+Author Interview+ Conversing with debut {Inspirational Fiction} author Brenda S. Anderson, on behalf of her writer’s journey & novel!

{: Brenda S. Anderson is

welcomed to Jorie Loves A Story :}

Author Biography:

Brenda S. Anderson writes gritty, life-affirming fiction that offers hope and reminds the reader they’re not alone. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is currently President of the ACFW Minnesota chapter, MN-NICE. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, theater, roller coasters, and baseball (Go Twins!), and she loves watching movies with her family. She resides in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area with her husband of 26 years, their three children, and one sassy cat. Her début novel, Chain of Mercy, Book #1 in the Coming Home series, comes out on April 22, 2014, and Pieces of Granite, the prequel to Chain of Mercy, is scheduled to release on September 16, 2014!

{: conversing about her writer’s journey

& her début novel :}

Before I was a book blogger, I was a happy-go-lucky blog commenter who loved to visit bookish blogs around the book blogosphere, sharing the joy of reading and blissfully spending time soaking up the booklove the bloggers would knit into their blogs! Through my wanderings in late 2012 and into the early bits of 2013, I stumbled across quite a few author-driven book blogs in both the mainstream and inspirational fiction markets. One author I was pleasantly thrilled to bits to discover was a writer in pursuit of a publishing contract for her novels: Ms. Brenda S. Anderson hailing from Minnesota and of whom has the sweetest personality you’ve ever been graced to find in the blogosphere! Her encouragement on behalf of fellow writers always warmed my heart, as she gets as giddy as I do about upcoming book releases and truly celebrates each milestone another author is experiencing! I felt as though I had found a kindred soul in that regard, as we were both #bookcheerleader(s) before I ever thought to create the tag!

My personal life took me away from visiting my regular ‘haunts’ which was compounded by the fact my computer died in late 2013 erasing all my beloved RSS feeds, book blog bookmarks, and the routes in which I would visit on a daily/weekly rotation! A loss I am still grieving a bit but am trying to resurrect the route based on memory and in short order I think I have an outline of where I used to visit and hope to resume post-haste! I returned to Ms. Anderson’s blog a short while ago, finding rather happily that her début novel “Chain of Mercy” had found a publishing home in Winslet Press! I was over the moon in joyous celebration for her and when I dug through her blog feeds to catch the developing story as it had been relayed, I noticed a curious note about joining her “Street Team”!!

I had heard of these wicked sweet teams for authors and publishers in the past, but I never thought I’d be blessed to be placed on one! Imagine my gobsmacked joy in learning that I was right in time to join her on her incredible journey as a début novelist, and could still be a part of her début tour around the book blogosphere! My heart warmed with a happy glow in realising that I was truly starting to come full circle this year with Jorie Loves A Story! A whisper in the winds of my dreams encouraged me to create my bookish blog, but throughout the first twelvemonth of my tenure as a book blogger and just shy of my blog’s first blog birthday, I am finding I am giving back all the lovely joy the bloggers, authors, and book blogosphere gave to me those initial months as a regular visitor, reader, and commenter! What bliss it is to highlight an author I have been blessed to get to know personally and of whom has my greatest admiration for her positive attitude and light in blessing others as her journey stitched together.

Let us give a warm welcome to Ms. Brenda S. Anderson!

What surprised you the most when your husband was relieved that you were penning your first novel rather than applying for a regular day-to-day job? The fact that he had seen your spirit light up when you were writing as you were truly joyful in the moment of creating a story or the fact that his confidence in your abilities might have surprised you as you felt it was a part of you that was not yet known?

Anderson responds:

A couple of things surprised me:
• the fact that he knew I wanted to write. I had no clue I’d telegraphed that dream to him!
• His complete support of me pursuing my dream! He knew I could do it before I did! Supporting my dream was far more important than bringing in an extra paycheck. That support continues to this day.

I think this is the greatest gift a husband and family can give back to the writer in the family: unconditional support, love, and encouragement! I am thankful to find that we were both equally blessed in this regard!

What do you think held you back from pursuing writing when you were younger? Was there a stigma surrounding the craft as a profession or was there something else that was persuading you not to choose what your heart already knew was your gift?

Anderson responds: I didn’t pursue my dream for many years for the simple reason that I believed writing a novel was merely a dream. I didn’t believe it was a worthwhile venture because I knew it would be difficult to money writing, much less make a living. It wasn’t until I took a LifeKeys course at my church that I realized that God gives us our passions, our gifts for a reason, and I had stuffed that gift away.

I oft believe that even if we cannot see the direct path extending out into our future of how our gifts will be brought into fruition, we always have to remain faithful in our belief that we were given a gift for a reason and even if we doubt either the gift itself or the absence of the gift if we feel its been taken away from us (such as I nearly felt when I went through a decade’s worth of writer’s block),.. we still have to let life play out. I truly believe there is a season for everything (I simply adore the poem which is a life affirmation of its own rendering!), and if we remain steadfast, all doors will soon open guiding our path further along to where we are meant to walk.

I noticed that one of your best pieces of advice given to new writers or those who are wanting to emerge into publishing is to keep the heart of who they are and the heart of the craft inside their writings. Why do you think most writers today tend to forget the one aspect of writing that breathes so much life into the body of work they create? To remove our giddy desire of being inside the moment where words fuse to paper and this beautiful experience emerges out of our imaginations? I always lament ‘write your heart out’ as it leads to true discoveries by written voice.

Anderson responds: Oh, I like the way you put that! When we’re focused on following the rules, it does remove that “giddy desire” and it muddies the beauty of our imagination. When writers are learning the craft of writing, we attend conferences, read books, take classes, and much of that learning gets bogged down in rule-following. I’ve learned that while it’s important to know the craft, oftentimes legalistic rule-following can steal the writer’s voice and make their work sound exactly like every other author. In my opinion, it’s important to know the rules, but don’t let them rule you.

You have fully gladdened my spirit in this response, as I was starting to wonder if other writers were noticing what I was observing and how I have come to approach my own writer’s craft! Rules are quite lovely, but for a writer the greatest tool we have is leaving the rules in the box! To step outside the lines and find our own niche whilst carving out our own written voices is the true freedom of a writer who has settled into their spirit and heart as a writer who has full acceptance of their writing style.

You have always mentioned your fondness for Winter, and I must confess, it has always been a Season of my joy as well. Growing up in the Southeast (USA) Spring & Summer were never my favourite seasons, as they spoke of severe storms, volcanic heat, and the inability to enjoy the out-of-doors without the constant humidity. What is your favourite part to experience and take in once Winter starts to unfold? What gives you the most Wintry joy?

Anderson responds: I love the freshness of winter. The scent of the air, and the gentle bite of the freezing temperatures. I love how clean the world looks after a fresh snow. There’s nothing more beautiful than a world of frosted trees. This past winter was a bit too long, even for the hardiest of Minnesotans, but I’ll still take 20 below over 90 above any day.

I have only experienced Winter in small batches and bursts, but I am not as confident as I ought to be to tackle 20 below! Part of me finds that is as great as an adventure to undertake as moving to Alaska and part of me questions if I could truly handle the extremity of those conditions after having lived in the extremity of the Southern climes for such a long time. What I do resonate with you about your fondness for Winter is the purity of the air (especially in the Upper Mid-West & Dakotas!) and how everything glistens into a harmony of silence and ethereal bliss.

I was thankful to read that your parents were your cheerleaders growing up, as mine were as well. A role that I know they must be continuing as your writing starts to be placed into the hands of readers. What is the one moment they gave in full support of your writing that still touches your heart?

Anderson responds: Honestly, the most touching moments are right now. My dad is a very vocal cheerleader. He’s told everyone at his church, all his friends, strangers. It’s so much fun to see him rejoice over the realization of my dream.

This simply warmed my heart, because I know when I start to get my writing out there into the world the response of my Mum & Da are going to be a mirror eclipse of your own!

As you have such a fondness for reflecting on your growing years on a Minnesota dairy farm, do you ever aspire or have you already started to work on a story that is set on a similar farm? To bring to light the kind of upbringing you were blessed to have for today’s audience?

Anderson responds: Wow. You have great questions, Jorie! I loved growing up on the farm. You learn how to work hard and play hard. And having six siblings provided me with constant playmates. There was no excuse for boredom. My début release Chain of Mercy does spend a great amount of time on the farm. My hero grew up on a dairy farm, but found success in Manhattan. It’s in going back to his farm roots that draws him back to the faith of his youth.

Thank you for your compliment on behalf of my questions, as I always make an attempt to research an author’s previous interviews and to root out questions that might not have been asked previously. I like to get to know the heart of what makes a writer uniquely individual from the pack as much as I appreciate conversing with authors from one writer to another, as much as one bookish soul to another! Alas! I have not yet had the pleasure to soak into Chain of Mercy and thereby did not realise you were already knitting your childhood years into your fiction! A bit of a lapse on my behalf, but oh such a wonderful glimpse into how your growing years are inspiring your stories!

Chain of Mercy deals with abortion and its effect on the parents, not only from the mother’s point of view but the father’s. A choice I think you aptly made as it is not often discussed or highlighted. In the prequel, Pieces of Granite, you are tackling Down Syndrome. Do you find yourself a pioneer in one way for being bold enough to write stories which break down barriers by giving equality and honour to people and circumstances that are not as readily explored in today’s fiction?

Anderson responds: Oh, I don’t think I’m breaking down any barriers. Many authors have already written about abortion and Down syndrome, but I do think that the current offerings in Christian fiction tend to stay away from tough or controversial subjects. Readers right now are wanting an escape from reality. I just happen to prefer books that dig into the gritty parts of life, to explore situations that may not be popular, to give a unique perspective on issues. That’s what I love to read, so that’s what I enjoy writing.

Yes, perhaps I should have been a bit more specific as you took the lead from what I had asked in regards to authors being bold in their choice of thematic to explore in fiction. I always try to stay on top of emerging writers and established writers who undertake harder topics and subjects to explore but I do not always find that those who are writing the harder hitting story-lines always approach the characters from honour and respect as to understand both points of view and I suppose I felt as though you had gone one step further to encompass a point of view that was not oft engaged in the narrative. To me that is helping to break down a barrier that might not have been felt or seen, but was still present. As I read both mainstream & inspirational fiction markets (as to me all of literature is one beautiful well of knowledge & enlightenment) I have noticed a shift in where inspirational writers are digging deeper into the human condition & the heart of humanity which to me is a blessing especially in the changing times and world we live in. We need a measure of faith knitted into stories where those who are living through circumstances similar to those being written can step back and realise all things are possible through faith and with grace. Rather than always glossing over or only focusing on the lighter side of living. Thank you for being you, in other words!

I loved learning that you are a night owl! Do you ever get so excited to write down the bones of a work-in-progress that you ‘forget’ that you’re meant to hit the dreamscapes and sleep?

Anderson responds: When I’m heavily involved in writing a story, I keep a pad and pen by my bedside just for those moments when the muse hits me. Often I do my best pre-writing as I lay in bed. My dreams rarely affect my stories though—I don’t remember most of them.

Hmm, now that is interesting! My dreamscapes are always so visceral and visual that I get a heap of inspiration simply by playing back over what was dreamt and what was explored whilst I slumbered! I did try that once where I kept a notebook on my nightstand but as it turnt out, when I woke with such a start of a sequence or scene needing to be jotted down I ended up at my writer’s desk with full notebook sheets of paper and my hands feverishly attempting to get everything writ down! Laughs. I think we each have our own unique way of getting the bones of a story down on paper and that is always something I will celebrate!

I saw your answer about your favourite tv series at the moment, and I was happily surprised to see ‘Castle’ was amongst them. The other two I do not watch (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D nor Blue Bloods) but I do watch Tom Selleck in “Jesse Stone” which is a sequence of murder mystery films released once a year, or so they were previously. What do you love the most about the character of Richard Edgar Castle from a writer’s viewpoint and an appreciator of the series?

Anderson responds: As I writer, I greatly appreciate Castle’s devotion to the craft. He knows his stuff! And I love his imagination, how he can take one “what if” and create an entire story line out of it on the spur of the moment. It would take days for me to come up with those scenarios! I also enjoy Nathan Fillion’s portrayal of Castle. He brings great wit and charm to the character.

I could not have said this better myself! Fillon’s approach to Castle is bang-on brilliant as he honours the character by adding in his own quirkiness which gives heart and depth. I love watching him work as Castle as he simply breathes the character into life by embodying his essence on-screen. I think I might have a bit of his ‘what if’ joltings out of lightning abilities — as sometimes I notice that one tangible thread of thought can spin itself into this long engaging plot thickener! It is nice to meet a fellow Castle appreciator who was drawn into the series from a writer’s perspective!

In your début novel Chain of Mercy, the characters would rather do anything than face the circumstances and truth of what occurs in their lives. How as a writer did you give the characters the strength to be honest and real, but at the same time give a story that a reader could absorb into whilst finding it grounded in realism?

Anderson responds: Chain of Mercy is the first novel I ever wrote, and I wrote it before getting involved in writing groups, before learning the craft. So, to answer your question, all glory goes to God for creating a captivating, authentic story. I just wrote what was on my heart—the story writing was very organic, not intentional.

I think this is the best insight into a début novelist as it points to the fact that there are times where the writing becomes more than what we can personally stitch into the characters and narrative. Sometimes writing is inspired by what is not readily seen nor understood as we are writing everything down, but afterwards when we step away we have a beautifully organic creation sitting in front of us which hitches our breath in our chest on how the beauty of our gift can be a journey of its own!

What tools and materials do you use to write? And, where do you write the most? Time of Day?

Anderson responds: I physically put words to screen on my desktop in our library/office/storage room. ;-) But that’s only part of the writing process. I do much pre-writing, or idea-developing away from the office: when driving, walking, or about to fall asleep. I also keep notepads around the house so that I can write down any story ideas or clever lines before I forget them. I typically write or work on writing-related projects from about 9 – 2.

I give you credit for being able to write in the morning hours — I do not seem to come alive or into my own groove for writing until the night hours! I’m definitely a night owl in that regard as I get a lot of energy and creativity well after the moon has set! I am even starting to consider myself a ‘night owl blogger’ as oft-times I am online whilst most of the world sleeps! Laughs. I love how you have a multiple purpose room to create inside (as I can relate to that!) but what I love is your process to write stories is ever-evolving depending on where you are in your day and in which hour the bits of story arrive to you to write down!

Have you encountered a character who took you completely off-guard and proved to be a greater challenge than you originally expected them to be?

Anderson responds: For some reason, women are always challenging for me. It’s much easier for me to create a likable hero than heroine, possibly because I grew up with four brothers. Anything they liked, I liked, so sometimes I tend to understand the male psyche better than the female.

I can relate to you on this a bit as I grew up as a tomboy, ever the adventurer and explorer of the neighbourhood! Laughs. I have not yet reached the halfway mark of my novels so I cannot ascertain for certain which character is easier for me to compose a sketch of but I can say my struggle was hinged to dialogue and narrative whilst finding the balance of the two to be realistic yet harmonic. I can foresee a lot of lovely male driven characters in your stories and I think that is wonderful because why do we have to write stories of our same gender if our voice comes out male? I remember finding out Marlee Matlin’s (she is a deaf actress) voice is a male translator as she related better to him than to a woman who would speak on her behalf. Sometimes I think our words manifest in different ways than we are expecting and is quite beautiful.

Outside the realm of writing what enriches your spirit the most? Where do you find your serenity?

Anderson responds: Music and nature …

I’m not an emotional person—I never cry at tear-jerking films—but music touches my heart in a way that can provoke deep emotion. So for each novel I’ve written, I’m creating a playlist, music that goes with the books, with lyrics that enhance the storyline.

Being out in nature brings me closer to God. I’m in awe of His creation! I love the woods and water and animals! My dream home would be on the shores of Lake Superior. I could easily see myself sitting with my laptop on the rocky shore. Imagine the inspiration I would receive!

You have brought up two of my favourite elements of serenity in my own life! Walking in nature rejuvenates my spirit in ways that I cannot even put into proper words! My heart melts each time I can walk as close as a breath towards a wild animal or bird of prey inasmuch as the simple grace of observing the calmness of nature’s door a foot away from my everyday world is true serenity for me. I have oft mentioned how music helps get into a deeper level of creativity for writers but I also appreciate music for the inclination of understanding something about humanity and our place in the world where words do not always have to follow as a lot of life is not spoken but felt.

Official Author Websites:  Site | Twitter | Facebook | Pin(terest) Boards

Active in Book Blogosphere: Personal Blog + Guest Blogger @ Inkspirational Messages

Converse on Twitter: #ChainOfMercy & #ComingHomeSeries

#ChristianFiction, #InspirationalFiction,  #ChrisFic, & #cleanromance

I would like to take a moment to thank Ms. Anderson for alighting on Jorie Loves A Story today and for giving us such a beautiful glimpse into her writer’s life, where she not only shared her approach to the craft of writing but she shared a bit of her spirit outside the scope of writing as well! I appreciated getting to know a bit more insight on behalf of Chain of Mercy and I do hope that this interview might inspire you to pick up the novel in a format that you would appreciate reading! I am sure she will be ducking in and out throughout the week as I am hosting her for two days — therefore be sure to leave her a note in the comment threads today as well as tomorrow when my book review & observations for Chain of Mercy are published! It was a pure honour for me to host Ms. Anderson and I cannot wait to continue to support her on her Author’s Street Team as more titles are released in forthcoming months! Including the prequel to Chain of Mercy & the Coming Home Series which is: Pieces of Granite (September 2014!)

This author’s Interview is courtesy of the author’s Street Team:

For which I am blessed and thankful to be a part of!

On Wednesday my book review for “Chain of Mercy” will be published.

Please visit my Bookish Events page to stay in the know for upcoming events!

Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.

{SOURCES: Book cover for “Chain of Mercy”, Author photograph of Brenda S. Anderson, and Book Synopsis were provided by the author Brenda S. Anderson and used with permission. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers & My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}

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