Meet Debut Author Carol J. Nelson ~ Audra - Dying For Life ~ Giveaway

It's What's New Wednesday, 

and Whispers in Purple is pleased to bring you an interview with debut author Carol J. Nelson, plus a giveaway.

Welcome, Carol. Thank you for spending some time with us to answer a few interview questions. I'm excited to be hosting you and your debut novel!

Ready? Then let’s go. First, tell us about your writing.

How long have you been writing?

I started writing little romances when I was in seventh or eighth grade. But what does a twelve-year- old know about romance? My family moved from Iowa to Washington State when I was fourteen. Being short of friends in my new surroundings, I turned to made-up friends in stories I wrote. I did make friends, but I continued creating fictional friends, too. By the time I married a week short of my nineteenth birthday, I had accumulated a men’s suit box full of hand-written-on-notebook-paper stories. I threw them all away. I’ve often wished I could read some of them, now, to see what I was thinking at that age. Could any of them been salvaged later in my writing journey?

I was already a mother of three daughters when I took a writing course. And just as I was ready to try the big leagues of writing fiction for magazines, women’s lib came on the scene. I couldn’t write that. So, I put my dreams on the shelf and concentrated on raising my children. I may not have been writing on paper, but I never stopped writing in my head!

With my daughters married and gone and my husband engrossed in maintaining a church website, I had time on my hands. So, I wrote. Four novels. But they remained imprisoned in my computer because the first one didn’t sell first time out. However, after my husband died, I felt impressed that the Lord wanted me to get serious about my writing, and He wanted me to write for His glory. I never tire of saying the Lord sent me a wonderful Christian editor, and the first book has been published.

So, to give a short answer to a long explanation, I’ve been writing for nearly seventy years. And I feel my best years are still ahead.

How do you go about finding names for your characters?

I love to pick names for my characters. I like to dress them with names that fit their character role. Sometimes I’m typing along, and a name will just pop into my mind without forethought and it fits. Other times I’m stumped and go to the phone book, the obituary section, or online name lists. But I don’t use first and last names from the same source. I did have to learn to write down each character’s name as I gave it to them, so everyone has a different initial. Saves a lot of confusion for the reader. Although, I did make a concession to that in Audra – Dying For Life. Audra got her name from one of her mother’s second-grade students. However, Dann’s name is a blend of his father’s name, David, and his mother’s name, Janna.

Okay, let’s find out more about you:

When reading, what is your favorite genre?

I tend to read more WF than anything else because I like the deeper explorations into interpersonal relationships those stories offer. I like to learn from other WF writers, but I often get so caught up in the story I forget to take notice of how they write. But I also love a good mystery, and every so often I’ll throw in a Christian romance to lighten life up a little.

How similar are you to your hero/heroines?

I can see bits of me in all my heroines, but if they were just like me, their lives would probably be humdrum. That’s the fun of creating characters. They can do things I only dream of doing! Probably the main way we’re similar is in our faith. If the heroine isn’t a strong believer at the start of the story, she will be by the end, and I do tend to infuse my beliefs into her.

Great! Now, let’s Talk about your debut book:

Title: Audra – Dying For Life

Author: Carol J. Nelson

Publisher: BookBaby

Release Date: August 10, 2020

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Series/Stand-Alone: Chandler’s Grove Series, Book 1

Target Audience: Women of all ages

From the back cover:

When Audra Knight’s gynecologist says, “I need to do a biopsy,” it numbs her to the core of her being. She’s young, she’s single, and she’s at risk for developing cancer. It’s not the time to be noticing Dann Day, the handsome new band-orchestra teacher at Chandler’s Grove Academy. But why should Dann consider her, anyway, with her unresolved anger issue, the way she’s strayed from church and God, and the fact that Heather Easton already seems to have claimed him as her own private property? No, she won’t get involved with him. It could too easily end in heartbreak, and she won’t put a man through that. Still…

What take-away value do you want readers to gain from your novel?

It’s fourfold.

• ·      No matter why or how long ago we strayed from God, he always wants us back.
• ·      God gives us life. He wants us to live it with joy and to the fullest.
• ·      Seeking God’s will always bring peace.
• ·      Cast(ing) all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 ESV

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Chandler’s Grove Book 2, Life Transformed, is ready to be published and hopefully will be out this fall.

My current WIP is Chandler’s Grove Book 3, Becoming Sisters. God willing, Book 4 will follow.

I also have two stand-alone books, Abby – A Promise Is A Promise, and Meredith – Compassion’s Witness, ready and waiting to be published.

Carol’s BIO:

Carol J. Nelson lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she spends most days writing Christian women's fiction. Although she started writing in childhood, it took a lifetime to know what her heart truly desired and needed to write—stories that touch the fabric of women's lives with hope, grace, and faith, combined with the little spice of clean romance women enjoy. She has three daughters, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She served as an aid in a nursing home, worked in the purchasing department of a large corporation, spent time as the head cook at an all-you-can-eat buffet, and went full circle to become a care giver before settling in to her first love, writing. When she's not at the computer, church, gardening, cooking, and playing cards and games keep her busy.

Book purchase links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Good Reads

Social Media:

Web site caroljnelson.com

Facebook 

Twitter

Finally, the giveaway! Carol is offering a free print copy of Audra, Dying For Life. To enter, simply leave you name and contact information (so we can notify you if you’re the winner) in the comment section below. Giveaway runs for one week from today, ending on Wednesday, August, 19, 2020, at Midnight, Central Time.