Author Interview and Book Giveaway: Third Times a Charm

Virginia Smith recently contracted her twelfth book in four years. Previous

books in the Sister-to-Sister series include: Stuck in the Middle and Age
before Beauty. In 2008 she was named Writer-of-the-Year at Mount
Hermon Christian Writers Conference. Stuck in the Middle was a finalist
for American Christian Fiction Writers’ 2009 Book of the Year Award. ATaste of Murder was a finalist for the 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Ginny and husband, Ted, divide their time between Kentucky and Utah, escaping as often as possible for diving trips to the Caribbean. Admittedly, her adventurous outings are often as much fun as they are “book research.”

 


1: How long did you write before you were published?




I wrote for more than twenty years before my first publication. I first started writing in the genre I loved to read – science fiction and fantasy. Of course, nobody told me that sf/f is one of the hardest genres to break into! I wish I’d known that. I collected 143 rejection letters before my first contract.



2: When you held that first book in your hands, what was your first thought?



It’s hard to describe the feeling. Not quite as emotional as holding your first child, but it’s a powerful moment. There’s a feeling of triumph, of accomplishment. I remember thinking, “I can’t believe it. It’s my book! That’s my name on the cover!”



I was home alone when the UPS man brought the box of books, and I could hardly wait for my husband to get home. I dedicated that first book to him, and I hadn’t told him. So as soon as he got home, I showed him the dedication, and he got tears in his eyes. That book really was as much as celebration for him as for me, because he had supported me for so long, and believe in me through all those rejections.





3: What are you working on now?



I just finished a romantic suspense book called Into the Deep. I’m excited about that one because it has a scuba diving theme, and takes place partly in Mexico. The research was a lot of fun! I’m taking a break from writing for a month or two, so I can spend some time talking about Third Time’s a Charm. After that, I’ve got a couple of ideas floating around in my head!

4: Where can readers find out more about your books?



I have a great website – www.VirginiaSmith.org . I spend a lot of time keeping it updated, and I’ve always got a giveaway going on the Reader Fun page. (Right now there’s a terrific Prize Bonanza Giveaway to help celebrate the release of Third Time’s a Charm, including a bunch of prizes related to the book, plus a $50 Visa gift card!)



I also spend way more time than I should on Facebook. I do talk about my books every so often, but mostly I just stay in touch with friends and family and readers. http://www.facebook.com/ginny.p.smith





5: What message(s) do you want to be clear to your readers?



In Third Time’s a Charm, the main message is that we have a heavenly Father who is with us always. Even when we ignore Him, He never leaves us. He’s always there, longing for us to let Him be a part of our lives.



That message is very personal for me. Like Tori, the main character in Third Time’s a Charm, my parents divorced when I was young. I didn’t see my father very often, so for a long time I did feel like he had deserted me. For a long time, that affected my understanding of how constant God’s love is for me. But I’ve learned, as Tori does, that no matter how lonely I felt, He was there all the time.


Thank you for being with us today. Any final words for readers?



Third Time’s a Charm is the third book in the Sister-to-Sister Series (though you don’t have to read Stuck in the Middle and Age before Beauty first in order to enjoy this one!) I always say there’s a little piece of me in every character I’ve ever written, and that’s true of this book as well. When I first started writing the series, I was a little worried about writing Tori’s story, because of the three sisters, she is the least like me. Imagine my surprise when I got into the book, and discovered that beneath the surface, she’s far more like me than I thought! I hope you enjoy reading Third Time’s a Charm as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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