Writer at Random

A visit with author Allie Pleiter

Allie, it's great to have you visit my blog today! By the way, I love your tag line, "The Adventure Starts Right Where You Are." What are some of your favorite "adventures" from the novels you've written?

Thanks for the kudos on the tag line. I worked hard to find something that encompasses all my fiction, non-fiction, speaking ministry, and knitting blog. I see all of those--in fact I see all of life--as an adventure to be launched from the present circumstances. As for adventures, I certainly have had my share. “Live” (my term for non-book) research has a great appeal for me, and I’ve done all kinds of unusual things to get ready for books. Let’s see...I’ve taken tightrope walking lessons and been backstage at the circus for FACING EVERY MOM’S FEARS. I was taught to work the world’s most expensive espresso machine by a world-class barista, got a crash course in rugby, and experienced the Chinese Kung-Fu Cha Tea Ceremony for THE PERFECT BLEND. I took fencing lessons and learned to crack a bull-whip for MASKED BY MOONLIGHT. I learned to make soap (and acquired my passion for artisan soaps) for BLUEGRASS HERO. Those are just a few of the adventures I’ve had in the name of book research. My travel-knitting blog DestiKNITions is all about fun adventures in American cities. Writing is a great job for a naturally curious person like me. I find most people love to share their expertise if they know you’re trying to get it right for your book or are just genuinely interested.

Wow, exciting stuff, Allie! Your “live research” adventures are impressive! You've written both contemporary and historical fiction. Which do you find more challenging, and why?

I find them both challenging. It’s easier for me to dream up high-stakes stories in historical scenarios, but it’s harder to achieve the wit I want for my contemporaries. Still, the beauty of historical language is great fun to write. Contemporaries are slightly easier to research. I wouldn’t want to stop doing either. Each one has a particular appeal for me. Perhaps I should write a time travel so I can do both at the same time--although I’m not sure the inspirational market is ready for that, even from me.

What was the inspiration for your upcoming release, Falling for the Fireman? Did the story require any special research? Any interesting facts you discovered along the way?

The seed for the story came from my personal experience. My son was very sick in 2010 (he’s fine now, but that was an adventure of a whole different kind) and I needed some way to let all that maternal angst out in my writing. It would have been too close to home to write a medically threatened child, so I chose a child recovering from a trauma. The idea to write about firemen was a suggestion from my editor at the time. I did a lot of research on juvenile fire-starters and discovered some outstanding programs for kids in trouble. And just because I know you’ll ask...no, I didn’t ride a with a firefighting company for research. I spoke to several, but had no desire to climb in a truck. I have enormous respect for firefighters now, however. They put so much on the line and most people in a community never give it a second thought.

That’s so true. They’re on call day or night, ready to go from relative calm to high-stakes tension at a moment’s notice. According to your bio, you're an "enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two." What's your best advice for moms who aspire to a writing career?

Lots of really strong coffee? Actually, I think it’s hugely important for your children to watch you pursue a dream. I want my children to believe anything is possible for them. I do work hard to schedule my writing at unintrusive times--one of my rules when they were little was to try and never let the phrase “not now, Mommy’s writing” leave my lips. That meant a lot of late nights. It’s much easier now that they’re teenagers. They remain, however, completely unimpressed by what I do. Keeps a gal humble, you know?

Been there, done that! Now the juggling act for me is making sure I allow plenty of “grandparent time.” Anything else you'd like to add?

Just that I hope you’ll enjoy FALLING FOR THE FIREMAN and look for my next historical HOMEFRONT HERO in May.

Thanks so much for this peek into your writing life, Allie. Hoping your book is a huge success!

About Allie Pleiter:

An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction.  The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework.  Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois.  The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing.  Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com or her knitting blog at www.DestiKNITions.blogspot.com

About the book:

Falling for the Fireman
Harlequin Love Inspired February 2012
ISBN #978-0-373-87725-6

There's something achingly familiar about the look in fire marshal Chad Owens's eyes. Widowed mom Jeannie Nelworth knows firsthand what it is: loss, hurt and yes—bitterness. Ever since the fire that changed their lives, Jeannie's young son has borne that same look, pushing everyone away. So she's grateful when Chad tries to get through to the boy with the help of his trusty fire station dog.

But the man who's all about safety and prevention keeps himself protected—from loving and losing again. Seems as if Jeannie will have to add his kind, guarded heart to her rebuilding efforts.

Catching up . . . again

Is it 2012 already? Where did the time go?

All I can say is, 2011 was one busy year. The big move is behind us, we’re settling into life in our new community, and the daily routine is gradually approaching “normal.”

Normal being a relative term, naturally.

The year ahead promises to be full of even more exciting opportunities. Since last fall I’ve signed two new book contracts. One of those manuscripts is already complete and in the editorial pipeline. I’m making good progress writing the next one and should have it turned in by mid-March.

For anyone in the Shelby, North Carolina, area, I’ll be joining Dora Hiers and Jennifer Hudson Taylor at the Cleveland County Memorial Library for a Christian fiction authors panel and book signing. Please join us on Tuesday, January 24, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Also, be sure to stop in at my blog next Friday, when author Allie Pleiter comes for a visit. She’ll be introducing her latest release, Falling for the Fireman.

How is your New Year shaping up so far? Hope it’s a good one!

A Moving Story: Chapter 10, “Prayers Answered”

As my good friend Ruth Logan Herne of Seekerville would say . . .

Oh. My. Stars!

Has it been over a month since my last installment?

I do have a good excuse. Following the ACFW conference in St. Louis the end of September, I received a contract to write the next book in my “Cross Roads Farm” series for Heartsong Presents. The manuscript deadline is December 1, so I’ve been writing like crazy for the past several weeks! I finished the draft yesterday, so now I’m taking a breather before diving into revisions.

So. Where did we leave off?

It’s probably time to draw this saga to a close, so I’ll try to sum up the last stages of the move in this post. And “Prayers Answered” is exactly what we experienced.

The biggest prayer we needed a quick answer to was selling our house back in Oklahoma, and finally we got the call we’d been waiting for. The offer came in very low, however--even less than we’d paid for the house five years prior. The prospective buyers had all kinds of complaints--the carpet, the kitchen tile, outdated light fixtures, ad infinitum. We had done some updates before listing the house, but apparently not enough to get our asking price in a super-tough buyer’s market.

We finally came to terms without having to take too big a loss. But then, thanks to mortgage company snafus, the closing date we’d agreed upon came and went. By then we’d already completed the “big move”--bringing everything we’d left behind and moving it into our new home, which became available two weeks earlier than expected (another blessing, because now we wouldn’t have to pay storage costs).

Our next huge prayer was that we’d at least close in time to repay the money we’d borrowed from our IRA for the down payment on our new home. Otherwise, we’d be hit with a big income tax bill. But the mortgage company came through just under the wire, and we were able to pay back the loan with only a day to spare!

At the end of June, we moved out of the apartment and fully into our home, and we’ve been enjoying it ever since. Sure, there have been adjustments to make, especially since we downsized a teensy bit. But being here to watch our three youngest grandchildren grow up and to offer help and babysitting as needed makes all the worries and struggles of moving totally worth it.

Yep, I’m confident we are exactly where we are supposed to be!

A Moving Story: Chapter 8, “Messages from a ‘Dove’”

So there we were, enjoying our cozy apartment and spending time with the kids and grandkids, especially that darling new baby girl!

But each day that passed without a phone call from our Realtor with a contract offer was one more day I would ask myself if we’d done the right thing.

And eat chocolate. Ever since the news came out that eating dark chocolate is good for your health, my husband and I have made sure to eat some every day, usually a small piece after lunch and after dinner. For medicinal purposes, of course. (Yeah, right!)

While living in the apartment, we ate a lot of Dove chocolates, the kind in the little foil wrapper with a clever saying inside. Things like “Enjoy the moment,” “Live your dreams,”  and “Smile! It’s contagious!”

Then one day when I was particularly anxious about the fact that our house hadn’t sold, I opened up a Dove chocolate to find this message:

YOU ARE EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.

Okay, some may think I’m weird or crazy or both, but there have been a couple of noteworthy times in the past when I felt certain God was speaking words of encouragement to me in fortune cookie messages. The wording, the timing...just too “coincidental” to be anything but God’s doing. So that day at the apartment I was positive He had sent this message in a Dove chocolate just for me.

For a couple of weeks I lived in this assurance, and it helped. But when circumstances don’t change, discouragement has a way of creeping back in. As we sat down to lunch one day, my doubts and worries were as high as they’d ever been. After finishing my sandwich, I picked up my Dove chocolate and prayed silently, Lord, I could really use some confirmation. If you meant it before, could you maybe give me that same message again?

Trying not to get my hopes up, I unwrapped my chocolate and smoothed out the foil. My heart climbed into my throat when I read:

YOU ARE EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.

Interestingly, I have never seen that particular message before or since--just those two occasions. But I thank God for sending His words of hope exactly when I needed them most!

Coming up next: Chapter 10, “Prayers Answered”

A Moving Story: Chapter 7, “Timing is Everything”

Things have gone crazy again since my last installment. Following the annual American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in September, I came home to a new book deadline and have been pretty much locked in my “writing cave” ever since.

Okay, I think we left off with a contract on a house and a partial move ahead of us. We had already packed several boxes with items we didn’t use that often, but now we had to get serious about deciding what we’d most need in an apartment for three months and what could remain behind.

So the first weekend in April, several friends from church got together and helped us load a Penske rental
truck. With my husband driving the truck and our parakeet, Sprite*, riding shotgun with him, I drove our car with Gracie and Shadow camped out in the backseat. With the help of our son-in-law and a couple of his friends, we moved into our apartment on a Sunday afternoon.

Then...four days later...our new baby granddaughter was born!!! Talk about perfect timing! While “Grandpa” kept the two older kids, I went to the hospital and was so blessed to be right there in the delivery room for the baby’s arrival--what a precious memory!

Then came the waiting and praying for our other “delivery”--a contract on the house we left behind. In order to make the down payment on our new home and be able to cover two mortgages temporarily if necessary, we made arrangements to borrow against our retirement account. The main stipulation was that if we paid back the money within 60 days of withdrawal, it would be as if we never took it out. If not, it would count as income. Not a big deal, but definitely an extra expense we hoped to avoid.

So things were tense as we prayed for our house to sell. I wondered many times if we had done the right thing by going ahead with the move, but then I’d think back to the scripture verse from Proverbs that had come up so frequently: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

But with our house taking so long to sell, I couldn’t help worrying. And (besides leaning on the Lord) what’s the best antidote for worry? CHOCOLATE!

Next time: Chapter 8, “Messages from a ‘Dove’”

*Sadly, Sprite became ill in early September and passed away. He was part of our family for nine years, and we really miss the little guy!

CFBA Book Review: RECLAIMING LILY, by Patti Lacy

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing

Reclaiming Lily

Bethany House (October 1, 2011)

by Patti Lacy

MYRA'S THOUGHTS: Patti Lacy never fails to blow me away with her intriguing characters, fascinating settings, and riveting plots, and Reclaiming Lily is no exception! With elegant prose and descriptive details that carry the reader from China to Texas and back, Ms. Lacy weaves a heart-tugging story of a sister's love, a couple's devotion to their adopted daughter, and the strength of a young girl to rise above her troubled past. Definitely a book to add to your reading list!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Patti Lacy, Baylor graduate, taught community college humanities until God called her to span seas and secrets in her novels, An Irishwoman's Tale and What the Bayou Saw.

The secrets women keep and why they keep them continue to enliven Patti's gray matter. A third book, The Rhythm of Secrets, released in January of 2011. Patti's, Reclaiming Lily, documents a tug-of-war between a Harvard-educated doctor and an American pastor and his wife for a precious child and explores adoption issues, China's "One Child" policy, and both Christian and secular views of sacrifice.

Patti also facilitates writing seminars in schools, libraries, and at conferences and has been called to present her testimony, "All the Broken Pieces," at women's retreats. She also leads a Beth Moore Bible study at her beloved Grace Church and has had a blast planning the September 2009 wedding of her firstborn, Sarah.

Patti and her husband Alan, an Illinois State faculty member, live in Normal with their handsome son Thomas, who attends Heartland Community College. On sunny evenings, you can catch the three strolling the streets of Normal with their dog Laura, whom they've dubbed a "Worchestershire Terrier" for her "little dab of this breed, a little dab of that breed."


ABOUT THE BOOK

A storm the size of Texas brews when Gloria Powell and Kai Chang meet in a Dallas hotel. They have come to discuss the future of Lily, the daughter Gloria adopted from China and the sister Kai hopes to reclaim. Kai is a doctor who had to give up her little sister during the Cultural Revolution and has since discovered that an inherited genetic defect may be waiting to fatally strike Lily.

Gloria's relationship with her daughter is tattered and strained, and the arrival of Kai, despite the woman's apparent good intentions, makes Gloria fearful. Gloria longs to restore her relationship with Lily, but in the wake of this potentially devastating diagnosis, is Kai an answer to prayer...or will her arrival force Gloria to sacrifice more than she ever imagined?

If you would like to read the first chapter of reclaiming Lily, go HERE.

Seekerville hosting Love Inspired Query Letter Contest!

Query Letter Contest!

Deadline Monday, October 10th.

Enter your one-page query letter and the last page of an unpublished and completed manuscript targeted at Love Inspired, Love Inspired Historical, or Love Inspired Suspense.

Deadline is Monday at Midnight.

The top five finalists will then go to Love Inspired Senior Editor Melissa Endlich for judging. The winner will be announced on December 4, 2011 in Seekerville's Weekend Edition.

The winner will have an opportunity to avoid the slush pile and submit their first three chapters and synopsis to Senior Editor Melissa Endlich by snail mail.

Full details here.

A Moving Story: Chapter 7, “Are we really doing this???”

Sorry it’s taking me so long to get this story told. Just when I think I’m caught up enough to sit down and blog again, another “importantly urgent” task crops up.

Okay, back to that house we couldn’t seem to get off our minds.

The moment the owners greeted us at the front door, I knew this house was as special and right as our minds had built it up to be. Pride of ownership shone in every detail. Yes, there were aspects that definitely did NOT fit my “must have” list (in fact, a few areas were on my “absolutely unacceptable” list). But when we weighed the negatives against everything else this house had to offer, most of them didn’t seem nearly as important anymore.

Besides, I felt absolute assurance that this was meant to be our house. (See Chapter 1: “A Moving Premonition.”)

So we asked their price and then went with our Realtor to a coffee shop to hammer out a contract offer.  After only a little back-and-forth with the owners, we came to very acceptable terms for the selling price, but the sticking point would be date of possession. The owners, taken by surprise as they were when the house hadn’t even been on the market for several months, didn’t think they could be moved out by the time we wanted to move in (remember that baby due in early April?).

To make a long story short(er), we agreed to let them rent the house back from us for three months, and in the meantime, we would find a small apartment that we could move into in time to be here for our granddaughter’s birth.

On the final day of our trip, our daughter took us around to see apartments. It truly seemed as if God was giving us favor, because the second place we visited not only allowed pets (an absolute requirement with our two big, lovable mutts!) but had exactly one two-bedroom unit that met our requirements coming available the weekend we needed to move in.

With a wonderful new house under contract, an apartment lease in hand, and less than six weeks to pack for moving, we headed back to Oklahoma and wondered if we’d lost our minds. But we’d passed the point of no return and could only trust in God to walk us through the rest of this moving journey.

Especially since we still had not a single offer to purchase our current home!

Coming up in the next installment: Chapter 7, “Timing is Everything”

CFBA Book Review: WINGS OF A DREAM, by Anne Mateer

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing Wings of A Dream

Bethany House (September 1, 2011)

by Anne Mateer

My review copy only recently arrived, so I'm only about halfway through the book, but I'm finding Wings of a Dream to be a truly touching debut novel by a talented author. The story is written in first person through the eyes of a young woman named Rebekah who heads off to Texas to be near the man she expects to marry. When she lets go of a dream and shoulders a responsibility she was never meant to have, the reader can't help but admire this girl's inner strength and hope it will be rewarded. I look forward to seeing how the rest of Rebekah's story unfolds.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

While I have been writing for what feels like my whole life, I began seriously studying the craft in 2000. Since then I have completed five novels, had several pieces published in local periodicals, attended six writing conferences and managed to final in ACFW's Genesis contest in 2006, 2008, and 2009. My first historical novel, Wings of a Dream, will be released in September 2011, with another historical novel to follow in 2012. But writing is only a piece of my life.

I am mostly just a woman trying to live her life in a manner pleasing to the Lord. That involves being a wife to Jeff and a mother to my three teenagers--neither role coming easily but both roles stretching me, requiring me to press in closer to Jesus. And because of this, Jesus has taken an insecure, fearful, sometimes angry girl and is turning her into a more trusting, peaceful, grace-filled woman. At least some of the time. There is still such a long way to go!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Rebekah Hendricks dreams of a life far beyond her family's farm in Oklahoma, and when dashing aviator Arthur Samson promised adventure in the big city, she is quick to believe he's the man she's meant to marry. While she waits for the Great War to end and Arthur to return to her so they can pursue all their plans, her mother's sister falls ill. Rebekah seizes the opportunity to travel to Texas to care for Aunt Adabelle, seeing this chance to be closer to Arthur's training camp as God's approval of her plans.

But the Spanish flue epidemic changes everything. Faced with her aunt's death, Arthur's indecisiveness, and four children who have no one else to care for them, Rebekah is torn between the desire to escape the type of life she's always led and the unexpected love that just might change the dream of her heart.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Wings of A Dream, go HERE.

A Moving Story: Chapter 6, “Lean not unto your own understanding...”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  --Proverbs 3:5-6

That’s the verse that kept playing through my mind as we contemplated this move. It also cropped up unexpectedly in our pastor’s sermon, during prayer time and inspirational reading, and at other random times.

My own understanding? Don’t take any risks. Stay put until the market improves. And absolutely do not even think of moving before you have a solid contract on the house you’re leaving behind.

But did I mention that new grandbaby was due the first week of April??? Oh, how I longed to be there in time for that blessed event! And not just to hold our precious baby girl but to be available to help our daughter and son-in-law as needed, especially since they were already busy parents of two school-age children.

So I began to believe God was nudging us to take a huge leap of faith. Still with only intermittent interest in our current home, we planned another house-hunting trip. By now we were able to narrow our search parameters to certain neighborhoods that were most convenient to where our daughter lived. After all, what was the point of moving across the country only to be separated by drive time and traffic congestion?

We also urged our Realtor to find out whatever she could about that house. Online real estate information indicated the house had not sold, so we wanted to know if the owners planned to relist at some point or if they’d changed their minds about selling.

As it turned out, they still planned to move eventually but after a disappointing few months on the market had decided to withdraw the listing for a while. They were more than willing to let us view their home, so our Realtor set up an appointment.

And we hoped to either put our minds to rest that this was not the house for us so we could stop wondering . . .

Or maybe . . . just maybe . . .

Next time, Chapter 7, “Are we really doing this???”