Giveaway and Author Interview: Love Finds You in Tombstone, Arizona

 

Welcome to Writing for Christ Miralee Ferrell, it is great to have you here! Do you have an interesting fact about yourself the average reader probably doesn’t know?

I’ll toss out a couple, as it may depend on how many blog interviews your readers have seen on whether they’ve caught these little things or not. One, my husband and I owned and raised two cougars/mountain lions for a number of years. Neither was taken from the wild but were several generations in captivity. I do NOT recommend it for the average person. My husband spent hundreds of hrs studying and learning what was best on how to feed, house and handle the big cats. It was an awesome experience we’ll never forget.

Two, I used to love to oil paint—mostly scenery—but don’t have much time for it anymore.

Three, we lived in Alaska for a year and got to land on a glacier and in a plane on skis.

What surprised you the most about being a published author?

Everything, LOL! This isn’t something I’ve wanted to be all my life, or had any clue what it entailed prior to starting my own career. I went into it completely blind and every single thing I’ve learned has been a revelation. My husband has often asked me if I’d do it all over again if I knew in advance how much hard work it would be, and how much patience would be required and I answered a resounding YES! I love it all, even the hard things. They’ve stretched me and made me grow as a person, and helped me trust God even more.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

My reading is all over the board. I love historical romance as long as the romance isn’t ‘in your face’ or over the top (it has to be believable). I love mystery and suspense, I love a well written fantasy or medieval story, and I love contemporary fiction with a light touch. Oh…and give me a good Western written by someone like Zane Grey and I’m in heaven. He was my inspiration for my own historical novels….three that are set in the old west. I’d have to say that’s my favorite genre to write.

When you aren’t writing or interacting with fans, what do you enjoy doing?

Hanging out in the spring and summer with my husband or daughter. Unfortunately our son & his wife don’t live close by, but our daughter and her husband own adjoining acreage. She and I often have lunch together and when the weather is good take our dogs on walks and ride our horses on the awesome logging trails nearby. My husband and I enjoy working in the garden together, and when we can find time, taking our boat out or going fishing. Our newest thing we like to do together is travel to the location of a new book and research the area. He’s always hoping I’ll set a book someplace we haven’t been that he’d enjoy visiting.

Do you have a nugget of writing advice that has completely changed how you view writing?

I’d have to say ‘enjoy the process and quit worrying about perfection’.  My son is trying to write and can’t seem to get the first chapter written. He wants it to be perfect and I’m encouraging him to just WRITE, and quit second guessing himself every sentence. Let the words flow, let the story develop—you can always go back and make changes when necessary.

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

Hearing from readers who have been touched by my work. I got a letter from a young woman whose life was changed after reading my debut novel, The Other Daughter. SHE was the other daughter of her dad—a man she didn’t meet until she was over 30, and when she did she discovered a step mom who hadn’t known about her and found it difficult to accept her. The stepmom was given a copy of my book. She read it and passed it along to the girl. They ended up talking about the emotional points and how they related to their own situation, and before it was over they were hugging and crying. If a book can bring healing or joy to a reader’s life, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.

What do you like readers to take away from your books?

Something they can apply to their own lives. I try not to preach in my books, but they all have a solid spiritual thread woven throughout. It might be acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, trust—there’s always a theme and a message, as well as strong values and Godly principles. Of course I want the reader to be entertained by the story and to remember the characters, but I pray that even in a historical romance, they’ll end up gleaning something they can use as their own.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

A couple of places—my web site has the most personal info (family pictures, pics of the places we’ve visited to research my books, my journey into writing, etc) which is www.miraleeferrell.com  

My blog, where I occasionally feature other authors’ books and do a free book drawing, or just chat about my life. You can find me at www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com

Or Facebook, where I have both a profile page and a reader’s group. The profile page is www.facebook.com/miralee   I’d love to meet any of your readers at any of those places!

Thank you for being with us today!             

Thank you for having me, Casey. I’ve enjoyed it!!!

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Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on March 5th.

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