Varina Denman "Jilted" -- and Mending Hurting Hearts

Dear Readers~I'm so excited to host author Varina Denman on my blog. As you'll read in her bio, she's a Texas girl and she writes about struggles we, women (not just Texans) face in today's world.

Welcome, Varina. Please tell us about how God led you to write Jilted in your Mended Hearts series.

In the beginning, I didn’t have a plan for Lynda

Turner and Clyde Felton. At that time, all I

knew was that Lynda was a bitter woman who

had been shunned by the church, and Clyde

was an ex-convict who had spent twenty years

in prison. Both of them had been jilted by love

interests, by their friends, and by the church.

Then I realized that’s true of

many people in

real life. Things don’t always

work out like we

imagine they will, and friends

let us down—

even friends who call

themselves Christians.

So over the course of the series, I realized

Lynda and Clyde very much needed their own

book. In fact, their story is the crux of the

whole series, and Jilted brings all the conflict

to a nice tidy conclusion.

Through writing Jilted, I grew spiritually. As I

walked through life with Clyde and Lynda,

helping them to forgive and overlook the faults

of others, it became easier for me to bestow

grace as well … which was probably God’s

main goal all along.

Sounds like a great story, Varina. I don't of anyone who hasn't felt jilted at one time or another. It's painful.

And now, Varina's bio...

Varina Denman writes

stories about the unique struggles women face. A native Texan who spent her high school years in a small Texas town, Varina now lives near Fort Worth with her husband and five mostly grown children. Her passion is helping others make peace with their life situations. Varina’s Mended Hearts series is a compelling blend of women’s fiction and inspirational romance. Connect with Varina through her website, Facebook, 

Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

What's Grace Greene's Greatest Challenge?

Author Grace Greene is my guest today through Wednesday on Everything Writerly. If you're not familiar with Grace and her work, here is her bio:

Grace Greene writes fiction with romance, suspense and inspiration, always with a strong heroine at its heart, and there's a happily-ever-after ending--most of the time. Her debut novel, Beach Rental, released in 2011 and her second novel, Kincaid's Hope, released in January 2012.

Your latest novel sounds interesting, Grace. What is Kincaid's Hope about?

Beth Kincaid left her unhappy childhood behind and created a life free from untidy emotionalism, but even a tidy life has danger, especially when it falls apart. Beth returns to her hometown to settle her guardian’s estate, but runs smack into the problems she left behind and discovers she must also settle with the past to find love and build a future worth living.

**Note to readers: You can read some sample pages on amazon.com.

CLICK HERE to read them. **

AND NOW MY INTERVIEW WITH GRACE:

     What genre do you write in? 

         My genre is Women’s Fiction, but there’s also romance, suspense and inspirational elements. Each book has a different proportion of romance, suspense and inspiration, but ultimately the story is about the heroine and her journey.

      What motivates you? 

         What-ifs motivate me. A concept, a theme, or a setting…something gets stuck in my head and   gradually evolves into a story.

    
     How does your faith affect your daily life? 

         Faith has always been a huge part of my life and sustains me through rough times. Faith is constant – I am less so, and get distracted by life’s demands, but when I am lost in doubt or indecision I remember faith is there – just a prayer away.

      

     How much spirituality do you weave into your story? 

       The amount of spirituality varies. It is important to me that it occurs organically as part of the story. My debut novel, Beach Rental, has a large amount of inspirational content showing the spiritual growth of the heroine, but in my most recent release, Kincaid’s Hope, the inspirational elements are less evident until trouble comes along. Like so many, my characters begin to remember the power of prayer when things get really tough.

.    
     What is your general purpose as an author? 

        I like to tell a story. I hope to entertain and if a new idea or concept lingers with the reader after they close the book, then that’s the absolute best I could hope for.

      What is your greatest challenge in your writing? 

         My greatest challenge is to keep moving forward. There’s all sorts of things – life, obligations, time and emotional drains – to interrupt and take a writer off-track. And sometimes it’s the writing itself that throws up obstacles, or the writing process gets discouraging…but that’s where faith comes in again, doesn’t it?

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

          Recurring themes in my books seem to be faith, hope and forgiveness. We can’t move forward and be the best we can be as long as we hold on to guilt and grudges.

      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? 

         I do believe there is evil, but most often in my stories it’s just your basic bad. Bad choices. That moment when a person could go one way or the other – and once chosen, the bad choice will often multiply beyond what the person ever imagined.

      What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper? 

        My next book is in its final draft but not contracted for yet. I’m excited about it. I think it’s a fun book – kind of a twist on a southern Gothic, but contemporary and with a heavier dose of suspense than in my prior books. You can keep up with my news, including upcoming releases, on my website www.GraceGreeneAuthor.com

Grace, thank you for stopping by Everything Writerly. It's been fun getting to know you better.

To my readers: Grace is giving away a FREE COPY of Kincaid's Hope. So be sure to leave a comment and we'll have a drawing and announce the winner on Wednesday April 11, 2012!