September interview with Alice K. Arenz about Hiding From Christmas. Alice is very graciously giving away one ebook copy of Hiding From Christmas! Please leave a comment and include contact information.
Tell us about the book – a brief blurb for Hiding From
Christmas:
No matter how hard she tries,
Maddie Kelley can’t seem to fit in at Ornamental, a company founded by her
great grandfather and his best friend. Now, after yet another screw-up, she’s
been sent into the “enemy’s” camp—two hours away from home for the next two
months.
A punishment or a blessing?
Her life is turned upside down
when the mundane turns unexpected, and she finally discovers where her heart
truly lies.
This is the fourth novel set in
the fictional Missouri community of Tarryton. Come visit old friends and make
some new ones! Others include: The Wedding Barter, The Case of the
Bouncing Grandma, and The Case of the Mystified M.D.
MISC: I’d
like to add that this book is a true
“labor of love.” Not only is one of my granddaughters on the cover, but the
book itself is something I never thought possible for me to write. Every time I
turned around, I was doing more researching, checking and rechecking to make
certain it was possible—that’s what you get when God gives you a story about a
non-existent company and then you have to learn different things to “populate”
the company. It wasn’t just making up a name, it was the whole package! Totally
and completely out of my wheelhouse. But, God gave me the story and provided me
a way to tell it. I learned a lot in the process.
But I still hate research!
Do you create playlists for each book, write to the same
music all the time, don’t listen to anything?
I prefer it to be as quiet as possible—only ambient
sounds. I’ve an issue with my hearing where I ‘over hear’ things, meaning that things
can seem louder than they actually are.
Where is your favorite place to write? Pictures?
I used to write in our third bedroom which we made into a
kind of office. Now, I write at the kitchen table. As for pictures... if I had
a beautiful, peaceful place for writing near the ocean or a waterfall, then I’d
send them. I don’t think anyone wants to see my kitchen. Let’s just say it’s not
HGTV ready. :)
Will complete this opening? “It was a dark and stormy
night…”
The wind seemed to crash into the side of the house,
rattling the windows and finding every nook and cranny to seep through the cracks
in the walls.
What book do you admire do you wish you’d written?
I’m a Dean R. Koontz fan and am fascinated by his books. One
of my favorites is Twilight. Love the way that man’s brain comes up with
things!
How do you find the balance of writing time and family time?
I don’t do social media, which may not help in selling
books, but it makes more time to spend with my family or actually writing.
When I’m up against a deadline, it’s really tough to find
a balance—especially when the deadline in looming right in front of you. My
kids and grandkids had to work around my schedule to celebrate my birthday
recently. That’s not an easy thing when a hundred miles separates one part of
the family from the rest—and you have to find a couple hours that doesn’t
interfere with anyone’s activities. But, those couple hours were awesome!
Share your bio and links for social media and to buy:
BIO:
Alice K. Arenz has been writing
since she was a child. Her earliest publications were in the small,
family-owned newspaper where her articles, essays, and poems were frequently
included. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Arenz is a Carol
Award winner and two-time finalist. She writes “clean” fiction as well as
Christian fiction in a variety of genres and lengths. Hiding From Christmas is her fourth
book to be set in the small, fictional community of Tarryton, Missouri.
Visit her at her web site: www.akawriter.com
Buy link for Hiding from
Christmas
1 comment:
Thanks for inviting me on your blog today, Laura. I really appreciate you and your readers. Alice K. Arenz
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