A Bookish Life In AK

September has had a great start!

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I’m still working on this blog thing, so thank you for hanging in there with me.That being said, I have had a great beginning of September. Last week I had to fly to Anchorage for a work trip. When the trip got finalized I found out that two of my all time favorite Christian Historical Fiction authors were going to be in Anchorage at the same time. Kimberly Woodhouse and Tracie Peterson posted that they were going to be at the Anchorage Public Library. I got off the airplane, Ubered to the hotel, checked in, and Ubered to the Library. I walked in and sat there like a schoolgirl meeting her hero. I had the biggest grin the whole time listening to Kimberly Woodhouse and Tracie Peterson explain their books and how they do their research. They have worked together on several Alaskan Series. Tracie Peterson has over 140 published books. Two of her series, “The Heirs of Montana” and “The Broadmoor Legacy” got me through a very rough time in my life. I found Kimberly Woodhouse through Tracie Peterson. Kimberly Woodhouse has over 30 books including the ones co-authored with Tracie Peterson.They had a book signing as well. I got to talk to them and get my picture taken. I totally fangirled the whole time. 😉

The were so wonderful and personable and willing to talk to all of us.

Over the summer I had been notified that I had won a Booksweeps contest. I ended up with a brand new Kindle Fire (woohoo!!) and around 60 new books in both print and ebook. I was so surprised when the books started coming in, over half of them were signed to me personally, some sent an extra book, others sent little goodies like notepads, stickers or pens.

One of the books I received was “Counterfeit Faith” by Crystal Caudill. It is the third book in the “Counterfeit” series. The other books in the series are “Counterfeit Love” and “Counterfeit Hope” I am halfway through “Counterfeit Faith” at the moment and am loving it. There’s a mystery, a possible romance and the Secret Service.

When I started reading it, a friend of mine, Voni Harris, reached out to me about my blog and wanted to know if I wanted to do an interview with an author. “Ummm, yes please!!” She asked if I had read anything by Crystal Caudill, and I sent her a picture of the book I just started. She then asked if I wanted to meet her and do an interview with her. (insert fangirl squeal) Voni introduced the two of us through Facebook Messenger. Crystal agreed and and then she got me hooked into a few groups for blogging. Below is the interview.

 1)When did you know that you wanted/were called to be a writer?

God actually pulled me into this gig kicking and screaming. I’d always written for myself, but I had no plans for publishing. It wasn’t until my husband sent me to the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference that God began the dragging. LOL The first person I met introduced me to ACFW and then to Gregg and Hallee Bridgeman. It was Gregg who asked me why wasn’t I pursuing publishing. Hadn’t God given me these stories? They weren’t meant to be kept secret. Even so, I was resistant. God went further to press His point by canceling all but one of my writing craft classes I wanted to attend. All I was left with were publishing classes. I stubbornly sat through them with crossed arms, saying, “Fine. I’ll attend, but I have no intention of publishing.” Even though I left that conference knowing God had called me to pursue publishing, it was another 6 months of me fighting Him before I joined ACFW and began my journey with Him toward publishing. And just so you don’t think it was a quick and easy thing, I spent five years after that studying the craft before submitting to agents and publishers, and it was another two years before my debut novel released.

2) Why did you pick the time frame and setting for the Counterfeit Series? 

Initially, I picked the setting of Cincinnati because I wanted to learn more about the area where I’d married into living. The time frame came through my research for the Secret Service. I wanted to be past the initial turmoil of the formation of the Secret Service, but also during the time period when they were still rebuilding their reputation after a rough start. I wanted to show all the struggles they faced and how hard these handful of men worked to bring our nation’s currency to something that could be relied on. 

3)What kind of research did you do to get things just right, down to the clothing and weapons used?

Oh, man the research was intense and wonderful. I’m a history nerd, so I dove into as many historical records as I could get my hands on. So much research goes into all the little nuances of each story, including studying detailed maps of Cincinnati during the 1884 flood. I read dissertations and thesis papers, went to historical societies, read digitalized primary sources, and read newspaper articles from the day. For weapons research, once I determined which type of weapon was used, I went to one of my favorite Youtubers and watched him talk about the history of the gun and how it works. Then, he shot off a few rounds for demonstration. I also had the fun of shooting a Colt Revolver in Cody, Wyoming. 

4) What kind of schedule do you keep while you are writing? Do you sit down and write it all out or are you more of a little bit here and there?

In a perfect world, I’d sit down and write 1,000 to 2,000 words a day. However, that doesn’t happen with as much consistency as I’d like. I’m a full-time caregiver for my MIL, as well as a teen boy mom, wife, small group leader, ACFW Chapter leader, and workshop teacher. Most the time I am able to balance it all, but when my caregiving duties kick up into intense levels, I cut back on everything I can, and my creative writing suffers. Right now, we are adjusting my MIL’s needs now that she has a broken neck and is legally blind. She needs help for about everything and I’m constantly with her. I’m hoping once we can establish a routine that my creative juices will return, but right now we are in just plain ol’ survival mode. In these type of seasons, I write wherever I get the chance, if my brain will cooperate.

5)Who is your favorite character that you’ve written?

Andrew Darlington. I call him my jerk-face character–the person that people can find hard to like, but underneath, he’s an incredible guy. It just takes the right kind of woman to pull out his good side. Bless his heart, he just has no tact and says whatever comes out of his mouth. I can relate to this myself.

6) Who was the hardest one to write?

Josiah Isaacs. That man is a flirt and a romantic. I hate cheesy romances, and I cannot STAND to watch even cartoons kiss. Writing Josiah’s personality made me blush and feel uncomfortable. He never crossed lines, but his type of character does not come naturally to me. Thankfully, he turned into his own person and eventually wrote the story himself.

7)I love how you slip the prayers and verses into your writing as an inner monologue. How did you come to do that?

Verses and prayer are part of my everyday monologue for myself. Because relying on God’s Word and talking to Him throughout the day are a part of me, it just sort of slips naturally into my writing.

8) Who has been your biggest supporter as a writer? 

My husband, and all my family really. But my husband is the one who has cheered me on and pushed me even before I choose to seek publishing myself. He saw a passion in me that I didn’t realize was so obvious, and he supported it. Remember the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference? I didn’t ask for it. He saw it and knew I would enjoy it and bought me a registration for my birthday. He is truly my hero, and I am so blessed to have his support.

9) What do you snack on or drink while you write?  

I don’t tend to snack while I write, but I do drink copious amounts of tea. What kind of tea depends on my mood, but it is always a high-quality loose leaf in a porcelain tea cup. Yep. I’m a tea snob.

10) What has been the best thing about a writer?

The way it has drawn me closer to God. I absolutely have to depend on Him for every aspect of each story, and I can always tell when I start trying to “go it alone.” He has incredibly blessed me not just through the writing, but through the writer and reader friends he has brought into my life. I prayed for good Christian friends for over 15 years, but once I followed His call to pursue publishing, the friends He has brought into my life are now as dear to me as family members.

11) Who is your favorite author? What is your favorite book? 

You do know what a cruel joke that question is? For the most part, my favorite is Michelle Griep. Before I read her latest books, I would have said The Noble Guardian, but Man of Shadow and Mist has stolen my heart. In fact, I have purchased a second copy and am currently highlighting the daylights out of it and making all sorts of notations. Seriously, her writing is amazing, and I want to be like her when I grow up.

12) Do you talk to your characters? Do they talk back?

Have you ever seen The Man Who Invented Christmas? If not, I highly recommend it for a peek inside the writer brain. It’s true. I talk to my characters, and yes, they talk back. I know if a character does not take on their own personality and start making their own decisions, that something is wrong with my story or my characterization. They say our brain responds to fictional characters the same way it responds to historical figures. So yes, they become real and their own independent, stubborn people.

13) What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? 

Don’t be in a rush. Study the craft long and hard, and enjoy the journey. It’s so much more than just publishing a book. If you’ve ever seen the movie Cars, Doc has his trophies stuffed in a corner because they are just empty cups. If all we are writing for is to see that book on a shelf, you’ll be surprised at how empty you feel after the initial joy wears off. Writing isn’t about the end product. It’s about the journey, the people you meet, and your walk with God. Publishing a book is a decoration on the cake–not even the icing. So write, enjoy the journey, publish your books and celebrate, and then keep on chugging.God bless you,

Crystal Caudill https://www.crystalcaudill.com/

Thank you Crystal for doing the interview with me.

You can follow Kimberly Woodhouse at https://kimberleywoodhouse.com

You can follow Tracie Peterson at https://traciepetersonbooks.com

You can get their books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and anywhere Christian books are sold.