Note: Anyone who leaves a
comment with an e-mail address (JaneReader[at]msn[dot]com) will receive a free
e-book copy of Kicking Eternity.
Those who don’t want to leave an e-mail may contact Ann for their free book at AnnLeeMiller.com.
Tell us a little about yourself. (Where you grew up,
how many siblings you have, when you came to know the Lord, a little about your
life now, etc.)
My younger brother and I grew
up in Miami, Stuart, and New Smyrna Beach, Florida. My parents’ marriage melted
down throughout my childhood, culminating in their divorce when I was thirteen.
All the angst in my childhood made me hungry for God. I searched for Him from
age sixteen to eighteen at mass, repeating memorized prayers, writing letters
to Him, teaching catechism class. My RA in college had a deep friendship with
Jesus that I instinctively recognized as authentic. It was through her
influence and encouragement I stepped into a life-long relationship with God.
I married a pastor and raised three sons and Her Royal
Highness, 28, 25, 23, 21. We’ve lived in Ohio, Indiana, and Arizona. Two-thirds
of our congregation is made up of teens and young adults, so it’s not
surprising I write for young women aged 15 to 30. I especially want to reach those
with unhappy, dysfunctional families like the family I grew up in. I want to
give them hope that God will provide love and healing for them.
Tell us something about you that would surprise your
readers.
Were you an avid reader as a child? What did you read?
I was the kid with the
flashlight under the covers reading everything. When I was twelve, my mom and I
read Gone With the Wind aloud on a
family sailing trip around the Florida Keys.
What is your favorite
genre to read now?
Romance and coming of age, which is also what I write.
Tell us about the journey to getting published.
I wrote my first novel
fifteen years ago and have been writing full-time for ten years while trying to
break in to traditional publishing. Last summer my agent let all her
unpublished authors, including me, go. In the midst of my despair, God nudged
me to indie e-publish. So, I swallowed a hairball of pride and walked down the
self-publishing road. I feel a surge of joy and gratitude that my books are
finally being read. The part of me that clamors for validation still hopes for
a traditional publishing contract. But how can I go wrong obeying God?
How many
books do you have published?
In addition to Kicking
Eternity, The Art of My Life debuts in September, Avra’s God in December, and Tattered
Innocence next March.
Tell us about your latest book.
Kicking Eternity is all about chasing dreams—our dreams, God’s dreams, and the mixed-up
tangle of both.
Stuck in sleepy
New Smyrna Beach one last summer, Raine socks away her camp pay checks, worries
about her druggy brother, and ignores trouble: Cal Koomer. She’s a plane ticket
away from teaching orphans in Africa, and not even Cal’s surfer six-pack and
the chinks she spies in his rebel armor will derail her.
The artist in
Cal begs to paint Raine’s ivory skin, high cheek bones, and internal sparklers
behind her eyes, but falling for her would caterwaul him into his parents’ live.
No thanks. The girl was self-righteous waiting to happen. Mom served sanctimony
like vegetables, three servings a day, and he had a gut full.
Rec Director
Drew taunts her with “Rainey” and calls her an enabler. He is so infernally there like a horsefly—till he buzzes
back to his ex.
What inspired you to write this particular book?
My daughter has had a passion
to become a foreign missionary since she was in first grade. She just completed
her junior year of college and is still headed for missions, probably to an
orphanage in Peru. Also a close family friend fell in love with a young man and
felt strongly that God told her to marry him. When the guy broke off the
engagement, she was devastated on multiple levels. In Kicking Eternity the hero has to come to terms with the same
dilemma.
Do you put yourself into your main character, or do
you find yourself borrowing from family or friends as your characters develop?
Writers are vultures. We
scavenge from our own lives and those around us.
Is there any scene in your book that came from a
real-life happening?
Not a scene, but I
transplanted Our Lady Of The Hills Camp which I attended growing up from
Hendersonville, North Carolina, to New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
In three words describe your style of writing.
Fast-paced, deep, passionate.
Are you a plotter, a pantster, or somewhere in
between, and can you elaborate on your answer?
I detest plotting, but consider it a necessary evil. I plot every scene for the whole book before I actually write the book. It takes… forever. My first two books were written without plotting. Going back through whole books to fix plot lines felt counterproductive. I tried Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake method of plotting for my third book and Karen Wiesner’s First Draft In 30 Days for my most recent book. I also use Jack Bickham’s Scene and Structure as I build scenes. To me, it feels so much easier to make changes to the book’s skeleton than to rewrite large portions.
What are your favorite themes to write about?
Forgiveness, measuring up,
redemption.
What is your Writing schedule like? Do
you write only when inspired?
Since I started my writing career in my forties, I feel fairly obsessed to accomplish what God created me to do. Think about how the hero in Sweet Home Alabama jammed lightning rods into the sand to make his beautiful glass. He did his work before the lightning struck. I jam a lot of words onto the page before lightning strikes and makes it beautiful.
Share something about your day-to-day life that might help a reader to
feel as though they know you a little better.
Wedged in
between my writing I manage to hike in the mountains with my husband, do Zumba,
and go garage saling every Saturday morning with a friend. This year I mentored
three teens from my youth group. I’ve guest lectured on plotting in Phoenix
colleges for the past few years. Every summer you’ll find me at teen church
camp—one more reason for setting Kicking
Eternity at a church camp.
Does your faith affect your writing? How?
I have a prayer
team of eighty people, who for reasons known only to them, said yes when I
asked them to pray for my writing. I was inspired to do this by author Robin
Lee Hatcher who saw no reason to wait until publishing to recruit prayer
support.
Also, I pray
through every aspect of my books. Often, my prayer for the manuscript file is
half the size of the book. This makes me feel like I’m working on a team with
God. I pray first thing in the morning about the work ahead and go back to pray
through any sticky situations I encounter. I think God delights to answer my
writing-related prayers. He seems to wait for me to ask. I see miracles
everyday.
Do you have a favorite scripture? If so, why is it
your favorite?
I love Psalm 91. It’s all
about living under God’s shelter and safety. It’s kind of goofy, but when I
read Psalm 91, I picture myself in a little shack on top of a really tall Dr.
Seuss hill—safe in God’s shadow.
Have you won any awards with your writing?
Kicking Eternity won First Place Long Contemporary in the 2009 Romance Writers of
America Faith, Hope, and Love Contest.
Where can fans find you or your books on the internet?
AnnLeeMiller.com
Twitter @AnnLeeMillerFacebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Lee-Miller/356653761022022
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kicking-Eternity-ebook/dp/B0082GF8CE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337363292&sr=8-2
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kicking-eternity-ann-lee-miller/1110908265?ean=2940014441759
Bio: Ann Lee
Miller earned a BA in creative writing from Ashland (OH) University and writes
full-time in Phoenix, but left her heart in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where
she grew up. She loves speaking to young adults and guest lectures on writing
at several Arizona colleges. When she isn’t writing or muddling through some
crisis—real or imagined—you’ll find her hiking in the Superstition Mountains
with her husband or meddling in her kids’ lives.
Book Blurb:
Fresh from
college, Raine scores a teaching job at New Smyrna Beach Surf and Sailing Camp.
A crush on the camp rebel/art teacher threatens to derail her plans to teach
orphans in Africa. The broody recreation director spots her brothers meth
addiction and Raine's enabling. Raine believes she is helping her
brother--until lives are threatened.
“Ann Lee Miller writes stories straight
from the heart with characters who'll become friends, remaining with you long
after you turn that final page. You won't want to miss Kicking
Eternity!”
- Jenny B. Jones, Author of the Katie Parker Production Series from Think and The Charmed Life Series, and other single titles from Thomas Nelson
“In Kicking Eternity, Ann Lee Miller masterfully
weaves the delicate web of emotions experienced in that turbulent
‘twenty-something’ stage of life. Powerful family dynamics, intense loyalty
challenges, and tender new loves find their niche in your heart as this story
unfolds layer by lovely layer.”
Mesu
Andrews, Author of Revell titles Love’s Sacred Song, and Love Amid the Ashes, which won the 2012
CBA Book of the Year, New Author Category
4 comments:
I would love an eBook! Great interview! lindentree65@gmail.com
Brenda,
Thanks so much for reading Kicking Eternity and hosting me on your blog!
Linden,
Thanks for stopping by. I'll send you the book right away. :)
Count me in, Brenda. Thank you both for this great interview. Good job, Ladies.
Nicole,
Thanks for stopping by! I'm looking forward to your reading my book! :) I'll send it shortly.
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