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June Foster interview
Questions for June Foster
1. In Give us this Day, you don’t follow the traditional formula for inspirational romance. Your leading man is morbidly obese and the lady is physically and perhaps emotionally handicapped. Did Desert Breeze nab the book the first time out?
I had to laugh. The editor-in-chief of Desert Breeze confessed when she first read my blurb about a romance between a three hundred pound man and a woman with a prosthetic, she doubted it would make a good romance. But as she read the chapters, she was hooked. She contracted me for the entire series. That is one thing I love about Desert Breeze. They strive to offer "different" as long as the quality is there.
2. Do you have a scripture verse or a moment when you knew God called you to be a writer?
Yes, after I retired from teaching, I discovered a story lurking in my head. In November, 2009, I happen to tell my daughter the story. She told me I should write it. That was the spark I needed. I knew then that God wanted me to write for His glory.
3. How does your calling fit with fiction?
I'm praying readers might identify with some of the characters and find hope for the problems in their lives as well.4. Do you aim to bring encouragement and inspiration to your readers, or does it happen as your characters come to a crisis and then faith takes them through?
The latter. I hope that when a reader indentifies with one of my characters, he/she may find the same hope and faith which takes my character to a point of healing.
5. Could you give us an example from one of your books of a character’s faith in action?
Yes. Jess Colton in Give Us This Day believes he is a hopeless food addict. Through the help of Tim Garrett who becomes Jess' support and accountability partner, Jess confesses gluttony as sin and finds healing through his faith in God and His Word.
The scene from the book where Jess is in the hospital after going into a diabetic coma: The nurse’s assistant brought another pitcher of water and two cups. Tim poured a cup for Jess and one for himself. “Here you go.” He set Jess’s cup on his bed table.
Tim cleared his voice. “Tell me how I can help you.”
“As you can see by my size, I’m obese. Shall I lay it out for you without sparing words?”Tim nodded maintaining a steady gaze.
“I’m a glutton.” There. Jess stated the facts. Just by doing so, another piece of Jess’s broken life fit into place. He gave a deep sigh..
“By saying it, you’ve taken the first step.”
Later: “I’ve prayed so many times to be free.”
“Have you first confessed this as sin and admitted to God that you’re powerless over your addiction?”
Jess blinked. “No, not like that.”
“This is a spiritual problem. Have you claimed God’s power and appropriated it in your life?”
Jess found no words for Tim. The magnitude of his emotions didn’t allow them. For the first time, he had true hope. He could be free.
Tim grinned. “I can see you understand what I’m saying. Let’s pray.”
“You got it.” Jess blinked back a tear he hoped Tim didn’t see.
6. Do you start a book knowing your characters, or do they jump to life on the page—even amazing you?
Again, the latter. I create a profile of my characters writing out their personality traits, their strengths and weaknesses. But after I begin writing my chapters, sometimes the characters tell me things I didn't know about them before.
7. It’s been said that truth is stranger than fiction, but I’ve found good Christian fiction often helps readers discover truth. Do you agree?
Give Us This Day is my debut novel and I haven’t had feedback yet from readers. I agree that a writer can lead a reader to discover God's truth through the situations and lives of the characters.
8. Electronic books seem to be the way society is going. How long have you been reading on electronic devices?
I received a Kindle for my birthday in November and now my husband has one as well. Since we have limited space in our RV, they work well for us.
9. Give us this Day is part of a series. Will these same characters appear in your other books?
Yes, Holly and Jess will appear in As We Forgive. Tim Garrett, Jess' mentor, is the hero.. Tim will be the spiritual influence in the life of the hero, ex-drug addict, Jared Simms in Deliver Us. The heroine of Deliver Us, a GYN doctor, makes a brief appearance in As We Forgive.
10. Will having sequels to write affect your marketing for this novel?
Yes, but probably more than that, my inexperience in this area will as well. I have to admit, marketing is my least favorite part about being a writer.11. What other things have you had published in the past? Did they prepare you to write this series?
I wrote two others before this series. I believe the experience of learning how to write as I penned my first two books undoubtedly help me in writing the Bellewood Series.
12. You write full time. How long does it take to create a novel?
It depends on the length of the novel, but generally four months.
13. Is there anything else you would like to share?
I'd like to thank you, Ada, for your wonderful and insightful questions. I appreciate you having me on your blog.
14. Where can we purchase your books?
The book is available at the publishers – Desert Breeze Publishing Company as well as the following ebook outlets: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony Readerstore, Apple's ibookstore, All Romance ebooks, Christianbook.com and Books on Board ibookstore.
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