Author Interview | Introducing Christine Dillon

Today we have an interview with Australian writer Christine Dillon, who serves as a missionary in Taiwan. Christine has recently published her second novel, Grace in the Shadows. Welcome, Christine!

How did you get started in writing?

I am not one of those who always longed to write. Perhaps I was more aware how hard it would be and the cost in terms of loss of privacy … My writing journey started with non-fiction since people kept asking me for training in the areas of 1-2-1 discipleship and Bible storytelling. Writing books on the topic enabled me to get a message out there.

I would never have believed that one day I’d write fiction. I knew it was way beyond me and I had no desire to put in the hard work needed. However, it seems God had other ideas. He dropped the ideas for two novels into my head during a prayer day back in about 2007.

I said, “No Lord” (two words that should never be put together but often are) and then, “If that idea was from you, you’re going to have to push me and give me all the help I need.” The strong push came in 2013 and it took me four years to publish my first novel.

Four years for the first novel and only ten months for the second? Why the difference in time?

For the first novel I had so much to learn: how to write dialogue, how to put more emotion in to the story, the list was endless. It was like conquering Everest. First, I wrote two practice novels, biblical fiction which allowed me to use my Bible storytelling skills. Then it was a long first draft and so many edits. In the end I needed two editors. Both coached me in different aspects.

The result was that book two was much easier as there were so many things I didn’t need to relearn. The first draft was already up to the standard that the first book had taken more than three years to achieve.

Did you intend to write a series?

I believed I was writing a standalone novel. That was probably God’s grace to me as I might have given up if I’d thought there was more than one. About three years into the process, I began to have ideas for a follow-up book. Then four months before publication my editor said, “This is one and a half books, not a single story.” That was hard to handle so late in the process. I asked her to explain her reasons, took a few days to think and pray, chopped off the last third of the book and wrote a new conclusion. That meant some material was already written for book two.

Later, when I talked with the editor about books two and three, more stories presented themselves. It is now possible there might be seven stories. I definitely don’t want more than that as I want to write some biblical fiction.

Who influenced your fiction?

C.S. Lewis has impacted so many authors. For me it was not just the beauty of some of his stories but that he wrote ‘life changing’ fiction. I had no desire to merely write nice stories, there had to be purpose in them. My purpose is to inspire people to follow Jesus and live transformed lives.

Another author who writes this kind of fiction is Francine Rivers. Her book, ‘Sons of Encouragement’ was the final push God used to get me started writing fiction. I love the way she tackles contemporary issues like divorce, abortion …

Randy Alcorn’s ‘Safely Home’ was also a major influence. I wanted to move the emotions like his book did. I cried the final one third of his book.

Why do you write?

The simple answer is because God forced me to write.

The more complex would be that having read much Christian fiction I was concerned about certain trends I saw. One was a sugar-coating of the realities of life. A sort of Christianised version of fairy tales that end with ‘happily ever after.’ That is what our heart desires but so much of life is not like that or at least not in the sense we’re expecting.

I wanted to write books that breathed the right kind of hope into real life. Real books about people who grow to maturity and find that God is more than able to satisfy us and provide for us. Books that point us to Jesus and inspire us to make a difference for eternity.

I also didn’t want the Christianity tacked on to the story but to have people with real problems struggling through what it means to follow and share Jesus in a broken world. If the books weren’t going to ‘multiply disciples one story at a time’ then they weren’t worth my time to write. I have far too many more important things to do. Whatever I do with the little time that humans are given it must be to work for the only Kingdom that lasts.

Who are your favourite Christian fiction authors?

• Randy Alcorn, especially his novel, ‘Safely Home'.
• Deborah Raney for her contemporary ‘issues-based’ fiction (aka women’s fiction).
• Brenda S Anderson, who also writes women’s fiction.
• Francine Rivers, who writes biblical and contemporary.
• Tessa Afshar for Biblical fiction
• CC Warrens for suspense

What is your process?

Like most authors I’m slowly working this out. My initial planning was done using the ‘Snowflake’ method which I discovered online. After reading the book, 'Story Genius’ by Lisa Cron, I have made sure to write the first person scenes as step one. They are back story scenes of why a character has developed a misunderstanding about life. Some of these scenes get used in the final story.

At the moment I’m outlining by having different coloured cards for the different characters and spreading them out on a table. Each card only contains one scene (which I use as chapters). There needs to be a crisis of some sort at the 25, 50 and 75% marks.

I’m planning on then working through each card and making sure I’m clear what is in each chapter and what it needs to achieve. Then I’ll start writing (not necessarily in chapter order). Sometimes I need to write an easier chapter first to warm up my writing so I can tackle harder chapters.

For my second novel, I made sure to set aside a chunk of time on nearly every Saturday morning (mornings are best for me). That regular time was fantastic and is why I managed to get the second novel out so quickly. I want to get back to that. I also used the fantastic Scrivener (a writing programme) to set word goals for myself each time. I initially aimed for 3000 words per day but worked up to 5000 words.

What has God taught you along the way?

When God takes us on a journey he always has a purpose. I have learned so much about trusting him for strength and ability. So often I’d end up on my knees saying, “I can’t do it. Help!” He always provided the help I needed. Sometimes it is through beta readers, sometimes through a support team of three other writers, often through my two editors. It has been so encouraging to see how God directs me to the exact people who just ‘happen’ to have an area of expertise I need.

I have also learned to trust God for the timing of every stage. The first novel was delayed fifteen months. I look back and praise the Lord because I still had so much to learn and I would have released an inferior product if I’d ploughed on with my plans. If I hit a roadblock, I pray and ask others to pray (I have a wonderful band of supporters on my private ‘storytellerchristine’ group on Facebook) and eventually I can see why the roadblock was there.

I’ve really learned how important ‘team’ is. Every person involved in the team is a gift from God.

About Christine Dillon

Christine never intended to become an author. The only kind of writing she wondered if she might do was biography. However, it was a surprise to her to write poetry, non-fiction and now fiction.

Christine was a physiotherapist but now she writes ‘storyteller’ on any airport forms. She can legitimately claim to be this as she has written a book on storytelling and spends much of her time either telling Bible stories or training others to do so from her base in southern Taiwan.

In her spare time Christine loves all things active – hiking, cycling, swimming, snorkeling. But she also likes reading and genealogical research, as that satisfies her desire to be an historical detective.

You can find Christine online at:

www.storytellerchristine.com
www.storyingthescriptures.com (for Bible storytelling)
https://www.facebook.com/storytellerchristine/

About Grace in Strange Disguise

People disappoint us but what if God does too?

Physiotherapist Esther Macdonald is living the Australian dream, and it doesn’t surprise her.

After all, her father has always said, “Follow Jesus and be blessed.” But at twenty-eight, her world shatters. Everyone assures her God will come through for her, but what happens when he doesn’t? Has she offended God? Is her faith too small? So many conflicting explanations.

Will finding the truth cost her the people closest to her heart?

About Grace in the Shadows

Physiotherapist Esther has survived cancer, but wounds within her family remain unhealed. Is her revived faith the reason for the rift or could a simmering secret be the root cause?

Cosmetics consultant Rachel buried her past - and her father’s God - but the past refuses to stay buried. Will she continue to run or is confronting her pain the way to freedom?

Two women.

One collision course with truth.

Can God’s grace shine even in the darkest of shadows?

Vanishing Point - meet author Lisa Harris + Giveaway

Many romantic suspense readers have loved the NikkiBoyd series in the past couple of years. Our very own Lisa Harris is the author of this tremendous series.

The fourth instalment in the series launches TODAY and Lisa was kind enough to respond to a few questions I posed her about the series.

ICFW: Vanishing Point is the 4th in Nikki Boyd series. Would you mind briefly summarising each of the novels.

Lisa: VENDETTA is the first book in the series where we are introduced to Nikki Boyd, her work as part of a missing person task force, and a possible romance with a close friend of hers. We also learn the motivation behind her career change—her own sister who went missing ten years ago--but it isn’t long before the connection between the case she’s working and her own missing sister collide.

MISSING, book two in the series, is a brand new missing person case Nikki and her team have to deal with involving a missing couple, but it also continues with a possible romance between Nikki and Tyler as well as Nikki’s continued search for her sister.

Book three, PURSUED, jumps into the action with a plane crash and a missing woman as her romance with Tyler continues to develop.

The last book in the series is really being marketed as a stand alone for a couple reasons. While the first three books are all told in Nikki’s point of view, VANISHING POINT is her sister Sarah’s story and is from the point of view of the investigators that first took on her case before Nikki was even a police officer. While it was really hard to write—the story stretches over ten years—I think it ended up being the perfect conclusion to the series and hopefully will satisfy readers who want to know what happened to Sarah.

ICFW: I can’t wait to get my hands on it, Lisa. When you conceived the series, or did you conceive it as a series, how many stories did you have at the beginning?  

Lisa: I pitched it to my publisher as a three book series, though wouldn’t have minded writing more. :-) In the end, I was able to write this last story that really wraps up the series, which I loved being able to do.

ICFW: I really like Nikki Boyd, she’s gutsy but vulnerable, is a fighter for the truth and loves the Lord. Was there someone you had in mind when you created Nikki?

Lisa: I’m so glad you like Nikki! She was so much fun to write. I really didn’t have anyone in mind when I created her, but I like writing about women who are like you said, gutsy, but vulnerable. Ordinary people who God can use in ways they never imagined.

ICFW: Your romance is suspenseful. Your stories always have great pace from the first page. For those of us who want to be able to write suspense what’s a tip you have for creating it and then maintaining it?

Lisa: It’s hard, I’ll confess. Part of it I think is writing until it feels right. Maybe that’s vague, but I always seem to know in my gut when something is off, even when I’m not sure what is wrong. And I always listen, which means working to fix what’s wrong—even if it means lots of rewriting. That’s not easy, but worth it. I also try to have every chapter end with a hook. I actually had someone give me a bad review because I do that, but that’s okay. If it’s suspense, there has to be a lot of twists and turns, right? I also love it when I’m writing and a twist comes up that I didn’t see. (My husband thinks that’s a bit crazy) But when I surprise myself, I figure I’ll also surprise my readers!

ICFW: Is Vanishing Point the end or are there more Nikki Boyd stories in the pipeline?

Lisa: This is it. Part of me has been sad not writing anymore, because I spend a couple years writing her stories, but I’m on to something new which I’m also excited about.

ICFW: As sad as I am that we won’t get to read more Nikki Boyd, I’m excited to hear more of your next project. You’re currently on furlough with your husband, back in your homeland. Besides your kids, family and friends, what's something you were hanging out to do when you got back to the US? And have you done it yet? 

Lisa: One of the best parts of being here has been having all my kids together under one roof with me, even if it was short. We’re all spread out again, but at least we’re on the same continent! So that is a family thing, but that’s really what I’ve been most excited about. :-) Other than that I have to say a few good Mexican meals are a must, and I’ve already enjoyed a couple.

Thank you so much for having me stop by, Ian! I appreciate it!

Thanks, Lisa. Enjoy these next few launch weeks.

If you're a keen romantic suspense reader and you haven't read any of the Nikki Boyd series I'd encourage you start from the beginning with Vendetta and read all four. You won't be disappointed.

We’re excited to be able to give a copy of Vanishing Point away to one lucky reader. If interested, leave a comment and an email address where you can be contacted. I’ll contact the winning reader over the weekend 11/12 November.

BIO: LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom and Vendetta, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times. She has over thirty novels and novella collections in print. She and her family have spent over thirteen years working as missionaries in Africa. When she's not working she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa visit her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com

Author Interview and Giveaway: Introducing Christine Dillon

By Iola Goulton

Today I’m doing something a little different: an author interview. Christine Dillon is an Australian author who is a member of ACFW’s Beyond the Borders group. Christine has just released her debut novel, Grace in Strange Disguise.

Hi, Christine. Please you tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from?

I’m an Australian who grew up in Asia. My parents were missionaries and I lived in Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines until I was seventeen. The last two countries were where I went to school.

I returned to Australia to complete high school and then studied physiotherapy and worked in that field for four years before attending Sydney Missionary and Bible College. I returned to Taiwan in 1999 with OMF and have worked here ever since.

You already have two non-fiction books published. What can you tell us about them?

1-2-1 Discipleship was published by Christian Focus (Scotland) in 2009. I really wrote this for myself as a way of having things written down so that I didn’t have to keep teaching the whole book with everyone who asked me questions. I hadn’t intended to publish it at all but I was working with someone on a small project and she had publishing contacts and found a publisher.

Telling the Gospel Through Story: Evangelism that keeps hearers wanting more was published by Intervarsity Press in the US. I had applied to IVP-UK for the first book as my first choice publisher but hadn’t realised that the US branch was a separate publisher. I wrote this book after being asked to deliver a seminar on Bible storytelling at the Lausanne Convention in Cape Town in 2010. When we came up with the seminar topic ‘Evangelism Everyone Enjoys’ I thought ‘that’s a book title.’

I wrote the draft before the convention and ‘happened’ to meet my eventual editor (I didn’t know he worked for IVP) so that when my manuscript passed over his desk he remembered me enough to look at it. I was surprised that IVP published it as I didn’t think it was their kind of book. But it has been a wonderful partnership with good sales (for a non-fiction Christian book from an unknown, female author).

What inspired you to move from non-fiction to fiction?

I’m a Bible storyteller and every day I’m telling stories to non-Christians or to disciple and train Christians. It wasn’t a huge jump from seeing the power of Bible stories to wonder if a novel might be another way to ‘make disciples’. The question wasn’t whether it was a good idea but whether I would ever have the ability to write fiction.

Tell us about Grace in Strange Disguise. What genre is it? Who will enjoy it?

It’s contemporary Christian fiction set in 1995 in Sydney, Australia. Readers of Francine Rivers, Elizabeth Musser and Deborah Raney should enjoy it. And those who like a novel that wrestles with a contemporary issue and how to live as Christians in a secular world.

What was your motivation for writing Grace in Strange Disguise?

My main motivation was to obey the Lord. It wasn’t my idea at all and in fact, for the majority of the process I kicked and screamed.

So many books are ‘happily ever after’. Where are the books about Christian singles honouring the Lord in singleness?

I also wanted to tackle an issue that comes up over and over in discipleship - what is God there for? Is he supposed to make our lives smooth and happy?

Finally, I wanted to model sharing Jesus in our daily lives. A lot of the ‘evangelism’ I see in Christian fiction is either lacking or cringeworthy. As someone who trains people in evangelism I thought it would be good to model evangelism (and being trained in it) in fiction.

Where did the characters and story come from? What were your influences?

The main character came directly from the original prayer time. For this first novel I stuck with a career and time I was familiar with - hence 1995, Sydney and a physiotherapist, since that my work context. William was the second character.

Once the first two characters were in place, the others fit in around them. One of my beta readers suggested the character of Gina. I was keen to have characters who mirrored some of the ethnic backgrounds of Australians.

Who is your favourite character and why? Do you have anything in common with him/her?

I like the main character once she begins to mature. Probably because she loves learning and grows to love sharing about Jesus. That last part is in common with me. I was a physiotherapist and do love hiking but I don’t like dancing and am grateful that my parents are nothing like hers.

What is your next project?

I’m working on another non-fiction to do with Bible storytelling. It will be a ‘permanently free’ reader magnet to advertise my other writing. That should be online very soon.
I’ve started the planning (using the ‘Story Genius’ method) for the sequel to Grace in Strange Disguise. I would like to have it published a year after the first - October 2018. I only have a half day to write each week and so need to keep moving on that.

How is self-publishing different from working with a publisher? What made you choose the self-publishing option for Grace in Strange Disguise?

Self-publishing requires you to do or organise everything. I’ve never been a business person or marketer and so that has been hard. I’m also not strong on technology. A year ago, I didn’t know what a plugin was, now I’m regularly adding new ones to my website. I’m thankful for the many resources online including groups where self-publishers share their expertise.

I was sort of forced into self-publishing because I didn’t find an agent. I was disappointed at the time but the more I researched self-publishing the more I was excited about it. There were some good things about traditional publishing but I’m loving self-publishing now that I’ve got the hang of it. I’ve worked hard to learn as much as possible but I’m also content with what the Lord brings about. It has been his idea from the start.

One thing I’ve learned is that the publication process takes a long time. Can you walk us through the process, and show us why it takes so long?

Learning to write well takes a long time. Most of us can’t judge our own writing. So we need to subject it to beta readers and editors. Then, if people are honest, you discover you have a long way to go. So you read books and attend seminars and tear your work apart … this can take years (fiction was a much longer learning process for me).

Then when the manuscript is finally ready (may have taken from 1-10 years!), then you have to find a publisher (or most often nowadays, an agent). I don’t really know about how to work for an agent because I’ve only had unofficial ones. But they start searching for the right publisher for your work. That takes time.

Then if you find a publisher or self-publish - it’s on to edits. Some you do yourself and some a professional editor points out what you need to change. Editing can take up to 18 months. Along the way title and cover are being worked on.

You’re also learning to run a website, market, grow an email list and building networks for both writing related things and support networks. If you are accepted by a traditional publisher it is still usually 15-18 months before your book comes out.

For self-publishing, once you’ve learned to write and found editors you can work with … the process can become much faster.

What is the hardest part of getting a book written, edited and published?

It’s all hard especially the first time. It was a massive change to start writing fiction. It took 4 1/2 years and many rounds of editing. However, I hope that it will be much easier next time and hopefully a much shorter process.

Perhaps I’d have to say that marketing has been the hardest. It is the most ‘foreign’ to me and promoting myself is something I find extremely difficult as a Christian, a missionary and an Australian (we find self-promotion hard because it is frowned upon in our culture). I am slowly learning how to do it but I don’t expect it to ever be easy.

What advice do you have for someone seeking to write and publish a novel?

Take your time. It needs to be right the first time because if we do a poor job, they’ll be hard to sell and people will be less inclined to bother the second time. So early on needs lots of prayer (is this something that God wants us to do or is it more about us?), lots of reading books on how to plan and write. Ask authors which are the top few books and resources they recommend. Be humble and learn from others. Other writers can be incredibly generous and helpful.

Make sure you research and get help to make the best possible website. It takes time to build a group of supporters. It is never too early to start.

Along the way find out all you can about social media, marketing, building an email list … a huge benefit of a writers group is that they can point you in the right direction. There is no need (and no advantage) to going it alone.

Where can we find Grace in Strange Disguise online?

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Kobo |Nook

Where can we find you online?

Author Website | Bible Storytelling | Facebook | Pinterest

And a giveaway! Christine and I have one Kindle copy of Grace in Strange Disguise to give away. Click here to find the giveaway entry page.

My chat with Britallachian Romance Author, Pepper Basham + Giveaway

By Ian Acheson

It’s my absolute pleasure to introduce Pepper Basham to the ICFW community. Pepper, a historical and contemporary romance author, and I met at last year’s ACFW in Nashville. 

I recently read The Thorn Healer, the third in her Historical Romance “Penned in Time Series” and loved it. As she is about to release her latest creation, Just the Way You Are, I posed a few questions to Pepper, which she was kind enough in her busy schedule to respond to.

Without further ado please give a hearty international-flavoured welcome to Pepper.

ICFW: In a few words describe yourself.

PB: "I'm a Pepper" LOL, okay, sorry - if you have a name like mine, you learn how to wield it :-)  Hmm, loved, Christian, Mom, writer, positive, helpful, silly, service provider, creative, busy-brained, insecure, disorganized, compassionate, and long-winded.

ICFW: This is a global community, and I know you've travelled. Where's your favourite overseas destination and why? And where'd you like to go next?

PB: I LOVE England!!! Particularly the rural parts of England and Scotland. Derbyshire is my favorite spot I've actually visited in England, but I'd love to visit the Lake District. As far as other places, well, Australia and New Zealand are at the top of my list as well as Ireland!

Penned in Time Series

ICFW: You've published a lot of novels in a short period of time. Please give us a little insight into how you do this plus hold down a job and manage a home, hubby and 5 kiddies.

PB: Haha...does saying I'm diagnosible count? Well, my brain stays in a constant state of creativity and I LOVE stories. Now that my kids are a little older, it's been easier to etch out time during waking hours, but I still do most of my writing in the late evening after they've settled down for the night. Also, I've been really thankful for a 4 day a week job which allows me to have one week to focus on marketing/interviews/writing. That's been a HUGE help. I've never really had that before. My kids are super duper, and some of my BEST cheerleaders, so having them to cheer me on in this crazy whirlwind helps keep me going in the middle of the crazy. But job responsibilities are increasing a bit this year, so I have a feeling I'll be slowing down to two books a year instead of three (unless God wants something big to happen with the books that would allow me to back-off on the day job ... and I'm okay with that) I do love my day job, though.

ICFW: You have a couple of new stories releasing shortly, well one landed last week (7 March) Tell us a little about them both.

PB: Yes! I recently released my first novella as part of a romantic comedy compilation of novellas. The story is entitled Second Impressions and is a Jane Austen inspired romance where a Jane Austen fanatic and a straight-laced hotel entrepreneur go the Bath, UK for two VERY different reasons, and end up falling in love. It's not smooth sailing at first, but when they get a little dose of Austen magic, the romance takes off.

And the second book??? Oh my goodness, Ian, this is my favorite contemporary romance I’ve ever written! Just the Way You Are have everything I love best in a novel - romance, humor, mystery, great kisses, funny kids, delightful banter, and a quirky family. I'm hoping I can keep up the fun from the first book in the rest of the series because I really had a great time writing it...AND love to reread it (as weird as they may sound).

Romantic Times had this to say about Just the Way You Are:

"Laugh-out-loud humor combines with stick-your-head-in-the-freezer kisses in this novel of romance, faith, and a little historical mystery. Too. Eisley Barrett is a positively delightful heroine, her Appalachian charm the perfect counterpart to Wes Harrison’s British swoonworthiness. Secondary characters rich with warm yet unique personalities beg readers to pull up a chair and chat, while the family history subplot adds more layers of intrigue and romance to the plot. Above all, the theme of being treasured “as is” rings true and full of grace." —4 ½ stars Top Pick from Romantic Times. 

ICFW:  What a marvellous review from RT! Britallachian romance (now that’s a mouthful). Tell us about this unique sub-genre. And how do go about weaving “grace and humour” through your stories?  

PB: Isn't that a fun word! Britallachian romance is a novel that is basically a fun culture clash between Appalachia and Britain, with a quirky heroine and swoony hero!  The books can take place all in one locale or the other (or both). I'd love the opportunity to spend more time in the UK to get a stronger handle of personalities because I'm an unabashed Anglophile and want to get my characters RIGHT - but this one has just been super fun and I'm hoping others will enjoy it too. 

The 'grace' part of my tag is, of course, the Gospel -whether overtly or subtly woven through the story. I think we're all created for a purpose, and I love showing how characters find their purposes through the 'grand' story of redemption. The humour? Well, I hope it shines through in relationships and situations within the stories. 

ICFW: What's up next for you after these 2 releases?

PB: My next novel releases in November 2017 and it's the second book in the Mitchell's Crossroads series. It's entitled Charming the Troublemaker and takes up where A Twist of Faith left off ... except we get to learn about country-girl, Rainey Mitchell, and notorious flirt, Alex Murdock, as they fight to save a clinic without falling in love. It's a fun story with some great kisses and some even better messages about inner beauty and being truly loved.

ICFW: Having read The Thorn Healer and it being set in your home state, North Carolina and near Blue Ridge Mountains, I’m intrigued by their beauty. What’s something you really love about living in NC?

PB: The mountains. I LOVE these mountains. They're an integral part of my life, my culture, and my history. It may sound weird, but they bring with them a sense of 'home'. I also love the fierce loyalty of people in the Appalachian culture and their love for family. We're a weird bunch, but we're faithful :-)

Thanks, Pepper for sharing with us and being such fun. All the very best with the novella collection (already an Amazon No 1 across 3 categories) and the release of Just the Way You Are.

Pepper has also offered one commenter a digital ARC of Just the Way You Are. Please leave an email address on your comment if you are interested in the giveaway. We will draw one winner on March 20th.

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

Pepper’s Bio:

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the Inspys, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Just the Way You Are, releases in April 2017. You can get to know Pepper on Facebook, or over at her group blog, The Writer's Alley, or Instagram. 

A Monastic Community Comes to Life

A Day and a Life, book 9 and the last in Penelope Wilcox’s The Hawk and the Dove series was recently released on Amazon US. I have reviewed several books in the series and had the opportunity to interview Penelope.

In The Hawk and the Dove series, you have created an entire monastic community. Did you base the characters on people you actually know?

I’ve been intrigued and surprised by the extent to which some readers try to correlate fictional characters with real life people.  

In reality, none of the characters is based on any person in real life. None of them is channeling me, and my mother is nothing like the one in the book! But – and I imagine this is true of all novelists – wherever I go, I am watching and listening, observing and thinking. I notice how people speak to each other, their mannerisms, favorite phrases, tricks of speech, how they relate; and the fabric of a tale is woven from the broken threads of many moments, myriad encounters.

In each novel of the series, different characters come to the fore. When you write, do you start with the character or the story?

When I write, I start with the Bible. Each volume expounds an aspect of Christian faith, each centres around a biblical text. Theological ideas can be challenging on a cerebral level.  The Hawk and the Dove series presents them holistically, as stories about lived  faith, encouraging the reader to imagine how life could be if we all took this seriously and gave it our very best. I think of fiction as a vessel for truth – its purpose is to help the reader find a more illumined approach to reality rather than to escape it. I hope that when people read these stories, the insights individual monks reach in their journey of faith may help shed light for readers who are walking the same path.

The The Hawk and the Dove series has nine volumes, but there was a long gap between the first three and the remaining six. Did you plan the whole series at the outset, or how did it develop?

I wrote the original trilogy in the early 1990s, and it sold quietly and steadily. To celebrate its twentieth year continuously in print, I suggested adding a fourth volume.  What I’d envisaged as one novel grew into a second trilogy.

At the end of Book 6, one of the characters gets married. After I’d written it, I began to reflect on how what is standardly presented as an ending – the wedding, the happy couple – is in reality merely the beginning of another phase of life. I asked myself what, in truth, happy-ever-after might really look like for this couple in these particular circumstances. And so I came to write Book 7 – which led to Book 8 … then Book 9.

Battle Abbey, near Penelope's home and from the same period as the one in the books

The series spans a number of years, with changes in administration of the monastery. Did you have a system for keeping track of changes or did you keep it all in your head?

I did have rough plans and lists to prevent glaring inconsistencies – but I did sometimes make mistakes that had to be corrected later. For example, I did once (in the narrative voice) call Abbot John ‘Brother John’ after he was priested and became ‘Father John’; and I did keep forgetting Father Dominic is the guestmaster and saying it was Brother Giles – who of course is the assistant to Brother Walafrid the herbalist. The errors have to be corrected on the master file for future printings. But apart from these minor details, the changes are easy to remember because they belong to the story. I really feel as though I know these men – I’ve lived with them for a very long time! When I walk through the gatehouse and put my head round the checker door, it’s Brother Cormac I see sitting there at the table writing up a bill of sale for some fleeces. But how could I possibly forget the awful cooking the entire community endured so patiently through the whole sixteen years he was the kitchener?

How did you know when to finish the series?

I actually intended ten books. I’d planned to finish the series with Book Ten, The Plague Angel, about a fateful visitor to St Alcuins, first seen entering the gatehouse with slanting rays of the afternoon sun shining all around him, making him look as though he were alight. Unknowingly, he brings with him infection. I’d thought the various manifestations of plague, laying waste so many communities at that time, presented such huge and serious issues that I should include them in the series. I laid the ground for this in Book 6, where Brother Michael (the infirmarian) is haunted by his persistent nightmare of being surrounded by helpless suffering people reaching out to him for healing and assistance, their need beyond anything he can possibly answer or satisfy.

But my readers go to this series for peace and encouragement, to help them live more cheerfully and faithfully. Some of them – I know this because they write to me – struggle daily with very difficult circumstances.

I’d been planning to wipe out the entire community in one spectacularly dreadful epidemic,  and then I thought – oh, wait – how depressing is that? So I stopped at Volume 9.

Having brought this series to an end, what is next for you?

My life has recently taken a different turn. My aged mother has come to live with us after a period of illness, and has needed a lot of care. My husband has semi-retired after years of working away in Oxford during the week, so I have my own permanent personal indoor whirlwind. And I have returned to preaching in Methodism after a number of years out. I still write for a magazine, still have a novel or two planned or started, still have a prepared but unsigned contract with a publisher for a set of Bible Studies, still have commitments to edit the work of other writers, and am still offering quiet days and retreats. But just now, even pressed down and shaken together, my package of daily domestic duty and intensive human encounter is flowing over.

You can find Penelope Wilcock at her blog Kindred of the Quiet Way, or at home with her family on England's south coast. She writes to bring faith to life, and has worked within the Methodist Church as preacher, pastor, and in school, hospice, and prison chaplaincies.  Donna Crow interviewed her previously for ICFW.

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LeAnne Hardy was especially pleased to find Penelope Wilcox's books since her own Glastonbury Tor is set in an English monastery two centuries later. LeAnne has lived in six countries on four continents. Her fiction reflects the places she has lived and her passion for sharing stories that reflect truth. Learn more at www.leannehardy.net .