Giveaway and Author Interview: Love on Assignment

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

You’re starting off with a hard question for me because I’m not as interesting as I’d like to be.

Okay, most people don’t know this—when I was a senior in college I had one week to read the entire trilogy of Lord of the Rings (over 1,200 pages) and write a 20 page paper about it. The professor thought she’d cancel the paper, but in the end, she didn’t. So, a seminar full of seniors read morning, noon and night. And I hated fantasy. I also had exams to take that week.

What surprised you the most about being a published author?

For me writing was a very different experience before I got ‘the call’ than after. I sat in my bedroom or on the sun porch and wrote my stories when I felt like it. Without a deadline I felt absolutely no pressure to finish anything. I wrote when my muse struck. I had all the time in the world to revise and look up words in the Thesaurus and try to get every sentence just right. Even though I wanted to take the step from hobby to career, I still treated writing as a hobby. I worked hard learning the craft, but I wasn’t consistent. I didn’t have to give up any other fun activity to write.

I knew meeting deadlines would require discipline, but I didn’t know how difficult that would be. But I got used to it very quickly because I had to. I also learned a deadline can stimulate creativity or panic. You choose how you deal with it. I also never envisioned writing a book while I did revisions on another book and promoted still another. Writers are busy people! And we’re jugglers.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

I enjoy reading many genres—women’s fiction, literary, mysteries and suspense, romance. I don’t like paranormal, fantasy or speculative fiction. My published stories are historical romance with a touch of mystery. I love history, especially the Gilded Age, but I also like to read and write contemporaries. Someday I’d like to write a historical mystery series for kids in the middle grades. It’s not surprising that I read all the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books when I was in 5^th and 6^th grades.

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

I love camping in a camper, not a tent, going to the beach and reading. Travelling is on the top of my list of fun things to do, but unfortunately I don’t have enough time right now.

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

Even when you’re discouraged, keep on writing. Perseverance is the key. If you quit you’ll never get published.

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

You mean besides the instant fame and fortune? LOL. I’ve met so many wonderful writers and they’ve become close friends. I’m thinking of the members of the Gulf Coast Chapter of RWA and my ‘seeker sisters’ at www.seekerville.blogspot.com. It’s amazing to me that so many writers are so supportive and encouraging!

Unless you’re published people often don’t take your writing seriously. They consider it just a hobby. It’s not a ‘real career’ if you’re not getting paid. That can be annoying and frustrating. My family has always been supportive, but sometimes I felt guilty for all the time I spent learning my craft. I don’t any longer because I’m on deadline. But I think I shouldn’t have felt that twinge of guilt before I sold. You have to put in the time and effort learning before you can sell.

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

In all my books I’m trying to emphasize that living the Christian life is hugely important. You can evangelize all you want and that’s wonderful, but you have to incorporate the teachings of Jesus into the very fabric of your life. Talk is cheap. Most of my characters deal with the problems of materialism and greed. My stories take place during the Gilded Age (the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th), but their temptations are the same for us now. Despite our country’s economic troubles, we live in a land of plenty for so many people.  We still have to deal with how we allocate our money—do we donate it to the poor who need it or spend most of it on ourselves? Do we give our money to missions or build a church coffee shop? The Bible should be our guide.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

You can find me at  www.caralynnjames.com and www.seekerville.blogspot.com  

Thank you for being with us today!

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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 25th.