A Visit With Author Bonnie Calhoun

My special guest today is Bonnie Calhoun. If I were to describe Bonnie as multi-talented, richly knowledgeable about so many different things, eager to help, and humble, it all would be an understatement! I first met Bonnie on-line when I joined ACFW, and then face-to-face at a conference two years ago. My hope is that you too will enjoy this interview and if you haven't met Bonnie yet, will look forward to doing so. Bonnie is looking forward to hearing from you!


Interview with Bonnie Calhoun on Writing, Conferences, and Chickens:

     With a military background as well as owning your own clothing design business, how did you end up writing a Christian suspense novel?


Being in the military was more than 30 years ago. LOL…that is a whole lifetime, so it really doesn’t have much effect on who I am today. In fact…who I am today is probably not who I’ll be tomorrow since I barely remember what I had for breakfast yesterday let alone what I did. Designing clothes has been part of my life just like breathing. My mom was a Master Pattern maker for all of the factories in my home town when I was growing up. So I was sewing from the time I could use a needle at about seven. Still…none of that has anything to do with me liking suspense. I just have one of those “what-if” minds that can think up bizarre scenarios even in my sleep. My favorite TV programs are all of the current suspenses like NCIS, CSI, Criminal Minds etc…I don’t know if the correct term is “Christian suspense” basically I create suspense and it just happens to happen to people that are Christians ☺

Tell us about your journey to publication? What has the experience taught you about Bonnie Calhoun the person and Bonnie Calhoun the author?

Basically it taught me that I have a lot more patience than I ever thought I had. And I learned to lean on the Lord a lot more for His understanding. I lost the anxious feeling about wondering when I would get published, because I had a talk with the Lord several years ago and He told me that when He thought I was ready it would happen…and not a day before, unless I wanted to take it out of His hands and do it myself. So I just continued to study, learn to write, and prepare myself for the adventure.

Looking back, would you say you’ve had obstacles to overcome en route to seeing your first book published or stepping-stones?

For this adventure…definitely stepping stones. Our Lord is a Lord of order, and things in this industry have to be accomplished in a specific order. No one…and I mean no one can put an obstacle in the Lord’s path, so all I had to do was stand behind Him and let Him lead the way across the stones. It reminds me of the joke about the fishermen trolling on a creek. The first three easily appeared to walk on water when they needed to cross the creek to get a sandwich from their supplies or another bottle of water. The fourth man had watched them all day, marveling at their ability. So when he became hungry, he charged across the creek and disappeared under the water. One of the first three men looked at the other two and said, “Didn’t anybody show him where the stones were to walk on?”

Your name has become synonymous with nearly all things falling under that big word authors need to master: PUBLICITY. Any advice to the pre-published, the newly published, and the multi-published author?

      Yikes! Moi? I guess it just comes from determination and lots of practice. I didn’t know a single thing about anything when I started. I could barely turn on a computer, and the internet was a big scary place. But I was determined to learn, and I was determined to invest the time it takes to learn. You can’t do it all in one day, but you need to spend time EVERY DAY working on your internet presence, building your tribe, becoming part of communities, learning the mechanics and the mediums…and giving of yourself to others to help with their needs. The Lord loves a cheerful giver, and He rewards that with returning to you, people who are willing to invest in you with teaching

Please tell us a little about your novel COOKING THE BOOKS coming out in April 2012 by Abingdon Press.

Welcome to my life. I, Sloane Templeton had a fabulous, thought-provoking and exciting job as an internet forensics investigator for the black ops Cyber Crimes Unit that the CIA was developing at New York University. That was, until that good-for-nothing husband I had decided to hook my star to, decided that I was better as a punching bag than a significant other, and I had to flee New York City and move back to Brooklyn.

Just six months back and already my dear mother, God rest her soul, decided there was more pressing business with Jesus, and deserted me for a glorious Homegoing, leaving me to deal with the lunatic fringe that had become her life.

There’s 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 comes 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. Just to be safe, I take a food tester when I go to her house, usually picking whoever I’m mad at that day as the sacrificial lamb.

And last but by no means the least of my worries, the Granny Oakleys book club, a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood that meet at the store once a week and smell like food. I don’t exactly know what they do, but I’ve never see any of them with a book.

Oh, and let’s not forget that I did the ‘from the frying pan into the fire’ routine, and left the punching bag prize fighter to come home and hook up with a homicidal maniac. Heh, heh…got your attention didn’t I. Well he’s not exactly a maniac in the most literal of terms, but there are rumors about the homicidal part that I’d rather ignore, especially since I kicked him to the curb, and found my dream man…the love of my life…the pièce de résistance. Never mind that mom thought he was the wrong color and Fefe just plain don’t cotton to him. But it’s all good. We are the world. And it’s a purely rhetorical question…But what else could possibly go wrong?

Which part of writing do you enjoy the most?

It’s all about the same to me. I love plotting, writing and even editing!

Your spoon stirs many simmering pots these days—what is your secret for self-balance? Do you indulge in any Bonnie-downtime?

ROFLOL…downtime consists of writing HTML code or some such project. It really relaxes me.

You’re on the faculty at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference (where I’ve had the pleasure to meet you face-to-face for the first time a couple of years ago) and the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. Do you have any suggestions for attendees at any writers’ conference on how to maximize the experience?

Most definitely! Do your homework before you come. Read the faculty rosters. Understand what they are looking for as editorial needs. Go to their websites and look at the things they have acquired already and see where you would fit in that dynamic…and I can’t say it enough times…DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU COME!

In helping me prepare a one-sheet you gave me some wonderful advice on why I shouldn’t incorporate a photo of a chicken. These gals are my neighbor's feathered friends over for a visit. LOL. Now, seriously, whether on a symbolic or religious note, have you any last bit of advice on writing and chickens? 

Yea…writing is like chicken soup…it will sooth the soul. Never try to fry a roasting chicken ‘cause they’re tough as all get-out. And always open the chicken coop door with a pitchfork in front of your face (that’s a story for  another time ☺ God bless!

Author Bio of Bonnie Calhoun:

Founder/Owner, Christian Fiction Online Magazine
Owner/Director, Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com

http://christianfictionblogalliance.com
http://christianfictionblogalliance.blogspot.com
http://howcanidothat.blogspot.com

http://bonniescalhoun.com

Bonnie is the Director of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, a 220+ member organization that conducts weekly blog tours for the latest in Christian fiction from the major publishing houses.

She also is the Publisher of Christian Fiction Online magazine, featuring 35+ of the best and brightest in Christian fiction as columnists and feature writers.

As a Google certified Blog*Star on the Blogger Help Forum, Bonnie dispenses advice and direction to people experiencing problems with the blogging platform.

 She is the Northeast Zone Director for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

 http://acfw.com

And she is a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) http://www.awsa.com/

And she is also permanent staff/faculty for the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference every August, and the Colorado Christian Writers Conference every May.

And she is also a debut author with a novel under contract to Abingdon Press Her first novel, entitled Cooking The Books(A Sloane Templeton Story) will be published in spring of 2012.

Mountains, the Ocean, and Body Piercings—Firsts for a Texas Girl by Celia Yeary

My guest today is fellow writer Celia Yeary. With a tag line of:  Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas one can tell that Celia loves everything Texas! Here she'll share with you her childhood tale of a road trip she took with her family to California. Imagine a simpler time in society before the computer . . . and treasure the closeness of family. Celia would love to hear from you.

Mountains, the Ocean, and Body Piercings—Firsts for a Texas Girl

By Celia Yeary

Decades ago when I was eight years old, my parents decided to drive from the West Texas Plains to Long Beach, California to visit Mother’s sister and her family. Imagine the days of no commercial television and no air conditioners in cars. We owned a 1940 Ford, and knowing that we would drive many miles across desert, Daddy bought a canvas water bag to hang over the radiator cap. “This might save our lives,” he said, “or we might need it if the radiator boils over.” Wow, I could hardly wait.

So, off we go across New Mexico, Arizona, and California to the coast. I am the middle of three sisters, so I usually had to sit between them in the back seat, with the “hump” in the floor under my feet. While it wasn’t as bad as circumstances were for the Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath, I only remember having a good time. I suppose this is God’s way of taking care of innocent children.

When the first mountains came into view in the far distance, the blurry sight entranced me so much, Mother made one sister trade places with me. She probably did this because I was near-sighted but did not own a pair of glasses at that time. Since the temperature soared to around 110 degrees, we drove with all the windows down. To have the best view the mountains, I stuck my head partially out the window. Even though the wind almost blew my head off, if I squinted I could make out the shape of the peaks and the snow on tops of a few.

After three days of grueling travel, we arrived at our aunt’s house in Long Beach. Her name was Irene, but we called her Aunt Sister, because Mother called her Sister. The beach wasn’t visible from her house, but late in the day, we walked down to the edge of the water. The roar of the ocean, the gentle splashing of the waves, and the blue-gray water scared me. I’d never seen anything so immense, so vast.

The day before our visit ended, Aunt Sister took me by the hand and led me to a back bedroom. She closed the door and told me to sit on the dresser stool. “Sweetie,” she said, “I have some beautiful gold earrings I bought the day you were born, and I’ve saved them just for you. Would you like to see them?”

“Uh-huh,” I said, loving earrings, because Mother always wore a pair in her pierced ears.

The earrings lay in a small white leather case lined with felt. She opened it so I could see. “They’re so beautiful,” I told her, and asked, “Can I touch one?”

Aunt Sister explained that the small 18-karat gold hoop earrings were mine, as soon as I allowed her to pierce my ears. I jumped up from the stool and said, “Do it now.” She questioned me a little until she was sure. Then, as I sat on the dresser stool and watched in the mirror, she pierced my ears. (Those with a weak stomach may hit the mute button.) First, she put clothespins on my earlobes to deaden them. Then she dipped a needle with white thread in alcohol, removed one clothespin, held a cork to the back of my earlobe, and shoved the needle through the lobe, and tied the ends in a knot. She repeated the process on the other side, and dabbed each one with Campho-Phenique. She opened my hand, placed the case in my palm, and kissed and hugged me. All this time, no one knew Aunt Sister had pierced my ears—not even Mother.

On the drive back to Texas, I carried my special gifts in my hands—the small case that held the earrings in one, and a bottle of medication to dab on my ears every few hours in the other. And in my heart? Precious memories of love, generosity, nature’s wondrous creations, and a road trip I’ve never forgotten.

Guest Bio: 

  Celia Yeary is a seventh-generation Texan, and her life revolves around family, friends, and writing. San Marcos has been her home for thirty-five years. She has eight published romance novels, two “coming soon” novels, short stories in anthologies, articles, and essays with a local magazine. The author is a former science teacher, graduate of Texas Tech University and Texas State University, mother of two, grandmother of three, and wife of a wonderful, supportive Texan. Celia and her husband enjoy traveling, and both are involved in their church, the community, and the university.

http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com http://www.celiayeary.com

http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com

  

Book Review of SHADOWED IN SILK by Christine Lindsay

My guest today is author Christine Lindsay. She's making her fiction debut with her release of SHADOWED IN SILK, a lush and fascinating trip back into not so long-ago India. This story is as beautiful and as riveting as the author herself. Christine and I met as first-time attendees at the ACFW Minneapolis conference and we've been friends since despite the 3,000 miles that separate us.

I hope you will enjoy this interview. As a special feature, Christine is graciously giving away a copy of either the e-book or the print version to one lucky winner. All you have to do is comment and include your email address so Christine can contact you. And believe me, you won't want to miss this great read!

Please note that in reviewing books for this blog, some are given to me, others purchased or borrowed from the library.



INTERVIEW OF CHRISTINE LINDSAY:

Elaine: How have you so successfully gone back into time to evoke such strong imagery of India and the time era? For instance, a mirror isn’t just a mirror but a shaving mirror.

Christine: Lots and lots and lots of research. I read everything from biographies of military men of that era to famous Englishwomen who went out to the British Colony in India. Also the biographies of missionaries, political figures, history books, even cook books written by English women who lived in the British Raj. That was how I learned a favorite of English children growing up in India was marmalade spread over a chapatti.

Elaine: You show wonderful command of dialogue, capturing emotions—or sometimes-ruthless lack of emotions—in speech. What kind of research did you do? How did you prepare for these scenes? How did you slip into the life-skins of your characters so well?

Christine: Being British helps, obviously, when I’m writing British characters. But in my research I would often come across a common phrase of that time. Capturing the way a person would have joked in those days really makes a character come alive, so that they don’t sound like someone from this era. At the same time you don’t want to overuse that.  I also think the secret to good dialogue is knowing where to cut. Not everything needs to be actually said. Subtext can speak volumes. I try really hard to find a mannerism that speaks louder than words.  I don’t hold back either, but try to inject as much honesty into my character’s inner dialogue.  That may not always be polite, but it’s real. 

Elaine: Talk about your usage of the Indian language in your novel. Can you speak any? Was this something fun to do in your writing or a difficult-but-necessary task?

Christine: The dialogue in Indian-accented English was easy once I clicked onto a certain rhythm. Instead of saying, “I want to go to the bazaar”, they would say, “I am wanting to go to the bazaar”.  That simple technique made their dialect come alive. I watched a lot of movies about India, including modern-day Bollywood stuff, to catch that rhythm. Through that, I’ve actually picked up a few Indian words.

Elaine: Are you from a military family background? You appear very familiar navigating through the different ranks, especially pitted against the different castes of India. Are there many societal differences still present in India?

Christine: A lot of my Irish ancestors served in the British Army, and some of them in India during the British Raj. My husband’s father also served in the Canadian navy during WWII. My husband is an avid military historian so he was great in obtaining the research needed for my hero Major Geoff Richards, as well as the details pertaining to rifles and ammunition, etc.

The caste system is still very much a blight on the Indian culture. In Hinduism the Dalits, the lowest of the low in the caste system, used to be called untouchables. Even today, this huge segment of the Indian population are treated as second class citizens, and are often forced to live in slums. It takes a lot of courage for a person to step out of this cultural bias and think of themselves as just as good as anyone else.

Elaine: Throughout SHADOWED IN SILK the reader is continuously aware of brewing civil unrest and how life-threatening disaster can occur any second. How can a reader—living in the present-day world—relate to this novel set in a historic era?

Christine: I am so glad you asked that question, because the decades and centuries go by and often we find ourselves reacting in the same way. Similar issues to what was going on during the Third Anglo/Afghan War are going on today, and even stem from what happened in the past. I hope that my parading of one of England’s worst moments in history that it would remind us as North Americans to not react in a similar manner. When people don’t know all the facts they react in fear, often hurting the innocent. So often we fear a person because they have a different color to their skin and have a different culture. And they are just as afraid of us.

Elaine: Does Eshana, Abby’s Indian governess, convey a Christian meaning when she says “All little Indian girls can dance like the daughter of a Rajah if they are loved as such”?

Christine: Oh yes. Eshana has come to know that when a person puts their faith in Christ they become a child of God—a son or a daughter. God is the ruler over all kings. So in Indian language He is the greatest Rajah (ruler) over all.  When a Christian fully understands their position in the family of God, that awareness should give them great joy, to know how much they are loved by God.

Elaine: Tell us about your character Clyde. Did he come to you, or did you create him as a plotting device? As a villain, you gave him the redeeming trait of not killing children. In storytelling, why is it important for villains not to be 100% evil?

Christine: Clyde was a character that I struggled with. I find heroes easier to write. But a giggling, mustache twirling villain is so cartoonish, and for a while he was coming across that way.  I wrote a long backstory for him that I didn’t use in the actual book, but it allowed Clyde to come alive for me as a 3-dimensional person. He became a bad guy through his own disappointments. But instead of learning from his suffering and reaching out to God for help, he grows harder and meaner. I wanted to show that all people must come to the same crossroads. Either we reach out for salvation from God or we turn away and allow the evil in our hearts to grow.

Elaine: SHADOWED IN SILK’S plot is thick in history, military, and political upheaval and even kidnapping yet it also focuses on the characters’ emotional needs of family, faith, and the agony of not belonging/being accepted within one’s family, marriage, or society. As an author, would you say you create a plot and then build characters around the fabric of story or vice versa?

Christine: The inner journey and the characters come to me first. Then I start looking for plot to show their emotional and spiritual journey.

Elaine: You do not spare the reader of the detailed horrors of murder, either on the massive level or the personal level, yet—without trying to give anything away—there is one particular beautiful scene where Jesus clearly is there for the dying victim. What spiritual message would you like your reader to walk away with from this story?

Christine: That scene is my favorite in the whole book. I want readers to understand that Jesus in not just the savior of the western culture. The Lord came to save the whole world. Even as Christ is walking toward that dying Indian Christian, His heart is broken for the other Indian people around Him.  Our Savior, Jesus, is a man of the East as well as the West. And like Abby needs to learn, only through Christ can the veil of sin be lifted from our faces, so we can one day see God face-to-face.

Elaine: Any parting words of wisdom or encouragement from your road trip to publication for fellow writers?

Christine: Put God first, and He will give you the desires of your heart.


Elaine: Wonderful and true words, Christine. Thanks so much for this interview!

Back of the Book Blurb:

SHADOWED IN SILK

She was invisible to those who should have loved her.

After the Great War, Abby Fraser returns to India with her small son, where her husband is stationed with the British army. She has longed to go home to the land of glittering palaces and veiled women . . . but Nick has become a cruel stranger. It will take more than her American pluck to survive.

Major Geoff Richards, broken over the loss of so many of his men in the trenches of France, returns to his cavalry post in Amritsar. But his faith does little to help him understand the ruthlessness of his British peers toward the Indian people he loves. Nor does it explain how he is to protect Abby Fraser and her child from the husband who mistreats them.

Amid political unrest, inhospitable deserts, and Russian spies, tensions rise in India as the people cry for the freedom espoused by Gandhi. Caught between their own ideals and duty, Geoff and Abby stumble into sinister secrets . . . secrets that will thrust them out of the shadows and straight into the fire of revolution.

If you would like to purchase the Ebook for Shadowed in Silk, here are 2 sites, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The printed version will be released September 2011.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=shadowed+in+silk

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Shadowed-in-Silk/Christine-Lindsay/e/2940012519344/?itm=1&USRI=shadowed+in+silk


GUEST BIO:

BIO

Christine Lindsay writes historical Christian inspirational novels with strong love stories. She doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects such as the themes in her debut novel SHADOWED IN SILK which is set in India during a turbulent era. Christine’s long-time fascination with the British Raj was seeded from stories of her ancestors who served in the British Cavalry in India. SHADOWED IN SILK won first place in the 2009 ACFW Genesis for Historical under the title Unveiled. Shadowed in Silk is being released by WhiteFire Publishing in 2 stages this year, first as an eBook on May 1, 2011, and as the printed version Sept. 1.

An interesting note about the front cover of Shadowed, is that the model is Christine’s daughter, Sarah, whom she relinquished to adoption and was reunited with 20 years later.

The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home. It’s a special time in her life as she and her husband enjoy the empty nest, but also the noise and fun when the kids and grandkids come home. Like a lot of writers, her cat is her chief editor. 

 www.christinelindsay.com

Priorities by Caroline Clemmons

My guest today is author Caroline Clemmons from Texas. Caroline writes contemporary and historical fiction. I've met Caroline online on the Wild Writers loop, a private loop of really not wild women but very sweet and caring friends. With weather of all sorts raging in the US this year, Caroline shares with us her own experiences and poses a fascinating question for all of us to ponder. She'd love to hear your comments!

PRIORITIES by Caroline Clemmons

One of my favorite movies is “Leap Year,” starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. In the movie, Goode’s character asks Adams, “If your home was on fire and you had 60 seconds to grab something, what would it be?” Great question. Decades ago my aunt’s home caught on fire and she grabbed the first things she saw as she ran from the house. Unfortunately, those happened to be a stack of magazines and a broom. Priorities?

Several years ago, grass fires reached within a quarter mile of our rural home. A quarter mile looks a very short distance when billowing smoke rolls toward you! In the unincorporated areas of a county, residents’ greatest fear is fire. There are no fire hydrants and a home’s well cannot generate enough water to make a difference.  At least, the wells in our area cannot. Volunteer firemen--once they get the call and get to the station (another problem)--race with a pumper truck of water to fight the blaze. At most, they can spray the home’s roof to prevent the spread of burning grass to the dwelling. A fire inside a home usually means a total loss. 

As we watched the fire’s progress years ago, my husband and I discussed what we would remove and how we’d pack. You’d be surprised how your priorities change when faced with a life and death situation. Who cares about furniture or knick-knacks or a wide screen TV? We planned to take pets, tax files, family information, one family painting, and photos. Oh, and a few clothes. No, we’re not clotheshorses by any means. ;-)  We strategized how we’d load the car and pickup, who’d take what, and estimated how long it would take--longer than sixty seconds, but we figured twenty minutes would work.

 

Recent weather disasters have once again opened discussion between my husband and me about what we could salvage should our home be threatened. Grass fires to the west of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex sent ash raining on us. Hundreds of people lost homes, livestock, pets, and some lost their lives. Those not touched by the fire have allergies and sinus and respiratory infections from the ash and dust. Unpleasant, but nothing compared to total loss. 

Our priorities haven’t changed. As for loading? We’re slower now and it would probably take me twenty minutes just to capture our shy tabby from under the bed.

If you had 60 seconds to save just one thing, what would it be?

Here's what I'd save:

That's my husband and me in one of my favorite photos at a birthday party given him by friends.

Guest Bio: Caroline Clemmons writes romance and adventures—although her earliest made up adventures featured her saving the West with Roy Rogers. Her career has included stay-at-home mom (her favorite job), newspaper reporter and featured columnist, assistant to the managing editor of a psychology journal, and bookkeeper. She and her husband live in rural North Central Texas with a menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, travel, browsing antique malls and estate sales, and genealogy/family history. Her latest contemporary and historical romance releases in print and e-book include THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, OUT OF THE BLUE, a novella in the Civil War anthology NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, and the upcoming July release, HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME. Her novella SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME is available as a download only. Her backlist of contemporary and historical romance is now at Smashwords and Kindle. Read about her at www.carolineclemmons.com or her blog at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com  She loves to hear from readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com