Special Interview with Best-Selling Author Lauraine Snelling!!

I was given the extreme pleasure recently of interviewing best-selling author Lauraine Snelling. Having read her books while growing up, it was an honor to interview her here on my blog. So while this is my typical giveaway interview, today it's a bonus opportunity to get to know this beloved, household name author!

Welcome to Writing for Christ Lauraine Snelling, it is great to have you here! So you’re a writer? What made you decide to start creating characters and story world?

I have always been a storyteller, I must have inherited it from my Dad, and so writing the stories down was a natural progression. I have had my nose in a book from the time I learned to read, and before that with a love of being read to. “Read to me,” was a common plea, says my mother. So you combine those two and I started telling stories on paper. The earliest one I have was from fourth or fifth grade, but my determination to someday write horse books for girls started in High School. Writing for real publication began in 1980 when I attended a writers’ conference at Warner Pacific College in Portland, OR. The culmination or the beginning of the dream or a highlight along the path. According to Jack London it takes six months and a lifetime to write a book. The lifetime part is so true.

What is the one title that has significantly impacted your life?

The Bible would of course be at the top. But of my books? Probably An Untamed Land since that started the Red River Series which has been a major event/influence/change/impact since now so much of life revolves around the spin offs from that series.

If you could get a do-over when it came to learning this whole thing called writing, what would you go back and tell yourself?

What a question! The easy answer would be to say write every day, and write consistently. That sounds so easy. But as all writers know, life keeps getting in the way— especially for those of us with such a broad range of interests. But this writer had to grow into consistency and discipline—both never ending learned skills. I am a people person and so people have always come before the writing, be it family or friends or???  So the joke (which is not a joke) is the BIC principle, “Butt in Chair.” Perhaps including a padlock at times. Do overs would be best if I could take all I now know with me as I start the do over.

5 preference questions:

Homemade or take-out?

I much prefer home made but am sure grateful for take out when the

pressure is on.  Love finding good meals in places like Costco, a caterer here in town who does individual meals, or my freezer.

Email or snailmail?

Email. Although I love to send out cards and try to do written letters at least once a year, one personal, one business. Ah, how to do it all!

Online shopping or Black Friday deals?

Doing more online shopping. I do not like pushy crowds so stay away from Black Friday like a nest of rattlers.

Books or movies?

Reading is always at the top of my list, but I love movies. Glad I do not have to do an either/or.

Note-taker or memorization?

Note-taker more and more. I cannot trust my memory, especially on daily details.  I am a list maker and sometimes I can even find my list. Getting better at that too. I AM getting better organized.

Yes, I’m asking you to play favorites…which of your books is your favorite, published or unpublished? And if this is your debut novel, has your favorite been published yet?

This is like asking me to decide which is my favorite child. My cop out answer: the one I am working right now. My mind is freewheeling through my list of books I have written.

So there you have it. Happy reading.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

My website: laurainesnelling.com

                  

Facebook: Two sites, Lauraine Snelling

                   Lauraine Snelling official

Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads

*~Info about Lauriane's Giveaway!~*

In bestselling author Lauraine Snelling's new novel, Heaven Sent Rain, Dinah Taylor has an orderly life, and that is just how she likes it. A balanced bank account, a perfectly furnished luxury apartment, a satisfying career as a scientist and CEO of her own company, and an uncomplicated personal life. Then her well-ordered world is thrown into chaos when she finds a seven-year-old boy and his scruffy dog sitting alone outside her office building.

To celebrate the release of this heart-warming novel, FaithWords and author Lauraine Snelling are pleased to present the GIVE:JOY Sweepstakes. This sweepstakes features three spectacular prizes, each closely connected to the story, but each prize also comes with a twist: you “Enter to Give”, rather than “Enter to Win”! 

This is your chance to do something beautiful and make a difference for a friend, family member, shelter, church, or charity.

 Timeframe & Notifications:

This giveaway starts July 1, 2014 and ends July 21, 2014 @ 11:59 pm (PST). Entry is open to US residents only, age 18 and over. Winners will be selected Tuesday July 22, 2014, and announced at laurainesnelling.com.

GRAND PRIZE:

HELP & HOPE SUPPORT GIFT

In Heaven Sent Rain, Dinah meets an extraordinary little boy named Jonah, and his dog, Mutt. Jonah faces a life of struggle, hunger, and poverty, but his courage in these challenges inspires Dinah to step outside her well-ordered world and do something wonderful for him. Through her choice, Dinah discovers joy is found not in getting more for herself, but in giving to make someone else’s life better. Our Grand Prize winner will have the same opportunity for joy, with their choice of :

• A $250 VISA gift card for a friend in need, or
• A $250 donation to the faith-based charity, church, or shelter of their choice

SECOND PRIZE:

BLESSINGS & BLOOMS SURPRISE BOUQUETS

A mysterious thing happens to Dinah several times in the story: flowers! Beautiful encouragement bouquets—with no sender's name—appear on her office desk during difficult times when she feels she can’t go on. In honor of Dinah's secret flower sender (you'll have to read the story to find out his or her identity) we're offering our Second Prize winner the chance to become a secret flower sender themselves, and brighten the day of a sick friend, a new mom, a military spouse, a weary co-worker, or some other deserving person in their life, with:

• A 3-month gift subscription to ProFlowers Bouquet of the Month Club

THIRD PRIZE:

VALIANT VET ENCOURAGEMENT GIFT

Like Jonah's dog, Mutt, the animals in our lives are priceless sources of help, comfort, and unconditional love. No one understands this better than our story's hero, veterinarian Garret Miller. Throughout the book, “Dr. G” works tirelessly to save and heal people's furry friends, including Mutt, and an injured service dog named Valiant.

And Like Dr. G, many real-life veterinarians and animal shelter workers make all the difference in the lives of our animals, often giving services beyond what's billed. Our Third Prize winner will have a chance to do something extra special for their favorite vet or animal shelter, with:

• A $100 veterinary/shelter donation to be used toward treatment of an animal whose owner cannot afford to pay for veterinary care, or
• A $100 Starbucks card sent to the veterinary/shelter staff as a special encouragement gift

How to Enter: 

Go to http://www.laurainesnelling.com/html/giveaways.html and complete the entry box, anytime between July 1 and July 21.