Eek! I’m Becoming My Characters!!!

I used to have bone-straight hair. Really! I’d curl it with every kind of apparatus available to vain young women, but the hair just wanted to point down like it had weights attached to the ends.

What happened? First Chris, then Tiffany—my characters—that’s what.

I don’t know about you, but when I write people I find myself making their faces, striking their poses and musing their thoughts as they flow through my fingers to the page. This is particularly disconcerting when I take on the characteristics of those least like me. In fact, I have a tendency to carry those traits throughout the day—as if I needed to be with them more to get to know them better.

When I started writing Chris (see his inspiration on my Pinterest page), a southern-rock musician with shoulder-length, wavy, blond hair, I began to push my hand in my back pocket and dress a little differently. I had been used to wearing yoga pants, but now my style is what my daughter calls “rock-n-roll Mom.” My husband even wondered about the funny little crooked smile I seemed to develop. I knew it was Chris’s, but I wondered if I should tell him that. My hair took on waves.

Then I started book two and Tiffany was the one I least resembled—exotically beautiful, wears tight, above-knee skirts, and is something of a flirt (see her inspiration on my Pinterest page). Okay, I haven’t yet become exotically beautiful, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in a short skirt—I don’t have the knees for it. However, I have developed a few of her traits. My once, introverted self, gave way to a social, people needing addict. No, I don’t flirt—except with my hubby—but I did catch myself winking at some guy once.

Yikes! Rein it in Tiffany!!!

All of this happened so slowly I didn’t recognize it until the day I noticed my hair was no longer straight. Not only did I develop Chris’s waves on the top, I acquired Tiffany’s spiral curls below. Really! Check it out:

 

So be careful as you create these wonderful beings. They might just rub off on you.

*******

Connie is a 2012 Genesis semi-finalist for Women’s Fiction. She was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Winter 2012 WOW Flash Fiction Contest for her entry, Why Not to Kiss on a Park Bench (aka. Harold and Violet). Come visit her on one of her other blogs:

 

Living the Body of Christ

InfiniteCharacters.com

MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR, TERESA SLACK

by Molly Noble Bull 

Today I’m excited to talk with Teresa Slack who released a novel last week, Runaway Heart, 

along with, Heart Burn, the first installment of a short story collection.  

 

Congratulations, Teresa. How are you dealing with your new publishing status? 

Teresa: 

I’m still floating, Molly. Two books in one week. Now I know how Karen Kingsbury feels. Well, almost. By the way, what do you know about shrimp farming in Ohio?.

Molly: 

Shrimp farming in Ohio? I know nothing about shrimp farming. 

Teresa: 

You might if you read Runaway Heart.  

Molly: 

Really? What made you include such a strange topic in RUNAWAY HEART?

Teresa:
I wanted Kyla to find more than a few changes when she came home to the Ohio farm where she spent her favorite summers as a child. With the current economic climate, farmers are coming up with new ways to supplement their farming income. Prawns were an interesting and unique aspect to add to the book that even most Ohioans don’t know about.

Molly: 

What can we expect next from Teresa Slack? 

Teresa: 

A lot, really. I’m working on several short stories for different collections. One is a historical western for SHOOT ‘EM UP WESTERNS. Another is the next installment for TRUE STORIES CELEBRATING LOVE & FAMILY. I’m also polishing a novel LEGACY OF FAITH, which takes place during the Great Blizzard of ’78. With all the snow blanketing the country every other week, I’m getting a lot of inspiration. 

Molly: 

Sounds interesting. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? 

Teresa: 

Reading, crocheting, and traveling the globe. Sadly, I have neither enough free time nor disposable cash to entertain these passions. Instead, I read when I can, spoil my three grandkids whenever possible and spend as much free time as possible with my wonderful & always supportive husband. I am also wildly passionate about animal rescue. Here’s my plug for that: When ready to add a new pet to your family, please consider adoption instead of paying for a pedigree. You can save a life.

Molly: 

I love animals, too. But I love unborn children even more. Maybe I will write an article about that sometime soon. But back to you, it sounds like things are moving pretty quickly in your writing career. Where can readers find more about you and how can they keep up with what’s new in your writing? 

Teresa: 

Lots of ways. I love hearing from readers. They can email me anytime at teresa@teresaslack.com. I answer every letter as soon as I can. They can check out my website www.teresaslack.com, or visit me on FaceBook. All my books, whether digital or trade paperbacks, are available on Amazon.com as well as most other online venues. Everyone who “Likes” my author page on FaceBook thru February will be entered to win a digital copy of my first short story HEARTBURN. So hop over there and click LIKE. 

Molly: 

That’s very generous of you. How about doing something similar for our readers at Writer’s Rest? 

Teresa: 

Okay, Molly, you talked me into it. Everyone who posts a comment here will also be entered to win an additional digital copy of HEARTBURN. Tell your friends. And don't forget to include your email address. 

Molly: 

To learn what Teresa's Runaway Heart and Heartburn are all about, go to Amazon and write Teresa Slack in the search slot. And don't forget to leave a comment to win a free copy of the Runaway Heart.

PREVIEW OF TERESA SLACK'S STUFF

by Molly Noble Bull

Teresa Slack’s novel, Runaway Heart,  

and “Heart Burn,” a short story,

are available now as e-books at Amazon and other places, and I think you are going to like both. I will be interviewing Teresa later in the week about her writing. So stay turned. But take a look at the covers of her books.

And if you would like to read the first chapter of Runaway Heart, go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other places and write Teresa Slack in the search slot. 

Way to go, Teresa.

Is Writing Fiction a Meaningless Pursuit?

Should we give up our craft of writing fiction to pursue “more meaningful” efforts?

I ask this question because through the years I’ve had people tell me they’d stopped reading it in order to focus on publications with more substance. I’ve seen fiction authors ponder whether or not they really had a ministry in their vocation, somehow feeling less honorable than those producing scholarly—or at least non-fiction—work.

I’d have to disagree with this whole-heartedly. Not just because I write it, but because of how it has impacted me. I mean, think of the “greats,” works that made us ponder injustice, poverty and the depth of God’s love.

One of my favorite authors is George MacDonald. He inspired the likes of C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien. In fact, C.S. Lewis credits MacDonald’s fantasies for his conversion from atheism to Christianity. Wouldn’t you like THAT on your resume? George MacDonald is one of my favorites, not because he knew how to craft a good story, but because he wrote God’s people in such a beautiful arrangement of sin and charity, he inspired me to take my empty vessel and see it for all it could be—living the Bible. He also drew word pictures displaying the attributes of God through his characters in ways I’d never have received from a non-fiction work.

Many eschew fiction because of how the world has used fiction for its purposes. Along with the classics that have inspired us to know God, some may have even drawn us away. But rather than hand the tool to the ones who will misuse it, isn’t it time now to take it back, and reverse the trend?

Fiction takes us into worlds not our own. It causes us to see the fullness of our actions, not just the symptoms right in front of us. I’ve learned more history through fiction than I ever did in school. Why? Because the author displayed how events impacted the ordinary man. Now, I know why these events are important and why some should be repeated and others should not!

Fiction is an extraordinary tool that expands our view and deepens our understanding of things. That’s why, among all His other skills, Jesus also used story. His parables illustrated God’s love, contrasted by our faithlessness, in ways we could experience, not just know in the head.

Would Jesus employ something meaningless? I think not.

So as writers, we should be grateful God has called us to a purpose that will not only grow His Kingdom, but also the richness in faith of each of its members.

Carry on, my writer friend :o)!

*********

Connie is a 2012 Genesis semi-finalist for Women’s Fiction. She was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Winter 2012 WOW Flash Fiction Contest for her entry, Why Not to Kiss on a Park Bench (aka. Harold and Violet). Come visit her on one of her other blogs:

Living the Body of Christ

InfiniteCharacters.com

MOLLY WINS A FICTION WRITING CONTEST

By Teresa Slack 

Molly Noble Bull’s long historical, Gatehaven, won a national contest sponsored by Creation House, a division of Charisma Media. Molly says she wrote Gatehaven, a Christian Gothic novel, in hopes of teaching Believers about spiritual warfare and warning them of the danger of the occult. Creation House will publish Gatehaven in the summer of 2013. To learn more about the contest Molly won, visit their website.

http://creationhouse.com

If you click on the link above later in the week, you can learn even more.

First of all, congratulations, Molly, on winning this contest. I am so excited for you and can’t wait to get my hands on Gatehaven. But when I heard about the book I was a little surprised. You are known for writing sweet heartwarming romance novels. So why did you decide to write a Gothic?

Molly:

I love to write heartwarming novels. But I also love to read Christian non-fiction books and articles on Bible prophecy with topics like “Giants found in the Bible” and “Are flying saucers flown by demons from hell.” I am also a fan of a magazine called Prophecy in the News, and their website is www.prophecyinthenews.com. Gatehaven is the result of my interest in such topics plus my interest in genealogy. Some of my ancestors came from Scotland.

Teresa:

I have always loved reading Gothic’s. I love the setting and premise for Gatehaven. What sparked your interest in Roslin Chapel for your novel?

Molly:

Roslin Chapel is a spooky place that claims to be a church in Scotland but sort of isn’t exactly. Many seriously doubt if the structure was ever built to honor our Lord. It appears to honor the Knights Templar, the Masonic Lodge and other such organizations more than God. Apparently, Roslin Chapel was mentioned in the Da Vinci Codes. I never read the Da Vinci Codes for obvious reasons, but I already knew about Roslin Chapel long before the book was published.

I describe a pillar in the chapel in the novel, and the symbols on it are important to the plot. Roslin Chapel can also be spelled Rosslyn. To learn more about Roslin Chapel, click below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosslyn_Chapel 

Teresa:

Can you give us a brief synopsis of Gatehaven?

Molly:

Gatehaven is set in Scotland and in the state of South Carolina in 1784, but most of the story takes places in a scary mansion called Gatehaven in the north of England. The novel is about a young woman, Shannon Aimee, and her family swept up by the mysteries, deceptions and horror surrounding the mansion. An evil man, Leon Picard, plans to do them in, and the book is also about a young Scot, Ian Colquhoun (Ca hoon.) Ian learns spiritual warfare in order to fight against these evil forces, hoping to save Shannon and her family from sure destruction. 

Teresa: What else are you working on?

Molly:

I am working on a lot of things at once. But my next project will be to read the edits for Gatehaven when they arrived and see if there are changes I need to make.

Teresa:

What do you do when you aren’t writing?

Molly:

I try to sleep, if I can squeeze it in. In a nutshell, I have never been busier in my life.

Teresa:

If you weren’t a writer, what career path would you choose?

Molly:

In high school, I always said I would become a foreign correspondent or a singer, and I still love to sing. But I took another path because I also love children.

I majored in elementary and early childhood education in college and taught for a total of eleven years. Then I began writing, and haven’t stopped since.  

Teresa:

It was so great hearing about Gatehaven. We are all celebrating with you. Before we say goodbye, I’d like you to tell us one thing about Molly Noble Bull we didn’t know before. It doesn’t have to be writing related. But it can be if you want.

Molly:

I love to eat, and it shows. I especially like Mexican Food. Can you spell fattening? 

Teresa:

Thanks again, and please keep us posted about Gatehaven. I hope to post a review for our readers soon.