1-How many novels have you written? Are all of them
published?
Yes, every one of the 19 books I have written — thirteen novels, five novellas,
and one writer’s workbook — are all published, nine traditionally and nine
independently. Sometimes I wish I had a ton of unpublished manuscripts under my
bed like many authors do so that I could polish and publish them on my own. But
I don’t because the first book I ever wrote — A Passion Most Pure — was
published by Revell along with eight subsequent books in three series, so I
guess I can’t really complain.
2-What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about this project?
Well, my current WIP is book 3 in my Isle of Hope Series, His Steadfast Love,
which sadly enough for me, is the final book in this contemporary series that I
have really grown to love. It’s the story of a prodigal and a pastor thrown
together by family and by God, creating quite a few sparks on the Isle of Hope.
Here’s the jacket blurb:
She’s bent on fun.
He’s bent on faith.
Till true love bridges the gap.
Cat O’Bryen is the prodigal daughter unhappy with God.
First, the father with whom she reconciled dies of cancer and now her twin
sister and best friend marries, leaving Cat at home with a newlywed mother, her
new husband, and a little brother. But when Cat moves in with a roommate of
questionable morals, her family is worried, certain she’s on a path that could
damage her faith forever.
Reluctant to get involved with a woman like the one who destroyed his life,
ex-Navy SEAL Pastor Chase Griffin steers clear of the attraction he feels for
Cat O’Bryen. Until her family begs him to take her under his wing, hoping he
can draw her back into the fold. But when the draw she has on him proves too
strong to resist, he must rely on the strength of God to offer a friendship as steady
and strong as the God whose love is wooing her home.
3-What inspired the idea for His Steadfast Love?
Well, the entire Isle of Hope series was inspired by my own dysfunctional relationship
with my estranged dad, in which God taught me how to really forgive. Book
1,
Isle of Hope: Unfailing
Love (which is now on e-sale for 99 cents, by the way, and its prequel
novella,
A
Glimmer of Hope, is available for FREE DOWNLOAD), was basically a therapy
session for me and admittedly, one of the most important books I’ve ever
written.
Prior to writing it, God brought me to a place where He asked me to step away
from business as usual to take a sabbatical to focus more on Him, family, and
writing for the sheer joy of writing. So I told my publisher I wouldn’t be
pitching any new books or series for a while. During that time I wrote
Isle
of Hope instead, and from there, books 2 and 3 just flowed from my pen
as easily as forgiveness from my heart once God taught me how to let go.
That’s a roundabout way to get to your question of what inspired the idea
for
His Steadfast Love, but truly, I just saw Cat’s story as the
culmination of a series on forgiveness. I had a strong sense from the beginning
that this book would have a deep spiritual impact on readers, so I was really
excited about that. But when I got around to writing the final four chapters,
I’ll admit that I was disappointed in the spiritual takeaway. So much so, that
I hit the wall and couldn’t finish those last four chapters.
So I prayed hard for God to give me a powerful wrap-up, and
BOOM! Just
like that (well, it took a couple of days), God brought a memory back to me
that I’d forgotten, a second HUGE lesson on forgiveness that literally changed
my life. It involved a hidden bitterness for my baby sister whom I loved with
all my heart and soul, just like Cat loves her twin sister Shannon, so I never
really knew it was there. But just because we don’t know a sin is there doesn’t
stop the stronghold it has in your life, a lesson that I — and Cat — had to
learn all too well.
4-What do you want readers to take away from reading His Steadfast
Love?
Besides the usual wisdom of purity before marriage that God taught this 70’s
wild child way back when, there is the deep, deep message of buried bitterness
in people’s lives that needs to be addressed in order for that person to really
be free in Christ. That’s what I hope this book truly imparts to everyone who
reads it.
5-What other “hats” do you wear other when you are not writing?
Mmm … hats, huh? Well, I don’t physically wear many hats, but I do love being a
wife, mom, and grandmother (aka Juju), which are the true highlights of my
life. But I also really enjoy hobnobbing with neighbors and friends since we
live on a lake and only see most of them on weekends. And although I am not
athletic at all, my husband has been nudging me into kayaking,
biking, swimming, and boating, so this summer has been really fun.
Top 10
Favorite Pieces of Literature
1.) Gone
With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2.) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3.) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4.) Sins of the Father by Susan Howatch
5.) Cashelmara by Susan Howatch
6.) Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt
7.) Bride of Pendorric by Victoria Holt
8.) Lowlands of Scotland series by Liz Curtis Higgs
9.) Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers
10.) Love’s Reckoning by Laura Frantz
1.) Book 1,
Isle of Hope: Unfailing Love is loosely based on how God healed my own
dysfunctional relationship with my father.
2.) Like
IOH’s secondary hero, Ben Carmichael, my father was also a surgeon and a
recluse.
3.) My dad,
like Ben, had a dog named Beau that he took fishing with him.
4.) Like the
heroine, Lacey, I also took meals over to my father’s house to try and make
amends.
5.) And like
Lacey’s situation, my father seldom talked to me when I did bring meals and
never hugged me or indicated any love.
6.) Like the
series’ secondary heroine, Tess, I was insanely jealous of boyfriends I dated
and made a fool of myself many a time.
7.) The
peach crumble pie Mamaw made was my favorite pie I made when I was young.
8.) When I
originally wrote Isle of Hope, the O’Bryen’s and Carmichael’s docks were in
their back yards, which I had facing the Skidaway River until I discovered
during research that all the homes on Bluff Drive (where the O’Bryen’s and
Carmichael’s live) face the river from the front of the houses, necessitating a
walk across the street to get to each neighbor’s docks.
9.) When I
wrote book 3, Cat and Chase’s story, I strongly felt it was going to have huge
spiritual impact, but when I came close to the end, I was disappointed in the
spiritual takeaway and hit the wall on the last four chapters. So I prayed for
God’s anointing and creativity, and BOOM! He reminded me of the 2nd biggest
spiritual lesson He ever taught me (the first being about how to forgive as
depicted in book 1), so that’s the lesson Cat (and Chase!) learn too in the
final chapters of His Steadfast Love, a lesson that literally changed my life.
10.) Lacey’s
chocolate chip pie is one of my favorite pies I make today, and here’s the
recipe:
Recipe:
Chocolate Chip Pie (makes one pie),
from: Julie Lessman, serves: 8-10
Cooking
time: 350 degrees for 45 minutes or longer. Can leave out or refrigerate.
— 1 cup sugar
— ½ cup flour
— 2 beaten eggs
— 1
tsp. vanilla
— 1 stick butter
— ¾ cup chopped pecans
— ¾ cup chocolate chips
— 1 unbaked pie shell
— Vanilla ice cream and Magic Shell
(optional)
Melt butter,
cool in fridge while mixing sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla. Mix in butter, then
add nuts and chocolate chips. Mix well. Serve on individual plates and
microwave each piece for about 30 seconds or until warm. Serve with vanilla ice
cream (I streusel Magic Shell over ice cream and top pie with whipped cream and
strawberry).
This time he was ready for her, and
with an easy twist, he scooped her up and launched her high in the air, her
squeals bouncing off the water before she did.
Ker-splash!
A gush of water plumed, and Chase grinned outright when she shot from the
surface, mouth going strong as usual. “Chase Griffin, you are the lowest,
sneakiest, most diabolical—”
His laughter rang over the water. “Sorry, Catfish, but ‘diabolical’ belongs to
you, kiddo, so I wouldn’t be throwing pitchforks if I were you.”
“And a p-pastor too!” she sputtered, still spitting water out of her mouth.
He cocked a hip on the edge of the board, thumbs hooked into the back pockets
of his wet jeans. “That’s right, Catherine,” he said, his grin definitely ‘diabolical,’
“anything you need to get off your chest?”
“Come into the water, Rev, and I’ll show you ‘diabolical.’” She delivered a
sweet smile that was anything but, paddling in place with a glint of dare in
her eyes.
“Oh, no doubt about that,” he said with a grin, loosely crossing his arms. “But
I’ll pass, if you don’t mind, and work on my tan while I fish.”
“Chase Griffin, you are nothing but a wet blanket!” she snapped.
“Yep, thanks to you,” he said with a chuckle, fetching his rod and tackle box
and settling into his chair.
Nose in the air, she spun around in a swoosh to head to the neighbor’s dock,
her strokes deft and sure like his demise would be if he got into the water
with Cat O’Bryen. He was tempted to take a quick dive just to cool off because
that minx sure had a way of heating him up, and they were just friends, for
pity’s sake. God help him, he couldn’t imagine dating the woman, subject to
temptation day in and day out. Those teasing eyes, that sexy smile, her
flirtatious ways.
Those come-on kisses …
Heat engulfed him that had nothing to do with the sun beating down and
everything to do with the vamp in the water. Although his mind was made up, Cat
O’Bryen was too much of what his body and soul craved, and he wasn’t going
there again. Ever. Especially not with a woman whose faith was as weak
as water.
“Oh!”
He glanced up from his tackle box, heart constricting when he saw Cat freeze in
the water. “What’s wrong?” He shot to his feet.
“Cramps.” It was a strained response as she maneuvered to a dead-man float.
“Where?” His heart rate took off in a sprint, memories of a SEAL buddy
dangerously compromised on a mission from severe abdominal cramps.
“Left leg.” Her voice matched the grimace on her face. “I’ll be fine … I’ll
just wait it out.”
“Grab your toes on the cramped leg and pull toward you,” he ordered, gaze
pinned to her body for any sign of distress, “then straighten your leg.”
Face pinched, she did as he instructed, her groans hitching his pulse. “Never
this bad before …”
That’s all it took. The tackle box hit the weathered wood with a hard clunk as
Chase dove from the dock, arriving by her side in mere seconds. “Any better?”
He watched while she continued pulling and stretching, his breathing heavy as
he hovered close, finally catching his breath.
“I’m not sure …” she said in a weak voice.
And then she lunged, stealing his air all over again when she brought him down,
submerging him with a power that belied her small size. “No, wait …” She bolted
away when he hit the surface, coughing up water. “Yes, definitely better now.”
Her giggles bounced off the lake as she swam for the shore, arms slicing
through the water with an efficiency that would outdistance most people.
But he wasn’t most people. He was a seasoned professional.
With a store of adrenalin usually reserved for workouts at the gym, work days
at Lake Loon, or dangerous missions overseas, Chase easily overtook her mere
feet from the sandy shore, clamping onto her foot to reel her in hard. One arm
latched to her waist, he handily dunked her with the other, her shrieks and
giggles lost in a tide pool of bubbles and foam. Quickly lurching her back up,
he chuckled low in her ear as she kicked and squealed in his arms. “I thought I
told you never to mess with an ex-Navy SEAL, Catfish,” he said with a husky
chuckle, soundly dousing her all over again.
He released her, and she literally exploded from the water, twisting in the air
like some headstrong sea nymph, taking him down with a grunt as she clung
stubbornly to his head.
And didn’t let go.
They burst from the water as one, her body welded to his as she death-gripped
his hair, obviously intent on one more plunge.
But the only thing that plunged was his gut when their eyes locked, the
laughter in her face dissolving into something far softer and warm while her
ragged breathing mated with his. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and a tidal
wave of want surged through his body, taking him down as easily as Cat had done
with her well-placed dunking.
She absently licked her lips, and his stomach cramped with need as he fought
the pull of her parted mouth, her shallow breathing in dangerous sync with his
own. His eyelids felt as heavy as if he were drugged, arms slowly curling
around her waist like they had a mind of their own. And God help him, they did,
because he had little control as they drew her close, luring his mouth to hers
with a low, aching moan.
She tasted like sheer heaven as he nuzzled the lips he’d dreamed about since
the night she had kissed him in her room. Forcing himself to take it slow, he
caressed her mouth with all the tenderness that swirled inside for a lost,
little girl named Cat. But the moment a soft mew left her lips, he was a goner,
his groan hoarse as he delved in to explore with a passion too long denied.
And that’s when he knew.
He was dead in the water.
Literally
