Hi, everyone! Guess what?! It’s interview and giveaway time again! YAY! I love these author interviews and learning bits and pieces about them. Today, I’m happy to welcome Janelle Mowery! She’s the author of a new Love Finds You book, Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho. Janelle has graciously offered to give one lucky commentor a copy of this fantastic new book-just stay tuned after the post for rules of the giveaway!
Hi, Janelle! Welcome to my blog! I am excited to have you here today, in celebration of your latest release, Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho. I’m just as excited to be here.
Let’s start off with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself. Well, let’s see. I’m a wife of twenty-one years and mother of two sons who I’m very proud of. They’ve become incredible young men. Besides reading, writing, and American history, I love the outdoors, as proven by the fact that I still cling quite tightly to my tomboy streak. Camo is one of my favorite outfits. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but only a slight one. =)
What’s family life like when you are writing a novel? I’ve tried hard not to let my writing affect my family. That was one of the things my husband and I discussed when I decided to pursue publishing what I’d written. I’m a stay-at-home mom so I have plenty of time during the day to get my writing done and have time for them in the evenings. The only time it really affects them is when I’m at a writer’s conference or a deadline is breathing down my neck. Then they get simple meals and don’t see much of me when I hide behind closed doors. When you’re not writing? Um, I can’t remember life before I started writing. That’s not entirely true but since I started writing, I haven’t ever really stopped. When I finish one story, I start working on the next whether it’s contracted or not.
How about pets? Do you have any pets? We have a black lab that has embedded himself into our hearts. Not only is he intelligent but he makes us laugh. He’s a great example when it comes to finding joy in just being alive.
It’s fall and that is one of my favorite times of the year, with the colors changing and the smells (yep, the smells!) =). What is your favorite season and why? I have to agree with you about loving fall. When I lived in Minnesota, the colors were amazing. Now that I live in the south, I don’t get to see colors anymore, but the heat is gone and there just seems to be a renewed energy in the brisk mornings and cool afternoons.
What’s your favorite holiday? Do you have a special memory about your favorite holiday? This is a hard question for me because I love both Thanksgiving and Christmas. They’re both great ‘family’ oriented holidays. We get together with all family members and also invite friends whose family is gone or live too far away for a gathering. It’s a great time of fellowship and a time to remember the blessedness of giving.
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer? After reading several novels by Lori Wick in the late 1990’s, the desire to write my own novel came to life in a big way. For one full year, I carried a story in my head, plotting and developing the characters and even writing it on my memory. But it wasn’t until January 10, 2001 that I sat down and started putting it to paper. That story along with two more has been contracted by Harvest House and will be out next year.
What inspired you to write this Love Finds You Novel? Several years ago, I went along on one of my son’s field trips to a historical ranch where I learned that the second most common cause of deaths in women was because of burns. In order to keep the house from getting heated during the day, the women would cook and heat water outdoors. Sometimes the wind would gust and the women’s skirts would fly into the flames. That information sparked an idea. Then when a burn accident happened in my kitchen and I feared scarring, the story started to take shape. I built on the whole idea and presented it to Summerside Press who contracted the story.
What were some of the funnest aspects of writing this book? The main character Rebekah’s young brother was fun. I have four brothers so I had a lot of examples I could pull from, but I wouldn’t tell them that. I always enjoy adding humor and mystery to my stories. I love hearing that the story made someone laugh, cry, or the mystery element completely caught them off guard.
Are any of the parts of the story based on true events or people in your life? As I mentioned earlier, an accident in my kitchen played a large role in this story. You see, I accidentally burned my youngest son with boiling water. I was turning to drain spaghetti in the sink and didn’t know my son was right behind me on his way to get some water. We collided. He ended up with 1st and 2nd degree burns. As he was healing, my mind always wandered to how he would handle being questioned or teased about his scars. Praise the Lord, my son healed completely. No scars. Not emotional or physical. But that accident played a huge part in the creation of this story.As an author, I’m sure you read a lot of your fellow authors works. What author inspires you the most? Do you have an author who was a mentor to you? I guess I’d have to say that Francine Rivers inspires me the most because of how she studies Scripture and is able to weave the faith element through her stories. As for a mentor, I’d have to say that Susan Downs played the largest role in my journey to becoming published. I can’t thank her enough for her help and encouragement.
What’s your research like? I research quite extensively while creating and plotting a story. I’ll bookmark several sites and create files for other information. If there is a book about my setting or a character’s career, I’ll read those as well. The research for Silver City was fun because I questioned a man via internet who had vacationed there several times, plus an author friend had been there and was a fount of information.
What’s the most difficult part of writing a novel? For me, one of the most difficult parts is the discipline to sit down and write a specific word count. It’s amazing how many things pop up throughout any given day to distract me from my goal.
A lot of interviews have the question “what do you want your readers to take away from your novel”, but I want to ask, was there anything that YOU took away from your novel and what was it, if so? The process of writing this story made it abundantly clear how difficult it is to control our thoughts, that our judgment of others begins there, with a single thought, and continues to grow if we don’t make a conscious effort to stop it. Imagine what this world would be like if we each would make a concerted effort to look at others with love instead of with a critical eye. It boggles my mind.
Is there anything that you would like to say to your fans? Only that I pray even a small part of any of my books will touch your heart and that you will feel blessed once you reach the end.
How can they stay in touch with you? I can be found on my website, www.janellemowery.com, as well as on Facebook and Shoutlife. I would love to hear from each of you.
Thanks, Janelle, for stopping by for this AMAZING interview! I had fun and hope that you did,too! You’re welcome to come by here anytime you’d like! Hope you have a wonderful Fall! Thank you, Molly.
***THE GIVEAWAY***
To enter this giveaway, leave a comment or question for Janelle here! I will run the giveaway until October 27th @ 1159pmEST. All comments must have email addresses! NO EMAIL=NO VALID ENTRY!! Good luck to all!
