A Bookish Life In AK

“These Wild Dreams of Ours” has been out for a little over a month now and has reached a 4.8 on Amazon and a 4.6 on Goodreads and there is a reason. The book is amazing.

From beautiful and stark landscapes and characters that feel so real that you really admire them to difficult situations that the characters face with honest faith, or growth of faith, this book still has me thinking about it nearly 6 weeks later. Carly wrote a beautiful book that digs into the hard side of faith and dealing with the question of “Where is God when things go wrong?”

I was privileged to get an interview with the author. I hope you find this as encouraging as I did. Carly, Thank you so much for answering the questions and sharing your vision with us.

Interview:

1) Can you tell us a little about yourself and your journey to becoming a Christian fiction author?
I’m a Christ follower, former teacher, farm wife, and mother to three wonderful and crazy kiddos. I kind of stumbled into being a writer. It wasn’t necessarily something that I’ve always wanted to
do, but the love of story is core to who I am, and I’ve been devouring books since I learned how to read. Christian Historical Fiction has been a favourite genre of mine, but it always felt difficult to connect to the main characters, and I craved deep, Christ-centred themes. So one day I had an idea for a book and tried my hand at writing it. After 15 years of many stops and starts, I can finally say I’m a self-published author and now I’ve caught the bug and can’t wait to write more!

2) Your book, “These Wild Dreams of Ours”, has such an intriguing premise! What inspired the story, and how did you come up with the concept?
Books set on the Western frontier are some of my favourites. I read Louis L’Amour alongside my dad growing up, but always wanted a main character that I could connect with on a personal level as well as a faith level. I started by creating my main characters, then built a story around what they might experience and how they would react to the trials of the trail. Would Kate cling to her faith? Would Jacob finally surrender? And what events would they experience to test those questions?
And of course, there had to be romance 🙂 and I think the tension of a not-your-typical lovetriangle added another layer of complexity to the story.

3) Faith plays a central role in your writing. How do you weave biblical truths into your stories while still keeping the plot engaging for readers?
At the beginning, I start with my characters and what lies they believe about themselves and about God, then I ask what they need to learn by the end of the book to grow in character and in faith. Next, I map out the plot points that will get them to that point with enough victories and defeats to keep things exciting for the reader, and as they go through those triumphs and trials I try to impress upon the characters (and the reader) the truths of the Gospel that will lead them further into relationship with Jesus. It is my prayer that my readers will leave encouraged in their faith.

4) Who are some of your literary influences, and how have they shaped your writing style or the themes you explore in your book?
My two main influences are very different and have affected different aspects of my writing. I love Louis L’Amour’s ability to make you experience the action and feel like you’re right there in the sagebrush and the heat, and my goal is to bring my readers right beside my characters to experience every prairie storm and every clear, frosty morning. On the other hand, Francine Rivers has greatly influenced my desire to evoke emotions, have compelling characters, create believable romance, and weave in deep faith themes throughout the narrative.

5) Writing Christian fiction often means addressing deep, sometimes difficult, topics like suffering, grace, or redemption. What’s been one of the most challenging themes you’ve tackled in your work, and why?
I think the toughest topic I’ve had to tackle in my book was the question: where is God in the midst of suffering? It’s something we see from both a faith perspective in Kate’s journey as she clings to the Lord through tragedy and pain, and from a questioning perspective through Jacob’s journey as he wrestles with his anger at God for all the hurt he has experienced. I hope what comes across is that God is with us every step, even if our path is filled with sorrow and hurt.

6) How do you stay spiritually grounded while balancing the demands of being an author and meeting deadlines?
That’s a tough one, and honestly something I struggle with. As a SAHM of 3 littles and a wife of a farmer with a very demanding schedule, adding writing, editing, and social media content
creation into the mix is a highwire balancing act. I’m not sure I do it too well! But every time I’ve listened to the Lord urging me to take a break from social media, I have experienced His peace despite the worry of falling behind.

7) Your characters often go through significant spiritual journeys. Can you share a little about the protagonist in “These Wild Dreams of Ours” and their personal growth throughout the story?
Kate is a character who is full of contradictions. She is strong willed, but also seeking approval of those around her. She is a tomboy, but yearns for love and a family of her own. She believes that she has to deny a part of herself to fulfill the expectations of others and what she thinks the Lord is asking of her, but she needs to learn to let go of that belief, and know that God wants all of who she is living for His glory.

8) For aspiring Christian fiction writers out there, what advice would you give them on how to begin their writing journey?
I would tell them to not be afraid to tackle hard topics, but to focus on inviting God into those trials as a way to showcase His never-ending faithfulness. We need fiction that glorifies Him and
encourages and edifies others in their faith, and it’s our job as Christian writers to bring hope and light into a market saturated with darkness. It takes courage to stand firm against the current
culture, and I am so thankful that indie publishing has made a way for more Christian authors to bring their beautiful stories to the world!

9) Do you have a favorite Bible verse or passage that inspires your writing or your life in general? How does it relate to your current work?
I didn’t have a specific verse in mind when I wrote TWDOO, but Psalm 46 has stuck with me through the many ups and down in my life, and I think it really applies to this story:
“God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…the Lord almighty is
with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

10) What’s next for you? Can readers look forward to any upcoming projects or new books?
I am part of a multi-author series of twelve novellas coming out this winter inspired by Christmas Carols, and my novella will feature a side character from These Wild Dreams of Ours! We’ll get to see them have a happily ever after, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it on December 1st! After that I have plans for four more books in the series and have two other standalone novels, all in various stages of development. I am so excited to bring more stories out
into the world!

If you are wondering where you can find Carly’s book, it is on Amazon,These Wild Dreams of Ours. You can also find Carly on Instagram as @carlylcarlson.author.

Personally, I cannot wait to read more from Carly. I hope you go grab her book and enjoy it as much as I did.

Pryers and Blessings, Becky