Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I, Madeline, grew up in the Midwest and it gave me a wonderful understanding of how pleasant the US can be as a “melting pot”. This has its upside and its downside. If everything turns to just “vanilla” and we lose our sense of ethnicity, we all lose something. But if we can embrace each other’s ethnic backgrounds and savor them, we all stand to enrich our lives. I found that seeing, eating foods from and enjoying all different cultures is most enjoyable. There’s nothing like a Greek or Italian festival, along with a multitude of others, to enrich both our appetites (YUM) and our culture. Gospel choirs and Irish dancing are all terrific events.
Now my co-author, Shane, grew up in a small town in Texas and he’s had a totally different experience. Luckily he traveled a lot, so his experience has grown exponentially.
From Shane’s point of view – “Having traveled the Mediterranean in the Navy – I would wind up in the slums of many European cities, eating off the street vendors or the local cafes, therefore mingling with the locals and their culture. It actually was one of the greatest experiences I could’ve ever asked for….to be a ‘local’ in a foreign environment. I have a respect I could have gained nowhere else, for people from all walks of life.”
We make a unique team with varied experiences that meld together beautifully.
When did you first start writing?
Actually we’ve both written all our lives in some form or another. I don’t think we realize how much we all write whether it’s in business or just correspondence. But just recently we decided to have some fun with it and write some eBooks. I guess you could say we started writing in the last year or so, but we incorporate a lifetime of experiences.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
My co-author Shane Flynn and I have written two eBooks.
The first is a non-fiction narrative about a near death experience named The White Suit. It’s the story of an ordinary decent guy, Andy, who died twice and experienced the afterlife. He’s not a pastor or church going guy, although he is a strong believer. We’ve come to discover that some people have been offended by the story,but we think it’s a powerful message of how God uses the most ordinary people to witness to extraordinary events. We believe God loves us all and there’s not one of us that’s perfect and sin-free, including Andy. Besides that, it’s a true story.
His divorcing soon-to-be ex wife is actually trying to have him unplugged while he is in the hospital and grab all the assets. Andy is involved with a new love interest named Caite that he picked up at a bar. They aren’t casual lovers, but are in a monogamous, long term relationship – essentially married under God, but not in the State of Texas. They are both believers but since they both had bad divorces in their past, they have chosen not to involve the State of Texas in their relationship.
We didn’t expect the book to be controversial since it has a strong Christian message, but apparently it is. This really surprised us and was totally unexpected. The question seems to be about sin and how it is or isn’t present in our everyday lives. We were really stunned by some people’s opinion that considered Andy as perhaps “not good enough” to have been given this God given opportunity….after all, he is living in sin in their eyes and not worthy of that kind of redemption.
So, essentially, these philosophical differences throw his story into controversy. We didn’t see that one coming…kind of a sucker punch, but very,very real. We didn’t write this to judge anyone, but surprisingly enough we (and Andy) are being judged instead. We’re just the narrators telling a story about a real life and a real experience not some fictional “pie in the sky” story. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
Personally we don’t believe it’s possible to live a sin-free life. It doesn’t mean we as Christians go out and try to sin or “be bad”, but life is hard and sometimes life’s difficulties get in the way. Some people grow up with an intact family, marry and stay married for 70 years; Andy’s parents are an example of that. Other people don’t have that same luxury. Their lives take twists and turns, some of it by their own choice, some just happens to them. Does God love them less? Does God condemn them to hell because their lives aren’t perfect? We don’t think that’s the case. We believe God is a good and loving God who covers our sins through Jesus Christ.
The second eBook is called: Axis Quest, The Beginning. Although its fiction, it’s based on many of our own real life experiences seeing angels and visions. It blends romance, betrayal, intrigue, spirituality and thrills. It’s the first in a series. We expect the series to be 5 or 6 eBooks all together; but you never know.
The first in the series has some action including a car accident that involves an animal, a mysterious blue-eyed cowboy, betrayal by a husband and some mysterious flying entities that may or may not be angels and demons. Wait until you read about Lily’s revenge on a local bully with some cow dung. We hope this is only the very beginning for Lily Carpenter on her quest to find angels and visions. The next book in the series will explode in twists and turns, thrilling and ordinary. The first book has action that will lead into a tumultuous and exciting life for Lily Carpenter. Her adventure has only just begun. I hope you will come and join in her adventures.
Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?
I think the most important message is that anything and everything can happen at any time to each and every one of us. Shane and I have both had many supernatural experiences of our own, so we draw on our own knowledge as well as testimonials from others on what we all have seen and experienced along life’s path.
We think God is talking to us all the time. We just aren’t listening. We need to tune in. In The White Suit, Andy is just the messenger…not the message….don’t shoot the messenger!
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
The greatest joy (yet to be realized of course) would be to walk through those pearly gates and have people there to meet you saying, “Thanks so much for writing your book, without it, we wouldn’t be here right now.” Yep, that would be the greatest reward ever! Not to mention maybe making a little bit of money along the way….everybody could use some.
What writing advice do you have for other aspiring writers?
Just do it! And join some Facebook groups for authors. The help is invaluable and the friendships are very special. The only risk is making a fool of yourself….ha ha, but it’s something to cross off the bucket list.
What are you working on next?
We’ll be working on the next book in the series Axis Quest. The first book will be tame compared to where we want to take the series.
The first book is developing the characters for what’s to come. And hopefully it will be worth the wait, our plan is to take it to new levels.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Hah, that’s a good one, usually when the dog needs to go pee on a tree is a first motivation.
But really, I guess God is always first, then each other. We’re excited to see what each new day brings. We travel, write, cook and just enjoy having fun and experiencing new things.
When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
We travel and write at the same time-traveling in our RV with a little dog and seeing the US. Hopefully we’ll pick up some new plot twists along the way. Yahoo! We’re always meeting new people….and who knows… they might have a story too, especially since everyone has a book in them, but how many will share it, much less write it…writers really are a rare breed in today’s crazy world.
We’ve met many interesting friends in our travels, one in particular, a man in his 80’s, who as a child was held captive in the Dutch West Indies in a concentration camp by the Imperial Japanese Army, during WWII. His stories are hauntingly real about man’s inhumanity to man. He too intends to chronicle his experience into a book. He even has a title, “A Guest of the Emperor”, hopefully to be written very soon.
Everyone has a story and as writers it’s our duty to tell them…whether someone likes it or not.
Website:
Note from Blog Author:
I downloaded a sample of both The White Suit and Axis Quest. Both are quite intriguing. Axis Quest definitely left me on the edge of my seat wanting to read more. It was very exciting. I loved their characters. The sample ended at a very suspenseful place. Looking forward to reading more.
************************
Leave a Reply