Interview with Autumn Macarthur, Plus a Giveaway!

I'd like to welcome Autumn Macarthur, a new member of Beyond the Borders and a first-time blogger here at ICFW. It's an important time for Autumn, as she prepares to launch her first book in September, a novella set in London titled THE WEDDING LIST. Her genre is contemporary Romance, with deep Christian undertones.

But let's back up. Autumn is Australian and lives in London with her British husband. She's a nature enthusiast, and she can tell you what to eat for longevity and optimal health. In short, Autumn has the mind of an entrepreneur, breaking into the Indie Market, and the spirit of a woman called to inspire. Welcome, Autumn!

Click to Tweet: Celebrating Autumn Macarthur’s first release: THE WEDDING LIST.

Autumn, if you don't mind, I’ll get right to your faith, which comes through in your writing, your smile, and your ever upbeat emails to our Beyond the Borders group. Who or what has been your greatest Christian influence? Did you experience a conversion at some point in your life or has your faith developed naturally since childhood?

Faith is a good place to start! I grew up in a household that didn’t welcome the hunger I had from an early age to learn more about God and to go to church. Dad claims to be an atheist, but I suspect he’s a lapsed believer who became angry with God after a personal tragedy in his teens.

I persevered and was allowed to attend church and go on Christian camps. At sixteen I first gave Jesus Lordship of my life, but there’s been a bit of a backwards and forwards struggle since then! Like my father, I spent far too many years angry with God when something I very much desired was denied me. Now, of course, I can see the effects of my mistakes, but at the time it was way easier to blame God than take responsibility.

Thankfully, God didn’t give up on me and about eighteen months ago I recommitted my life to Him. It’s still an everyday struggle to surrender and trust, but I love knowing He loves and supports me and understands my struggles.

He is the driving force behind everything I write.

I admire the honesty with which you write about your faith, the tug-of-wars and the Ah! moments we have with God. When writing, do you start with the faith element in your story as a springboard or with the story/plot itself?

I develop my characters first, usually the heroine. Once I know what gets in the way of her having the fullest possible relationships, not just with her romantic love, the hero, but with God, it’s clear what lessons of faith she needs to experience.

God has a tendency of teaching me the same lessons as I write! Often, as I pray about a personal issue, I’ll see how that same issue applies to a character. I hope that gives my stories sincerity and emotional depth and will satisfy readers. In a way, I’m right there with the heroine, going through the same emotional and spiritual journey, laughing with her and crying with her, too.

You've mentioned that you have a love affair with London. I live in London, as well, and love the taxi cabs. You can fit a baby's wagon in the back without folding it down! Can you name one aspect of London you most appreciate? Your first book is set in London. Any plans to use an Australian setting in the future?

David Iliff

I love the traces of history visible throughout London, not just the big attractions like Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, but the random kiln in Notting Hill and the pubs that Dickens frequented.

THE WEDDING LIST is part of a series set in London I’m calling Love In Store. The series revolves around the staff of a London department store, with both American and Australian characters making appearances.

I love writing stories set elsewhere, too! I have plans for a series set in Oregon, U.S.A., the revised full of the first book is currently under consideration at Harlequin Love Inspired. I’m also working on two series set in Australia, one in a small rural town and the other set in a coastal village.

You blog about the little miracles you see in your garden. Does your passion for food and gardening make it into your writing? How about your three spoiled cats and dandelion-munching guinea pig? I couldn't resist asking!

I’m soon to start writing Book 3, with a foodie heroine who runs the kitchenware department at the store. A runaway hamster makes a guest appearance in Book 2. So far though, no gardeners, cats, or guinea pigs. I’m sure they will come!

I'm going to sneak this one in here: What is your favorite food from your garden?

LOL, if you saw my garden, you would know I can’t grow much food in it. The only vegetable  I have consistent success with is garlic, and that’s such a love/hate thing for people. Thankfully, I love it!

Michael Spencer

Bruschetta is a quick and easy summer dish using garlic. I made it for a picnic when my  husband and I were first dating, and he loved it so much it could be the reason he married  me!

So, while we’re on the topic of love, tell us a bit about your soon-to-be-launched novella THE WEDDING LIST. I love the title!

I’m always happy to talk about my stories! THE WEDDING LIST is the first in the Love in Store series. It will be released as an ebook on Amazon in early September. BELIEVE IN ME, Book 2, was a semi-finalist in the Inspirational Romance section of the Harlequin So You Think You Can Write contest last year. It will be out in October, and Book 3 with follow in early December.

THE WEDDING LIST features Beth Forrest. With her eye for beautiful design and her cut-glass accent, no-one would guess Beth’s impoverished background. It’s all throw pillows, china patterns, and upper class brides as she manages the Wedding Registry at Pettett & Mayfield, the stately maiden aunt of London department stores. It’s not quite her dream job, but each bride she helps plan their perfect home brings her one step closer to financing her own.

When James Tetherton-Hart, brilliant in his research lab but awkward and disorganised in everyday life, comes to the store in desperate need of both a gift and a partner for a wedding that evening, all her careful plans and meticulous checklists are turned upside down.

Now Beth's first love is back, determined to make her his partner for life, not just the evening. But unless Beth can let go of the mistaken beliefs that separated them before and learn the breadth of God’s love for us all, her only gift from the wedding will be another heartbreak.

I invite readers who want to find out more about my books and their release dates, as well as access exclusive members-only contests and “behind the book” blog posts, to sign up for my newsletter at http://faithhopeandheartwarming.com.

Sara, thank you for your thoughtful questions! I know we have folk from all over reading the blog. I’d love for readers to share what makes where they live special for them. I welcome any questions about my books, my writing process, or anything at all!

A giveaway of THE WEDDING LIST will go to one randomly selected reader who comments. It will be available early September to coincide with the launch. Formats include Mobi for Kindle, epub, or pdf. Don't forget to leave a comment!

Autumn Macarthur is an Australian writer of inspirational romance living near London with her very English husband, three spoiled cats, and a guinea pig with a dandelion addiction. She loves reading, cooking, gardening, and writing deeply emotional stories to make you smile and remind you how big and wide and deep God's love and forgiveness can be. When she's not talking to her strawberry plants or cherry blossoms, she can be found blogging at http://faithhopeandheartwarming.com, on Facebook as Autumn Macarthur, and on Twitter as @autumnmacarthur.


Interviewed by Sara Goff:  http://www.saragoff.com/

My Writing Process - Blog Tour

by Marion Ueckermann

I’m excited to be part of this worldwide blog tour, thanks to fellow ACFW Beyond The Borders member, Autumn Maccarthur. An Australian writer living near London, Autumn’s heartwarming small town inspirational love stories are filled with faith and hope. 

www.autumnmacarthur.com

So now, a little about me, what I’m currently working on, how my work differs from others of its genre (I guess in the advertising world, that would be my USP—Unique Selling Proposition), why I write what I write, and how my writing process works.

I first had an interest in writing a book in the mid 1990’s, however, I only took my writing more seriously around the turn of the century. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I can honestly say I really applied myself, and the hard work and hours invested has paid off. I landed that first contract at the end of last year. Helsinki Sunrise was accepted by White Rose Publishing, a division of Pelican Book Group as part of their Passport to Romance series of novelettes. It’s been exciting to finally be part of a publishing family. Pelican Book Group has done a stunning job of the cover of Helsinki Sunrise (as they have with the rest of the series.) The galley edits were submitted in February this year. While I've anxiously waited for news of a publication date, which I was advised this week will be 21 August 2014, I’ve been working on more submissions for the Passport to Romance series. I’ll expand a little on these in the next few paragraphs.

http://pelicanbookgroup.com

In March I completed and submitted a story set in Oslo, Norway. On Tuesday this week I got the email from Pelican requesting the full manuscript. So excited!

Eager to keep up the momentum of writing these great Passport to Romance novelettes, I’m working on another submission, this time set in Glasgow, Scotland and toying with the next story idea already.

Writing a 35,000 word novelette is quite a challenge. The writing has to be extremely tight and focused, so you need to keep the number of characters minimal, and there’s no room for sub-plots.

What has been unique, interesting and fun about the Passport to Romance submissions is that the stories are set in specific cities around the world (a great project for us ICFW writers). These exotic locations include Sydney, Rio, Beijing, Cairo, London, Paris, Athens, Mumbai, Milan, Rome, Casablanca, Moscow, Barcelona and the Vatican, to mention but a few.

In a Passport to Romance story, either the hero or heroine (or both) has to travel to the country using a passport to enter (no shipwreck stories here or illegal entries), and each story has three objects that must form part of the story in some way. For Helsinki Sunrise, set in Finland, I needed to have an abandoned boat, a dirty shoelace, and a laptop computer in the story. For Norway it was a Christmas ornament, a favorite book, and the tallest tree in a field. And Scotland requires the story to have an old yearbook, a box of chocolates, and a lit candle. It’s been fun to see how to add these objects in unique ways, thinking out of the box. For instance, ‘The tallest tree in a field’ in my Oslo stories, is not a physical tree. The story is about wingsuiters who are doing a formation challenge. The formation is in the shape of a tree, and so in the story I refer to this as ‘the tallest tree in a field of blue.’

I love writing unique characters with interesting lives. Award winning author, Nancy Kimball, (and one of my critiquers) had this to say after reading my Norway story: “I always learn something exotic and cool when I read your romances, Marion.” I guess that’s my USP. Nancy, I learn something cool with every story, too. And so, I’d like to introduce you to my Passport to Romance characters:

In Helsinki Sunrise, Eveliina Mikkola is a Finnish Visual Effects Artist with an intense dislike of missionaries. When Eveliina arrives at her grandparents’ summer cottage set on an island on a lake just outside Helsinki, the last thing she expects to find in her sauna is Adam Carter...a missionary from South Africa. Neither Adam nor Eveliina are prepared to leave. It’s a fun story with a modern flair to a tale that’s as old as time.

My Oslo story, working title Oslo Overtures, has my Kiwi hero and Norwegian heroine—Kyle Sheppard and Anjelica Joergensen—as wingsuit pilots attempting another Guinness World Record formation high up in the Oslo skies. One of the secondary characters, and best friend to the hero, was so liked by my crit partners that there’s been a request to have him as the hero in another story. Hmm, there are two story requirements for New Zealand—tempting, very tempting. Luke Maskill, where should I have your heroine hail from? I know you have a thing for leggy blondes, but maybe I’ll make you fall for someone totally opposite to your norm.

One of the highlights in writing Oslo Overtures, and totally a God-thing, was having the opportunity to meet and have coffee with possibly the best woman wingsuit pilot in the world, Taya Weiss, when she visited South Africa in March this year. Taya was the organizer of the 2012 Wingsuit Guinness World Book of Records. This challenge, comprising of one hundred wingsuiters, was held in Perris, California. What an interesting and inspiring lady Taya is (and a fellow writer, too).

Another cool thing about Oslo Overtures is that I managed to weave Adam and Eveliina from Helsinki Sunrise into the story in a small way. It was great to have them reappear for a scene or two.

Finally, Callum McGuire and Skye Hunter are gracing the pages of Glasgow Grace as childhood sweethearts torn apart through circumstance and reunited fifteen years later when Skye returns to Glasgow as an opera star. Skye has no idea that Callum’s no longer merely a singer in his parents’ tavern but a brilliant surgeon.

Besides the above, I have far too many WIP projects. I’m busy with another Pelican submission due in August for their Easter Lilies collection. That story is set in Belfast, Ireland, and is about 10,000 words shy of complete. In addition to that, I have two finished manuscripts that require editing, and another four that are between fifty to eighty percent complete. What can I say?—I love to multitask. Once I’ve exhausted the Passport to Romance opportunities, I plan to get back to these unfinished stories. I have beta-readers begging for their completion.

As an inspirational contemporary romance writer, it’s important for me to weave a spiritual theme through my stories. Most times, the theme is about God being in control of our lives. My hero and/or heroine will either be on a journey back to God, or on one that brings them into a closer relationship with Him. My prayer is that through my writing, readers would be encouraged to seek a deeper relationship with the One who created them.

And, of course, falling head over heels in love with each other is paramount to my stories. I love creating that powerful emotional experience in readers that they feel like they’re the ones falling in love again. I experience that with each new story I write, and hope the readers feel the same way, too.

My writing process… Uh, yes, next question.

One of the first things I do in my writing process (at least within the first few pages) is to create a book cover. It keeps me inspired and focused on the story I know is waiting to come alive on the blank pages. However, I’m a 'seat of the pants' writer, more fondly referred to as a Pantser, so when I begin writing a new story, I only have a basic idea of what must happen, as well as the three crises that must occur within the pages. But that’s not all bad, after all, Stephen King’s a Pantser, too. With Helsinki Sunrise, I had no idea what my heroine would be when I started writing. A friend encouraged me to just write, that the character would soon develop…and she did. On all my stories, I sit back often, amazed at how the characters, the story, and the story world develop, and I know that only a creative God could do that. He’s the One who puts the ideas in my head, and He’s the One who makes me meet daredevil ladies who love jumping out of airplanes clad in flying squirrel suits (http://tayaweiss.com). He’s the only One who can give my stories wings and make them fly.

I trust that you've enjoyed learning a little more about me, my writing, and my writing process. Now I’m sending this awesome tour in the direction of three wonderful authors who will share their writing processes on their respective blogs on May 12th.

Over to you ladies…

SHIRLEY CORDER is a registered nurse and a breast cancer survivor who has a passion for helping others as they go through their treatment. In addition to being author of Strength Renewed, Meditations for Your Journey through Breast Cancer, she is a contributing author to eleven books to date including four Guideposts anthologies and has published many articles and devotions in the US, UK, and SA. She lives in South Africa.

http://shirleycorder.com/

Shirley will also be posting this tour here on ICFW on May 10th.

 http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

HEIDI McCAHAN’s formative years in Alaska, coupled with the country's breathtaking scenery, fueled her active imagination and loosely inspired her debut novel, Unraveled. With a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine and a Master’s Degree in Athletic Training, Heidi enjoyed a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer before she married her husband, Steve. They live in North Carolina with their three active little boys. When Heidi isn’t stepping on Legos, chauffeuring the boys around suburbia or folding laundry, she loves to write heartwarming romance set in unique locales.

http://heidimccahan.com

DIANE TATUM started writing her own stories in 6th grade. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business Administration and later a Masters in Teaching Language Arts—raising her boys in between—she began writing again. She did freelance writing for magazines and church Sunday school curriculum. Her novel, Gold Earrings, was published in 2011. She’s completed a second and third novel, A Time to Choose and Colonial Dream. Diane loves creating characters that become deeper and fuller as the story evolves.

www.dianeetatumwriter.com

http://tatumlight-tatumsthoughts4today.blogspot.com/

To follow the tour backward, click on the link for Autumn’s blog, and follow her nominations as well as the writer, Edith, who tagged Autumn.

http://inaroomofmyown.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/my-writing-process-ruminations-on-the-writing-process-of-a-writer-mama/

Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter (Tyndale House Publishers) and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven. Her debut novelette, Helsinki Sunrise, releases 22 August 2014 by Pelican Book Group (White Rose Publishing) - Passport to Romance series. Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and Beauty for Ashes. She belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.