What's Cookin' with Bonnie Calhoun?

Today I have the pleasure of visiting with author Bonnie Calhoun. Bonnie is owner of the ChristianFiction Blog Alliance, publisher the Christian Fiction Online Magazine. She is the Northeast Zone Director for ACFW, President of Christian Authors Network, Appointment Coordinator for the Colorado Christian Writers Conference and the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, and ACFW ‘Mentor of the Year,’ for 2011.

Bonnie also has a new book out, her debut novel, titled, Cooking the Books. Here's the blurb:

After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also "inherits" a half-batty store manager; a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakleys Book Club; and Aunt Verline, who fancies herself an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, “What else can go wrong?”A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While Sloane uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy

Bonnie is giving away a FREE book, 

so be sure to leave a comment and enter the drawing!

NOW FOR MY INTERVIEW WITH BONNIE:

1.      What genre do you write in? (Historical, contemporary, romance, etc.)

I write in a genre all my own…it’s suspense/mystery with a whole lot of humor. Actually what I do is throw in all the laughs so that my friends who are in the Big Honkin’ Chickens Club are lauging so hard that they don’t notice the dead bodies or blood lying around.

2.      How much spirituality do you weave into your story?

There’s no hard of fast rule about how much spirituality to weave into the story. Actually I don’t go about a “weaving” process. It happens organically. My leading example is the book of Ester. There is no mention of God in the book, but yet you can see His hand all over it. And that’s how I tend to create my stories.

3.      What is your general purpose as an author?

My general purpose as an author is to be an entertainer. That is the gift that the Lord gave me. Actually…He gave me several (I wasn’t being greedy, he was being generous!) and this is the one that is most relevant at this time.

4.      What message do you hope to convey to readers, either in this latest book or in all your books?

All of my stories will be about women overcoming great obstacles in their life, most of the time they are self-imposed obstacles, and I hope to show them how to build the strength to be a survivor.

5.      Do you believe there is evil in the world and, if you do, how do you portray it in your novels (or do you portray evil in your novels)?

 Of course! I believe there is great evil in this world. But I also believe that since Adam and Eve each and every one of us has been born with the sin nature, and it doesn’t even take “great evil” to bring that out in man. He can get in trouble all on his own! Yes I portray evil…because no one lives an ideal life under a rock. We are all affected by sin…or evil at some point, and our response as Christians should be praising the Lord through that trial, and then coming out the other side of the fiery furnace and not smelling like smoke! 

6.       As an author, what are your goals for the future?

My goals…well considering that all of this makes me very excited, my immediate goals…like for book signings and such, are not to fall down or throw up. Long range goals??? To be a consummate entertainer for the Lord.

 < By the way, Bonnie had her first book-signing this past weekend in New York and didn't throw up or faint. YAY!>

7.    Lastly, Bonnie, how do you deal with rejection letters or an irate reader?

That one is totally easy! They are not part of my target audience…so I wish them well and move on!