What was it like writing it?
It was really exciting and a little scary to tackle novel writing. I just dove in, leaning on inspiration and the gut instincts that came from reading so many romance novels. But most of all, I had this overwhelming feeling of satisfaction. It’s that feeling of doing what you were created to do. I felt like I had found God’s purpose for my life and that feeling was absolutely thrilling. What compelled you to write it?I had been reading romance novels since I was fourteen. I remember the first one I ever read, “The Flame and the Flower” by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. I was sad to hear that she recently passed away. But her work will live on and she is so good that I was hooked. I’m sure I must have read hundreds of romances since that first one, but when my oldest son was about three, I felt like the Lord was asking me to loosen my grip on them. So I decided to give them up and start reading Christian romances. The switch was rough for me. I couldn’t relate to the saintly characters, and ended up dissatisfied with the genre. So I decided to write my own. The kind of story I would want to read. What did you learn through the process about yourself, writing, and even new revelations from the Lord?The first thing I learned was how much I love to write. I would have this thrilling feeling rise to my throat whenever I walked into the library to do research. And I learned that I was the kind of person who stuck with it, even when I was floundering with the plot or the character development. I just kept going until all 110,000 words were finished.On the more personal side, I think novel writing for me is kind of like journaling for other people. I worked through my own issues by creating characters that struggled with them. Sometimes I didn’t even know this was happening until I’d written it out, then God would gently nudge me to examine myself. The really cool thing is how God directed my writing so that my characters changed and healed. God showed me His soverenty through story.
Tell us about Elizabeth. How would you describe her?
Elizabeth was born into the world full of all the potential that God created her to be. But it doesn’t take long for sin to nearly destroy her. She is torn from her mother at an early age and this leaves a gaping hole inside her that she copes with by becoming fiercely independent and not trusting anyone. You know, before any of us hear about Christ and the Cross and God and his love, I think we all do this, try to make it on our own. What choice we do have?What issues does she struggle with and have you ever struggled with those issues?Elizabeth struggles with trust. She has to go on this journey of discovering this man who shows her love and God’s love and then getting that healing from her childhood before she can really accept that there is a God who loves her and before she can love Noah back. Yes! I have struggled with trust issues. I was always one of those super sensitive children and any time people failed me, I felt it deeply. A few years ago I did Beth Moore’s Breaking Free and that, along with living out these issues with my characters has really helped me get free of some of that. Now I try to take any hurts and run to my Father’s lap with them, so that they can be healed by Him before they have a chance to turn into bitterness or anger. I’m not always successful but I praise God that I’ve grown in this area.
Who is Noah and what does he represent?
Have you ever met someone and they just seem to be so close to God and make it look so easy? Noah is like that. His relationship with God is so close and natural that they talk to each other all the time. I picture Jesus having that kind of relationship with His father – just a constant presence that completely guided his every move. Noah gets that tested though when he finds Elizabeth on his doorstep. For a time, he loses that closeness with God. But, when he is faced with the decision to die of his flesh so that Elizabeth can live, he goes back to his foundation, which is strong and sure and built on the rock of Jesus, and he makes the right decision. He has to be willing to lose her if that is what God wants, to gain her.
How is this different than the typical love story?
When I began Snow Angel, I just wanted to write the kind of romantic story that was full of real emotions, real people, but without the bodice ripper style of the secular romances. But I think God had bigger ideas for it. It became this love letter from God to me and from God to readers of romance. I’m so overwhelmed by how it turned out! I couldn’t have done that on my own. The scripture I think that best describes the theme is And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17b-19, NIV) I think the more we understand and grasp God’s love, the more we will change and live like Jesus.
You live in Indiana, and this story is based in Alaska during the gold rush, what research did you do for the book?
LOL! I’m going to date myself here. The internet is so much a part of my life now that I can hardly believe the amount of time and effort it took to research Snow Angel before the internet. I spend hours and hours in the library, took notes and then poured over the notes as I wrote. I do enjoy research, but I also always pray that God will give me His eyes when I’m describing a place or a time past. And sometimes, I have thoughts or a sense (a feel) for some time or place that has nothing to do with the research. The Creator of it helps me fill in that blanks and that is an amazing feeling.
