Graduation Celebration...Almost! ;)

Hello Readers! I was planning on doing a fun Graduation Celebration at the end of May to celebrate, well, my graduation, but due to unforseen circumstances, I had to cancel it. :( But! I do have two author interviews/giveaways to present you with today!

Kathi Macias:

How long have you been writing?

I’ve always wanted to write, even before I started grammar school. I’m passionate about words and books! If I’m not writing, I’m reading. I told my then boyfriend (now husband) when we were in junior high that I was going to be a writer someday—never wanted to do/be anything else.

What inspired you to write the Extreme Devotion series?

It actually began back in the late 1980s, as I watch the turmoil and violence going on in South Africa during the struggle to overthrow Apartheid. I remember thinking, “What must it be like to be a Christian in the midst of such upheaval and danger?” I sensed then that I’d like to write a novel set in that time and place, but it wasn’t until a few years ago, while talking with Andrea Mullins at New Hope Publishers about various book ideas, that I mentioned the idea for the South Africa book and that I’d like to expand it to a series, with similar type stories set in different countries. She loved the idea, and though New Hope had never done fiction at that point, together we launched their “fiction with a mission” line, and we are thrilled at how the books are ministering to people around the world.

What are you working on now as far as writing?

I am currently in the middle of a new 3-book fiction series for New Hope—the Freedom Series. The topic is human trafficking, with the first book—Deliver Me from Evil—releasing in Fall 2011. I have also just completed my first ever Christmas novel. It will release from New Hope in Fall 2011 also, and is titled A Christmas Journey Home.

If you could enter any book and live it out as the main character, what book would you choose, and why?

Wow, that’s a tough one, but I think I’d like to be one of the two main characters in my new Christmas novel, a widow named Miriam whose border patrol agent was killed in a drug skirmish at work and who must wrestle with her faith and face her own personal demons—culminating in a completely unexpected meeting with another widow in a barn full of animals on Christmas Eve. I would choose Miriam because she has such an epiphany of the real meaning of Christmas and the “miracle in the manger” that brought it about.

You're chosen to be the director of a movie based off of whatever book you want. What book would you choose?

Oh, another hard choice! I suppose I’d have to pick No Greater Love, the book about South Africa that inspired the Extreme Devotion series, simply because I wanted to write it for so long and the story lends itself so well to the big screen.

If you could have a lifetime supply of anything you wanted, what would it be?

Do-away-with-calorie pills so I could eat anything I want without gaining weight. Seriously! My favorite foods are things like pizza, cheeseburgers, ice cream…well, you get the picture. And if I don’t pay attention to those nasty calories, the picture is NOT pretty, if you know what I mean! I know. I need to stick to lean meats, fruits, vegetables, etc. And I do—out of necessity. But if I had free reign, with no caloric consequences? LEAN wouldn’t even be in my vocabulary.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

You sure know how to ask difficult questions, don’t you? I suppose I could list many writing and speaking achievements and awards, but I think my greatest accomplishment would have to be that my grown children tell me what I great mom I was/am. Looking back there were so many times when I felt like the biggest failure ever, especially as a mom, but to know that they remember the good times and are glad I’m their mother is the greatest gift I can imagine—next to Jesus, of course.


Melanie Dickerson:

How long have you been writing?


I wrote two novels when I was in high school, but I stopped writing when I went to college. I started back about 8 years ago.

What inspired you to write medieval romance?


I’ve always loved the medieval time period. It has always appealed to me ever since I discovered King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Ivanhoe, and the colorful pageantry of jousting tournaments. I also loved fairy tales, which are generally set in the middle ages. Having two daughters, I was sort of re-introduced to fairy tales when they were little. When I started getting the idea for The Healer’s Apprentice, it was a perfect fit for me.

What are you working on now as far as writing?


I am working with my editor at Zondervan to finish up the edits for The Merchant’s Daughter, a Beauty and the Beast story that comes out in November. I am also finishing up the first draft of a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs story that has been a lot of fun to write.

If you could enter any book and live it out as the main character, what book would you choose, and why?

Hmmm. I think I’d choose Pride and Prejudice, since I fell in love with Mr. Darcy when I was in my teens.

You're chosen to be the director of a movie based off of whatever book you want. What book would you choose?


Wow, I don’t think I’d make a very good director! I’m not sure I have very good “vision.” I love watching movies, though. I guess I would choose to make a new version of Ivanhoe, since that is such an exciting, romantic story but I don’t like most of the movie versions of it. I’d also like to be somewhat involved in the making of my books into movies! What author wouldn’t?!

If you could have a lifetime supply of anything you wanted, what would it be?


That’s easy. Lindt brand dark chocolate truffles, the ones in the dark blue package. Mmmmmm.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?


Well, besides staying married all these years and having two wonderful daughters, it would be the five books I’ve written. Those books were hard work! But nothing compares to my family.

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So, thanks to the authors, we will be having TWO winners! Just leave a comment saying which book you are interested in! The books you can choose from are People of the Book by Kathi Macias and Melanie Dickerson's The Healer's Apprentice! :D Hurry and enter! This giveaway ends Friday, June 24th!

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