Spotlight on Mary Connealy

It's Wednesday again, and y'all know what that means. I trust everyone had a blessed Easter, whether you were celebrating in church or having fun with the kiddies running around finding Easter eggs.

Today's spotlight author has recently had some fun with a few of her books as well. Learn about her below.

Mary Connealy's writing journey is similar to a lot of others. Boil it down to persistence, oh, go ahead and call it stubborness. I just kept typing away. I think the reason I did it is because I'm more or less a 'dunce' around people--prone to sit silently whenI really ought to speak up (or worse, speak up when I ought to sit silently).

So, I have all of these things I want to say in my head--the perfect zinger to the rude cashier, that you think of an hour after you leave the store; the perfect bit of wisdom when someone needs help, which doesn't occur to you until they solve their problem themselves; the perfect guilt trip for the kids, which you don't say because you're not an idiot. I keep all of this wit to myself, much to the relief of all who know me, and then I write all my great ideas into books. It's therapeutic, if nothing else, and more affordable than a psychiatrist.

Then a very nice, oh so nice publishing company like Barbour Heartsong comes along and says, "Hey, we'll pay you money for this 45,000 word therapy session." That's as sweet as it gets!

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1. You've chosen the setting of the Klondike Gold Rush. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Golden Days is part of a three book series set in historical Alaska for Heartsong Presents. I was asked by a very kind, generous Cathy Marie Hake to be involved in this series. Cathy had picked the state she wanted to pitch to Heartsong and we brainstormed the books together so our characters are consistent. My book, Golden Days, is book two and Kathleen Y'Barbo is the author of book three. You can see that I fell in with such talented writers. What a blessing!

2. How much of your own experiences influenced the characters of Amy and Braden? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

I find myself writing heroine characters all that time that are...in my opinion...nothing like me. Instead I think of Amy as being how I'd LIKE to be. So strong, brave, competent at everything they do. Vocal about how they feel and what they want. I spend my time spreading oil on troubled waters, I think. I'm very much the mom, "Now you kids quit fighting." Discovering characters is one of my favorite parts of writing. It always takes me a while to really get a handle on them in a three-dimensional way, but I enjoy the process of getting to know them. So even though the basic traits of Amy and Braden were there when I started, making her so angry about her father disappearing and making Braden fight his need to care for everyone, and at the same time he’s denying that need, he's going around caring for Amy 'Just This Once' was fun.

3. What themes exist in Golden Days that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

The basic theme of Golden Days is that waiting on the Lord, and doing things in God's time is the path to happiness. One of the basic scriptures in Golden Days is from Isaiah 40:31. "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." I love the promise of that verse, that to WAIT on the LORD will renew your strength. To WAIT on the Lord shall lift you up on wings as eagles. We are so focused on doing in this world that waiting seems lazy and wrong. But God’s promise is that, if you wait on his timing, great things will happen.

In Golden Days Amy is the one who pushes, refuses to wait. She heads for home before she's healthy. She has feelings for Braden before his grieving has run its course. She just can't wait. That feels wrong to her. She's been raised to care for herself and she has faith in God, but she also believes God expects her to take action, or rather she wants to take action and she isn't about to be patient, even if she feels God guiding her to wait.

4. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

For me the most difficult parts are also my favorite. I love creating complex scenes, lots of characters, lots of movement and dialogue. If possible I like everybody to be talking over each other, misunderstanding each other. I like their words to break in, in such a way that the sentence reads in a comedic way, like she starts a sentence, he ends it, they're both talking about different things and the combination of the words is a joke. And, if possible, others get that joke and they don’t. This is tricky. And it needs to be done with a lot of what I think of as wordsmithing. Going over it again and again, leaving it and coming back. Making it sharper. Making the dialogue and everyone's reactions sing. Trying to make sure it's written in a way that reader can follow but the characters maybe can't, and the reader needs to get all of it.

My favorite scene in the book is when a bear attacks. The lead up to this is chaotic and, I hope, really funny, then the bear makes it all worse. This was fun to write and I got it almost like I wanted it. But it can always be better.

5. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

Golden Days is my second book in 2007. My first, Petticoat Ranch is in bookstores now. I just signed a contract for a sequel to Petticoat Ranch called Calico Canyon. If you've read Petticoat Ranch, you'll know about the prissy schoolmarm, Grace Calhoune and the boisterous Daniel Reeves and his five unruly sons. This is the flip side of Petticoat Ranch. I dropped Clay into an all-girl family, now I'm dropping Miss Calhoune into an all boy family. Grace gets Daniel's boys expelled from school. He gets her fired. Through a perfectly innocent compromising situation they are married within twenty-four hours. No two people have ever been more unhappily married. It's got the same elements as Petticoat Ranch, historical western, suspense, romantic comedy, but it's more of a flat out comedy than Petticoat Ranch is. Calico Canyon is scheduled for release next summer.

Then I've got a fourth book coming Christmas of 2008. Of Mice...and Murder, from the new Cozy Mystery line Heartsong Presents Mysteries. Carrie hates mice and loves the big city. So why is she living in a huge mouse infested house in her dinky hometown? The dead guy in her pantry closet is the most interesting thing that's happened since she came home. Of course the carpenter who’s helping her trap her mice and solve the crime is pretty interesting too.

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Thank you, Mary, for joining us today. Looking forward to the sequel to Petticoat Ranch! Readers, don't forget to leave a comment for your chance at a FREE copy of Golden Days. And look in last week's spotlight for the winner of that book.

4 Weeks Down; 16 to Go!

It's been 4 weeks since Stuart and I set the wedding date. Last week, I shared a few things about what we had accomplished. Since the majority of my time to work on the planning falls on the weekend due to my work schedule, I've decided to use Mondays as my update days.

Some of you have told me privately that planning a wedding in under 5 months might be stressful and difficult. So far, it's been the exact opposite! In fact, things have gone so smoothly, there's no doubt in my mind that this is what God wants for both Stuart and me. It's exciting to be traveling that path and having that assurance.

By the end of the first week, I had the church booked, the reception hall done and my gown purchased. By week two, we added the photographer, caterer and cake decorator as well as the selection of the tuxes for the men in the wedding party. When week three came to a close, the florist and bridesmaid dresses could be checked off the list as well. And now comes week four.

I'll confess that for these past four weeks, I've been feeling so disconnected from everything--like I was planning someone else's wedding. A lot of that was because 3 out of 4 of my bridesmaids are scattered across the country and my fiance is 2000 miles away. So, I haven't had a "touch point" here for camaraderie. Email and instant message are fun and help, but nothing beats the in-person contact. That all changed this past weekend.

I had a wonderful phone conversation with Stuart Friday night, and we didn't want to say goodbye. Then after a dream-filled sleep, two of my bridesmaids (Robin, from Nashville, and Angie, who lives here) joined me Saturday morning for dress shopping from the styles I'd selected. The moment we were together, my spirits lifted, and I started feeling much better. An hour later, they'd purchased their dresses and we had the selection nailed down. We parted ways after discussing a bridal shower in early June when Robin will be in town again. There was a spring in my step and a light feeling in my heart. Finally, I was feeling a true part of things.

The rest of the day was spent buying wedding favor components and other decorative essentials at 30% off with a coupon! Saved over $100 plus whatever we're saving by doing a lot of the decorations ourselves. Then, I spent 2 hours going over invitations and selected those. The order will be placed this week. Also found a possible hair stylist company that will bring their salon to us on the day of the wedding at the church, made an appointment with a possible DJ, and settled on a theme for the wedding. This alone helped with the "connection" of everything.

So, my spirits are much better and it's starting to feel "real" for maybe the first time. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I'll be back next week with more.

A New Friend and Hope for the Future

The ships arrive and depart from the bay, all with some place to go or bringing new people and supplies to town. I am sitting on the banks as I write this, wishing for something more than the life I now have. Do not misunderstand; this life in the Colonies has been one of adventure and surprise, but I cannot help but long for the familiar days of my life in England. I was comfortable then. I knew what to expect out of the people there. I had my place, and my future was all but guaranteed.

Now, working in the candleshop Mar and Papa own and living in the quarters above the shop, I find I long for more. There are many other residents here in town who are near my age, but they seem to have a life that is so foreign from my own. I try to get involved, but I find that I simply do not see things from the same perspective as they. I am learning, though, thanks to Kaariana, a young girl I would have to consider my greatest friend here.

She came into the shop a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to join her for a refreshment on the town green. After receiving Mar's approval, I left. We quickly found much in common, despite our different backgrounds, and she has been a constant companion every since. We do almost everything together. I must admit that her presence has made the lonely days much more bearable.

As we begin to head into the summer months here, I find the weather to be quite different than it was back home. Mar has had to purchase lightweight fabric for new clothing, and we often leave our windows open abovestairs to release the oppressive heat that gathers at the higher levels.

I still long for home, but each day here is lessening that desire. Perhaps I can find comfort in this new life. Papa and Mar wish I would try. For them, and for me, I will.

Spotlight on Kim Vogel Sawyer

You know, the best part about these spotlights is not only introducing you to new authors and books, but having the great opportunity to spotlight friends of mine too! Today, we have Kim Vogel Sawyer. We met at the very first ACFW conference (then ACRW). Her quiet manner touched a chord in me, and it's been great watching her grow from the timid writer she was to the tug-on-your-heartstrings author she is today. She's answered God's calling and He's blessed her for it.

Kim Vogel Sawyer is a wife, mother, grandmother, former teacher, lover of cats and chocolate, and--most importantly--born-again child of the King. She is active in her home church where she teaches adult Sunday School and participates in both voice and bell choirs as well as leads the drama troupe. In her spare time she enjoys quilting, calligraphy, and acting in community theatre.

1. Your book addresses a topic that affects thousands of married couples today...commitment. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

This story was birthed in an unusual way. Our church hosts a bonfire and hayrack ride every October. In 2004, the hayrack ride took us past an abandoned farmstead. It was dusk, lots of long shadows and a whispering breeze offering a lullaby. We slowly drove past the barn, ad I got a "zing" of awareness--I knew a story was hiding there. When we pulled alongside the house, in my mind I pictured a young mother with a child clinging to her skirts while she hung laundry on the line. The weariness etched in this woman's face told of a deep heartache. By the time the hayrack ride was over, she had introduced herself to me and shared her secret heartache...I love my husband, but he doesn't love my Lord. What a tremendous conflict that would be for her! Especially with all of the other harships at hand--Depression, drought, unwanted pregnancy...and no shared faith? I didn't exactly plan the issue of marital commitment, it just became a natural outgrowth of this woman's deepest pain and desire to be one with her husband in all ways.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced the characters of Anna Mae and Harley Phipps? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

The only thing I have in common with Anna Mae is facing separation from a husband. My husband is in the military and is often gone for long stretches on various duty (he is being deployed to Baghdad in September, so I have another time of separation around the bend). I could well understand her angst as she watched Harley head down the road away from their home. I think she's a lot spunkier than I am, though! Harley's stubborn pride, his desire to take care of his family at all costs, is a lot like my husband, now that I think about it.

3. What themes exist in Where Willows Grow that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Seeking God's will, and finding our hope in Him, are the themes I always want to ring through any of my stories. The things of this world--the good, the difficult, the joyful, the heartbreaking--are all temporal, but our relationship with God is eternal. So I hope to always point the reader to a more intimate walk with his/her Father. As for one that developed on its own...the character Jack became more central than I originally intended. As his story unfolded, a theme of how devastating selfishness can be came to light--devastating to the person who chooses self over God, and devastating to all who love him.

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4. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

I have a real problem writing stinkers. I work so hard to avoid conflict in my own life, creating a character who deliberately wreaks havoc is hard! My favorite parts were the scenes with Dorothy. She is so honest and funny without meaning to be--I really liked bringing her in and letting her add some lightness and gentle humor. I also love the final scene--which I will not divulge lest it give something away!--but every time I read the story's end it makes me cry.

5. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

Releasing at the same time as Where Willows Grow is my first full-length contemporary women's fiction with Barbour. Titled Bygones, it is the first of a three-book trilogy set in an Old Order Mennonite community. The story features Marie, a woman who was raised Old Order Mennonite but abandoned the community to marry a non-Mennonite. Now, more than twenty years later, an unusual stipulation in a will brings her back. The opportunity for reconciliation with her family exists, but long-held regrets and anger separate her from her earthly father as well as her heavenly Father. A story of reconciliation and the power of forgiveness, I hope it is well-received by readers.

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Thanks so much for the chance to visit with you! I enjoyed it!

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Thank *you* Kim for joining us. Readers, make sure you leave a comment for a chance to enter the drawing for a free book. Winner will be announced next week in the comments of this post.

3 Weeks Down; 17 to Go!

I have had several requests of folks who are not local and wish to be kept up to date on my wedding plans. So, I am now going to take my "write anything Mondays" and use this space each week to recap progress or setbacks, or even wacky fun associated with planning a wedding.

My fiance gave me 4-1/2 months to plan this and he lives in Colorado, so he's not even here to see me get all frazzled. Of course, he reads this and talks with me every night, so he knows. :) Now, all of this is doable, but it meant a massive attack at the beginning to get the major details out of the way. Now, we're settling into somewhat of a routine. Weekends are the primary time for wedding work, so Mondays will be perfect as everything will be fresh in my mind.

First on the list is the talk with the possible planner/decorator. Because I haven't had much luck gathering support from friends or others from my church, the task of doing all the crafty decorations, centerpieces, church aisle bows and wedding favors seems a bit daunting. So, we've got a request for a proposal from the planner. We'll see if she's within our budget. Otherwise, we might just have her do the reception hall decorations.

The best part about that meeting was her asking me what ideas I had for decorating the hall. I gave her the "deer in the headlights" look and told her "I have no clue." When I said colors, flowers, bows and other fru-fru stuff was out of my league, she smiled and told me I needed her. :) Well, yes, either her or someone else who's good at this crafty stuff. That's not me. I'm far better at design and funtionality as well as practicality. Color swatches, fabric samples, coordinates? You're speaking a whole other language!

So far, here is what we have done:

* church booked
* reception hall booked
* cake decorator done and cake designs chosen
* florist selected, bouquets and boutonnieres chosen
* photographer hired with a BIG discount
* gown purchased
* bridesmaid dresses selected with bridesmaids still to choose their styles
* tuxes possibly chosen, but not 100% sold on style, waiting on groom to get fitted

We've begun compiling small items for decorating and jotting down other ideas to go with the mish-mash of a theme planned, but that's all for now. Come back next week for more fun.