Women of Faith and Fiction ~ Candace West

/ Gail Johnson / 3 Comments

Welcome to a new edition of Women of Faith and Fiction. Thank you for joining me. I’m so glad you’re here! Today’s guest is Candace West.

Good morning, Candace. Tell us about yourself.

Personal

I’m a preacher’s daughter, a wife, a homeschooling mama, and a friend. I tend to be shy in large groups of people. A little bit of an introvert. Chocolate is my go-to dessert! I love animals, particularly cats. Family means everything to me. I’m always ready to go antique shopping or browse for books. Exploring or touring old houses is one of my passions. I’ll sit all day long and listen to someone telling a story about the old days. Bluegrass, Big Band, and classical music flow through my veins. I hoard old photographs, especially family ones. The Ozarks are my favorite place in the world other than home. I’m an avid reader. And I love to write stories.

I’m with you on the antique shopping and book browsing. Please, tell us about your writing.

Professional

When I get a story idea, I’m usually doing something else besides writing. I might be cooking, cleaning, or driving. A character pops into my imagination, and a story blooms. I’ll jot notes on whatever is handy. Whoever said paper towels were only for cleaning up messes? Later, I’ll type a rough outline. When I start writing, I let the characters take me to the place and action. I guess I’m a mix between a pantser and plotter.

I guess we’re both plantsers. LOL. Now, what is your latest book about?

I’m excited and a bit nervous about my new writing venture. I have two books scheduled for next year. One will be the third book in the Valley Creek Redemption series. The other is a historical for The Mosaic Collection. Prayers appreciated!

Congratulations on the new adventure! From where does your inspiration come?

Many places. I’ve been blessed to have men and women of God in my family who have overcome trials and obstacles. My mom, my grandmothers, and my aunt have shown me their bravery, their steadfastness, and their love. Special friends have weathered storms along the way. Most of all, my faith inspires me because “with God, all things are possible.” Hope and redemption are things I love to write about because they’re real and lasting. Available to anyone. Eternal.

It is truly a blessing to have others encouraging us along our way. Would you share a word of encouragement with our readers?

Inspirational

I would love to! In my launch team, I recently shared a thought with the ladies (they are amazing) that I hope encourages someone here. You know, we’re moms, sisters, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, daughters-in-law, nieces, and friends.

We’re ladies and we’re doers. We’re caretakers. We’re the shoulder that someone needs to cry on. We’re helpers. We desire to minister to the needs of others. And we should.

“We’re ladies and we’re doers. We’re caretakers. We’re the shoulder that someone needs to cry on. We’re helpers. We desire to minister to the needs of others. And we should.” ~ @candacewest111 via @GailJohnson87 #WFF #interview

Sometimes the load gets tough. In the busyness of life, we sometimes forget there is One who has shouldered the burdens before we did. We get so accustomed to carrying the load that we forget to ask for help.

Breathe, ladies of God. Take a little time to rest in Him. No matter what you’re facing, remember that it’s OKAY to lay your burdens on the Lord. You don’t have to shoulder it alone.

Thank God we don’t have to possess all the answers. We can cast all our cares on the One Who does. He will see us through.

Candace, thank you so much for joining us and for that word of encouragement. Readers, you can connect with Candace here:

Newsletter

Facebook Author Page

Instagram

Twitter

Amazon Author Page

Book Blurb

A shattered heart.
A wounded spirit.
A community in crisis.

Lorena Steen gave up on love years ago. She forgave her long-time estranged husband, but when circumstances bring her to the Ozark town of Valley Creek, she discovers forgiving is far from forgetting.

Haunted by his past acts of betrayal, Earl Steen struggles to grow his reclaimed faith and reinstate himself as an upstanding member of Valley Creek. He soon learns that while God’s grace is amazing, that of the small-town gossips is not.

When disaster strikes, the only logical solution is for Earl and Lorena to combine their musical talents in an effort to save the community. But even if they’re willing to work together, are they able to? Or will the shadows that descend upon Valley Creek reduce it to a ghost town?

Research: Love It or Hate It, You Gotta Do It, Part Two

/ Gail Johnson / 5 Comments

Welcome back! Today, Crystal Caudill is sharing more ideas about research. Love it or hate it, you gotta do it. 🙂 Take it away, Crystal!

Organizing the Research

As much as I hate to admit it, taking notes which are easy to reference is critical. It is really important to keep a running bibliography so that you can back up your research when questions arise, and you can reference something if you get confused as you look over your notes.

I use a program called Scrivener, and under the research tab I create folders. My “big folders” are named by the topic: Setting, Etiquette, Fashion, Gardening, etc. My broad needs are labeled for quick reference.

Inside of each folder, I break it down to it’s smaller component topics. My current character is a master gardener, and I am a black thumb, so under my gardening folder I have topics like: Master Gardener (which will include examples, requirements, real people and their gardens which I can reference), Plants Heroine Works With, etc.

Beyond that, each book resource will get its own folder. Each website gets a single text document. I name these text documents and book folders by the name of the resource, and also by the topic if the resource is focused on a single topic. I take my notes in a table format:

Page NumberExact QuotePersonal Notes/ ObservationsPossible Plot Points
1“ABC”It’s the alphabetA letter goes missing

It is a bit tedious, but I do find that it has been invaluable in brainstorming, reviewing information, and finding a specific fact quickly.

Each person has their own method, this is just mine, so do not feel like you HAVE to do it my way. Do be sure to keep track of your resources though. You never know when you will have to justify something you wrote.

Conducting Research

When it comes to conducting research, it is easy to get lost in the mire of possibilities. You can visit museums, websites, historical societies, read history books or primary sources, travel, or even search satellite maps.

Most of my research is done from home and online. To find my resources, I usually start with a search of my local library’s catalogue or a Google search to find some reputable resources. Yes, I even go to Wikipedia—but only as a starting point to direct me somewhere else. I get what information I can, and then I look at their bibliographies. This is how I narrow down what I am going to read.

I prefer diaries, books, and newspapers written during the era I’m writing. This can be difficult and expensive if I’m not careful. I highly recommend seeing if your public library has a subscription to Historic Newspapers websites. Mine has several. From home, I can read newspapers and search for topics in those newspapers for free. It is marvelous.

For books, there has been a wonderful movement to digitalize old books and most of them are free to read. Below I’ve given you a list of my favorites. You can search by title, year, subject, or even keywords. It has been a lifesaver, especially during these strange times which make research extra difficult.

While finding books from the 1880s can be expensive and difficult, there are a lot of books that have been digitalized and can be searched for free. Below, I’ve given you some of my favorites. 

Online Resources

https://babel.hathitrust.org/ – This is my favorite resource. It can take some weeding through, and you’d definitely want a specific title, but I have found countless resources here.

https://books.google.com/ – They list them all, whether you can read them or not, so just make sure they say Free E-book when you click on it.

https://archive.org/ – This one has gotten in trouble lately for pirating current books, so make sure you are only looking at books printed before WWI. Generally I only go to this website once I have a specific title in mind. There are usually multiple copies of the same book and it does take some weeding through.

Search for the historical society of the area you are researching. Some of them have online resources, some will be thrilled to talk to you and help you out, and some will never answer back. Either way, they are a go-to resource for information you would never have imagined.

Stay tuned. There’s more!

Crystal Caudill is a tea-drinking, book-hoarding, history nerd. Her parents had no idea what a monster they were creating when they took her to her first history museum. From that moment on she has been researching and crafting stories filled with danger, love, and history. She enjoys her Kentucky life as a wife, mother of two crazy boys, and caretaker. You join Crystal on her writing journey or peruse her book reviews at www.crystalcaudill.com.

“When it comes to conducting research, it is easy to get lost in the mire of possibilities.” ~ @CCaudillWrites via @GailJohnson87 #writetip #amwriting

Capturing the Moment

/ Gail Johnson / 21 Comments

I’ve seen media posts wishing to chunk this year into the wastebasket. I’ll admit I’ve thought about it until two weeks ago when I had the chance to be still and enjoy the moment.

That week, we spent four beautiful days with my son helping him settle into his new home. While working in the yards, we kept hearing a hawk, but couldn’t see the bird. Wanting a photograph, I was up the next morning, sipping coffee on the deck. My loss of sleep was not rewarded. Later, standing at the window, I struggled with the decision to grab my camera or just revel in the scene before me. Deep within my spirit, I heard, “Enjoy the moment.”

I relaxed and gave thanks for this undeserved gift. Then, I asked the Lord to help me live in the present, not glancing in the past or searching for the future, but the here and now, whatever my circumstance. Hard to do when things aren’t going your way. But as I remained there, memories of the last four years flooded my mind.

I wrote my memoir in 2016, so I was excited to see 2017. That January, I fell twice within a week and broke several bones. During my recuperation, I prayed for 2018! In September, I lost my irreplaceable furbaby. I didn’t pray for 2019 to come. Time was teaching me to just wait. As the years before, I faced unexpected events. In the spring and summer, I stayed in the dermatologist office for skin cancer removal. My thyroid meds also needed adjusting, and that put me in an emotional and physical tailspin. But through it all, God was faithful. But honestly, I was ecstatic to ring in the New Year.

And here we are. In another world! The present circumstances have taught me to hold tighter, laugh louder, talk longer, and love harder. I’m learning not to be so worried about capturing the memory as much as enjoying it, especially with my loved ones. When I do, I show faith in the hope I have in Christ, assured that He’ll redeem this time. And amid all the uncertainty, I wait expectantly for His appearing. Just like I did that morning on the deck.

Waiting.

Expectantly.

I didn’t need a picture to remember the hawk. He’s engraved on my mind. There’ll be other days to capture a similar moment, but today I’ll enjoy the moments the Lord has granted me.

How about you? Are you enjoying the season you’ve been offered or waiting for a better time? 

The present circumstances have taught me to hold tighter, laugh louder, talk longer, and love harder. #hope @GailJohnson87