Christian Contemporary Fiction
Book 3 of The Sola Series
Date Published: July 1, 2019
Publisher: TruthNotes Press
Grace Neunaber may have everything she’s ever dreamed of, but sometimes it’s too much. With an infinite to-do list and not enough sleep, she can’t even get out of survival mode. Her struggles dim, however, in light of the challenges of her oldest daughter.
Thanks to a supportive family and boyfriend, Faith Williams is managing single motherhood on top of college plans. But when the father of her child re-enters her life, her carefully scheduled world is rocked. She can hardly blame him for wanting to spend time with their son, but making her boyfriend jealous and claiming to be Christian is going a bit far.
Despite Faith’s best intentions to keep everyone happy, disaster after disaster strikes, and school is suddenly the least of her worries. Grace must set aside her own difficulties so she can be there for her daughter. And in order to survive the uncertainties, Faith must loosen her grip on her grudges and cling to the hope that God is the only one in her life who hasn’t changed.
Interview with Ruth Meyer
As a writer, what would you choose as your
mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A sheep to remind me of why I’m
writing—to share with others the Good News of Jesus. The sheep reminds me of
two things: 1.)Jesus is the Lamb of God, and 2.)He is the Good Shepherd, and we
are His sheep.
How many hours a day do you put into your writing?
It really depends. When I’m in the middle of
writing a rough draft, I can easily get consumed in a story and write for three
hours straight (if my kids will let me!). When I’m going through the editing
phase and making changes based upon my editor’s recommendations, I find I need
to work through that in shorter chunks of time, because after a while I get
less objective about her suggestions and more defensive! At that point I know
it’s time for a break! And then there are days when I just don’t want to look
at my manuscript at all and need to take a step back before diving in again.
But overall, I’d say about two hours a day.
Do you read your book reviews? If yes, do they affect what
you write in the future?
Yes and yes. I know some authors prefer not
to read reviews, and some big-name authors have so many reviews they don’t have
time to read every one, but for now I do read my book reviews, and I’ve made
minor changes based upon certain reviews. For example, one critic said one of
my characters seemed too perfect, and I took that to heart. Ever since then
I’ve made sure each of my characters has some flaw or shortcoming so I don’t
portray anyone as perfect. But I certainly don’t make changes based upon every
little critique. Everyone has different opinions and suggestions, and an author
would drive herself crazy trying to placate everyone.
Do you leave hidden messages in your books that only a few
people will find?
I don’t do anything really deep, but
there are certain characters I’ve named knowing only a few people will get the
meaning. One example is Pastor Lixon, who is named after my great-grandfather,
Pastor Lichtsinn (pronounced the same but with a different spelling). The
average reader wouldn’t think anything of it, but it was meaningful to my
family. I also include a few stories from my own experiences that my family
will recognize and appreciate.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in “Hope Alone”?
“Hope Alone” continues the story of the
Neunaber family from books 1 and 2 of the series, “Grace Alone” and “Faith
Alone.” It largely centers on Faith, Grace’s oldest daughter, but I also
include sub-plots involving other family members so the reader knows they’re
still around! I won’t spoil anything, but I will also say for those who have
read “Faith Alone” that Spencer makes a reappearance as well, which might make
some readers nervous…
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
The fourth book of the series, “Stand
Alone,” will be released in September, and focuses mainly on Jackson. All told,
I have eight books planned for the series, and although I don’t have every
detail planned out, I have a general outline of what each character’s story
will entail, and I have the final scene of the final book written as well.
Do you allow yourself a certain number of hours to write or do you
write as long as the words come?
This is tricky, because I’ve always
had at least one of my five kids home with me all day, so I rarely get the
chance to slot a certain number of hours for writing unless it’s early in the
morning or late at night. However, I generally write as long or short as I need
to during the initial writing phase. Some days I’ll write five chapters and
some days I’ll struggle just to write one conversation. So that really depends.
I just write as long as my characters want to speak through me.
Do you have a certain number of words or pages you write per day?
I know authors who do this, and it
works for them, but I find it’s too rigid for me to set a word count goal,
because sometimes the words simply don’t come. I’ve had dry periods of a few
weeks when my characters just seem to fall silent, and no matter what I try, I
almost always end up deleting everything I write during that time. In order for
me to write something decent, they have to be willing to open up and share
their stories, as crazy as that may sound!
What inspires you to write?
Everyday life! I find plot ideas all
around me—in my own life, in stories from other people’s lives, and sometimes
in other books. I’ll read something in a book that will click with me as a
situation one of my characters would face, but in a different way. (No
worries—I don’t plagiarize!) I also find that a long walk outside helps clear
my head and sometimes gives me inspiration. Two of my main plot twist ideas
have come to me in the middle of a long walk. Fresh air and physical activity
do wonders for the brain!
Would you rather
Read fiction or
non-fiction?
Fiction, in general,
although I need a good non-fiction book every once in a while too.
Read series or
stand-alone?
Hmm. Good question! I
love finishing a great book and knowing there are more books to come in the
series, but some series get out of control. When there are too many books, it’s
just overwhelming. There’s also something very satisfying about reading a
stand-alone and knowing you don’t have to follow up with another book to get
the rest of the story. So I guess I’ll say both!
Read Science fiction
or horror?
Sci-fi, definitely.
I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi, but I have read a couple good books in this
genre. I don’t care for horror at all, although I absolutely love a good
mystery.
Read Stephen King or
Dean Koontz
I’ve honestly never
read a book by either one of them!
Read the book or
watch the movie?
Read the book. (Unless
it’s “Lord of the Rings,” in which case I’ll take the movie!)
Read an ebook or paperback?
Paperback! I love the
feel of a book in my hands and the smell of the pages.
Be trapped aloe for
one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and Wi-Fi
only?
Ooh, that’s tough! I’m
constantly in a battle between not enough time to read and not enough time to
write. I think I’d say the library, though. It would be great to be “forced” to
read, and reading does often give me ideas for my own writing anyhow!
Do a cross-country
book store tour or blog tour online?
Honestly, if I was
better known as an author, I’d love to do a cross-country tour. But for my
situation that’s completely impractical, and blog tours generally reach a lot
more people anyhow, so I’ll stick with blog tours!
About the Author
Ruth Meyer graduated from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a degree in church music and no plans whatsoever to become an author. But a student of the week project for her son inspired "Our Faith From A to Z," a children's picture book. After that, it was only a matter of time before she tried her hand at fiction. As both the daughter of and the wife of a pastor, Ruth has moved around a lot and had many experiences that provide ideas for her writing. Currently, she resides in rural Texas with her husband, their five children, two dogs, and a cat. It is her hope that through her writing, readers are assured of God's grace through His Son, Jesus
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5 comments:
thanks for hosting
I like the book cover. Makes me want to take a closer look. Best of luck with the book and book tour! I saw this post in the Monday, Jul. 08, 2019 edition of The BookTube Your Shelf Daily Reader.
Thank you for sharing the interview with us
Great interview, I enjoyed reading it!
Interesting interview
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