Women on Writing Book Tour: Nina Guilbeau’s God Doesn’t Love Us All the Same

October 24, 2014October 24, 2014 franciscanmomLeave a comment

Today’s stop on the Women on Writing Book Tour is a novel that reads like a memoir. I had to look twice at the author’s information to make sure this wasn’t a true story. Author Nina Gilbeauu has graciously provided a guest post today on the subject of helping those in need, no matter what the time of year.

Would you like to WIN a copy of this book? Keep reading to find out how you can win!

Helping Those in Need All Year

by Nina Guilbeau

I started my volunteerism by mimicking Janine, a character in my novel God Doesn’t Love Us All the Same. She asked a homeless woman her story, something I had often thought about, but never did. After finishing my book, I went out in search of stories and ended up staying on at one of the volunteer centers. I give of my time, but I am in awe of those volunteers who have given more time for longer. There is always a natural ebb and flow of volunteers, but nothing like what happens right before, during and after the holidays.

At the lead up to our winter holidays, there is a flurry of articles written about how to help the needy. Although special help may be warranted due to the holidays, it also seems to imply that helping others is seasonal. Organizations receive an abundance of helping hands that trickle down to next to nothing as soon as a new year begins. However, the needs of those less fortunate do not dissipate, only the inclination of others to help. Often, for those who really want to help, the question is “What else can I do?” especially when time is limited. Well, here are a few ideas of what we can all do, even with limited time, in order to continue to help all year long:

1) Create a volunteer team
If you want to volunteer your time but have concerns about making long term commitments, chances are, you’re not alone. Find five friends, neighbors, church members or others who share the same desire to help and start a volunteer team. Once your charity organization has been selected, take turns volunteering. Many organizations have a great need for extra hands once a week, which translate to once every six weeks for each member of your team. Feel free to offer your time in other areas or on other volunteer teams. As long as you keep your scheduled team commitment(s) throughout the year, you will never leave the charity shorthanded.

2) Employer charity donations
Make the most of your volunteer time by checking to see if your employer has a charity matching program. Companies like WalMart will give donations to qualifying charities for which their employees volunteer. If your company does not offer this or any other type of program that gives back to the community, check to see if you can start one. It never hurts to ask.

3) Help in schools
Did you know there are homeless coordinators in many school systems? While the focus is often on test scores in our public schools, it is hard to imagine students doing their best when their basic needs of food and shelter aren’t being met. Contact the coordinator at nearby schools to find out the best way to help kids past the holiday season. Perhaps the gift of a daily lunch or sponsoring school supplies, shoes and personal hygiene products for individual children are simple things that may fit easily into your budget and go a long way in helping a child in need.

4) Donate public transportation passes
Many times getting to a place that can help those in need of food, lodging, counseling, job opportunities, domestic violence safe houses and healthcare means traveling across town. Unfortunately, women with children do not have such an option and must walk, often in unsafe areas. Donate bus or other transportation passes to outreach centers dedicated to identifying and engaging those in the most need within your community.

About the Book:

God Doesn’t Love Us All the Same is the touching story about Janine Harris who never really thought about homeless people. She barely even notices them as she passes them by on her way to work in downtown Washington D.C. All Janine can focus on is the shambles of her own young life, afraid that she will never be able to get past the painful mistakes she has made. However, all of that changes on a snowy evening in December when Janine unexpectedly finds herself alone with Vera, an old, homeless woman who seems to need her help. Now Janie wants to know what could have possibly happened to Vera to leave her so broken and alone.

As Vera shares her life story with Janine, the two women form an unusual bond and begin a journey that changes both of their lives forever. Reluctantly, they each confront their own past and, in the process, discover the true meaning of sacrifice, family and love. Although to truly move forward in their lives, they must fast the most difficult challenge of all – forgiving themselves.

Paperback: 254Pages
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Juania Books LLC (May 5, 2014)
ASIN: B00K5IMJOW

God Doesn’t Love Us All the Same is available as an e-book and paperback at Amazon.

About the Author: Nina Guilbeau is the Siblings Editor for BellaOnline The Voice of Women and writes weekly family articles for online magazines. Her e-book, Birth Order and Parenting, is a popular pick with students studying the Alfred Adler birth order theory.

She is a member of the Florida Writer’s Association and the author of women’s fiction novels Too Many Sisters and Too Many Secrets. A winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award for her God Doesn’t Love Us All the Same manuscript, Nina’s work has been published in the short story anthologies From Our Family to Yours and Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Mothers and Daughters. An excerpt from upcoming novel Being Non-Famous was published in the Orlando Sentinel as a Father’s Day tribute.

Follow Nina Guilbeau on Twitter

Visit Nina Guilbeau’s author http://ninaguilbeau.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nina-Guilbeau-Author/660196480720272

Here’s how to WIN! Just leave a comment on this post sharing a way you can help those who are homeless or hungry–regardless of the time of year.

A winner will be chosen at random from all comments left before 6 PM EDT on Thursday, October 30. Winner will be notified by email and will have 2 days in which to claim the prize, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

Book Review and Giveaway: Seven Saints for Seven Virtues

October 15, 2014April 17, 2015 franciscanmom12 Comments

Hot off the presses from Franciscan Media’s Servant Books, here’s Catholic blogger Jean Heimann’s Seven Saints for Seven Virtues! And you can WIN a copy right here!

I’ve followed Jean’s blog, Catholic Fire, for years; the same careful scholarship and fervent faith she shows in the blog is revealed in this book.

What it’s all about: This book examines seven saints of the Church in association with a virtue for which each one is known.

Charity: Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Chastity: Saint Agnes
Diligence: Saint Pope John Paul II
Humility: Saint Joseph
Kindness: Saint Catherine of Siena
Patience: Saint Monica
Temperence: Saint Augustine

What’s inside: A thoughtful foreword by Lisa Hendey of CatholicMom.com, Jean’s own introduction to the book, and a short bio of each saint, supplemented by a discussion of that saint’s particular virtue, quotes by or about the saint, information from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Jean’s reflection on the model of each virtue in her own life, suggestions for practicing each virtue, and a prayer at the end of every chapter. There’s also a generous Recommended Reading list in case you want to learn more.

Why I love it: Saints are often depicted as if they’re so holy, they’re almost not human. That’s not the case with this book. Jean brings out each saint’s special virtue and starts the reader on the path toward living that particular virtue.

How to read it: I’ll admit that after reading the foreword and the introduction, I skipped straight to Saint Monica’s chapter, because patience is one of those virtues that I really have trouble displaying. This book gave me a new perspective on what patience actually involves (hint: it’s more than just being peaceful about waiting in line). You don’t have to read this book in a straight line from start to finish. Choose the saint whose virtues you need the most right now. Start there, and you won’t want to stop reading about the other saints whose virtues Jean highlights!

Try this: Take this book to Eucharistic Adoration. In the space of one Holy Hour, you can read, pray and reflect on a saint and a virtue. Bring along your journal and resolve to work toward developing that virtue in your own life.

How to win a book: Just leave a comment with a valid email address answering this question: who’s your go-to saint?

The winner will be chosen at random from all entries at the conclusion of Jean’s book tour on Thursday, October 23. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond and claim the prize or an alternate winner will be chosen.

Follow along with the tour. Here are the other stops on the Seven Saints for Seven Virtues Book Tour. Many of these are offering giveaways of the book as well!

Monday, Oct. 13 — Plot Line and Sinker Ellen Gable

Tuesday, Oct. 14 —Contemplative Homeschool Connie Rossini

Thursday, Oct. 16 — Can we Cana? Karee Santos

Friday, Oct. 17 — Bergers Book Reviews Alice Berger

Saturday, Oct. 18 — Seven Angels Four Kids One Family Jane Lebak

Sunday, Oct. 19 — Spiritual Woman Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Monday, Oct. 20 — Cause of our Joy Leticia Velasquez

Tuesday, Oct. 21 —View from the Domestic Church Donna-Marie Cooper-O’Boyle

Wednesday, Oct. 22 — Entering into the Mystery Janet Moore

Seven Saints for Seven Virtues is available on Amazon as a paperback or ebook (my advice: get the paperback! You’ll want to write in the margins and highlight the parts that speak most to you.) Your purchase of this book through my Amazon affiliate link helps defray the cost of this website!

Women on Writing Book Tour: Tara Meissner’s Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis

October 6, 2014October 1, 2014 franciscanmom3 Comments

Lately I’ve found myself reading memoir after memoir. But I’m not into the “celebrity memoir” type of book; I prefer books about real people facing real-life challenges. Tara Meissner’s book, Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis, invites the reader into the world–and the soul–of a young woman enduring the effects of bipolar disorder.

The strength of this book lies in the author’s honest, no-holds-barred description of her psychotic break with reality and her journey toward recovery.

I am privileged to introduce Tara Meissner and her book via the Women on Writing Blog Book Tour. Here’s more about the book:

$stress fracture cover$ Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis is a moving and honest psychology memoir about the things that break us and how we heal. It offers a raw view of a 33-year-old wife and mother swallowed by psychosis. The psychotic episode includes meeting Jesus Christ, dancing with Ellen DeGeneres, and narrowly escaping eternity in the underworld.
Casually called a nervous breakdown, psychosis is an entrapment outside of self where hallucinations and delusions anchor. Family, doctors, and fellow patients witnessed a nonverbal, confused, distraught shell of a woman. In the security of a psychiatric care center, the week-long psychosis broke and spit out a bipolar patient in the cushioned place of middle class medicine.
Outpatient recovery consumed the better part of a year with psychiatric treatment and spiritual contemplation. Left scarred and damaged, health returned allowing her to tentatively embrace a grace and peace earned through acceptance of bipolar disorder.

Accepting Bipolar and Finding Grace

by Tara Meissner

I used to pray a lot. Almost like a zealot. Prayer alone was never enough to keep me at peace and allow me to live with grace. Grace to me is living with the capacity to tolerate, accommodate, and forgive people. Peace is sustaining a moment where I am dignified, elegant, and beautiful.

Christians use the word grace to mean a gift to humankind from God in the form of His infinite love, mercy and goodwill.

Disease of any sort makes us question an all knowing and all powerful God. Humans lack the capacity to understand what logic could allow disease from a loving God. Some even say the disease is the devil.

Certainly this is true in history concerning mental illness; some Christians consider mental illness spiritual warfare. This confuses people to think mental illnesses are the devil possessing someone. The cure then is prayer and fully accepting Jesus into one’s life.

In ancient times, a person with epilepsy may have appeared possessed by the devil. (Please note, that I am not discrediting with the concept of evil and that the devil can possess people; this is written on the first page of the bible.) I am only emphasizing the point that mental illness is an organic, biological condition. It is not a supernatural occurrence of evil residing in those afflicted.

I was raised Catholic, received the sacraments, attended Mass regularly, had my son in Catholic school, and habitually prayed the rosary. My transgressions, which I sought reconciliation from, did not invite the devil to take the form of a mental illness inside me. Still, I suffered from depression off and on for nearly 15 years and suffered a psychotic break from reality in 2010. This is commonly called a nervous breakdown.

Since then, I have accepted bipolar disorder as a part of my whole. It is not evil inside me; it does not make me unworthy of love. It is a disease that I can and do treat.

Without the complications of a mistreated and misunderstood mood disorder, I can wake each day with a sense of peace. I can stop pleading to God to cure me. I can stop promising to be a better Christian so that I do not have to suffer with mental illness. I can accept that bad things happen to good people.

With free will, I have chosen to treat the bad, my bipolar disorder. Because treatment for bipolar disorder can reduce and/or eliminate symptoms in up to 90 percent of people living with bipolar, I live well and have peace. I no longer deny the disease. I no longer feel guilty of having done something to deserve it.

I can pause long enough to enjoy the smile on my children’s faces, the array of colors in a sunset, my husband’s embrace, great belly laughs with girl friends, and many other pleasures of life. Living with grace doesn’t always mean the absence of bad days. I also fully experience pain, regret, and sadness. However, these emotions do not disturb the peace I have achieved by eliminating the symptoms of a mood disorder.

Maia Szalavitz, a health writer and author, said “Addiction and mental illness are not demons. Let’s stop acting as if prayer is the main answer.”

I am reminded of the serenity prayer, courage to changes the things we can and accept the things we can’t and know the difference. I must accept that I have bipolar disorder. I changed how it affected my life, by learning to understand it and treat it. Only now am I able to live gracefully.

Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis is available as an e-book and paperback at Amazon.

About the author: Tara Meissner is a former journalist and a lifelong creative writer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and works part-time at her local library. Tara lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Mike, and their three sons. She writes longhand in composition notebooks. Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis is her first book.

You can find Tara on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and her own blog.

What I’m Reading Now: A Post-Adoption Memoir and a Giveaway

August 15, 2014August 12, 2014 franciscanmom2 Comments

Summer is a great time for a more leisurely read, and I do enjoy a good memoir. I’m deep into Paige Strickland’s book about growing up in the 1970s as an adopted child who always wondered about her background. Her feeling of being somehow “different” from everyone else impacted every aspect of her life.

It’s an honor to participate in Paige Strickland’s book tour! Here’s more about her memoir:

Akin to the Truth is Paige’s own memoir about her adoption. In 1961, adoption was still one of those private and taboo topics. Not much identifying information was provided for adoptive families or for birth parents by the agencies. In Ohio, records were sealed forever. Adoptees and birth mothers were supposed to be thankful for the adoptive family and never look back. Adoptive parents thought their deal was signed and sealed.

As a child and teenager, growing up adopted was like a Scarlet Letter “A” if anyone ever found out the truth. At least, that’s the way author, Paige Strickland felt as she muddled through social situations and other interpersonal relations. She always loved her adoptive family, but realized she wanted not just more, but what other “regular born” people had: real roots, accurate health history and authentic family lore. She wanted freedom from shame, more dignity, authenticity and a full identity.

Then, through random chance, a local TV talk show in 1987 revealed that certain records were open if you were born before 1964 in the state of Ohio, and the author’s life would never be the same after that program.

During her quest, (pre computer), for her identity, her adoptive father struggled with his own self image and sense of belonging, so both father and daughter embarked on separate and unique parallel missions to find what was missing in their lives.

This is the story of how being adopted affected Paige growing up in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. It shows how one adoptee has embraced and learned to view family more globally. She tells the saga of a loving but dysfunctional family of both blood and choice, trying to cope with typical and not so typical life alterations during the decades of social revolution and free love. She learns that the most fascinating family stories are discovered by those passionate enough to question and search.

Paige Adams Strickland is a teacher and writer from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is married with two daughters.

Akin to the Truth is available on Amazon as an e-book: Akin to the Truth.

Now for the GIVEAWAY! Would you like to win a copy of this ebook? It’s easy to enter: simply leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

What was the best thing about growing up in the decade in which you grew up (60s, 70s, 80s or 90s)?

The contest will close on Friday, August 22 and the winner will be contacted via email (so be sure your email address is one you’ll be checking!)

An Interview with Author Ellen Gable

April 2, 2014March 30, 2014 franciscanmom1 Comment

I imagine that the hardest type of fiction to write must be historical fiction. The author is challenged to know so many details about the time and place–details that the author cannot have experienced firsthand.

Ellen Gable did her homework while writing her most recent novel, A Subtle Grace, and it shows. The book is set in late-nineteenth-century Philadelphia, and her attention to detail in showing the reader the time and place meant that I was able to pinpoint the main characters’ neighborhood as the location of modern-day LaSalle University.

(I’ve lived a few miles from Philly for over 22 years; my son attends LaSalle and my daughter will be going there next year. When I read books about the Philly area, I’ve usually got a map nearby so I can see the locations being described. I’m a geek like that.)

A Subtle Grace is the second book in the O’Donovan Family series, following In Name Only. You don’t have to read In Name Only to pick up the story, but I certainly wouldn’t discourage you from doing that!

Ellen Gable is at her best when she’s writing suspense, and this novel features plenty of it. She graciously agreed to an interview, and I used the opportunity to ask her a few things I was wondering about after I read the book.

Did you have a sequel in mind when you wrote In Name Only, or did the idea for this one come later?

I didn’t have a sequel in mind until I was near the end of writing In Name Only. At that point, I felt there was more of the O’Donovans’ story to tell. I decided that ‘grown up’ Kathleen would be the main female protagonist in the next book, and that I would include Will as a secondary protagonist. I knew at the end of In Name Only that Will would have a vocation to the priesthood, but I had no idea (until I started researching) that it would be so difficult for him.

As much as I wanted to write the sequel, though, I just couldn’t get things going until about a year and a half ago. For three years, I had tried to write a very basic draft of A Subtle Grace, but eventually deleted the entire manuscript and started fresh. At that point, I couldn’t type fast enough to get the story written.

2. Will there be another novel in the series?

Yes, there will be another novel in this “O’Donovan Family” series. I’ve already outlined basically what is going to happen. Without giving too much away, it will likely feature Patrick (who was the babe in arms at the end of In Name Only and who is 14 when A Subtle Grace begins) as the main male protagonist.

That being said, I need to feel inspired to write a 420 page, 130,000 word novel! So I don’t know when it will be written, but I’m hoping within a few years. Until then, I’ll be working on a Christmas novella, Julia’s Gifts, that I hope will be published in mid-2015.

3. Do you prefer writing contemporary fiction or historical fiction?

I enjoy writing both. Contemporary fiction is easier to write because I don’t have to worry so much about language. There is no need to research the sorts of foods the characters are eating or what the characters are wearing or what is in their local newspaper.

Historical fiction is more interesting to me because of the research. However, research can be tedious and time-consuming. If I did have a preference, I would say historical because I like to transport readers (and myself) back to a simpler time.

4. What made you set your historical novels in Philly? This is the third one, if you include Emily’s Hope that is ½ historical novel, ½ contemporary.

I grew up in the Philadelphia area and I’ve been fascinated with Philly history since my father took me to see the Liberty Bell when I was about five years old. Since then, I’ve gained an interesting library of books on Philadelphia history. Emily’s Hope was based on true events…my great-grandmother, grandparents and parents were all born in Philadelphia so it was natural to keep the setting there. When I decided to write my first historical novel (In Name Only), I figured I might as well put my knowledge and research skills to use and start with something I know.

As an avid reader, I love having the chance to have a conversation with an author about her books! Thanks, Ellen, for the privilege of this interview.

I hope that by this time you’re convinced that you want to read this book! Here’s how to get the print and Kindle editions, plus a link to Ellen Gable’s Amazon author page where you’ll find information about all her books!

I read In Name Only way back when; here’s my review.

The Fine Print: I received an advance-reader electronic copy of this novel for the purposes of this review. Opinions expressed here are mine alone and I was not given any compensation for my review.

A Murder Mystery and a Medical Mystery

October 30, 2013October 30, 2013 franciscanmom12 Comments

Today I welcome my friend and Catholic Writers’ Guild Conference roommate, Erin McCole-Cupp, as she continues her Don’t You Forget About Me book tour. Erin and I discovered that we have plenty in common:

we both have 3 children
we’re both members of Third Orders (she’s a Dominican)
we both love reading and writing
we both have endometriosis.

Erin found inspiration for a novel in this “silent” disease. Here’s her story.

“There’s Nothing We Can Do For You”: Endometriosis and the Catholic Girl

by Erin McCole-Cupp

I sat next to my husband in yet another pleather office chair. Yet another reproductive endocrinologist sat across from us. A supposedly clever cartoon was framed on the wall behind her. The bubble-letter caption read “Test Tube Babies!” The illustration was of a giant test tube overflowing with chubby, giggling, diaper-clad (note: 100% Caucasian) babies, climbing out of some kind of bubbly fluid sloshing around at the bottom of the tube.

The results of a few blood tests were sprawled on the desk between us. The doctor had just offered three separate “treatment options.”

I sighed. “I don’t want to do anything that won’t actually heal whatever problem I have—and you don’t even know what that is. I want to heal my body more than I want to get pregnant.”

“Well, the Pill will force your hormones—“

“We’ve already been through this, haven’t we? Will the Pill actually heal anything?”

She gave me a patronizing grimace. “But I can’t prescribe the testosterone blockers unless you’re on—“

I shook my head. “I said I’m not comfortable with that.”

It was now her turn to pause, then sigh. “Then I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do for you.”

She wasn’t the first one to say that to us. She wouldn’t be the last. We’d been trying to get pregnant for about three years. It was like every doctor we met had no idea how to heal a body, just to force pregnancy on or away from it. “Nothing we can do for you,” was something we were quite tired of hearing.

I often say that my novel Don’t You Forget About Me was born from a collision of scars. If you have or have had endometriosis, you have a deeper (pun intended) understanding of what the word “scars” can mean.

I’d had years of gynecological pain and infertility. I’d had a few ultrasounds here, some bloodwork there, but not a single doctor could offer me healing. They offered me hormonal birth control pills. I refused because I wanted to have children, not side effects, and if I had a problem, I wanted to find it, not cover it up. They offered me IVF. “Don’t you want to have a child of your own?” I refused because humans deserve to begin their lives in a warm embrace that was designed for love, not in a petri dish. They offered me a hysterectomy. I refused because that would just create more problems. Besides, see the part where I wanted to have children?

Why couldn’t they find out what was going on with my body? Why wouldn’t they?

About a year after giving up the first time, against all odds, my husband and I found ourselves expecting twins. When an article of mine about our miracle pregnancy ran in our local Catholic paper, I received an email from a nurse who said there was this new approach to women’s health called NaPro Technology. She suggested I get in touch with her to see if we could find treatment. I’d already been told so many times that, “There’s nothing we can do for you,” that I couldn’t imagine NaPro Technology would have any way to help my husband and me. I replied, “Thanks, but no thanks.” I was lucky to have the babies I did. What was the point of ever trying for more—much less just trying to feel better—when there’s “nothing we can do for you?”

When we despair, however, God often pokes us with a stick. The stick He used to poke me was the day I found myself in the emergency room, shocked that I was having an ovarian cyst rupture when the pain level really felt for all the world like a kidney stone. The closest thing to a “pro-life” GYN in our county recommended either high-level birth control… or a total hysterectomy.

I was 35. I suddenly found myself unwilling to give up. I remembered that term, “NaPro.”

I soon found a wonderful NaPro doctor two hours away: that’s practically our backyard, given how few and far between NaPro trained surgeons are. As I went for my pre-op testing, the various techs would see my doctor’s name and say, “Isn’t he wonderful? He has patients coming to him from Ohio, New England, even Canada.”

Two months after my surgery to remove endometriosis lesions, I saw this:

Before, during, and after pregnancy, that NaPro practice has been able to help me—actually help me. I carried to term, did not experience a whiff of postpartum depression, have even seen my Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder simply disappear. Best of all, I now get to capture moments like this:

Three now. Count ‘em. Three. And a little dog, too.

Maybe you’ve heard it too, over and over, time after heartbreaking time from secular medical practice after secular medical practice: “There’s nothing we can do for you.” If those practitioners neglect the root issues involved in gynecological problems and throw the Pill or IVF or a hysterectomy at everything they see, then no, there’s probably nothing they can do for you.

However, if there was hope for me, I pray that there is hope for you. I hope you find healing, and I hope your current pain bears much fruit. Mine bore a baby and a now even a novel. I pray it bears the fruit of healing for you as well, dear reader, and so much more.

Barb’s note: My own journey with endometriosis has not ended this well; it involved a hysterectomy and a second surgery two years later to remove my ovaries and a ton of scar tissue. I do know that my experience in using Natural Family Planning helped me gather and analyze data about what was happening that ultimately–after I found a doctor who listened–got me some relief from the pain and other uncomfortable symptoms I was experiencing.

It was fascinating to me to read Erin’s novel and see the role endometriosis played in the characters’ lives. But you don’t have to be an endometriosis survivor to enjoy this book. You’ll love it if you like a suspenseful story with a dash of snark, spiced up with some ’80s music and Italian food. (It even made me cry!)

A New Novel with Grace on Top

September 23, 2013September 21, 2013 franciscanmom2 Comments

Last year at this time I’d never even heard of Katharine Grubb. Then I got hooked on her newly-published novel, Falling For Your Madness. If you haven’t read that yet, what are you waiting for?

Katharine has an author page on Facebook that’s a lot of fun. But I think I’ve gotten to know her best through Twitter, which is about right, since she’s a very busy homeschooling mom of 5 whose claim to fame is writing novels in 10-minute increments. Twitter is a medium that was made for people who can do that!

Right now she’s working on her third novel, which takes place at the University of Oklahoma (coincidentally, the Fighting Irish’s opponent this weekend!) We’ve agreed to put aside our football differences for the purposes of this interview so I could ask her about the FIRST novel she wrote (though not the first one she published). The Truth About the Sky is available now at Amazon!

I don’t write fiction, but I love to read it, so it was a lot of fun interviewing Katharine about the writing process. I can’t wait to read the book!

What was your inspiration for writing this novel?

My inspiration for TTATS was Arrested Development. I wanted to write a book that had a dysfunctional family, exaggerated plots and ridiculous situations yet pointed to truth somehow. I visualized the mom character, Jeanah Roche, as Lucille Bluth and it seemed easy, at that point, to create the family that orbited around her. The Roches are a dysfunctional Evangelical Pastor’s family and they have got so caught up in the expectations of church life that they forget what family and faith is all about. I drew heavily from my childhood memories to write this and many of the activities and programs were exactly what I did long ago in northeastern Oklahoma.

What is the most difficult part of writing a novel?

I think the most difficult part is keeping doubt at bay. Even though this book is my second to be released, it’s the first to be written and honestly, there are passages in it that were rewritten dozens and dozens of times. I didn’t know what I was doing and I didn’t have a lot of confidence, but as I sculpted the entire thing together, I could believe in myself and trust that someday it would all come together. It did, after five years.

When you write a novel, do you figure out the story arc first, or do you let yourself be guided by inspiration as you go along?

For me it’s a combination of both. I don’t like to write a word unless I can mentally see a beginning, middle and end. Then I spend a couple of months “pantsing” or freewriting like a crazy person. Usually in that stage, much of the characters’ inner struggles really come out and I see hidden themes and details come to life. Then I cut and paste the heck out of it, free write more and then organize into loose chapters. Then I draft and redraft a chapter at a time.

Describe how you figured out that 10-minute writing could work for you.

Back in 2006, I had five children eight years old and younger. I also had my computer in my kitchen. I wanted to write so, so badly and I believed that if I could just carve out a little time every day, then it would add up. I used to set my timer for ten minutes, write like a mad woman, then go be a mom (laundry, dishes, childcare, whatever) for ten minutes. If I could put in an hour a day on my story doing that, I thought it was awesome! And woe to the child who decided they needed apple juice during the wrong ten minutes! Now, my children are much older and more self-sufficient so the 10 minute increments aren’t are necessary. I can actually write for an hour at a time! I’m so, so glad that made myself find time for my passions. The years would have flown by whether I had worked at it or not. Now I have three novels, an agent and a book under contract. If I had waited until the situation was perfect, I wouldn’t have any of those things. It DID take me over five years to finish The Truth About The Sky, but I’m so glad I kept at it.

It must take remarkable self-discipline to write in 10-minute increments. How do you manage to keep the story flowing when you’re working in such small blocks of time?

I compartmentalized much of it. I wasn’t writing a book, I was writing a series of chapters. I wasn’t writing a chapter, I was just writing the dialogue. I found that the smaller I made the section, the more manageable it was for me. It also helps that I’m a fast typist. Some chapters in TTATS took weeks for me to get perfect.

What lessons have your children learned about writing as a result of your work?

I’d like to think that they’ve learned that anything is possible, that staying organized and focused can make dreams come true. I’d like to think that they value their own big goals more. I’d like to think that they can learn from me determination and courage. Plus my older kids have read this book and we’ve talked about the themes — grace and mercy. My family is my own personal cheering section. I didn’t have that growing up. So, I think this is my favorite lesson learned: that we always encourage each other to be great.

I thank Katharine for including my blog in her Book Tour. I’m eagerly awaiting my copy of The Truth About the Sky, but if the rest of Katharine’s writing is any indication, there’ll be intriguing characters and plenty of laughs.

Book Tour: Catholic Family Fun

May 4, 2012June 19, 2013 franciscanmom1 Comment

It’s an honor to be part of Sarah Reinhard’s Catholic Family Fun Book Tour! I was reading something else when this book arrived in the mail, but I dumped that in a hurry. You see, I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s blog since she was mom to only one child (she has three now, like I do.) This book celebrates the fun we all want to have with our families and shows us how things like building a backyard obstacle course, eating breakfast for dinner, and singing camp songs are not only family fun, but Catholic family fun.

What I like best about Catholic Family Fun is that you don’t have to go all “Clark W. Griswold” on your family to incorporate the activities described in this book. Just build it in; don’t force it.

Activities in the book are apropriate for a wide range of ages and can be modified if you (like me) have a big age gap between the kids. Age gaps mean ability differences and huge variations in interests, and that’s an extra challenge when planning family activities. With that in mind, the ideas in this book are labeled according to duration, cost and prep time. The rest will vary, depending on how many children (and friends) are involved, and their ages.

Chapters in this book include such topics as silly things to do, story starters, crafts, food, outdoor fun, family field trips, saints, service and prayer. There’s a handy appendix at the back that shows you at a glance how much prep time, money, or run time is needed for each activity. Of course, your mileage may vary there, given your particular family circumstances, but it’s great to have a general idea. Additional resources include a Facebook page and Catholic Family Fun website, which will be updated regularly with new activities and “extras” to coordinate with the book!

My only problem with this book? It didn’t come along until my youngest child turned 10! I really could have used it when my Big Kids were little, but nooooooo. Sarah is young enough that she could have been my Big Kids’ babysitter. For that matter, Sarah is young enough that I could have been her babysitter. But we’re peers in parenting now, and I have a huge respect for her. Read her books or her blog and you’ll find out why.

This is a book that will benefit parents, grandparents, teachers, catechists and friends. Have fun together, and celebrate being Catholic all at the same time!

Want your own copy? Ask for it at your local Catholic bookstore, or visit the Catholic Family Fun website or Sarah’s book page for purchasing information. At $11.95, it’s a family-friendly bargain!

I’m a stop on Sarah’s Virtual Book Tour! The only bad thing about the “virtual” part is that I don’t get to meet her in person. But read enough of her work, and you’ll feel like you know her already. If you’re late to this Book Tour party, just use the link above to see all the reviews and interviews along the way. I’ve found many wonderful “new-to-me” blogs thanks to this tour.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book, but no other compensation, for my participation in this Book Tour. All opinions are mine.

FranciscanMom

Held together by the grace of God, coffee, and crazy glue

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