Presenting Christian Author, Heather Day Gilbert

Hello and welcome! So excited that you could be with me this week. Today, I am interviewing HEATHER DAY GILBERT, a Grace Award winner and bestselling author who writes novels that capture life in all its messy, bittersweet, hope-filled glory. Born and raised in the West Virginia mountains, generational story-telling runs in her blood. Heather writes Viking historicals and contemporary mystery/suspense. Publisher's Weekly gave Heather's Viking historical Forest Child a starred review, saying it is "an engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.”

I first heard of Heather through a friend who suggested I look up her books on Audible. I read “Miranda Warning”, and I loved her characters so much, I knew I had to introduce y’all.

Q: So, Heather, I was telling everyone how much I enjoyed your characters from "Miranda Warning".  What inspired you to set that book in the mountains of WV?

A: I was actually born in West Virginia and, except for three years in South Carolina (where my accent was solidified), I grew up in West Virginia. I'd heard plenty of ghost stories and real-life unsolved mysteries set in these mountains, so I knew there would be no better place to set a mystery series! Also, I really wanted to bring a taste of modern-day West Virginia to readers. West Virginia is a mixed bag—it's full of wild beauty, yet it's also full of families that have been ripped apart by drug addictions. I enjoy working real-life details into my West Virginia-set books, since I do live here once again.

Q: How old were you when you first knew you wanted to be a writer?

A: From the time I could read (around age four), I've loved words. I won an essay contest in the fifth grade, which was encouraging, since I'd whipped up that paper the morning it was due. ;) But I guess I was about twelve when I wrote my first poem (about our first visit to the ocean), and I ran over to tell my mom and grandma my epiphany: I was a writer. My family has always believed in my writing abilities, even when I doubt them! But I wasn't able to start writing novels in earnest until my children were out of their toddler years.

Q: From where do you get your inspiration for your characters?

A: Often, my characters are kind of built around certain types of people—I want them to be people you feel you know because they're so believable. Personality tests have really opened my eyes as to why some people are so very different from me. As a matter of fact, I'm kind of strange myself (I'm an ENTJ on the Myers-Briggs, a "Commander," which is a rare female type).

I do think men are so fun to write, especially when they turn out to have a similar personality as my husband (yes, Thomas Spencer in my mystery series is quite similar to my man). I think I draw from anyone I know or have known, but no one character is exactly the same as someone I know. They have similarities, yes, but they are always different enough that I can maintain my  objective writing distance. (I'm controlling these characters' fates, after all!)

Q: Can you tell us about other books you have written and where we can find them for sale?

A: I’ll link to my books below. All are available in softcover except the Indie Publishing Handbook and “Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers”. Both of my mysteries, “Miranda Warning” and “Trial by Twelve”, are available in audiobook format as well (on Audible), as well as my Viking historical, “God's Daughter”. All my books and the vendor links where you can purchase them are listed on my blog's book page.

“Trial by Twelve” is my second mystery, and I'm working on the third one, “Guilt by Association”, which will hopefully release this December. I have a romantic suspense novella out, titled “Out of Circulation”, and the second in that series, “Undercut”, will first release with the “Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers” boxed set that's up for preorder. These romantic suspense novellas are also set in West Virginia.

I also have two bestselling Viking historicals, "God's Daughter" and "Forest Child", which are based on real Viking women who sailed to North America. Also, my Viking romance novella “The Distant Tide” is found exclusively in The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection.

Finally, I've written a short handbook for authors who are considering independent publishing titled “Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher”, and you can find it here.

Q: What is next on the horizon?

A: As I mentioned above, Undercut will release with the Box Set

 
October (it's a steal at 99c/preorder for 10 all-new thriller novellas by bestselling Christian authors, and the price is going up to $5.99 after release). Undercut will have its individual release (also in softcover format) later in October. Then I hope to release my third mystery, Guilt by Association, in December. I have other things in the works, but those are my top priorities for this year!

Q: One of my favorite scenes in “Miranda warning” was the one at church. Can you tell us about your faith and how much of a role It plays in your writing?

A: I’d be glad to. All my books are written from a Christian worldview (since I'm a Christian author!). In some of my books, that worldview is more overt, but it's never preachy. You'll find I have very flawed characters who wrestle with sins and who have character arcs that might span an entire series (just like we're works-in-progress until we die!). 

I liked writing that church scene in Miranda Warning because Tess didn't grow up in a Christian home, and she has lots of questions. It's important to show churches where those questions are welcomed. 

Thanks so much for letting me visit today! 

Thank you for allowing me to feature you on my blog. I can't wait to read more of your books.

To find out more about Heather, you can check out her website at heatherdaygilbert.com.

And, now, for the moment you have all been waiting for, we’re giving away 2 paperback copies of “Miranda warning”. To enter, just comment below, tell us your name, and leave an email address where we can reach you. Contest ends on Sunday, August 20, 2017 at 11:59 PM. Winners will be contacted via email, and if they wish, their names will be announced here on the blog next Tuesday, August 22, 2017. Note: Leaving comments on Facebook will not enter you into the contest. Good luck. :)

End of Summer Post

**Heads up** The following post will be random and might not make much sense.

Organization and time management skills are essential for a homeschool mama who is also a writer. But, what does an author and a homeschool mama do if these skills do not com naturally? Pray and work hard. Yep, that’s it, and I should know, because here I had all summer to straighten and clean and get ready for the coming school year, and I’m just now…a week before school starts…straightening and cleaning and preparing. Can anyone say procrastination?

Yesterday, my own mama stopped by and tried to help me organize a cabinet. Trouble was, she wanted it organized to her standards. Her standards are fine for her, but as a blind person, when it comes to important stuff like cleaners that I want to use whether a sighted person is here or not, I need for them to be where I put them, not where someone else puts them.

And, speaking of my disability, I really get annoyed when people use a lot of emojis instead of actual words. My speech on my phone is great at announcing what those emojis are, but it gets real tiresome hearing the speech say over and over, “Clapping hands with light skin tone. Clapping hands with light skin tone. Clapping hands with light skin tone.” Deed.

Back to cleaning and straightening. The funniest part of today’s cleaning spree was seeing my 11-year old, my 9-year-old and my mama sitting in the living room floor playing barbies under the guise of sorting them. Ha! I love it.

I’m really afraid I’m going to have to take a reading day before school starts. Last night and today, I really wanted to turn on an audio book. Listening to a story with humor and awesome characters while keeping my hands busy with yarn and needles, now, that sounds like a plan. When to fit in the time, though?

So, next Tuesday, right here on the blog, I am interviewing a Christian author straight from WV. A few weeks ago, I downloaded the audio version of Heather Day Gilbert’s “Miranda Warning”, and fell in love with the characters. They reminded me of friends and family right here at home. I asked Heather if I could feature her, and she graciously agreed. We are also doing a giveaway. There are 2 softcover copies of “Miranda warning” waiting on 2 lucky people who leave a comment after reading the interview. Y’all won’t want to miss it, so mark your calendars. There is also a Facebook event, so come on over and check it out.

Here’s apologizing for not being more organized with this blog. I’m running around like a crazy mama who knows that come next Monday, I’ll be busy encouraging my girls and myself to get up earlier and hit the books. We need your prayers. I’ll be back next week with that interview, so catch ya’ll then.

Be blessed.

Lil Bit of Wisdom

Tuesday again, and I find myself unable to concentrate on a subject to write about. I thought of telling you about my vacation last week, but we didn’t do anything terribly exciting. I wanted to come up with some biblical wisdom, but all that is running through my mind is God’s goodness and grace. Certainly he is enough, so maybe I’ll talk about that.

While scrubbing my bathtub earlier, I had this profound thought: I have to put some muscle into ridding my tub of grime, but the Lord washes me clean with only one drop of Jesus blood. How awesome is that? Seems like we try and try to better ourselves, knowing all along we can not do anything to fix ourselves. Only His blood makes us clean. It isn’t even hard for Him.

I’ve also been thinking of organization. I have none, BTW, at least, none that would make sense to anyone else. My oldest daughter, however, is organizing the bowls that we keep seashells in. She wants to make them look pretty. Me, I'd just dump them in there and call it a job well done. She is taking her time, making sure each one fits the best. Guess maybe she’s doing something the Lord does all the time: putting us where we will look and work out the best. We fight Him, sometimes. We don’t like this particular job or situation. We’d rather do this or that, but He knows best how and where we will fit to make His plan what He knows it can be. Lord, let me be a little seashell in your hand, so you can put me where you want me.

Spent all week during my vacation thinking of my characters, Mercy and Gabriel. Had a brainstorming session with my friend and couldn’t wait to get home where I was sure inspiration would flood my mind like a…well, a flood. Hahaha! But, last night, I clearly heard conversation in my mind that is intended strictly for another manuscript. Wow, haven’t thought of that one in a month or more. So, before my cleaning spree today, I sat down and worked a bit on it.

Well, think I’m about out of words for now, so even though this was short, praying y’all have a safe week. Remember, I’m doing an interview and a giveaway. Two weeks from now on August 15. I’ll be creating an event on my FB page, so come on over and check it out. The address to the FB page is facebook.com/sjwellsauthor/

Blessings to you all.

A little Music History

Hi, there. So glad you chose to be with me today. A few days ago, while doing some research, I came across an interesting tidbit that I want to share. I don’t know if it will show up in any future books, but I just thought it was cool. Come along, as we talk about singing.

I grew up in country churches, where hymns were sung to a piano. We sang songs like, “Amazing Grace”, “Just As I Am”, “Victory in Jesus”, and “Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Saviour”. Worship music was something fancy churches sang down town or something we sang at church camp.

Fast forward several years. My family and I attend a church down town where worship music is common. Our praise and worship team do songs like, “Chain Breaker”, “Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone”, “Revelation Song” and “Jesus Messiah”. The instruments accompanying the singing include a piano, guitars, drums, a cello, and once in a while a mandolin. Something more important has changed, though-my heart, because God is too big to fit in just one type of music.

But, lest you don’t believe me, let’s rewind time back to 1650. We’re in Scotland, and there is a new book of psalms put in metrical form. In other words, lots of somebodies rearranged the words in the book of Psalms from the Bible and put them to metre. The tunes are interchangeable, just make sure you keep the timing. Some radical things are happening here, and not everyone is convinced that God will be pleased with this type of worship. I mean, it wasn’t so long ago that the singing was done in latin. And, don’t forget, we’re not supposed to add or take away from the Scriptures. Yes, these metrical psalms are the correct words, but they are all jumbled up so that the songs rhyme. *Gasp*

Now, step ahead in time a few years into 1700’s America. Immigrants are flooding into this English conglomerate of colonies, and since we’re Scots, for now, we’re taking our Psaltery with us. There are some English writers who are coming up with their own worship songs that aren’t necessarily from the Psalms, but we’re going to be careful of them. I mean, do you know anywhere in the Bible where it says, “Alas, and did my Saviour bleed and did my Sov'reign die? Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?”

When I begin writing about new characters and times and places, I like to research what type of music was popular. If possible, I like to listen to it, to try and get a better feel of what my characters felt like, what they said and what they might have thought. When I typed in “1700’s music”, though, I found that while Google and Youtube have music from that time period, my characters probably would not have heard it until much later in life. What they would have been familiar with were songs sang in church. What kind of church singing? Well, metrical psalms, of course.

The first song I found was based from Psalm 130. Check it out on Youtube. The second was Psalm 23 put to the tune of “Amazing Grace”. Beautiful. Take a listen.

What type of music brings you into His presence? What type of singing lifts your soul? We are all different, and there is no right or wrong answer. As long as it is bringing glory to God, He will love it.

Coming up soon I’ll be doing an author interview and a giveaway, so stay tuned to my Facebook page for updates. Ever heard of Heather Day Gilbert? I’ll be creating an event, so y’all won’t miss it.

Until next Tuesday, have a fantastic week, and hop on over to facebook.com/adkinsandwells/ for lots more fun stuff.

Blessings.

The Photo Shoot

Happy Tuesday. So glad you could spend your day with me. I’m learning how to post pics in a document, so you all can get a glimpse of the photo shoot from last night. Ready? Here we go.

First, a little background info. My newest book, which is set to release in a couple of months takes place both in modern times and in the past. The heroine of today returns home from war, wounded and finds a book about her ancestors who fought at the battle of Shiloh in the Civil War. So, I had to find period costumes and houses that looked like they were built in the 1800’s. Thanks to my family and friends, we picked out 2 locations and 2 dresses for my model to try.

Our first stop was a little, stone house nearby.  

My model had a disagreement with a spider on her dress, we got bug bites, but we laughed as the photographer clicked away. 

The light was fading fast, so we hurried to our second location, the historic Tompkins House here in Cedar Grove.

The owners were to home and gave us permission to shoot away.

Afterward, we banged on the door with the old-fashioned knocker and showed our pictures to the owners. They graciously allowed us to come in and take more. All in all, a fun-filled evening and a successful photo shoot.

Just FYI, pictures and blind people don’t always make the best combinations. Without help from my oldest daughter, you wouldn’t get to see these pics, nor would I have a model looking so pretty for the cover of my book.

Many thanks to the one who lent us the costumes, those who did my girl’s hair, those who drove and snapped pictures and the encouragement along the way. Looking forward to releasing this book.

Interested in voting on which pic we use for the cover? Come on over to facebook.com/sjwellsauthor/ and be sure to click “like”. A contest is coming soon, plus chances to preorder print copies. Lots of fun stuff just around the corner.

Until next time, remember the one who loves you the most, your heavenly Father.

Some Thoughts on Research and Some Other Random Stuff

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about some updates. One thing I didn’t mention is the book I started last spring, the one I blogged about. The series on that story is all here, and each post begins with “Pondering A Story”, if you want to check them out.

The reason I haven’t mentioned Miss Mercy and Gabriel is because I’ve been busy finishing up and editing the book soon to be released, “His Yankee Wife”. Also, the end of the school year happened, and I went a little crazy trying to finish. But, now that summer is here, “His Yankee Wife” is almost ready and things have slowed down, my mind is returning to the 1700’s.

Yesterday, I was doing a little research and came across an interesting tidbit. In 1752 Britain and others changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, folks said their goodnights and awakened the next morning to Thursday, Sept. 14. Many grew angry and blamed the British government for stealing 12 days of their lives. Another change was New Year’s. Celebrated on March 26, they had to get used to Jan. 1. Ever wondered why Orthodox Churches celebrate Easter on a different day? Blame it on that crazy change in calendars.

For the passed 3 years, I have been immersing myself in 1860’s America. I have watched documentaries on the Civil War, downloaded 2 albums of Civil War era music, studied how they dressed, what they ate, where they went, how they spoke, the lasting effects of the war between the states, and I could go on and on. A lot of useless, or rather useless for now knowledge is hid up in my brain. So, I don’t have to tell you how hard it is to get used to a different century when it comes to this new story. But, this is how it works for me.

Back when I wrote, "A Moment in Time" I had to delve into Scottish history and the Scotland of today. What they wore, what they ate, how they spoke, I even had dreams of visiting Scotland. :) But, I literally had to get as close as I could in order to get inside my characters’ heads, especially the hero, Colin. Then, when I began working on “His Yankee Wife” I had to do the same. Now, I need to know as much about this other time and place in order to become my characters.

Researching the 1700’s in America is actually pretty easy, thanks to Colonial Williamsburg and their website. There are videos and articles galore detailing what they ate, how they talked, and I’m hoping someday to go down to Virginia and visit. Listening to the type of music from back then is easy, as well, thanks to Youtube. Only problem is my heroine is rather poor and would not have had access to operas or concerts. Neither does she have a piano forte, harpsichord or violin. Her indentured servant can sing though, so she’s in for a treat. :) I’m looking forward to immersing myself in Colonial Virginia, though.

In the meantime, plans have been made for a photo shoot for the cover of “His Yankee Wife”. The hair stylist has agreed to do my model’s hair, and 2 costumes have been picked out for my model to try. We also have a location, a little, stone house a few miles away. I spoke with someone yesterday about a few braille business cards to hand out when my friend and I do our presentation at the NFB state convention in September, and my friend, Anita and I are thinking of going live on facebook.com/adkinsandwells to promote our book coming out soon, “Ducking into UEB”, a textbook that teaches unified English braille to 4-12 graders and older learners.

Yikes, it sounds like I’m busy. It’s what I love, though. But, I think I’ve been typing too much for today. So, I’m going to hop off here and play around with a shawl I started knitting this morning. Need to give my brain time to wander into the past. Take care, come back next Tuesday when I’ll tell you all about that photo shoot.

Be blessed.

4th of July Miracle

I’m a day late, but if you will bare with me, faithful readers, I have a story to tell. It’s a story of family togetherness, improvisation and simple blessings. Read on, because today I’m talking about 4th of July miracles.

Once upon a time, there was a mom who was blind who felt sad that she could not drive her daughters to see the 4th of July fireworks. Knowing from previous experience, sighted drivers are few and far between, she prayed for help from the Lord.

Around 9:45 pm on July 2, she was in her daughters’ bedroom hearing their prayers and hugging and kissing them goodnight, when there came a pop from outside. “Was that fireworks?” She asked.

“Yes,” her daughters said, glancing out their bedroom window into the backyard.

“Let’s go out and watch,” said Mom.

So, there on the steps to the back porch, Mom and girls sat. The girls kept their faces turned toward the night sky, ooing and awing over each burst of color. “I can feel it in my chest,” the oldest said.

“I want to sneak and watch the neighbors,” the youngest said.

For fifteen minutes, laughter bubbled up, and a closeness, warm and peaceful settled over the backyard, as each firework lit up the dark sky, outlining the steeple of the church one street over. When the display ended and Mom and girls were walking back inside, the girls exclaimed over the fireworks that they had been able to watch for free and without any of the crowds found in the city. Mom rejoiced over the simple, straight forward way that God had answered her prayer.

Two nights later on the 4th, Mom was once again telling her daughters goodnight, when that all-to-familiar popping was heard again. Out the door they went, Mom’s ears pricked and girls eyes wide open. After a few minutes, the youngest got bored and went back inside, but the oldest girl stayed outside, describing each firework to her mom who could not see. Thirty minutes later, the night around them quieted, and both Mom and daughter joined the youngest inside where they hugged, kissed and said their prayers. Another night of firework watching was behind them that did not include searching for a driver nor dealing with crowds. God had answered twice. I suppose you could call it a double blessing, a 4th of July miracle.

When I was growing up, several elderly folks tried to discourage me from getting my hopes up about marriage and children. How could I change a diaper? How would I manage if my house caught on fire? How would I know what my children needed? What would I do about going places? These were questions that haunted me at first, but they also fueled my determination to prove them all wrong. I could get married and have children, and I could do it as well as anybody else.

I don’t know who was putting off the big fireworks over the weekend, but I hope they know how thankful I am for them. Those fireworks went off practically over my backyard; my girls saw them with no difficulty. I had been feeling a little down that I didn’t have a ride to the fireworks displays in the area. However, nothing could have been better than the ones my girls and I were part of both Sunday and Tuesday nights. We laughed and teased each other, sat close together on my back steps and just enjoyed our time together. Money can’t buy that kind of happiness. After all, it isn’t the quantity of time, money or material things that is important, it is the quality of time, the realization that money isn’t important and the absence of material things that puts us in a position to hear from our Creator. Remember that the next time this world and its cares start to choke out your relationship with your heavenly Father.

So, what did you think of the story? Would love to hear from you, and be sure to follow the blog. Lots of exciting things coming up.

Until next time, be safe, remember to smile and hold your love ones a little tighter.

Blessings.