Coffee with Billy Coffey and a Giveaway

For the three people 

tortured by their secret complicity 

in a young man's untimely death, 

redemption is what they most long for . . . 

and the last thing they expect to receive.

so begins the description on the back cover of Billy Coffey's latest novel The Devil Walks in Mattingly.

Billy has once again graced me with the opportunity to ask him a few questions about this new story and his work in general.  Pour yourself a cup of coffee or your favourite beverage and sit a spell with us. Don't leave too quickly, there's a giveaway brewing at the end of our chat.

Billy, I appreciate that you're willing to take a few minutes to once again talk about your work as your latest book launches.  I think I'll mix it up today, asking some deep and some more trivial questions.

Do you have more than one novel in progress at the same time, one getting captured on paper and others percolating in the background?

I do. I’m always looking for a story. I’m neurotic enough that I’m afraid those ideas will dry up sooner or later, so I like to keep a thick stack of them. I try to plan Novel B while I’m writing Novel A. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work out the way I’d like it to.

Do you know as you begin a new work that you will need more than one novel to tell the tale?

I think there are two things going on with all of my books. There’s that single story, and then there is some mysterious overall arc that’s going on in this little Virginia town where all of these stories take place. I have no idea what that overall story is yet, but I’m hoping I will eventually.

The Devil Walks in Mattingly feels like your deepest and darkest book to date.  Did this story haunt you more as you brought it to life?

There were aspects of it that got into my head a little. Taylor’s character certainly did. Not so much because he did such awful things (which is certainly true), but that he did those awful things because of the deep pain inside him. I wanted him to be truly frightening at the beginning of the book, and truly pitied at the end.

What do you have sitting on your desk while you write besides coffee?

So much stuff. Books, papers, pictures. I have an old tomahawk head that was found in a cornfield near my house. A small bust of Leonardo da Vinci. And plenty of pens.

What tools do you use, paper and pen, keyboard or both?

It’s always paper and pen at first. I can write faster with a keyboard, but faster isn't always better. I have a Waterman fountain pen that I've used for a long while now. It’s my favorite thing. I’ll usually write a chapter longhand, type it into my computer, print it out, and then go line by line with a pen again.

The people of Mattingly all seemed quick to accept blame.  Do you agree that it is harder to accept credit for positive things?

It’s certainly true for me. There’s a fine line between carrying a sense of responsibility and being burdened by a sense of blame. There are people who believe themselves perfect and people who believe themselves horrible, and there’s little middle ground. Trying to find that balance that says yes, we’re flawed, and yes, we’re wonderfully made, can be tough. But it’s necessary.

Can we expect to read more about Jake, Kate and Zach in future novels?

The Barnett family is slowly becoming central to a lot of these stories, especially Jake. As sheriff, he’s more often than not the man standing between the town and all this darkness. You’ll see all three of them in the next novel, especially Zach. You’ll see Allie Granderson from When Mockingbirds Sing in that one, too. It’s called In the Heart of the Dark Wood, and it’ll be out this November.

Thanks for sharing your visions with us in such wondrous ways Billy. You leave us richer for the reading.

Thomas Nelson Publishers has been kind enough to make a copy of The Devil Walks in Mattingly available for me to give away to one lucky reader.  All you need to do is:

leave a comment below telling me your favourite hot beverage (helps me think warm thoughts in the middle of this, our extended Canadian winter) and you'll be entered into a random drawing. 

To earn extra entries, share this via Facebook, or Twitter or Google+ then come back and leave me another comment for each shout-out.

Keep watching here. Winner will be announced Monday when I post my review of this wonderful story!

 

Yankee Doodle Christmas and a giveaway!!

In only three days my friend Sheila has a novelette being released!

Sheila Seiler Lagrand, Ph.D., earned her doctorate in anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. As an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego, she studied anthropology and literature with an emphasis in writing. You will find her blog on the home page of this site. Sheila is a member of The High Calling. As a young woman she published poems in dozens of literary magazines. She has also contributed to anthropology journals and contributed a chapter to the book Fieldwork and Families: Constructing New Models for Ethnographic Research.

More recently, her work has appeared in Wounded Women of the Bible: Finding Hope When Life Hurts, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (BibleDude Community Commentary Series), and a few volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has work forthcoming in Soul Bare. 

I was blessed to be able to read an advanced copy of this warm and delightful tale about a bit of a Christmas mix-up.  I also had the opportunity to have a sort of virtual coffee date with Sheila to ask her some questions.  Why don't you go pour yourself a cup of something comforting and join us.

Sheila, your novelette Yankee Doodle Christmas is releasing in just a few days.  That seems like a wonderful gift for a writer. What other gifts would you like to receive this year?

Karin, thanks. It IS a wonderful gift. I would love to receive the gift of time--more time--to spend with our extended family. 

What are your favourite gifts to give?

Something that shows I've been paying attention, I guess. We took three of our grandchildren to the tall ships festival and Ayden, the 9 year old, was very interested in a book about pirates. We bought him one for Christmas. 

Your main character struggles with the need for approval.  What would you say to others who share the same struggle?

Oh, that's a hard question. Because I want to say, "God made you just as you are for a reason. Of course you're 'good enough.'" But I know when I've been in the throes of insecurity, that statement wouldn't soothe my spirit. I might be more likely to pray for that person rather than dispense advice.

What was your most memorable Christmas? 

Oh, that's a tough one. They've all been memorable. Maybe it was the Christmas I spent in the hospital when I was 14, recovering from a ruptured appendix. My parents were there with gifts at 8 a.m. That left a sweet impression on me. 

Coming from the Midwest and now living in Manitoba, to me winter has always meant snow and cold.  How do you make it look and feel like Christmas in California?

We hang lights, put up a tree, decorate, drink eggnog. Sometimes it gets all the way down to the 50s, you know.  And some years it's 80 degrees on Christmas. I've lived here all my life (except for a year in Polynesia, where it's even warmer) so I really don't have anything to compare it to. Snow is something that happens in the mountains and we drive to visit it. 

Mrs. Delsey's butter cookies are mentioned often in your story.  Do you have a recipe?

What a great idea! I don't. Do you?

Now, I ask you all the  same question?  What is your favourite butter cookie recipe?  Share it with us in the comments and you'll be entered to win a free e-copy of Yankee Doodle Christmas as soon as it releases.

Winner will be chosen by random draw on Wednesday night, not by bake-off!

Billy Coffey on writing and a giveaway!!!

I have been moved, inspired and encouraged by the words of Billy Coffey since I first started reading his blog years ago.  He is a writer's writer and a down to earth, God fearing, sit awhile on the front porch Virginia man.  With his latest novel When Mockingbirds Sing releasing next week, Billy was gracious enough to take time to answer a few questions for us.

Billy, with three books published and another on the way, I believe you’re qualified to speak a bit about the art and craft of fiction writing.

Do you feel like you design your characters or do they develop a life of their own as you begin to put words to paper?

I usually begin with a name, a problem, and how that problem gets solved. Novels aren’t about events as much as they’re about people and how they change between the first chapter and the last. Those three things are all I allow myself to think of at the beginning. After that, they sort of come alive on their own. By and large, though, I think every character in every story is in some ways a reflection of the writer. At least, that’s true for me. 

Do the paths your stories wind down ever take you by surprise?

Occasionally, yes. I've always been better at characters than plot, so I have to approach plotting carefully. It’s a balancing act. If you sit down and try to outline every single moment of your story, there’s a good chance it will grow stale. I have in mind where I want to start, where things need to be at the middle, and a rough idea of how it all ends. I let the rest take me by surprise.  

How much have your characters taught you, or changed the way you look at this life?

I think they've taught me much more about myself. All the characters in When Mockingbirds Sing are segments of my own personality—Leah’s shyness, Allie’s belief in life’s magic, Reverend Goggins’s sense of entitlement. They’re all me. Seeing me laid out on the page wasn’t very comfortable, but it made me see my own strengths and weaknesses.

I know we have talked about how much courage it takes to pour your self into words.  Where do you turn when that courage begins to fade?  How do you keep yourself going?

To me, writing is a huge blessing. It’s also a huge responsibility. Readers don’t owe writers anything, and to pretend otherwise is only to court disaster. But writers owe readers plenty, and chief among that is honesty. You have to give the very best of yourself to the page, even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts. That responsibility is what I most often turn to when the courage begins to fade.

Any other words of wisdom or encouragement for those of us still working on our first novels?

Write every day. For every hour you spend on social media, spend three on your work. 

Read every day. Not just the genre you’re writing for, either. Read anything. Everything. The broader your knowledge, the better you’re writing will be.

Kill your darlings. 

Polish, submit, wait. And when those rejections come (they will, and often), always try one more time. I cannot stress that rule enough. Always, always. Just once more.

I hope this peaks your interest in Billy's work.  If you haven't already, you really should read Snow Day, Paper Angels and next week his latest becomes available When Mockingbirds Sing.  Here's a little peek into this new novel:

Thomas Nelson Publishers has been kind enough to make a copy of When Mockingbirds Sing available for me to give away to one lucky reader.  All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me what gives you courage and you'll be entered into a random drawing.  To earn extra entries, share this via Facebook, or Twitter or Google+ and come back and leave me another comment for each shout-out.

Keep watching here. Winner will be announced next week when I post my review of this wonderful story!

 

Words on stones

Bonnie asked us to write about encouragment.  I share below a post I wrote for (In)Courage last October.  In the process of encouraging others I learned how God desires to encourage me!

I delight in giving gifts, little trinkets, tokens of beauty to surprise the people I love. I find that it is a way to encourage someone who might need a touch from the Lord. So imagine how thrilled I was to find stones engraved with words of inspiration at a bargain store. I piled all of the packages they had on the shelf into my cart, well pleased with my discovery.

I gave a heart marked love to my mother the afternoon I accompanied her to the first of her chemotherapy treatments. As tears flowed with equal abandon down both of our faces, I suggested she keep it close as a reminder of both God’s love and mine.

I gave one faith stone to a young friend departing for five months of bible and missions training in Africa. This would be her first time away from home, and I wanted her to remember that the plans God has for her are good.

Another stone bearing the word joy served as a farewell gift to a church friend moving out of town. She was sad to be walking away from our customary Sunday morning greeting hugs. I told her to consider herself embraced and cherished each time she felt the stone in her pocket.

I began to carry a few stones in my purse, so I would always have one on hand should the Holy Spirit prompt me to share. The other day I noticed that one rock at a time, I had given away almost all of them.

Only three remained; truth, faith and hope. As I spread them out on the table before me something shifted and settled in my spirit. When I know the truth I can walk in faith that God is Who He says He Is which allows me to live in hope.

I sensed God telling me:

Know Me – know truth

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 NIV

Know Me – know faith

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God Romans 10:17 NKJV

Know Me – know hope

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NLT

I am keeping these three as a gift to myself, a reminder of where to place my focus and my trust. I will carry them with me in the same way I carry His Word in my heart. When I feel the cool smoothness in my hands, I will look forward to the day He promises to me.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. Revelation 2:17 NKJV

What promises are you storing in your heart?




Come join us at Bonnie's to read more, share your heart and take part in a special giveaway!

And the winner is ----

There were many page views but only 5 comments entered for my giveaway of a new copy of the compelling novel Priceless written by Tom Davis.

The answers to the questions I asked can be found at She is Priceless - please click over and look around, allowing the Lord to speak to your heart about the issue of human trafficking.

1. How many children are trafficked every year?  1.2 Million
2. Every ______ minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation?  2
3. How many times each day is the average victim forced to have sex? 40
4. What is the average age of a trafficked victim? 14 

I entered the range of 1-5 into the integer generator at random.org and am pleased to report that the winner is:

#2 the comment left by Kari Anderson. 

Congratulations Kari, I'll get the book to you right away.

No time to be silent & a giveaway

The Lord has been urging me, by His Spirit to speak up for those things that hurt His heart.  After reading Priceless - A Novel on the Edge of the World by Tom Davis I know beyond knowing that the Lord grieves over the trafficking of both children and adults in the sex trade.

In my review posted December 1st I wrote:

Do not begin reading this book if you do not want to be forever changed. You will be moved to weep, to pray and to speak out for the rights of those who have been unable to speak for themselves.

But now I do want you to read this book, and Children's Hope Chest wants you to read this book, because God needs your hearts to be moved.  I have been given a copy of this compelling novel to give away to one of my readers.

First, visit the website She Is Priceless to learn more about the book and find the answers to the following questions:

1. How many children are trafficked every year?
2. Every ______ minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation?
3. How many times each day is the average victim forced to have sex?
4. What is the average age of a trafficked victim?

Next , leave your answers in a comment to be entered.  Be sure to leave an email so I can contact you if you win.  A winner will be randomly chosen on January 15th from entries with the correct answers.

Lastly, but most important, please pray for the end of human trafficking now.