It’s a privilege today to welcome author Tricia Goyer back to Mom 2 Mom Connection.

You may remember Tricia was here back in January giving us the scoop on how she finds time to write so much and still homeschool her three children!

Tricia is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books, and one children’s book. In 2005, her novel Night Song won ACFW’s Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance.

She’s also a passionate writing instructor on the topic of researching historical fiction. Her latest novel, Valley of Betrayal, is hot off the press from Moody Publishers, book one in her Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series.

Welcome back, Tricia! How in the world did you get interested in writing a book about the Spanish Civil War?

When I was researching for my novel, Arms of Deliverance, one of the autobiographies I read was from a man who was a B-17 bomber pilot over Europe — but before that he was an American volunteer for The Spanish Civil War.

I had never heard of this war before, which happened right before WWII in Spain. I started researching and I was soon fascinated. Some people call it “the first battle of WWII” because it’s where the Nazis first tried their hand at modern warfare.

Wow. I’ve never heard of that. So how did your research develop into a full-fledged novel?

I started by researching this time in history, briefly, then I started thinking of unique characters that had an impact during that time.

For example, characters from my other novels have been medics, war correspondents, artists, prisoners, etc. To me, it’s the people that make the story (and history) come alive.

For this series, I dove into the lives of an American artist, a few international volunteers, a Basque priest, and a German pilot. I research the real people first, and then the plot for my novel builds. Soon, I have to make myself stop researching to start writing. Research can be addictive!

That sounds amazing — I wish my history professors had used novels to bring our dry textbooks to life. You make this time period sound so fascinating! What themes exist in Valley of Betrayal that you hope the reader sees?

The main theme is one of “God’s Providence.” We think we’re doing something for one reason, but then later we discover that God’s plan was even bigger! There are no coincidences with God.

Also, there’s a theme of “discovered strength.” I love the verse that talks about, “In my weakness God’s strength is complete.” Only when we are weak can God’s strength truly shine through us.

That’s true — and only when we go through a trying experience do we allow ourselves to see God’s strength. Did you find there were any difficult parts to write?

The most difficult parts are those dealing with the political climates of that time. One of my characters, Deion, is part of the Communist party. Today’s reader has one view of what that means, but in the 1930s there was hope found there. In a country that was still segregated, the idea of “equality of men” was a huge draw, especially for African Americans.

Did you have a favorite part of the writing?

Yes, I really liked researching the Spanish culture — the bullfights and the flamenco dancing. The attitudes and the beliefs. It’s fascinating.

Oh, and I love getting swept away with my characters. They always surprise me!

In fact, at the beginning of the book, I added a minor character because my girl, Sophie, needed a ride across the border. As it turns out her driver ends up being one of the major players in the book. Who knew?

Oh, you make the writing sound like so much fun! Tricia, your previous novels focus on World War II, but A Valley of Betrayal highlights a lesser known period of history. What do you think your high school history teacher would say about where the Lord has brought you in your writing projects?

I think my high school English teacher would be shocked. I wrote lots of notes in class, but they were to pass to my friends . . . not notes of what he was teaching! Unfortunately, my history teacher stressed boring dates and stuff. I think he’d be proud of how I bring history to life within the pages of a novel.

I agree. I think historical fiction would be great for high school students to read. A LOVE STORY, like yours, would have made history come to life for us dreamy romantics! Was there anything that intimidated you about writing this novel?

This book was very challenging because I knew nothing about The Spanish Civil War before I started. Yet, I felt sure that God was leading me to write these books, and God (again) taught me to trust Him.

When He gives me an idea for a novel it is so BIG. I mean there is so much to pull together. Yet, God has shown me time and time again that He is faithful. He gives me ideas, leads me to the right research books, and even brings people into my life to help me!

Can you give us any specific examples?

While I was researching this book, a man named Norm Goyer contacted me because he was working on his family tree and he wanted to know if we were related. We weren’t related, but Norm ended up being an airplane expert and consultant for movies.

Norm ended up helping me with research on my German pilot in Spain. I think it was an awesome gift from God! This again shows me that whatever God brings before me, He also has the power to help me succeed.

Tricia, that is such a neat story! You make historical fiction sound like such fun to write. I wish you the best as you work on the rest of this trilogy!

Thanks! 🙂

Tricia Goyer loves hearing from her readers! You can get in touch with her through her main website, Tricia’s Loft. Thanks to Amy Lathrop for helping to coordinate this interview.

A few months ago, I asked our local children’s librarian if she recommended any series for elementary-age girls. Our librarian is a true kindred spirit because she has two daughters and is also a Christian. She knows I’m always on the lookout for character-building fiction that is also FUN for kids to read.

She led me straight to Dandi Daley Mackall’s Winnie the Horse Gentler series (Tyndale House), which I reviewed here. I discovered Mrs. Mackall is the author of over 400 books! I also noticed some of her books are from Christian publishers — so I was curious to learn more about her writing and her faith.

Well, here she is! I think this interview is one of the most inspiring I’ve ever been a part of, one I will read again and again. I hope you enjoy getting to know her too!

Dandi, you’re absolutely prolific! In your writing career, you’ve published books in every genre, from picture book to adult. You must have an endless well of ideas! Where do you find your ideas for writing stories?

I think we all get an endless well of ideas, don’t you? We just need to recognize them, connect the dots, listen, and then work like crazy.

It’s funny, but I’m still insecure enough to have those writer-thoughts that each book is probably the last I’ll have, that I’ll never get another idea, that no publisher will buy anything ever again.

But ideas are everywhere. I love the ones that seem to come out of nowhere—like Larger-Than-Life Lara, a middle-grade novel that “came to me” at 3 am one night/morning, and then kept coming. More often, the thoughts have been simmering for years and then rise to the surface.

My kids supply me with many scenes, parts of characters, plenty of suspense and humor (my husband, too). And I’m still writing out my past—events that happened when I was in elementary school.

You have three children. Do you feel that being a mother has helped you in your writing career? In what ways?

Absolutely! When I started writing, I wrote long “inspirational nonfiction,” humor, and how-to books for grown-ups. Never dreamed I’d write children’s books. Then I had children, and I rediscovered kid books.

I love how compressed the language is, how important the sounds of words become. My writing career has paralleled my children’s lives. When they were little, I wrote board books and picture books. I knew first-hand the humor, problems, language, lives of my child readers.

My kids got older, and I wrote chapter books, then middle-grade fiction, then young adult books. I always knew the lingo, what was in, what was out, what was troubling. I kept writing the earlier genres, too, never giving that age up just because my kids moved past it.

Now I write for every age group. We are extra-blessed in the Mackall household. We have a special-needs daughter who’s turned 20, but lives the age of an 8-10 year-old. I will always have a child who colors me pictures for my refrigerator. We have a live-in child, who helps me stay a child myself and tune in to what children need.

Another way being a mother has helped me write is that I think it’s one of the tools God gives us to force us deeper. Being a mom pretty much guarantees we’ll pray!

What mother can go through the agonies and anxieties of motherhood without glimpsing how God cares for us? We begin to get an idea about sacrifice, about loving so much that we’d give our lives for our children. And that’s a piece of the puzzle of why Jesus would sacrifice for us.

Oh, that’s so very true. When your children were babies or toddlers, how did you carve out a time and place to write?

I was writing before I had children, so I had some good habits established. I was used to getting up really early and grabbing that time for personal devotion, and then writing.

But I had to learn to be flexible when the kids came along. What if they got up early, too? Wrecked my whole plan! When I had two kids under 3, my entire day revolved around pulling off the amazing feat of synchronized napping. My goal was to get them to sleep at the same time, so I could write! I’d have everything ready so I could jump into that book or article the second their eyes closed.

Daughter Katy was diagnosed with a life-threatening and chronic disease when she was 9 months and her sister was 3. A month later, my husband left all of us for another woman. Writing suddenly became much more than a hobby! I supported the kids by writing anything and everything—articles, hospital brochures, college handbooks, Scooby Doo books as work-for-hire. Anything!

Those desperate days made me work hard at writing and finding the time to write. I’d write while my kids colored and did sticker books, while they watched Sesame Street. When I could, I’d hire a high school girl for 2 hours and write every second of it. (BTW, five years later, God brought me my wonderful husband, Joe.)

Do you have any advice for today’s busy parents who dream of writing magazine articles or books?

Do it! John 3:17 loosely says, “You know this stuff. Now do it!”

Hate to tell you, but you’ll probably always be really busy. Writers are. I’m every bit as busy as I was when the kids were small. I still care for Katy all day. We’ve moved my mother in with us. I have writing deadlines and speaking engagements…and life. But that’s where we get our material, right?

You have an edge! Use it! You’re in the thick of parenthood. If I want to write about toddlers, or elementary school kids, I have to research now. You’ve already done your research. I’m jealous.

Enjoy the process of writing. That’s the real gift, a secret joy as you discover stories that I honestly believe started in heaven. We unravel them. We accept them. We write them.

Rewrite. Find at least one other writer who will exchange manuscripts, critique, encourage. Ask for criticism. Don’t reject it. Consider it. Your work isn’t your child.

Ask your family to give you the gift of a writer’s retreat. One weekend can change your life. When they ask what you want for Christmas, that’s it.

Do you recommend any home study programs for helping writers become better at the craft of writing?

Read what you want to write. Read a lot. I know it’s hard, but we must do it. My favorite how-to book is Wyndham’s Writing for Children and Teenagers. It’s a classic and gives a lot of information in a concise package that works for grown-up books, too.

If I could be so bold, I’d love for you to read a book I wrote for middle-grade readers/writers, a story about story, called Larger-than-life Lara, published by Dutton/Penguin. It’s my 400th book, the one God sent in the middle of the night. Each chapter deals with a part of story (character, rising action, climax, setting, etc.), while the action of the story keeps moving forward.

Your website says your book, Eva Underground, “parallels the author’s experiences before ‘The Wall’ came down.” Can you tell us a little about your teaching experiences in Poland and how that led to your writing this book?

Thanks for asking about this. This book only took me about 25 years to write! I lived behind the “Iron Curtain” and was a missionary from 1978-1979, during Soviet-controlled communism. I lived with 20 Poles (and no hot water) on the border of Poland and Czechoslovakia, teaching them to write and teaching the Bible.

It was an amazing time, involving an underground freedom movement, an illegal printing press, and many other experiences than sat in my head for years as I wrote other things. Finally, I wrote this historical novel (frightening to realize I’d aged so much that my life was historical!), fictionalizing the events that took place when I lived there.

EVA UNDERGROUND came out last year with Harcourt. Among other things, I used the countless journals I’d kept during those two years.

Since many of us reading here are bloggers, can you tell us a little bit about your Blog On! teen fiction series?

We all know how into blogging teens are! I wanted to write a series of fun, fast-paced, character-driven novels for teens, about teens who blog. In the books, I don’t rant against blogging. I just show how these four girls eventually form a positive blog.

They avoid the pitfalls of gossiping and bullying online. I wanted to show how these four, very different teens discover that their real-life relationships matter more to them than shallow cyber-relationships, and that their relationship with God is the most important one of all.

My publisher, Zondervan, has developed a great website loaded with safety tips and Q and A for teen bloggers. We printed safety tips in the backs of the books, too. Hopefully, the books can help teens as they navigate through cyberspace.

This sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for coming here and sharing with us!

You can learn more about Dandi Daley Mackall and her books for kids and adults at her website, Dandi Books.

Today we are visited by one very funny lady, Jenn Doucette, mom of three, and founder of Daisy Ministries (Discover, Anticipate, Identify & Seek after Yahweh, God).

Jenn is the author of The Velveteen Mommy and co-author of Up — Devotions for Faith that Connects. She loves connecting with women and inspiring them to grow in their faith — laughing along the way. Her newest book is called Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This.

Welcome, Jenn! I love the title of your book — can you tell us what you mean by “days like this?”

You know — one of “those days” that is normal to every mom, but would have scared you silly BK (before kids), such as:

You wake up late because your four-year-old was messing with your alarm clock — only to realize your three grade-schoolers are mere moments from missing the bus so you hand them each a granola bar for breakfast, toss some lunch money in their backpacks and get two of them to the bus stop.

But the remaining first-grader lingers behind while trying to tie her shoe in-between sobs that she’s the “student of the week” and you haven’t sent in any special show-and-tell around the historical theme of the week (World War II era pottery made in Nigeria), nor have you sent in treats or a handmade photo anthology of her life …

I know what you mean! Those show-and-tell days can be downright stressful around my house too.

It’s also the day the Visa bill came, your car ran out of gas at the grocery store, your toddler threw up on you in the checkout line, and you got your period. A week early.

Yep. One of “those days.”

Yikes! What has been the most challenging aspect of motherhood for you?

The out-of-control part. And I don’t just mean myself. I like things neat and tidy (physically, socially, emotionally, spiritually, etc.); motherhood has nothing to do with neat and tidy other than the neverending pursuit thereof.

But just like God, it’s the biggest challenges that have grown, stretched, and shaped me the most in the last twelve years. I’ve learned not to run from the challenges of motherhood; rather I embrace them (and publish them).

I’m glad you’ve published your mothering challenges because your book was so much fun to read! Can you tell us why you decided to include “12 rest stops” for moms?

I liken the Busy Stage of motherhood to driving in the fast lane, outta control and running on fumes. While doing some online research about driving safety, I found a top 12 list for the most common dangerous driving habits demonstrated by Americans.

So I fashioned 12 corresponding Rest Stops for moms to use as strategies for avoiding burnout:

1. Reconnecting with Others
2. Reclaiming Contentment
3. Resolving to Listen
4. Redefining Beauty
5. Relinquishing Pride
6. Rediscovering Wonder
7. Repairing Relationships
8. Reestablishing Priorities
9. Resting and Relaxing [my personal favorite!]
10. Revisiting Strategies
11. Rekindling the Romance
12. Restoring Your Soul

Why do you think it’s important for today’s moms to take time out to rest and recharge?

Because things are always going to get busier. And more complicated.

We have choices thrust in our faces every day that just continue to expand. In order for moms to avoid the inevitable burnout, I think it’s imperative for us to just STOP every now and then to recharge and refresh. We may miss out on a few things, but in the long run, we’ll be better moms.

That’s true — and now I have your permission to take a guilt-free break this afternoon and finish up a book I’m longing to read. To recharge my battery. So thanks!

You’re welcome. 😉

Do you have any advice on how a woman can keep her sense of humor when she’s having one of those “days like this” or even “years like this?”

There are quite a few good strategies. Here’s my own top five:

— By keeping in touch with a friend or a group of friends who will listen and keep you grounded.

— By talking with moms who are a stage (or two) ahead of you.

— By talking with your own mother (if possible).

— By taking a break occasionally to visit the lighter side of life – don’t lose the “fun girl” permanently just because you’re a mom!

— By reading a Junie B. Jones book every few months.

Ha! We have a whole bookshelf of Junie B. Jones books, and Barbara Park has such a silly sense of humor. Your last book was called The Velveteen Mommy. Can you tell us a little about that book?

It’s about the humorous frustrations and hidden joys of motherhood. I found the toddler stage in particular to be riddled with funnies in the midst of the yuckies.

In Velveteen, I take you on a fun journey through the trenches, complete with a few Biblical lessons in-between. If you need a change of pace, some comforting conversation, a sympathetic shoulder for a tear or two, and lots of laughter to lighten your load, Velveteen Mommy is for you.

Sounds great. It looks like you’ve got a lot going on with Daisy Ministries — why do you feel a calling to encourage today’s moms?

Because it’s a jungle out there, baby. We moms need to stick together if we’re going to survive this thing called motherhood.

Oh, I love that quote! I think I’m going to have to jot that down to hang on my dashboard to read while I’m hauling kids around. I’m not alone — I’m sticking with moms like you!

Seriously, when I first became a mom, the difficulties were so . . . overwhelming they seemed unbelievable. And then they became kind of funny (but perhaps that was because I was so sleep deprived).

When I speak to women, I notice one consistent fact: THEY ALL LOVE TO LAUGH. And well, I’m a ham and love to make people laugh, so it’s a good relationship.

I’ve realized that once you can share your own failings with someone else and make ‘em laugh, they’re more open to hearing the gentle message of hope of Jesus. He wants us to love others. Encouraging them with hope and humor is my way of demonstrating that love.

You can catch up with all the funny stuff Jenn Doucette has going on at her website, Daisy Ministries. Jenn is a proud member of the CCA, Christian Comedy Association (Not to be confused with Corrections Corporation of America or the Center for Computational Aesthetics . . . or the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association).

I hope you’re having a marvelous Valentine’s Day, savoring every piece of endorphine-loaded chocolate as much as I am. (The dark kind is healthy, you know.) I’ve been to three kids’ Valentine’s parties today — refueling on sugar and parent gossip like everyone else — and now it’s pure joy to sit down a minute and focus my mind on books.

Books I LOVE!

Really, I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to tell you all about one of my favorite mom-lit series — as it turns out, my waiting had a purpose because the author herself agreed to come visit for an interview. Tracey Bateman is here!

Have you read any of her books yet? If you haven’t, you’ll love them. You’ll love her. And you’ll definitely love her main character in this mom-lit series, Claire Everett.

These are the books that drive my husband crazy when I’m reading next to him because I laugh out loud at least twice every page. The books are so FUNNY — and don’t we moms need something to laugh about at the end of one of THOSE days?

Yet the novels are not just fun and fluffy — Claire is growing in her relationship with Christ, and you will too, as you read how she handles things. Like the author herself, Claire is a writer and mother of four — so her life is pretty chaotic as she tries to balance career and family.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the first book, Leave it to Claire.

In this scene, Claire is dropping off her popular teenage daughter at the high school where she will be cheerleading:

I see her group of followers pointing at me and whispering among themselves. Okay, they’re probably looking and admiring her, and most likely haven’t noticed me, but when you have the kind of self-esteem I have, laughing kids translate to “laughing at me” kids. That’s the way I feel if anyone is cracking a joke anywhere in the vicinity, and I’m not in on it.

It’s something I’ve dealt with since I was a kid. Full of myself one second, down on myself the next. I probably need therapy. I hear Dr. Phil has a diet book out now. Maybe I should read it and kill two birds with one stone. Get my head and behind shrunk for one low price of $19.99.

HA! Every time I read that last sentence, I have to laugh. I keep my Claire trilogy in a prominent spot on my bookshelf — and whenever I begin to take myself and life too seriously, I read a few lines.

Tracey Bateman is an award-winning author of more than sixteen books and lives in Missouri with her husband and four children. She’s been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since the early months of its inception and served as President for nearly two years.

As author of several romance novels, Tracey has been a long-time favorite among Heartsong club members. In 2005, she was voted the club’s fourth favorite author!

If you love Kristin Billerbeck’s California style chick-lit, you’ll adore Bateman’s midwest-based books for moms. Tracey has over 600,000 books in print.

Who is Claire Everett? How did you come up with a character like her?

I like to think she’s everywoman, but that’s a little far reaching, even for someone who dreams as much as I do. But inside of her are all the insecurities of body image, motherhood, career.

Okay, I’ll just admit it. She’s a heckuva lot like me and pretty much has all of my angst. 🙂

What’s going on in her life in these books?

She’s trying to connect with her kids, trying to lose a few pounds (aren’t we always?) Trying to keep her feet on the ground and grow in her relationship with God.

The catalyst is when she is forced to stop working for a few weeks due to carpal tunnel. Time to face herself and the mess she’s in.

When you started the series, did you have any idea how you’d end it, or did you sort of let Claire take over and decide for herself?

I pretty much let her do her thing. It was just too much fun from day to day waiting to see what she would do or say.

Was it hard to finish up the Claire trilogy, or were you ready to move on to something else?

I was ready. I had another series contracted with the same publisher to do chicklit — The Drama Queens — and I love it. Although I wouldn’t mind doing one more and let her get pregnant AND juggle the rest of her life. That would be fun.

What are you working on now?

Book two in the Drama Queens series. The first one, Catch a Rising Star, releases in July.

I can’t wait to read it! Tracey, I love your sense of fun throughout the Claire books, yet you bring us back to the reality that God’s in control, no matter how much our lives seem to be spinning into chaos. How do you keep your own faith strong?

I don’t always. I have weak, weak days when all I want to do is lay on the couch and watch Lifetime movies. My faith always wavers when I have PMS. 🙂

The root stays buried in the soil, though. I’m learning that my emotions are not always reflecting what I know about who I am in Christ.

I give myself permission to be weak because I know that when I’m weak God is strong. It’s why I choose to write about real women who would love to be perfect, but who are simply not. Because as much as I’d love to be together even fifty percent of the time, the fact is I’m usually sitting around in my PJs, or yoga pants, hair a mess, frustrated because I am late on yet another project.

But this is the life God’s given me. Four fun, fabulous, CRAZY funny kids, three dogs, a guy who adores me even though I don’t deserve it, and the kind of schedule that doesn’t allow for housework AND Lifetime. And I mean a girl has to relax SOMETIMES. Right?

Thank God for chocolate and Pizza.

Ah … yes. Thank God for chocolate and pizza. And I’ll add one more thing I can’t live without — funny books! Like yours. Thank you so much for making me laugh out loud and forget my stress by escaping into the hilarious life of Claire Everett.

You’re welcome!

You can read more about Tracey’s books and humor on her website, which includes a blog. Her Claire trilogy includes Leave it to Claire, Claire Knows Best, and I Love Claire.

Do you love watching movies? I rarely get out to the theater to see a new release, but I love renting DVDs and enjoying some microwave popcorn and a good movie by the fire at home.

Still, it’s hard to know what’s good out there — and that’s why I love the list of movies in the back of Sharon Hinck’s newest mom-lit novel, Renovating Becky Miller.

I enjoyed reading the first book in this series, The Secret Life of Becky Miller, because Becky is so much like me — a mom struggling to find balance in her busy life as a wife, mother, and friend. All the while, she’s seeking to find out if she’s supposed to be doing Big Things for God.

Sharon’s second novel is even more adorable — full of laugh-out loud scenes, and each chapter begins with Becky slipping into a daydream where she’s starring in one of the movies she and her husband rent on date nights. There are 33 movies listed in the back, and I’ve only seen about half of them — so I’m looking forward to renting some more!

Today, I’m thrilled to host Sharon Hinck on her round-the-world Blog Tour — especially since today is the official launch party of Renovating Becky Miller in Sharon’s hometown, Minnesota.

Welcome to Mom 2 Mom Connection, Sharon!

Thank you for writing a book that highlights the importance of being a normal, permission-slip-signing MOM.

THANKS, Heather! I wanted to highlight the true ADVENTURE it is to be a wife and mom. We really are heroic characters (or in my case, sometimes just a character!).

I loved reading about all the movies in this book!

I kept my local movie store in business this past year while I was writing it. I got to watch a ton of movies and call it “research”. Ha!

In your new novel, Renovating Becky Miller, our heroine finds herself dealing with an enormous amount of stress in her life. What all does Becky have going on in this book?

She faces external pressures (her mother-in-law’s health crisis and need for care, her job stresses, her son’s behavior problems, her friend’s illness), internal pressures (feeling overwhelmed and inadequate, comparing herself to others and coming up short, confused about choices), and some fall-out from decisions she’s made that might not have been well-thought out (like thinking it would be easy to fix an run-down house).

In my life, I often find that problems come from a variety of directions and I wanted to explore a woman sorting that all out. Which are tasks God wants me to take up and persevere under? Which are self-imposed burdens that aren’t mine to bear? Which tensions have been caused by my own mistakes?

Like me, Becky wrestles with those complicated questions — and tries to keep her sense of humor along the way.

Does Becky have a place where she can unwind from all the stress? What role do her friends play?

Throughout the story, she finds grace and clarity through her prayer life, her Bible reading, and her worship life. However, it’s easiest for her to apply those blessings wrapped in the arms of her friends.

They badger her, they confront her, they cry with her, they love her. Her small group Bible study friends provide the kind of community that I think God is describing when He talks about building up a household of faith.

At one point in the book, Becky has a choice to make — will she continue to pour more hours into her career, or say no? I was amazed at her choice. Do you think women today have a hard time saying no?

In our desire to make a difference, to feel valuable, and to please others, to fix the problems we see around us singlehandedly, we often rev up into a high gear of activities. We see our friends doing the same — and some strange competitive urge stirs and we perpetuate that Supermom syndrome.

My adult son read this novel (I know…if that’s not an act of love, I don’t what is!) and said his favorite subplot was the way that Becky’s choice set an example for her very driven co-worker — and enabled Teresa to open her life to something new.

Yes, I loved that part as well. It made me see how the decisions we make have ripple effects on others — in good or bad ways. And in this case, Becky’s choice reminded her coworker of what the most important things in life really are.

The funny parts of the book center around Becky and her husband’s decision to renovate an old farmhouse. Can you tell us more about that?

My husband and I are optimistic do-it-your-selfers. We’ve done major remodels to three different homes over the years. Each time we forget that things will take three times longer and cost three times as much as we anticipate.

Our first little house gradually revealed secrets of Stephen King proportions – from the fleas infesting every square inch, to the rotting wall behind the tub surround, to the urine-soaked wood floors, to the chicken bones in the clothes dryer. (We never did figure that one out. Who puts chickens in a clothes dryer?) So I had plenty of vivid memories to draw from in the whole wild stress of renovation.

Chicken bones in the dryer? Now there’s a new one! From the title, it seems like Becky gets a little renovation work done on herself as well. What kind of “home improvements” take place in Becky’s heart?

In spite of Becky’s desire to be “Ms. Fix-it”, she learns that healing people’s wounds is a God-sized job and takes more than spackle and paint. Becky begins to learn to love and serve where she’s placed, but leave the “fixing” up to God …. well, at least some of the time.

We all need some friends we can be honest with — who can encourage us during the hard times.

Thanks so much for stopping in, Sharon! I hope your launch party goes well today.

Thanks SO much for inviting me. Yes — today a local Christian bookstore is launching the book with a party, including a guessing game (where folks will hear a snippet of Becky’s opening daydreams and try to guess which movie inspired them) and lots of Becky Miller gifts.

Here’s a picture of the Renovating Becky Miller paintbucket I created — full of the little “Becky Miller tool kits” that folks are getting at the party.

I wish I could be there — looks like a fun place for movie fans!

Sharon Hinck is a wife and mother of four children who generously provide her with material for her books. She has served as the artistic director of a Christian performing arts group, a church youth worker, and a professional choreographer. You can visit her website to learn more about her books, including her forthcoming Sword of Lyric series from NavPress.

I wrote yesterday about how I’ve been praying about which books I should read and review this year, and how I felt led to read Across the China Sky by C. Hope Flinchbaugh.

As I began to read it, I knew there was something unique about this writer — sure enough, I later discovered that Flinchbaugh was a finalist in the 2003 Christy Awards in the First Novel category. Her writing is spectacular, and I felt like every time I picked up the book, I traveled to China. Part of the story takes place in a Chinese orphanage in Shanghai, and part takes place in the countryside, giving me a taste of both city and rural living in China.

You can read an excerpt from the book here. This novel made it very clear to me how powerful fiction can be for drawing in readers so that an author’s message can come through clearly. Although I probably wouldn’t pick up a non-fiction book right now to read about a dangerous cult in China, this novel made me aware of this terrible problem.

It’s such a joy to be able to introduce C. Hope Flinchbaugh to you via this interview! I thank the good people at Bethany House for making this connection for us.

Across the China Sky is such an intriguing title. Can you tell us what your book is about?

Across the China Sky is a novel based on the true testimonies of Chinese Christian leaders that I interviewed in China — leaders who were deceived and kidnapped by the Eastern Lightning cult. Across the China Sky follows the relationship of an engaged Chinese couple who struggle to keep their love alive while being separated and persecuted for their faith.

What inspired you to write this novel?

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go to China to interview some Chinese House Church leaders who were kidnapped by the Eastern Lightning cult. These Christian leaders were devastated by the kidnapping, and they begged me to tell their stories to “President Bush.”

I wasn’t exactly scheduled to have lunch with our president that month, so I wrote their story in my novel, Across the China Sky.

I was stunned to learn about the Eastern Lightning cult, and I was so thankful you included an actual letter from a Chinese pastor in the back of your book. Can you tell about this group? Are they still active?

Yes. The Eastern Lightning cult is a vicious group that seeks to kidnap Christians and brainwash them into believing that Jesus has already returned to the earth, and this time He’s come in the form of a woman who lives in China.

They base their beliefs on Matthew 24:27, which says, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Their belief is that Jesus was the Western Christ. Now the EASTERN Jesus has returned to the earth, and he is a Chinese woman who is to be worshiped as God.

How does the cult operate?

Eastern Lightning cult members do not walk up to Christians and ask them to join their club. They are very subtle and deceiving. They have decided that instead of finding new converts in China, they would rather deceive and then convert the main Christian leaders. They hope that if they can convert church pastors in China, these will in turn tell all their churches to convert to Eastern Lightning.

To do this, an Eastern Lightning cult member will go to an underground church and pretend to become converted. They will be baptized, sing the songs, read the Scriptures, and even testify about what great things Jesus did for them. They gain the trust of the pastors and evangelists and then lure them away with the promise of bringing them some great blessing.

They promised Brother Chen and all his main leaders (34 of them) a biblical seminary training. The leaders were excited to have the biblical training, but in the end they found out it was all a lie and they’d been kidnapped by a vicious cult that tried to brainwash them.

Brother Chen (not his real name) said, “Let our stumbling be the warning for the future of the church in the rest of the world. May brothers and sisters be alert and watchful, to guard against and resist the schemes of cults and heresies, and to walk in the truth of the Lord.”

I understand this is your second novel. How does your first novel, Daughter of China, relate to this one?

Daughter of China is a novel based on true stories of the persecuted Christians in China and the intense persecution of Chinese women and their daughters due to the one-child policy in China. If you want to peek into a state-run orphanage that is not a showcase orphanage for tourists, read this book.

Your second novel made me more keenly aware of the agonies Chinese women must go through when they aren’t allowed to keep a second baby. It broke my heart and made me realize if I were Chinese, I would only be able to keep my oldest son. How did you become so interested in China?

As a child, I sat in on classes when my mother taught inner city children stories from Child Evangelism Fellowship about missionaries from various countries. China always struck my interest. As a teen, my father handed me books about great Chinese missionaries such as Hudson Taylor, John and Betty Stam, Adoniram Judson, and Watchman Nee.

How did you become interested in the topic of Chinese orphans?

My interest in the orphans began when I saw two documentaries on television, each depicting the dying rooms in China’s state-run orphanages. Videotapes do not lie.

I saw babies lying in a room left to die—they looked like so many scattered rugs on a hard floor. I looked at my second child, a one-year-old baby girl, and realized she would not be with me had I given birth to her in China. I knew then that I had to do something to help these orphans.

I researched the Chinese orphanages by doing interviews with people who had been to China. After one look at Human Rights Watch Asia’s report on Chinese orphanages, called Death by Default, I knew I had to write the book. The lame boy in my first book is named Zhu, after a little one in the Death by Default book. Zhu died of starvation while the workers around him ate three meals a day.

Daughter of China has inspired a number of couples to adopt children in China—it doesn’t get any more rewarding than that.

Who are your sources of inspiration?

The great scientist Isaac Newton was asked in his old age how he accomplished so much in his life. Newton answered, “If I have seen further than anyone else, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

My giant was my dad — my biological and spiritual father, a mentor, friend, and great evangelist at heart. He personally led thousands of inner city children and teenagers to the Lord through his chalk art evangelism.

When I was a child, he drew chalk pictures at camp meetings, inner city parking lots, street corners, and churches. I sang and played the guitar or piano as he drew, bringing squeals of delight from children as he changed the lights above the picture to yellow, blue, and red, revealing in the end a “hidden picture” under a black light.

My dad and I went to China in October 2002 and met with the leaders together.

Do you know what he did? He fasted meals and gave away every penny he had to the leaders who were still brokenhearted from their recent kidnapping experiences — leaders who needed a gray-haired pastor to love them and tell them it was going to be okay. My dad did that — and they respected him.

Dad drew chalk pictures for Chinese children, put coins into the cups of beggars we saw on the street, and taught in underground seminaries. He died in June 2006, and would you believe, I am still standing on his shoulders? You can see a picture of the two of us together on my website.

That is a wonderful picture of you and your father. What a blessing that you were able to be with him in China. Thank you so much for writing this book and for sharing your insights into the persecuted church in China. I hope to be able to visit there someday.

For now, the very least I can do is pray for my brothers and sisters who are there, struggling to keep their faith strong.

Hope Flinchbaugh is an author, freelance writer, and homeschooling mom from Pennsylvania. Daughter of China received a Catherine Marshall Christy Award of Excellence in 2003. Hope’s nonfiction book, Spiritually Parenting Your Preschooler, was released in August 2003. She’s also a contributor to Soul Matters, a series released in bookstores and Sam’s Clubs in 2005.

Cindy Sproles of Mountain Breeze Ministries has been writing a series called “Christians with the Heart of a Servant.” She’s highlighted the ministries of several people, including, most recently Mom 2 Mom.

I sometimes forget that blogging here is my ministry. What keeps me going is knowing that I might encourage one of you to grow in your faith by “connecting” you to a book or other resource that might be just the tool God will use to speak to you.

Cindy’s interview allowed me to do some major soul-searching, and I feel rejuvenated in my writing here.

I hope you’ll visit her at Mountain Breeze Ministries and see what we talked about!

Do you spend the month of January looking around your house asking, “What can I do with all this stuff?”

After all the Christmas packages have been unwrapped and put away, the ornaments nestled safely back in the attic, and the tree stored or sent off to the chipper — many of us feel overwhelmed at the task of organizing. RE-ORGANIZING.

This is the year for you (and me!) to make some big changes. Instead of heading to the store to buy more storage boxes, why not pare down our stuff and simplify?

I was thrilled to be contacted by author Kathryn Porter, who is offering some advice for us overwhelmed moms. A former clutterbug, she’s now a professional organizer and popular speaker who shares her faith-based message on how to keep a clean house. You can read more about her at her website, Clutterwise.

Kathryn, can you tell us how you define clutter?

Clutter is anything that does not enhance our homes or enrich our lives. Sometimes we think when something is expensive that it’s enriching, but that’s not always the case.

What do you suggest we do first if we’re feeling completely overwhelmed by our clutter and don’t know where to start?

When you don’t know where to start, start with the easy stuff:

• Is there trash around the house that missed the garbage pail?
• Are there clothes with holes, stains, or in otherwise disrepair?
• Is there junk mail, expired coupons, or old newspapers laying around?

How can we stop clutter from coming into our homes?

I’m glad you asked this question. This is an essential component to maintaining a presentable home. Anyone can de-clutter a room, but how do we keep the clutter from coming back?

It requires a lifestyle change that starts with establishing boundaries. Learning to say no is probably the number one boundary issue when it comes to clutter. It’s hard to say no to sales at department stores, unwanted gifts, and helping a friend by storing their extra couch.

Even too much stuff on our calendars can end up cluttering our homes. We have less time to clean, while at the same time we’re accumulating more stuff from all the activities we’re involved in. I talk about this in my book, but here are some examples of how to set boundaries in order to keep the clutter at bay:

Boundaries with books:
How many books do you own? Do you have boxes stacked on your closet floors without a home? Limit the number of books you own to what comfortably fits into your bookcase.

Boundaries with people:
Are you storing other people’s stuff? Stop opening your home as a storage facility for friends and family. Let them deal with their own clutter so you can effectively deal with yours. Also, be careful about borrowing other people’s stuff, particularly if you have a tendency to forget to return things.

Boundaries with giving:
Do you go overboard for birthdays, Christmas, and other special occasions? Simplify your giving habits. Instead of buying Christmas gifts in January that you have to store all year long, wait until October for purchasing holiday presents. Consider giving gifts that don’t cause clutter such as treating someone to dinner, a movie, or play.

These are all great ideas! Kathryn, do you think it’s possible to live clutter-free?

I don’t think it’s possible to live completely clutter free because we constantly create more everyday. If it’s not of our own doing, then it comes in our mailbox or as a well-intentioned gift. The goal is to create a home that’s both functional and attractive, while minimizing the clutter.

Do you have any suggestions for mothers who are constantly dealing with the in-flow of papers — from kids’ schoolwork, teachers’ notes, birthday party invitations, newspapers, magazines, thank-you notes, grocery lists, notes-to-self. HELP! I speak from experience, unfortunately.

I could talk about paper for an hour and still have more to say so I’ll try to keep it simple. When it comes to a house drowning in paper, here are a few things you can do to plug the holes that let the paper in, while controlling what’s already there:

1) Take your name off mailing lists. If you don’t see the sales ads, you won’t be as tempted to buy more stuff.

2) Cancel unnecessary magazine and newspaper subscriptions. You won’t feel obligated to read them if they’re not coming through your door, nor will they create extra trash for you to toss.

3) Consolidate bank accounts. The simpler your money management routines, the less paper it will require.

4) Cancel credit cards. We tend to buy more using plastic because hard-earned cash in hand hurts us a little more when we spend it.

5) Use electronic bill paying. Be careful when giving out account information and be sure to track the debits, but this is a popular option to make life easier.

6) Implement a calendar system to track appointments. Limit memos and sticky notes by having a central location in which to record activities.

7) Create guidelines for keeping children’s schoolwork and stick to them. Create standards such as keeping only the best work or assignments that require creativity such as writing or artwork.

Can you tell us about your book? Who would most benefit from reading it?

Anyone who feels overwhelmed by clutter would benefit from my book. I write from the trenches.

It’s not just about another method to get organized. The focus really is on helping people determine what’s meaningful and what’s clutter, but there’s lots of organizing tips too.

I’ve also heard from readers who are self-described neat freaks telling me they appreciate my book because it’s helped them understand friends and family with messy tendencies. I even had one woman come up to me after a speaking engagement who said that she never considered herself a packrat until she heard my story. I’m learning that a lot of people think the way I used to think: “It’s not clutter! It’s just my stuff and my stuff needs a home!”

Do you have any closing bits of advice for the woman who feels like she’ll never emerge from her chaotic home in one piece?

Never give up. De-cluttering is a process, so enjoy the journey. There may be times when setbacks occur, but they won’t undo the amazing strides forward.

I also want to encourage people to embrace de-cluttering as a fun and positive activity. It’s a beautiful thing when we let go of the possessions that steal our hearts so we can focus on the people who matter to us and become more aware of God’s blessings in our lives.

Kathryn Porter is an expert at teaching parents how to get their kids to help around the house. Check out her article here at Focus on Your Child. If you’re in need of some more encouragement, you can learn about workshops and resources availabe by visiting Clutterwise.

Brandy at The Building Brows tagged me for this meme. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve done one of these. Here are five things people (probably) don’t know about me that I don’t mind sharing:

1. I played Mary Todd Lincoln in our 8th grade play, “The Blue and the Gray.” I wore my mom’s old prom dress with hoops, made by my grandmother. I was a nervous wreck practicing my speech — but when I got in front of the audience, it was mysteriously fun. I couldn’t see people’s faces because of the bright lights — and I felt … like I was … Mary Todd Lincoln. Weird.

2. I used to dream of going to the Olympics as a gymnast. Really dream. I came home from gymnastics practice every day with new bruises, covered in chalk from the bars. I loved having special friends who only knew me from the gym, separate from school. At school, I was painfully shy; at the gym, I was outgoing and fun. (It was like having my own private Terabithia, for those of you who get that.)

3. Our family owned a horse for three years named “The Bandit’s Delight.” My sister and I went riding every day after school at a stable a few miles from my house. (It’s now a subdivision). Bandit liked carrots and sugar cubes — and he’d tilt his head to the side and finish off a Coke, if we wanted to share with him. Those were very happy days for me and my sister. I still love the sweet smell of hay in a barn and the sound of rain on a tin roof.

4. I may or may not have a fake talent for clogging. Whenever I pretended to clog in college, it got all my dorm friends laughing. This led to my being nominated for the “Rodeo Queen” contest by my sorority. I actually had to go be interviewed for this role by the president of the agricultural fraternity, and the day of the rodeo, the five of us who were finalists were driven around the arena in the back of a pick-up truck. I wore a borrowed cowboy hat and boots. When they called my name, enough people whooped and hollered for me, so I received a silver tray engraved with my title, “Rodeo Queen.” My husband gets a kick out of calling me this.

5. I’ve eaten fugu before, the Japanese blowfish that, if prepared the wrong way, is so poisonous it can kill you. I ate some at a ryokan (Japanese hotel) with my homestay family on the island of Kyushu. It tasted good — and was very expensive. After we ate fugu, we played a rowdy card game of “Uno,” our favorite.

That’s my five. I’m tagging YOU because I don’t know who hasn’t done this yet. Thanks, Brandy!

And yes, it’s a bit thrilling as a writer to have MY column on the front cover — even better, because it’s not about me. God only used me to help spread the message of Liz Curtis Higgs — her journey of grace, forgiveness, and hope.

It all started with an email I received from her publicist several months ago — offering me the opportunity to interview her. I about fell out of my chair. You see, last summer, I read her book, Grace in Thine Eyes, which I reviewed for Christian Book Previews here. I remember thinking — wow, Liz is living the dream life of an author!

Liz is one of those rare modern novelists who takes enough time to thoroughly research her historical fiction — so that readers are completely transported to 19th-century Scotland, or whatever era she’s writing about.

If I’m going to take the time to read a novel, I want to be transported, don’t you? It’s the second-best thing to actually visiting a place — which happens to be the romantic isle of Arran, off the coast of Scotland. And Liz stayed there, in a real castle, talked to real people — then brought it all back for us armchair travelers through her delicious prose.

I ate it all up — piece by piece — not even realizing that she was taking me along for a spiritual ride as well. Ah, the power of words.

So I had a great time asking her about her most recent trip to Scotland (did you know she’s collected over 800 books on Scotland for her personal library?) She’s been there so many times it’s like a second home to her. I just stare at these photos and dream.

You can also click here to learn more about her new book that is coming soon, My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland, which is “an entertaining armchair travel guide to Dumfries and Galloway—the land where fictional Jamie, Leana, Rose, and Davina have roamed through our imaginations, and where fascinating, real characters live today!”

And I hesitate to share this with you because it will lower my own chances of winning (heh heh) — but her publisher is offering a free nine-day TRIP FOR TWO TO SCOTLAND if you click here. You must go to the Waterbrook Press website to learn all the details — the deadline is April 30, 2007.

The rest of the January issue of CWO is great as well, with a brand new column debut from Allison Bottke, Boomer Babes Rock! Allison writes:

Did you know there are over 38 million baby boomer women? Considered to be some of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best educated women to ever hit midlife, we’re a diverse group between the ages of 42 and 60, born from 1946-1964. An obvious example of diversity is our age range, which spans 19 years and means that while some boomer women are grandparents (like me) others on the lower range who started their families later in life are still getting kids into preschool.

The other columns and articles will give you plenty to read this month, keeping you inspired to start your new year with fresh steps of faith.