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| Carol Heilman |
Our guest today is Carol Heilman.
I enjoyed getting to know Carol last spring at the Carolina Christian Writers’
Conference. Carol is a coal miner's daughter who married her high school
sweetheart. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband of
fifty-plus years.
I hope you'll enjoy our interview. Leave a
comment below for your chance to win a copy of Carol’s delightful debut novel, Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbrier. I love the cover.
Carol, please tell us a little about your writing.
I began writing family stories,
especially about my dad’s Appalachian humor, for newspapers and magazines. I
read tons of books on writing, and enrolled in a few creative writing classes,
but the most important step for me was joining a critique group. These fellow
writers became my support and my cheerleaders who gently critiqued my work
until gradually my writing skills improved. I think a good critique group is
invaluable.
For you is writing a passion, a calling, or both?
Writing is an absolute passion.
Just ask my husband who sometimes rolls his eyes at my enthusiasm.
What’s the best thing about writing a book?
Getting lost in the story and in
the lives of the characters.
Is there one piece of writing advice you wish you’d
had from the beginning?
You will learn more from your
failures than your successes.
What is the most meaningful truth you hope your readers
will glean from your writing?
Listen to our elders. Really
listen. And become a voice for a senior who cannot speak for himself or
herself.
What do you think the Lord is teaching you through
your writing?
Patience and compassion.
What inspired you to write this novel?
The story began as a writing
assignment, a short story, inspired by my mother’s spunky spirit and my dad’s
humor. The main character, Agnes, has my mother’s spunky spirit.
Tell us about your new book.
Set in a small town, AgnesHopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar, is about an outspoken widow who sometimes
talks to her husband, Charlie, even though he died two years and three months
ago. Here’s a description from the back cover.
Summer's steamy
haze coats North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, but feisty Agnes Marie Hopper
discovers the heat isn't the only thing causing her blood to boil. After a
kitchen fire destroys her home, Agnes moves in with her daughter, Betty Jo.
Three months later they come to an understanding. Neither can tolerate living
with the other. So on a sultry August morning Betty Jo drives Agnes and her few
belongings to Sweetbriar Manor, a local retirement home and a former house of
ill repute.
With no
intention of staying, Agnes devises a scheme to sneak out of the Manor and find
another place to live. Before she can make her exit, she runs into her best
friend from high school, along with some other quirky characters. With a nose
for trouble, Agnes learns some of the residents are being robbed,
over-medicated, and denied basic cable and Internet access.
Armed with
nothing more than seventy-one years of common sense and a knack for pushing
people's buttons, Agnes sets out to expose the unscrupulous administrator,
protect her new friends, and restore Sweetbriar Manor's reputation as a
"rewarding and enriching lifestyle." But the real moment of truth
comes when Agnes is forced to choose between her feisty self-reliance and the
self-sacrifice that comes from caring for others.
Please share with us your favorite Scripture and
why it means so much to you?
“He reached down from on high and
took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.” 2 Samuel 22:17 (NIV)
If the Lord Jesus had not rescued
me, I would have drowned. I was a young adult when I realized He loved me
unconditionally, and at that very moment my bitter and rebellious heart began
to heal and change. Now my heart is filled with His joy because I will always belong
to Him.
Thank you Carol for sharing with us today. Your novel sounds like a fun read.
Readers, thank you for visiting Write Moments with God. You can connect with Carol on the following sites:
I hope you will leave a comment (with your email address if I don't have it already) in order to be included in the random drawing for a paperback copy of Carol new book. Please share this post with your friends. The winner will be announced on the blog, Monday, February 9th. Blessings!
