"No Longer a Captive" by Carol James -- Author Interview, Blog Tour, and Giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: No Longer A Captive

Author: Carol James

Genre: Christian Fiction

Release date: October, 2021

When Ethne O’Connor’s brother tells her of father’s unexpected death, Sean asks her to do something she promised herself she’d never do. Come back home.

A victim of childhood abuse, Ethne left her father and the small Texas town of Crescent Bluff ten years ago on the night of her high school graduation. She’s determined to end the cycle of abuse and believes the only way to do that is remain single. If she has no husband, she’ll never have children that can be abused.

Then she meets Daniel Spenser, a handsome doctor with chocolate-kiss eyes. Daniel understands her past in a way no one else does. He’s lived it.

Will Daniel be able to help Ethne break the chains of captivity around her heart?

And will God release her from her past, to be free to trust the man she comes to love?

Author Interview

Becky, Thank you very much for featuring me on your blog.

I really appreciate the support and encouragement.

Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes you?I do a combination. Minimal plotting. One of the things I enjoy

about writing romance is that it is somewhat formulaic. There are

four different plot points that I need to hit in a story: inciting event,

point of commitment, black moment, and satisfying ending. In

addition, I build my storyline around at least one Bible verse and

one hymn or Christian song. For No Longer a Captive, the main Bible verse I used was Galatians 3:26: “So in

Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.”  And

the song I used for inspiration was the Bethel Music song

No Longer Slaves. 

What, according to you, is the hardest thing about writing?For me, the most difficult part of writing is not the actual writing,

but the promotion that authors do. While I retired from a job in

international business, promoting/advertising was not part of my job. I

find there’s a balance between not promoting enough and promoting

too much. But I’m blessed to be a part of a very supportive and

encouraging group of authors who are always glad to help promote. 

Do you pen down revelations and ideas as you get them, right then and there?I have a stack of notebooks that people have given me to fill with

ideas. I keep one by my bed in case I have an epiphany or an

exciting dream. But I often get ideas on my daily walks.

When I’m away from all the hustle and bustle and alone in

nature, my mind clears and God often speaks, and I speak the ideas

into my phone. It’s a great tool for recording ideas and inspiration.

Do you need to be in a specific place or room to write,

or you can just sit in the middle of a café full of people and write? do all my writing on my laptop, so I can write outside, in a coffee

shop, in the den in front of the TV. Just about anyplace. My first

novel was pretty much written in bed on Saturday mornings. But,

I do most of my writing in my office, listening to Christian music.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?Ideas are all around us, but I find I get most of mine from a

Christian song, a scripture, or a sermon. I love walking in

the park, listening to Christian music and an idea often

strikes meNo Longer a Captive was born from a statement our pastor

made during a sermon. In his folksy manner, he said,

“Unforgiveness is a prison.”  My English-major-self knew

unforgiveness was not a word, but the meaning of the

statement was more moving than any grammatically

correct sentence might be. Later on, in another service,

we read Galatians 3:26, “So in Christ Jesus you are all

children of God through faith.”And the idea for No Longer a

Captive, a story of finding freedom through forgiveness, was born.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Carol James is an author of inspirational fiction. She loves creating Redemptive Romance. She lives in Lilburn, Georgia, a small town outside of Atlanta, with her husband Jim, and a perky Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.

Having always loved intriguing stories with happy endings, she was moved to begin writing to encourage others as she’d been encouraged by the works of other authors of inspirational fiction.

Her debut novel, Rescuing Faith, was an Amazon number one best-seller. Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter to be the first to learn about new releases: www.carol-james.com

Just recently, Carol allowed Zoe to start Instagram and Facebook pages with two of her dog friends. Follow them at Instagram: 3DogsandtheirAuthorsIG or Facebook: 3DogsandtheirAuthorsFB to learn the behind the scenes info about being a writer.

Carol enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, traveling with friends, and serving in the production department at her church. And most days, in the late hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, she can be found bringing her newest novel to life.

 

More from Carol

One question people always ask me is, “Where do you get the ideas for your books?” Oh, ideas hover all around us. We need only open our eyes and see the common and everyday through the lenses of our faith.

 

Several years ago, my husband and I began attending a large church near our home. We’d heard people talk about the inspiring sermons their pastor, Buddy Hoffman, preached.

 

Buddy was unlike any preacher I had ever heard. He had a folksy manner, and he absolutely delighted in tripping all over the English language. Once he told us about a recent mission trip to Asia where he saw Kubotas (i.e. pagodas) dotting the landscape. A picture of a hill covered with riding mowers and tractors popped into my mind.

 

One Sunday morning, he preached about forgiveness. Ten years later, I don’t remember the major points of the sermon. I remember only one statement he made. “Unforgiveness is a prison.” My English-major self tensed, knowing unforgiveness wasn’t even a word. My husband would have called it a Buddy-ism. But it didn’t matter that unforgiveness wasn’t listed in the dictionary or that spell-check would underline it. That brief statement carried a depth of meaning that entire books might not. Later, in the same service, our worship pastor led us in the song “No Longer Slaves.” And from this service, the idea for No Longer a Captive was born.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, April 28

Inklings and notions, April 29

Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 30 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 30

For Him and My Family, May 1

deb’s Book Review, May 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 3

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 4

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 5

Splashes of Joy, May 6 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 7

Blossoms and Blessings, May 8 (Author Interview)

Spoken from the Heart, May 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 10

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 11 (Author Interview)

Miriam Jacob, May 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carol is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and an e-copy of No Longer a Captive!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1d3b9/no-longer-a-captive-celebration-tour-giveaway