About the Book
Book: Season of Hope
Author: Carol James
Genre: 20th Century Christian Historical Romance
Hope Stockton’s life is dead, frozen in a winter of guilt, deceit, and fear. When a handsome young pastor, Josh Lewis, comes to serve in her church, she wonders if she can trust him with her past. Will he be able to help her find the answers to the questions that have been buried in her heart for years? Or will his own secrets drive them apart and prevent him from helping Hope find her spring of forgiveness?
Set in small town Texas in the years during and following the Vietnam war, Seasons of Hope is a story of forgiveness and restoration.
Click here to get your copy!
Author Interview
Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes you?
That’s a great question. In the world of writing, authors often place themselves into one of two categories - a Plotter or a Pantser. I consider myself a Plantser. I do minimal plotting prior to writing. I know three to four major plot points (usually the beginning, ending, point of commitment, and the black moment), and then as I write from point to point, I let the characters lead. Sometimes I am amazed where we go!
What, according to you, is the hardest thing about writing?
For me, the most difficult part of writing is not the actual creation of the story, but not comparing myself and my “successes” to other authors around me. When even one person tells me one of my books ministered to them, that is the greatest success I could want.
What would you say is the easiest aspect of writing?
The easiest part of writing for me is being obedient, knowing what I am doing is a calling, a ministry.
Do you pen down revelations and ideas as you get them, right then and there?
Yes! I have notebooks all over the house. The Notes app on my phone is full. Sometimes I record on my phone when an idea hits me as I’m on my daily walk. I also snap pictures of situations, things, or people that spark ideas (like a server in a restaurant that might make an interesting hero) and file them away in my mind for later use.
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?
I do most of my writing in my office, but I can write almost anywhere - coffee shops, the car (as long as I’m not driving, ha, ha), the park. I really like to have music playing while I write.
When did it dawn upon you that you wanted to be a writer?
It was truly a late-in-life revelation. I was an English major in college because I loved grammar. I never desired to write. If anyone had told me I would one day, I would have laughed. But, when God called me to a writing ministry, I had no doubt it was His calling for me at that time in life.
How long does it usually take you to write a book?
I’m a slow writer. I would estimate that it takes me about a year from the conception of an idea until the novel is ready for submission. But generally during that time, I am also writing other things - novellas, short stories, blog posts.
Where do you get your ideas for your books?
Ideas are all around. Sometimes a Bible verse, a hymn or worship song, a sermon will spark a fire deep within me. Other times, people will say something that gets my mind racing. For instance, the idea for one of my novels, The Waiting, was born when an unmarried co-worker shared she was praying over a list of characteristics for her future husband.
What is your work schedule/routine when you write?
I try to write everyday. When I was working full-time, I wrote early, early in the morning when my mind was fresh. But now that I’m retired, I write whenever the mood hits me.
Do bits of yourself/friends show up in your characters?
Absolutely, but not as much as you might think. Sometimes my characters are the person I wish I was.
Anything else you'd like to share?
Thank you for letting me visit today. I am honored to be able to share.
About the Author
Carol James is an author of inspirational fiction. She lives in a small town outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell “Terrorist,” 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, has been a number one best seller on Amazon.
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
Overcoming the Darkness
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
I’ve read or heard this verse hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. But I remember exactly the moment I truly understood the picture it paints.
I sat in church one Sunday morning. For weeks, I’d been elbow-deep in crafting a manuscript set in the years following the Vietnam war. The title was Season of Hope.
In the squeaky voice our congregation loved, Pastor Buddy read this scripture and then asked a simple question. “Have you ever thought that light always overcomes darkness?”
Of course I’d thought that. I knew The Light was Jesus. I knew through His perfect sacrifice, He overcame the darkness of sin and death to give us life and light.
But then, in his folksy manner that would sneak up on you and drop the truth right in your lap, Buddy’s sermon began to paint a poignant illustration.
You can walk into a dark room with any amount of light, no matter how small—a candle flame, a flashlight beam, or even the illumination from the face of your phone—and the light will always…always…invade the darkness.
But the opposite is never true. No matter how great the darkness and how small the light, darkness never prevails. Never overcomes the light.
And what little you manage to see in the darkness is distorted, not an accurate representation of reality. Because darkness hides reality. It shows us only colorless, indistinct imitations. Light, however, shows us beauty and truth.
Simple, right? Maybe. But like so many truths in the Bible, the idea is rich and full of meaning when you meditate on it.
When I left church that day, I knew my heroine’s battle was to be a clash between light and darkness, truth and lies.
In Season of Hope, Hope Stockton’s heart is frozen in the dark winter of her past. She’s spent so many years hiding her failures and fears from the light of truth, she questions whether her heart will ever feel the warmth of spring again.
Then she meets Josh Lewis, and she wonders, can she entrust him with the dark secrets that have been buried in her heart all these years?
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, August 6
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 7
Artistic Nobody, August 8 (Author Interview)
Inklings and notions, August 9
For Him and My Family, August 10
deb’s Book Review, August 11
Simple Harvest Reads, August 12 (Author Interview)
CarpeDiem, August 13
SusanK. Beatty, Author, August 14 (Author Interview)
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, August 15
Musings of Sassy Bookish Mama, August 16
Sodbuster Living, August 17
Batya’s Bits, August 18
Blossoms and Blessings, August 19 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Carol is giving away the grand prize package of a digital copy of Season of Hope and a $40 Amazon gift card!!
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/fe97/season-of-hope-celebration-tour-giveaway
