My Friend Connie – Interview & Giveaway
Today I’m happy to welcome Connie Stevens to my blog to chat about her romances from Heartsong Presents. She had one just release in January, and its sequel coming in the next month!
Connie has generously offered a copy of Revealing Fire to one lucky winner, to be sent once she gets her author copies (should be very soon). To enter, just leave a comment below with an email address!
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About Revealing Fire
Pearl Dunnigan is in her September years, well beyond the age when most women fall in love.
She married her childhood sweetheart years ago. Now as a widow, she operates Willow Creek’s only boardinghouse and is content with her life. . .until Hubert dares to convince her to dream again.
During Hubert Behr’s youth, blind ambition and careless actions destroyed his family and his marriage. Have the lessons he’s learned since then made him worthy of a second chance, or has his past made him unsuitable for love? Hubert is willing to try again, but what will Pearl say when she learns his secrets? When Hubert’s estranged son arrives in town, his anger and scorn threaten to undo Hubert’s and Pearl’s plans.
Torn between what her heart knows and what she’d been told, Pearl is faced with a heart-rending decision. Is her love strong enough to do what is best, and will God give her the strength to endure what she must for the man she loves? When all the truth is revealed, will their love be destroyed or refined by fire?
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About Connie
Connie Stevens lives in north Georgia with her husband of 37 years, John. One cantankerous kitty—misnamed Sweet Pea—allows them to live in her home. (John calls her Crabby Tabby.) When Connie isn’t writing, she loves reading, sewing, browsing antique shops, collecting teddy bears, and gardening. She also enjoys making quilts to send to the Cancer Treatment Centers Of America. Visit Connie’s Web site and blog at www.conniestevenswrites.com.
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What’s your latest book?
The first book in the Willow Creek series was LEAVE ME NEVER, which was released in January. The latest book is the second in the series, REVEALING FIRE, which comes out in April with Heartsong Presents, division of Barbour Publishing.
Congrats on the releases! What was the hardest part to write?
The hardest scene for me to write was when Hubert asked the doctor when his son would recover, and the doctor had to give Hubert an answer he didn’t want to hear. I had to call on some painful memories and relive some brutal emotions in order to give those same emotions to my character.
Oh, that WOULD be hard to write! What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?
I would hope a reader would realize their worth comes from who they are in Christ, and their value in His eyes doesn’t depend on how important or how wealthy they are or how the world views them.
Beautiful lesson. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I love to write and read historical romance.
Hey, your answer’s the same as mine! 😉 Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?
Primarily I keep pictures of my son around me. I can almost him cheering me on. When I wrote REVEALING FIRE, I kept a small silver music box that belonged to my mother on my desk. A silver music box plays an important part in the story.
Awwwww, sweet. Are there any people (family, writing group, editors) who you rely on when writing?
I couldn’t write without The Posse. Not only are they the best critique group on the planet, they are some of my dearest friends and prayer partners. We bounce everything off each other, writing-related or otherwise.
Well, I won’t get into an argument about who has the best critiquers, but . . . 😉 Do you remember where you were when you got your first or most important call about a book contract?
Goodness yes!! I was sitting with The Posse at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference (2009). They have a tradition on the first night of the conference. Two Barbour editors take the stage and announce the awarding of first-time contracts. When JoAnne Simmons announced the title of my first book (LEAVE ME NEVER) my first thought was I would have to come up with another title because someone else had the same title. My second thought was I wondered why The Posse was screaming. After that I vaguely remember hugging a bunch of people as I made my way to the front to accept the letter of intent from Barbour Publishing. It didn’t occur to me to scream myself until after the session was over. The expression “in a daze” has a whole new meaning for me now.
Oh, hey! I was there! I remember that, LOL. Any funny stories about being a writer?
I once started to buy a Christmas present for Tessa Langford…until I remembered Tessa is one of my characters.
LOL. Sounds about right. What are you writing right now?
A generational historical series set in north Georgia. It begins in 1838 around the time of the Trail Of Tears.
Oh, cool. Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?
The third book in the Willow Creek series, SCARS OF MERCY, will release with Heartsong Presents in August.
Fun stuff. Is there another author who has greatly influenced your writing?
Kim Sawyer and DiAnn Mills. Both of these ladies taught me how reach deeply into myself and give the emotions I have experienced to my characters, thus creating people on the page who aren’t just fictional characters—they’re friends.
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Thanks so much for visiting, Connie! Readers, be sure to check out her website at www.conniestevenswrites.com. You can find her books at http://www.heartsongpresents.com.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Chance of winning depends on number of entries. Contest ends 3/25/11. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads, she now spends her time writing fiction, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years, as well as a fantasy series and contemporary mysteries and romances. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. 
