Special Giveaway and Interview: Singing in Babylon

Welcome to Writing for Christ, Ann Gaylia O'Barr, it is great to have you here! Do You have an interesting fact about yourself the average reader probably doesn’t know?
I worked for the U.S. State Department, mostly in the Middle East, for fourteen years. My work included child custody cases of American children of mixed American/foreign marriages in which the child had been taken by the foreign parent. I also visited American citizens in foreign jails. In a couple of cases, I worked with Americans killed/injured in terrorist attacks.　

What surprised you the most about being a published author?
How much difficulty I would have with the question of genre in marketing my novels. SINGING IN BABYLON, for example, has romance, but it’s more of a love story than a romance, and the love story is only one force which shapes the characters. It’s really about a Christian woman who accepts a job in Saudi Arabia and grows through experiences with other Christians there, including a journalist with whom she falls in love.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?
I read almost any genre as long as the characters are intriguing. I like Lisa Samson’s books, and the Mitford series by Jan Karon, and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. I also enjoy Susan Meissner and Jack Cavanaugh.

My novels always have a love element, but they usually include other issues as well. For example, Kate, the female protagonist in SINGING IN BABYLON, sees her faith stretched, when, for the first time in her life, she cannot worship openly as a Christian. Philip, the male protagonist, deals with guilt from his past and his inability to forgive himself for a particular period in his life. The stories deal with the characters rather than a particular genre.

Obviously, my experiences working for the U.S. State Department, mainly in the Middle East, color my writing. My characters often are awakened by meeting people of other cultures for the first time or, for whatever reason, are jolted out of their comfortable, domestic life in the U.S. My niche, I think, deals with characters in global professions (journalists, teachers, diplomats, and so on).
 

When you aren’t writing or interacting with fans, what do you enjoy?
My husband and I hike on the Puget Sound island where we live. We enjoy getting together with family and close friends. We belong to a village church, two book groups, and a "fireside discussion" circle. I also try to work out regularly at the local Curves.

Do you have a nugget of writing advice that has completely changed how you view writing?
 I have an "inspiration" folder that I read every day. Included is a column from Lin Johnson, an editor for Christian Communicator, which states: "And if God has called us to write, we must obey that call. We’re not content until we do so."

In some cases, perhaps the writing is a step to some other call, but if God has called us to write, we have to do it, through good and bad, depression and joyousness.

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?
When people tell me they couldn’t stop reading my book or that a character has turned them on, I’m so grateful to God, and it’s encouraging to conclude that I haven’t been wasting those hours in front of the computer.

What do you like readers to take away from your books?
The same things I like to take away from a book: the pleasure of an upbeat story well-told with characters I’d like to keep on knowing and which, as a bonus, may point me in the direction of God’s great themes of courage, redemption, and forgiveness.

Because of my background working overseas in countries where Christians are a minority, I’d also like to stretch the minds of American Christians with an awareness of the rest of the world, much of which doesn’t share our convictions. Through my blogs as well as my novels, I consider world events from a Christian perspective.　
　
Places for readers to learn more about you?
I recently started a blog to provide a forum for Christians interested in discussing issues raised in my books. These include the calling of the Christian in a world of many cultures. What’s our response to the global events that rock the evening news? Our country has an increasingly secular viewpoint. How do we earn the right to influence?
 http://scribblingsfromexile.blogspot.com

My web site is: www.anngayliaobarr.com or you can email me at islandfiction@hotmail.com

Thanks for being here Ann!

Okay, readers here is your chance to win Ann's novel, Singing in Babylon

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Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on March 11th.

** Contest Now Closed**