Hello, readers! I have another fantastic treat for you today. Author Darcy Fornier, whom I met through the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), is on my blog today talking about her Christmas novella! And she is offering a giveaway! I won’t ramble on, but let you get right to Darcy…
Thanks for being on my blog today, Darcy. First, can you tell us a little about your novella.
My novella, Season of Forgiveness, is one of a set of inspirational Christmas romances (five novellas and five poems). Several ladies in my local writers’ group partnered together on this project (including my sister!). Here’s the blurb for my story:
Ruby Larson adopted Ivy Carlyle as her granddaughter when Ivy helped her arrange her funeral. When Ruby’s estranged grandson, Denver Reese, appears, Ivy is reluctant to share Ruby’s attention. As the two plan Ruby’s Christmas, unexpected attraction draws them closer. But Ivy’s painful past challenges their friendship.
How sweet! A collection…and including your sister too! What was the inspiration for Season of Forgiveness?
I wanted to give my hero and heroine a kind of unusual but purposeful project to draw them together, so I got the idea that they could create a “perfect Christmas” for an elderly lady who lives in a nursing home. Ruby Larson, the grandmother in my story, is loosely inspired by a sweet lady, Ada Mae, who was a third grandmother to me, although I didn’t have enough room in the novella to include much of Ada Mae’s keen wit. 🙂
Inspiration really does come from anywhere…but I love when characters are based on real people!
Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you were a child?
No, I wanted to be a nurse. I dreamed of writing a book, but I didn’t dream of being a writer. Now I’m definitely a writer, with all a writer’s quirks, as my sisters can attest. 🙂
Funny…I myself was determinedly headed for Medical School…look at us now!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
It started around my senior year of high school. Took me about two years to figure it out for sure.
I believe we, as writers, are always learning…especially from other writers. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer?
Find a critique partner who understands and loves the heart of your story (and whose work you love, even if it’s a different genre than you write). This could take some trial and error, but it’s worth it. They’ll be able to give suggestions that enhance the story wonderfully, and they’ll also cheer you on when you need encouragement.
As much as we learn from each other through advice, I believe we also learn from reading others’ works. What are you currently reading?
I’m rereading The Christmas Bride by Grace Livingston Hill. The story starts before Thanksgiving, so it’s the perfect book to usher in the Christmas season. 🙂
I typically set the “mood” for my writing sessions…music included. What kind of music, if any, do you listen to when you write?
Depends on the story. For my Christmas novella, I listened to some Christmas music to help get the holiday feel in the middle of the summer. 🙂 For my medieval adventure stories, I sometimes listen to classical music from the Baroque period (Bach, Vivaldi, etc.). But most often I listen to household noises. My “office” is next to the laundry room, so I listen to a lot of dryer. 🙂
LOL! I hear ya. I listen to a lot of ‘kid’ noise while writing. They certainly know how to distract a writer.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Depends on the story. I wrote Season of Forgiveness in about three months, nine if you count from when the idea took root. Took me eight years to get my first novel from first draft to final draft. LOL
Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
All of the novellas in this collection center around an inspiration from a character or element of the Christmas story. My story’s element is the myrrh brought by the wisemen. I was actually unable to attend the brainstorming meeting, but the other ladies came up with the idea for Myrrh Funeral Home. Since I find the fourth verse of “We Three Kings” especially powerful, I couldn’t resist trying the idea. But if myrrh isn’t your thing, the other stories in the collection feature inspiration from the innkeeper, the angels, the wisemen, and the midwife who might have helped at Jesus’ delivery. 🙂
Do you have any current projects you’re working on? Care to share?
It’s funny that the first story I published is a contemporary Christian romance because I’m really a historical kind of girl. I just finished the final draft of a young adult medieval adventure novel, so I’m in the process of publishing independently. After that comes a sequel that’s still in the outlining phase.
Historical…you’re speaking my language! Can’t wait to see them!
Thanks, again, Darcy, for being on the blog and for sharing about your work. Now, I’ll let everyone check out the novella:
Season of Forgiveness
Enjoy an Excerpt
Denver blinked at the puffy-haired woman lying horizontal in a recliner. How did his grandmother know him? When he’d texted Uncle Clint to ask for her address, his uncle had promised not to tell her anything about him coming. “Uh, hi. Were you expecting me?” Drat, this was awkward.
“Been expecting you since you turned eighteen.”
Well. He laughed, half in shock, and glanced at the black-haired girl in the wingback chair. She smiled, but not at him. At his grandmother.
The elderly lady leaned forward until her recliner rose into a sitting position. “Hoping you’d come, that is. It’s good to see you.” She gestured to the bed covered in a floral quilt. “Have a seat.”
The girl shot to her feet. “Here, take the chair.” She skirted the recliner’s footrest and perched on the edge of the bed.
Feeling like an exhibit in the zoo, he sat down in the red chair and unzipped his jacket. They sure kept it warm in here. “So.” He hardly knew where to start. Lord, this is so awkward. “How did you recognize me?”
“Pictures.” His grandmother pointed to the wall across from her. To the right of the TV, frames covered the wall. Small copies of his school photos filled one twelve-slot frame. Dallas’s pictures filled another. Random photos from get-togethers with Clint’s family showed him from earliest childhood to graduation from college.
“Wow. Uncle Clint had those printed for you?”
“He said Audrey gave him permission.”
Now that was interesting. Mom had never mentioned it.
“Let me introduce my granddaughter, Ivy Carlyle.”
Granddaughter? Denver jerked his gaze from the photo wall to the girl across from him. Ivy sat up painfully straight, ankles crossed, hands folded in her lap. Pretty face, polite smile, guarded eyes. But who was she? Ruby Larson didn’t have any other children—unless Mom had kept that a secret, too. “I … don’t understand.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” Ivy’s smile spread to her eyes.
His grandmother burst into laughter.
Denver felt like a high schooler again.
Buy Link
More About the Author
Darcy Fornier (pronounced forn-yay) believes the best stories provide clean, compelling entertainment while also provoking the reader to think about life in a new way. She’s been spinning stories ever since she learned how to play “pretend,” and she has seriously pursued writing since 2013. When she isn’t writing, editing, or dreaming up a story, you might find her washing dishes, “dissolved” in a book, playing the piano, hiking in the woods, singing at the top of her lungs, or talking up a storm with her sisters. At six years old, she gave her heart to Jesus, and she lives to know Him more. She makes her home with her parents and two younger sisters, wherever that happens to be.
Connect with Darcy and her books
Website: http://darcyfornier.com
Newsletter: http://darcyfornier.com/connect/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarcyFornierWriter
Blog: https://peculiarmissdarcy.wordpress.com
GIVEAWAY
Now for the giveaway…Darcy is offering one (1) Kindle copy of the novella collection, The Heart of Christmas. It features five novellas (one hers) and five poems.
Blurb: Announcing five new stories filled with faith, hope, forgiveness, and of course happily-ever-afters. Each story focuses on an element of the Nativity, from the angels to the wise men. Be swept up in the love of the season and the promise of forever that the Christ child, the true Heart of Christmas, brings.
To enter, please follow the directions on the Rafflecopter.