October 1: Meet the Author
Author
Interview
What was the most surprising thing you
learned about yourself as you wrote this book?
No Longer a Captive was never a story I
intended to write. It deals with overcoming childhood abuse. I heard a woman
speak about growing up in a home with an abusive father who is a hero to the
town where they lived but a monster to his family. I felt drawn to write about
this, but didn’t think I could. I had no personal experience with abuse. I grew
up in a loving home. As I was sitting in church one Sunday, our pastor said the
following, “Unforgiveness is a prison.” I knew then that, whether or not I felt
able, I was being nudged to write a book about overcoming abuse. I might not
have experienced abuse, but I knew all about forgiving and failing to forgive.
The one thing I learned is that even though I felt unqualified, all God was
asking of me was obedience, and He’d do the rest.
What was the best money you ever spent for
your writing career? I have to say purchasing my 2
MacAir computers. MacAir1 died after about 10 years, so I replaced it with
MacAir2. I absolutely love them! They’re small and lightweight, so I can take
them everywhere with me. If MacAir2 dies in a few years, I guess I’ll get
#3.The best ongoing expense I have are dues for membership to professional
writing groups. The advice and information I’ve received over the years is
unbelievably valuable, especially to writers who are just starting out. The
information you learn and the training you receive are worth more that the
money you spend on dues.
What does literary success look like to you? To me, literary success has little to do with the amount of money I
make or the number of books I sell. It’s about the impact my books have on
those who read them. After my first novel, Rescuing Faith, was released,
a gentleman at church came up and hugged me. With tears in his eyes, he said,
“My daughter has been going through the same issue as your heroine, and the
book gave her hope. Thank you.” So, is there any amount of fame or fortune that
can outweigh that? Not in my mind.
How could reading your readers’ reviews and
comments help you? Reviews are the lifeblood of
publishing and book sales. When readers take the time to read my book and write
a review, I am honored to read every one. I often find them helpful in
understanding what readers are looking for in books and what things I did well,
and in what areas I need to improve.
Have you met any of your favorite authors?
What was the moment like?
Oh, yes. One of my favorite authors is Karen
Kingsbury. Her books showed me that Christian writers can, and should, deal
with the messiness of life that our readers are living. My oldest daughter took
me to one of Karen’s book signings. I stood in line wondering what to say, and
hoping I wouldn’t be tongue-tied. I prayed, and when my turn came, I blurted
out, “I love your writing. In fact, your work has inspired me to begin writing.
But I imagine you hear that all the time.” She smiled and graciously answered,
“No one has ever told me that before.” She spent the next few minutes asking me
questions about my writing and my manuscripts. Then she handed me one of her
business cards with a hand-written phone number on it. “Tell them Karen told
you to call.” Her encouragement was instrumental in my receiving my first
writing contract.
Is it true that being a published author is
glamorous? Why or why not? As I sit in my office
writing this in the middle of the night in my white fluffy bathrobe and
shearling slippers, wondering when I’m going to get the dishes done or the
floors mopped, my answer is, “Ha, ha, ha…no.” But I wouldn’t trade it for any
other job in the world. Having the opportunity to show God’s faithful and
steadfast love in the lives of his children is more exciting and rewarding than
any glamorous job could ever be.
How does your faith affect your writing? I love writing redemptive romance. Once a man asked me how my
romances differed from regular old romances. I told him mine had three main
characters—a hero, a heroine, and God. Not only do my characters grow in
relationship with each other, but also with God. My main purpose in writing is
to communicate a characteristic of the heart of God. Earthly fathers may fail,
but our heavenly one never will. Ethne must come to learn that she will never
be free of the pain of her past until she is able to offer it to her Heavenly
Father. I build my plot lines around at least one Bible verse and one hymn or
Christian song. The two Bible verses I used as the center of this novel are:
“So if
the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 and “And I
will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD
Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18
If you could be a fictional character from
literature for one day, who would you be and why? I’d
be Jo from LittleWomen. I was raised in a military family, so obeying
the rules and following guidelines was expected. Jo was such a creative,
self-assured non-conformist. As a child, I loved that about her and wished I
could be more of a rule-bender. Yes, I think I’d still choose Jo today.
If you were a pair shoes, what style, brand,
and color would you be? I’d be a pair of black
Sanuk flip-flops. They’re comfortable, waterproof, and you can dress them up or
dress them down. And, black goes with any color.
What did you edit out of this book and why? My original manuscript included two scenes that were either deleted
or majorly rewritten. One was a love scene between Ethne and Daniel. While
nothing immoral happened, I felt as written, it might make some readers
uncomfortable. So I cut it. The other…well, I can’t say too much or I’ll give
away part of the plot. Let’s just say Ethne makes a huge assumption, that might
or might not be correct. I felt her reaction to discovering this news was
inconsistent with who she is, so I rewrote it in a gentler voice.
Book
Links: Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/56pdpzmy
Pelican: https://bit.ly/3lve7NN
B&N: https://tinyurl.com/4jnj8u7p
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/no-longer-a-captive
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/no-longer-a-captive-by-carol-james
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58857487-no-longer-a-captive
Book Blurb:
When Ethne O’Connor's brother, Sean, tells her
of father’s unexpected death, he asks her to do something she promised herself
she’d never do. Come back home.
A victim of
childhood abuse, Ethne left her father and the small Texas town of Crescent
Bluff ten years ago on the night of her high school graduation. She's
determined to end the cycle of abuse and believes the only way to do that is
remain single. If she has no husband, she'll never have children that can be
abused.
Then she meets
Daniel Spenser, a handsome doctor with chocolate-kiss eyes. Daniel understands
her past in a way no one else does. He’s lived it.
Will Daniel be
able to help Ethne break the chains of captivity around her heart?
And will God
release her from her past, to be free to trust the man she comes to love?
Comments
I feel the same way when one of my books touches someone's life and they tell me.
Good luck and God's blessings with your new release
PamT