First of all, thank you for having me.? I?m so excited to be here.
I came to Novel Books because I love to connect with other people?readers, other writers, everyone.? In fact, connecting with other people has been one of the surprise highlights of writing for me.? Yes, writing can be a solitary life, but then there comes a point when you have to put down the keyboard and connect, to get to know your readers, and let them get to know you. ?Don?t get me wrong, I love the keyboard and crafting stories, but what?s really fun to me is getting to hear what other people think of what?s gone onto those pages.
What type of books do you write?
There was a time not so long ago that I would have said, ?Contemporary Christian Romance,? but that?s just the tip of the iceberg now.? By this point in my career, I also write Bible Studies, articles and short stories, as well as God Help! books (for when self-help just isn?t working anymore!)
I didn?t start out to write all of these.? God has led me to each one in a time or a season and has crafted a writing corner for me that fits just right.
Why do you write?
Because if I didn?t I?d either explode or go completely crazy!? Writing is like breathing to me.? It always has been. ?I love it.? I love learning about life through my characters.? I love how God can speak to me through their lives and circumstances to help me better understand life and other people.
See, I think we can get so wrapped up in our world that we fail to take into account how and why other people are the way they are.? My books give me a chance to really travel ?in the shoes? of other people.? What?s it like to lose a spouse?? What?s it like to know something dangerous is going on in a school, but when you try to tell someone, they don?t want to believe you?or worse, want you to shut up about it?? What?s it like face the biggest challenge of your life if you don?t know God?
I like being able to ask those questions and live through them with my characters.? It teaches me so much, and in turn, helps me learn to help real people in the process.
How would you describe your newest release?
What do you hope the reader takes away after reading it?
The Price of Silence seems like it?s YA.? After all, it?s set in a high school, and I?m not going to say that it?s not for high school students because it is.? But honestly I mostly wrote it for the adults.? We don?t have a clue what these kids today face and go through.
When I was teaching, there was a gun brought to my classroom that I didn?t know about until later.? The young lady who saw it and reported it was then hounded and harassed until she was forced to leave the school.? Two years later, the kid who brought the gun was on trial for murder in a different case.? I always wondered what it was like to be my student. What happens if you tell about a dangerous person or situation, and this person who really has evil in their hearts comes after you?? And for parents and administrations, what are we doing to help our kids in those situations?? Do we deal with them or do we try to sweep them under the rug and hope they go away?
For us, they may go away.? For the kids, they don?t.
If parents, teachers, and administrators can get that message and do something to give their kids a voice in schools, then I?ll be happy.
Which is your favorite character from your book?
I have readers?especially the males of the species?who would die on a hill for Robyn Lockhart, the reporter who pursues the story despite the fact that it could very well get her killed.? But my personal favorite is Sean, the hero.? I know.? I know.? It?s that whole bad boy persona or something, but he is the tough guy who is tough because he?s so hurt.? He?s actually very vulnerable, and only his closest friends really see that about him.? And, speaking strictly as a female of the human race, I would love to have a guy trying that hard to protect me.? Just sayin?.
Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book?
Yes.? But it?s not about the book directly. About six years ago, I released The Price of Silence as a serial book through my email newsletter.? If you were signed up, you got two chapters every month.? It was going great until I got to about chapter 9 and 10.? I sent it out and the next day I got two chapters back from a reader, and they were all marked up.? I mean it looked like this person BLED on the things.
Well, what do you do with that?? Why would someone do such a thing?? I mean, have you ever taken a John Grisham novel, corrected it, and sent it back to him?? I was at a loss to explain it.? Should I be mad? Should I write something back to this person? ?Should I defend myself?? What? ?I finally decided to just put the whole thing in God?s hands figuring I didn?t have all the pieces as to why anyone would do that.
The next month came around and I sent the next two chapters out.? About 30 minutes later, I got an email from this lady saying something like, ?I?m soooooo sorry!? I can?t believe I did that!? I thought those were the chapters I was supposed to critique for my new critique group!?
Hahahahaha!? Six years later, we?re still best friends.? God has such an interesting sense of humor.
Tell us about your writing process.
Well, to say I?m unconventional would be putting it mildly.? I make flying by the seat of your pants look safe.? At any one time, I?m writing about six different novels.? I usually have one or ten other projects going on too?God Help! books, Bible Studies, articles, the blogs, guest blogs, interviews, something.
On the novels, very rarely do I write on cover-to-cover.? Out of 30 full-length novels I?ve finished, I think that?s happened a grand total of twice.? Most of the time, I write on one, then pick up another, then a different one? I write what God tells me to write when He tells me to write it.
And your next question is, ?How do you keep all that straight??? The answer is, ?I don?t.? God does.?? I have just learned to walk when He says, ?Go? and stop when He says, ?Stop.?? Each book has a personality all its own.? Some I have a lot of the plot in my head.? Some I have pieces of.? Some I have absolutely no clue.? Some I know for awhile, and then it stops.? So I stop.? I can?t explain how any of that works because if I understood it, I?d try to control it.? If nothing else, I?ve learned one thing?God?s way works.? My way doesn?t.? So I?ve decided to just go with what He says to do when He says to do it, and not try to put my agenda anywhere in any of it.
What will you write next?
Well, right now, I?m writing one that might be my next one finished.? It?s about a dyslexic writer who falls in love with a coffeeshop waitress.? That one?s been a challenge because I didn?t even know he was dyslexic until he wouldn?t let me read his laptop screen.? When I figured that out, I was like, ?Hmm.? Well, this should be interesting.?
Which books do you recommend to readers?
Right now, I?ve got two on sale on Kindle and Nook for 99 cents.? So if you want to take a leap of faith and try out a new author, I?d say either ?Cowboy? or ?The Price of Silence.?
But do not be mad at me if you get nothing done for a day or three while you?re reading.? I get more husbands mad at me because their wife doesn?t get anything done, only looking up long enough to say, ?Just one more chapter?? I always thought that was funny until my husband was reading one of mine and did that to me (not kidding either!). He just kept right on reading?
So enjoy!
Where can readers find you online?
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I?m now on Facebook ? either my main page, Staci Stallings
Or my author page (where you can get info about my books) at:? Spirit Light Author Staci Stallings.? Click ?Like? on that page, and you?ll be given the updates.
You can also find me on Twitter @StaciStallings
I have two blogs:
Spirit Light Books
Spirit Light Moments
Finally, you can read about all of my books and how to get them at:
Staci Stallings
Thanks so much for having me!? This has been fun!
Oh, and be sure to say, ?Hi? if you catch up to me somewhere online. I always love to talk with readers.? I?d love to know what you think about the books!? YOUR favorite scene.? YOUR favorite character.? YOUR favorite twist!
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?2010 Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books
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Source: http://novelbooks.org/2011/08/22/author-interview-staci-stallings/
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