves are studying the Bible and reading, but Linda occasionally tries her hand at writing. Her work is published in All My Bad Habits I Learned from Grandpa (Thomas Nelson), The One-Year Life Verse Devotional (Tyndale), Life Lessons from Grandparents (Write Integrity) and the Love Is a Verb devotional (Bethany House). She and her husband live on a farm with their two indoor/outdoor farm mutts.

Bonnie S. Calhoun has a great sense of humor, but when it comes to her work, she takes it seriously. All of it.

Her exhausting list of job titles includes writer, speaker, webmaster, certified Google expert, Director of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, Publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, professional seamstress/clothing designer, and Bible Study/Teen Sunday School teacher. She is also a faculty member of the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference and the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, teaching workshops on Blogging and Social Media. Recently she was named the American Christian Fiction Writers 2011 ‘Mentor of the Year’ and elected President of the Christian Authors Network. And this month— Bonnie added published author to the list, with the release of her new light-hearted mystery from Abingdon Press, Cooking the Books.

When she’s not working, Bonnie relaxes with her husband Bob at their log home on fifteen acres in Upstate New York.

How do you find time to do it all?

LOL . . . sleep is sorely over-rated. As a matter of fact it is about 2:00 AM right now . . . my best interview writing time it seems lately. I also love Excel spreadsheets! They make my life quite easy as long as you do the things on the list, when they should be done. No procrastinating allowed!

Let’s go back to the beginning . . . what sparked your writing journey?

Oh several things sparked this journey including a tendency to invite and enjoy misery . . . LOL . . . writers are a crazy bunch. Where else do you find people who create all day, then go back and spend the night throwing it away. *snort-giggle*

One other thing that sparked my journey was Jerry Jenkins and the Left Behind series.

Why Christian fiction?

LOL . . . why not? I guess because I identify with people who are kids of the King . . . and like people attract like people. And I like the temperament of people in Christian fiction a lot more than in the secular world.

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

Yes, indeedly! This whole writing journey. It started out to be something totally different and one day I woke up here. But God tends to do that to me a lot. It’s like that song, Jesus Take the Wheel. I was like the GPS lady . . . I’d start out in one direction and He’d make a turn and I’d be like, *heavy sigh* “Recalculating!” But I’ve learned to follow where He leads.

Let’s talk about your debut novel, Cooking the Books (Abingdon Press, April 2012). Please tell us about it.

Ohhhh, I love taking about Sloane. After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also “inherits” a half-batty store manager named Felicia Tyler, better know as Fefe, bright red, tightly permed hair, wearer of noisy jewelry and ungodly bright spandex. She’s the half-batty manager of mom’s bookstore, and the batty part plays with loaded guns.

Then there’s a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week called the Granny Oakleys Book Club who smell like food, but never read books. And Aunt Verline Buford, mom’s younger sister, who fancies herself as the Iron Chef, when in reality you need a cast-iron stomach to partake of her disasters. She had her last husband die of food poisoning, but they swear that she didn’t cause it.

And with a group like this you should never ask, “What else can go wrong?”

Mix in a pair of professors, several gun-toting thieves, and a couple books worth a fortune and the outcome could be murder!

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

Sloane Templeton is a third-generation battered woman. I hope the takeaway is that you can overcome your circumstances . . . if you really want to, because the Lord is always there to back you up. In other words, for every behavior there is a payday, and you don’t choose to change a behavior until the pain of remaining the same becomes larger than the pain of change.

You have a large Internet presence. What advice can you offer to other writers who want to establish their platform? What are a few of the most important “dos and don’ts”?

The most important do’s . . . gather a team that are your target reader group (and that does not contain the whole world), supply them with a product or a service, and make yourself more of a help than a hindrance. In other words . . . why would they come back to visit? Don’ts . . . Don’t spend all of your time consumed with yourself, don’t just talk about yourself, don’t just offer your products . . . in other words . . . there is no “I” in team.

A few fun questions…

Yikes . . . fun for you or for me??

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

Chocolate, and that works just fine whether I’m doing or don’ting. But as a comfort food . . . sheesh . . . I’ve got a fluffy butt! You can tell I have a myriad of favorite and comfortable . . . oh . . . you meant comfort. Well they’re that too! I love buffalo chicken wings, cheese jacks, fried haddock, and I mean the deep fried kind, and baked macaroni and cheese . . . and I’m getting really hungry . . .

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

Actually I do sing, mainly praise and worship. This is my absolute favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcNP7X-Zw4s.

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

One word . . . Gospel  : )

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?

Ohhhh, there’s an evolution there that leans toward the strong, female lead but personally I’d rather be the one with a much narrower butt than what I have now.  :)

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

I have a fifteen year old large dog named Sly, who thinks he’s five and a Chihuahua. And I had a cat named Misty but she passed away two months ago at eighteen. I’ve always had dogs and cats . . . and tropical fish (Koi) . . . which grew too large for the tank and now reside in our pond outside.

Thank you, Bonnie! It’s been fun having you as a guest at DivineDetour!

~~~

To learn more about Bonnie, visit her website at http://bonniescalhoun.com/.

To learn more about Christian Fiction Online, go  to http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/.

To order Cooking the Books, logon to: