I am so thankful to have Autumn Macarthur here today for our coffee chat! I hope you all have a large mug of your favorite beverage while you settle back and enjoy getting to know this amazing best selling author a little better!

Paula: I truly appreciate you taking the time to sit down with me today! I know how busy you are, so it means a lot to me! I have so enjoyed your writing! When did first realize you wanted to be an author?

Autumn: I knew I wanted to be a writer from when I first was able to form letters. My first “publication” was a poem in the school magazine when I was 6! LOL! Though I didn’t realize people could actually make a living from writing till my teens, I settled for a sensible job till my late 40’s when I decided it was time to give writing for publication a serious try. Five years and eight “practice” books later, I launched my first book.

Paula: I know you are from Australia, and now reside in London….what do you miss most about Australia? What do you love most about living in London?

Autumn: There are three major things I miss about Australia. #1, and the biggest – my family. Coming probably a tie after that are sunny winters, and space! Thankfully we’ve been blessed with more sunlight the past few winters, but I’ve had a few where there is seriously no sunshine for a month or more. This Aussie girl needs her sun! And I need space, too. Australia is so much bigger, and yet contains so many fewer people. There’s a lot more room to move, larger yards, less crowds. The things I love most about London – history, being right there surrounded by so much living history. The first few days I was in London, I walked around in a daze, just repeating to myself. “I’m in London, I’m really in London!” LOL, jet lag may have also had something to do with it, but far from all of it! And the other thing I love is the River Thames. I’m not sure why, but there’s something so special and so appealing about walking along the river.I tend to send my couples on a riverside walk in most of my books set in London!

Paula: What is your best time of the day (or night) for your Bible reading time?

Autumn: Any time! I always read and ponder on a chapter right before bed, but I keep a daily journal, that I try to write as soon as I can after I get up, and often I’ll want to look up a verse or two. I love Bible Gateway for that, and for being able to read verses or whole chapters in several different translations or paraphrases at once! All those verses I can kinda remember, but aren’t sure where they come from. Which is too many! I really need to get a lot better at properly memorizing verses.

Paula: Can you recall the first book you read as a child when you knew you would be a reader forever?

Autumn: Sure can! Robert the Rose Horse. That was the first book I read all by myself, and the first book I actually owned, after it was given to me as a fifth birthday gift in Kindergarten. It’s still in print, too!  That was the start of my life-long love affair with books.

Paula: You have written some difficult struggles for your characters and it makes me wonder,do you suffer right along with them as you write their stories?

Autumn: Writing is always emotionally powerful for me, and yep, whatever spiritual lessons the characters need to learn in the course of the story are ones I learn right along with them. Though thankfully I haven’t personally experienced everything my characters have lived through, often I’ve experienced similar situations, losses, challenges. If I get stuck on a story, often it’s because I’m refusing to learn whatever lesson God wantsme to learn. Or I’m trying to avoid digging deep enough into the characters’ situations. Because ouch, that’s going to hurt, for sure! I love love LOVE reaching those joyful happy ever afters with them, and the deeper their struggles, the ultimately more joyful and uplifting their endings will be.

Paula: What is your favorite go to snack, midnight or any time?

Autumn: LOL, what’s my favorite snack I wish I could still eat, or what can I actually eat? I have developed zillions of food intolerances, to a crazy range of foods and drinks. The itchy rashes, burning mouth, or migraines if I eat what I shouldn’t are no fun! I adore milk and dark chocolate, but need to stay away from chocolate. So the last couple of years, I’ve gotten good at making alternative treats. Sometimes wildly alternative! Raspberry and macadamia vegan grain-free cookie, anyone? I’m thinking I need to add some white chocolate to these, and then they’d be just about perfect!

Paula: If you had to chose any other career path, what would be your “dream” occupation and why?

Autumn: Oh, that is a tough question! My real-life career path was working as a nurse and midwife for over 35 years. Tough, heart-breaking at times, but very rewarding. If I couldn’t be an author, and if I didn’t have these pesky food intolerance’s, I think I’d be a chocolate maker. Maybe one specializing in chocolate treats for people with food allergies or intolerance’s!

Paula: Do you think about your characters as friends? I always wonder if the author worries about where the story-line is going, and if you ever find your story is going in another direction than you had planned.

Autumn: I need to like my characters, and they do become real people for me. Authors need to be a little bit nuts, I think, or we wouldn’t sit around talking to our imaginary friends all day! I have a load of ongoing storylines in my head, where I see what happens to them after the story ends. Sometimes that comes out in other stories from the same series, sometimes not. LOL, stories going in directions I didn’t plan? All the time! I’m not a super-detailed planner, with the whole story outlined and mapped out before I start, but I like to have some sort of idea where the story is going and what the main plot points might be. Then as I’m writing, I discover all sorts of things I didn’t know about the characters and the road map gets thrown out the window! I’ve learned not to fight that. Trying to stick of my plan and make the story be what it’s not never works.

Paula: Tell us how all your fans can keep up with your upcoming projects!

Autumn: The best way is by subscribing to my no-more-than-weekly reader newsletter! As well as getting all my book news, subscribers are entered in an monthly subscriber-only contest, and get a few other little goodies now and then. The sign-up link is https://dl.bookfunnel.com/7luq95last . That link also gives access to a gift ebook, newsletter subscription not required, though obviously I hope readers will want to get all my book news!Or anyone who wants to know about my new releases without getting so many emails can follow me on Amazon instead: https://amzn.to/2xc38Ag

Paula: Finally – Coffee or tea? Cream? Sugar?

Autumn: Oh, I hate to be so boring! Just water, please! I’ve never been a big coffee or tea drinker. Like a cup of really good coffee after dinner maybe once or twice a year. Cream,no sugar. I do admit to loving diet cola, to the point I may have been the teensiest bit addicted! Though now I’m blessed with this pesky chronic migraine thing, I need to avoid any caffeine at all. :(But hey, we’re talking virtual beverages! Food intolerances needn’t be an issue. The evenings are beginning to get cooler, so I’ll have a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and Cadbury Flake sprinkles on top, please! Yum!

Autumn is generously giving away one ecopy of Come To The Lake – a three book set!! Please comment on this post within one week from today and share what YOUR favorite midnight snack is to enter to win! Winner will be notified via email!

Paula Marie: I am chuffed to have Shirley Corder in our coffee chat today, welcome! I appreciate you taking the time to be with us, Shirley!

Shirley: LOL! What do you want me to say, except I’m also chuffed that I’ve taught you a new word! (For anyone who doesn’t know what it means, I’m sure you can work it out.) Paula Marie, thank you for inviting me to be here.

Paula Marie: You and I were ‘introduced’ by Marion Ueckermann, and I am so grateful for that introduction! I have been blessed to meet you, and to have had the opportunity to read some of your books (of which there are many)! Can you tell us a little bit about how you decided to write the non fiction creative stories of some of the lessor known women in the Bible?

Shirley: My husband was a full-time pastor for most of our working years, and I often worked alongside him in presenting Bible Studies to groups. He would teach the background and meaning of the passages, and it was often up to me to bring the story and people to life, and make them applicable to modern life. I have a special love for the stories and characters of the Bible, but I noticed how many people saw the characters as super-heroes and not ordinary people who faced issues similar to us. When I started writing full-time, I found myself more and more drawn to the “lesser-known” men and women, whom many think they know, but they actually know very little about.

Paula Marie: Sounds like you have been preparing for these books for quite a while!

Shirley: Oh yeah, perhaps I should mention that although writing was a hobby since I was young, I only started to write for publication following a life-threatening tangle with aggressive breast cancer. My surgeon didn’t expect me to survive a year. (That was almost 21 years ago!) On a day when I felt particularly close to death, I received a word from the Lord, “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done” (Psalms 118:17). I knew then that He planned for me to survive, despite the medical opinion and the way I felt. However, I thought He meant I would talk about what He had done. A few days later, He clarified what He wanted: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run” (Habakkuk 2:2).

Two years later, He prodded me during my daily Quiet Time by giving me BOTH verses one after the other. I finally got the message . . . and I’ve been writing ever since.

Paula Marie: How did you get involved with the Chicken Soup for the Soul books? I am curious, as I have enjoyed many of them, they are just right for those quick bits of uplifting “feel good” stories!

Shirley: I enjoyed reading them myself, and one day decided to try and see if I could write for one of their topics. They usually have a good number of options available, many of which appealed to me. I wrote several, but despite following their very clear guidelines, I had a number of rejections. Then one day, something clicked, and I realized their real need. They don’t just want true stories that entertain. They want stories that touch the soul of the readers. I’ve had several stories published since then, and I have a further two under consideration at the moment. I belong to a writers’ critique group run by Tracy Crump who has not only had many stories published with them she has taught courses on their requirements. As a result, a number of us in the group submit fairly regularly to them. I don’t submit as often as I’d like because of the time-pressure involved in my books and also keeping my two websites running.

Paula Marie: Goodness, you are definitely a busy person! Bless you for continuing to pursue the submissions, I do not take rejection well, lol.

Shirley: Rejection challenges me. I get mad, and set out to prove them wrong.

Paula Marie: What kinds of fictional books do you like to read (if any)?

Shirley: Ooh, I love Christian Suspense novels, and I always have one on the go, either on my Kindle or on my bedside table. Some of my favorite authors are Lisa Harris, Irene Hannon, Terri Blackstock and many others.

Paula Marie: I enjoy suspense novels as well, and will need to check out those authors – if you ever want more recommendations for suspense authors, let me know! Have you ever thought of writing a fictional story?

Shirley: I have actually written a number of novels, all except one during NaNoWriMo, and I actually intended to go that way when I started out writing. But there always seems to be a non-fiction topic calling my name. So my novels remain on my computer! I grow to love my fictional characters too much and can’t stand hurting them! My stories have to all have a happy ending, and my main characters need to stay safe, which tends to make them somewhat predictable! That doesn’t always work too well for a novelist! I would still give it a try if I could only figure out how to add a few days to my week. I think that is why I gravitated towards creative nonfiction. That gives me the chance to use fictional techniques while writing nonfiction!

Paula Marie: That is absolutely precious, Shirley! I think that it is so sweet that you love your characters, I find myself falling in love with book characters as well! If you ever decide to publish them, I hope you will make sure to let me know, I’d love to be one of the first to read them!

Shirley: Sure. Sign up for my newsletter and you’ll get the news. Having said that, I think we’re stuck with one another anyway! LOL!

Paula Marie: I love that you live in South Africa….it sounds so exotic to me! Can you tell me where is your favorite place to spend time in your home town?

Shirley: LOL! I suppose exotic is somewhere foreign to your home country! I am actually Scottish-born, and grew up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) but I do love all things African. My favorite place is really anywhere near the sea. When my husband and I married, we said to the Lord we wanted to one day retire to near the sea. If we got much closer, we’d get our feet wet! We live a six-minute walk from the beach, so I get to walk there almost every day. We have some of the most beautiful beaches in South Africa and as I’m not a swimmer, I love just settling down on the sand or on a seat overlooking the ocean and letting my mind roam.

 

Paula Marie: That is absolutely stunning! I could definitely get behind living there!

Shirley: Yes, I’m blessed.

Paula Marie What is your favorite hobby to do when you are all alone and not writing?

Shirley: My kids would tell you that they never know what I’ll tackle next. I’ve gone through a vast selection of hobbies, but since my husband retired and we had to scale down, I’ve had to settle on one hobby that takes space, and restrict the amount of materials I need to hoard. I am a musician, and I am co-leader of a senior choir that my husband and I both belong to. They are a group of over 30 lovely people, and they sing really well. We give concerts to senior groups, old age homes, frail cares etc, totaling between 25 – 30 a year. So that takes up quite a bit of time.

I also make creative greeting cards (that’s where the hoarding comes in!) In addition to doing it alone, I can do it to a limited degree in front of TV while my ever-patient husband pauses the DVD and rewinds whenever I miss an important part of the story! I belong to a group of lovely Christian ladies who get together once a month to learn new techniques and enjoy one another’s company.

Paula Marie:  You have about worn me out just reading all the things you do! These are lovely photos, and what talent you have, the card is beautiful!

Shirley: Aww, thank you! Can I make an admission? I tend to wear myself out too.

Paula Marie: I love journals, notebooks, etc. I always have at least one or two going at the same time! So, I was wondering if you are a journaler…I suppose that is not a word, lol. What I mean is, do you keep writings in a personal journal and then turn some of those into published devotionals?

Shirley: This is another embarrassing question, LOL! I keep LOTS of journals and notebooks. Although I have taught on journaling and I have written on the topic, I tend to be most disorganized. I have a journal especially for devotional messages received during my daily Quiet Time with the Lord. However, it is often missing when I need it, so I will grab another journal, or my daily diary, or even a scrap of paper, and furiously scribble the message down. If I don’t get it onto my computer within hours, they’ll often get lost and I may spend hours searching through all the journals and pieces of paper to find them! My husband claims to be scared to leave a piece of important paper lying around in case he finds an article scrawled across the back! He once found a devotion (which I’d lost) on the back of a bank statement.

Paula Marie: Oh, please do not be embarrassed! I love hearing how authors go about their daily lives and get their ideas down! I can only imagine that your writing requires serious concentration and maybe mediation and alone time – with such a busy life, children and grands, what is your favorite time and place to write?

Shirley: Re my children and grandkids, I don’t see much of them, so sadly they don’t take up much time. My daughter and her husband live in Montenegro so we only see them once or sometimes twice a year. (And since I KNOW your readers are going to ask, it’s across the sea from the heel of Italy’s boot!

I have a grandson in the States doing post-grad work with whom I only have occasional contact on Skype, and then the rest of our family live in four different parts of South Africa. I’m really looking forward to a rare family get-together in Johannesburg (3 hour plane trip away) in November for a nephew’s wedding.

My really favorite place to write during summer is before it gets too hot (i.e. early morning) when I sometimes take my laptop out onto the stoep (porch) and enjoy the birds and the ocean breeze with the laptop perched on my knees and my feet on a chair!

I do most of my writing in my study which I share with my husband who still preaches a couple of times a month. We each have our own corner with our computer desks and we’re pretty good with applying to our own work. However, I write most of the day, in between taking walks and participating in concerts, and I do have a couple of favorite spots.

Of course, winter is another story. I start early but don’t always make it to my desk until it warms up a bit!

Paula Marie: Thank you so much for sharing these amazing photos, you are so adorable! How can fans keep up with your books and new releases?

Shirley: Definitely via my newsletter which is short and is only sent out when there are items of interest. http://eepurl.com/c9Vuln

Other ways to follow me include:

Website: https://shirleycorder.com

Website for those in the cancer valley: https://riseandsoar.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Shirley.M.Corder

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/shirleycorder

Paula Marie: Finally, thank you so much for joining me today, are you a coffee drinker, tea, or something altogether different?

Shirley: Of choice, I drink black Rooibos tea which I don’t think you get in the USA, but fortunately I also enjoy a cup of black coffee with no milk or sugar. BUT, be warned. My friends call my coffee “dirty water” as it has to be so weak you can see the bottom of the mug! (And yes, there’s a story to that. Maybe another time.)

Paula Marie: I am looking forward to hearing about that someday!

Shirley: Thanks so much for the fun interview! Every blessing on your blog and all you do to encourage writers.

Shirley has generously offered a free ebook of Miriam: Part 1 – Devoted Sister to a lucky participant of this blog! Simply comment below on your favorite place to read to win! Contest will be open for one week from posting, winner will be notified via email, good luck!

Most of us know about Miriam, the little girl who watched over her three-month-old brother as he sails in a basket boat on the crocodile-infested River Nile. We’ve probably also heard the story of the Hebrew boy who grew up in an Egyptian palace. But during that time, what was happening to his sister, Miriam?

This book is the 3rd in the “Out of the Shadow” devotional series for women. Miriam lived her entire life under the shadow of her little brother, Moses. Join Miriam as she steps out of that shadow and develops her own God-ordained leadership role.

Written in creative non-fiction, the story stays close to the biblical narrative, but Shirley Corder brings Miriam to life in a way that will help you meditate on this fascinating woman as well as gain insight into the ways of life during those difficult years. The “Read and Reflect” section that follows each short chapter will help you relate to the story and apply lessons to your own life.

Paula Marie: thank you so much for taking the time from your busy schedule to spend a few minutes with me and our readers to get to know a little more about you! I have read many of your books, and have enjoyed them all, so far my favorite collection has been the Sunriver Dreams Series and Wildflower B&B Romance Series, but, hey, I am just getting started on the Melodies of Love Series! Whew, so many books, with great settings and characters! Where do you find you get the most inspiration from?

Kimberly: Thank you for asking me to visit! It’s always nice to get to know new friends.  Sunriver is my favorite place to visit! I’m tickled that you enjoyed that series so much.

I hope you are enjoying the Melodies of Love Series. A Love Song For Kayla was originally a stand alone novel published by Love Inspired Heartsong Presents. When I received my rights back I turned it into a series. 🙂

My inspiration comes from everywhere. Locations can inspire me, something that happened in real life can inspire me, just about anything can get my creative wheels turning. The burglaries in A Love to Treasure were inspired by actual events in Sunriver. Many years ago, I was reading their local paper and it talked about homes that were being broken into. I embellished from there.  

Paula Marie: I had absolutely no idea that was a real place! Now it will be added to my bucket lists of places to visit! Your website says you are a piano player! I just told my husband last night, I wish I could play the piano! What is your favorite style of playing? What song to you love to play the most?

Kimberly: My favorite style to play is anything pretty and peaceful sounding. LOL That being said, my favorite song to play, “Solfeggietto” by CPE Bach, is the complete opposite to that style.

Paula Marie: What was your most beloved book to read as a child? Did you realize at a young age you wanted to be a writer?

Kimberly: Can I Get There by Candlelight? by Jean Slaughter Doty. Candlelight is a horse. I loved anything to do with horses as a young girl, but this horse was able to take it’s rider back in time. This book still sits on my bookshelf.

I had no idea I would ever be a writer until I was in my early 30’s. A story came to me that I had to write. I’ve been writing ever since.

Paula Marie: That sounds like an amazing book, I am going to check that out! I have always wanted to visit the North West Pacific part of the country, and your writing has kept that desire going, lol! What is your favorite single day trip for the area?

Kimberly: I live about three or so hours from Sunriver. Although I’d prefer to stay there several days at a time, I’ve been known to drive over and have lunch at the Village Bar and Grill. You might recognize that name from the Sunriver Dreams series. 🙂

Paula Marie: That is so wonderful, I bet the residents just love you knowing you wrote about their town! I love to ask author’s where their favorite place and time is to write, I get so many different answers! So can you tell me what your preferences are, if you have any?

Kimberly: I prefer to write in the morning. I write at home. My “office” is a corner of our family room where I have a desk and my stationary bike. I seldom write from my desk though. I move around a lot within my house. It bothers my back to sit in the same place for too long.

Paula Marie: I know what you mean, I have a full time office job, and my back and legs ache at the end of the day!  If you couldn’t be a writer, what career path do you think you’d choose to be on?

Kimberly: I was a piano teacher before I quit to write full time. I would never have quit teaching piano were it not for writing, so that’s what I’d be doing.

Paula Marie: What advice would you give to aspiring writers today, given your own path to becoming a published author?

Kimberly: I was talking with an aspiring writer the other day and the two things I told him were to work on building his platform and to study what successful authors in his genre do and try to follow their example. Of course, all writers should be writing everyday. Some days the words don’t come easily, so set small goals for yourself on those days, don’t just give up. LOL I suppose that was a lot of advice.

Paula Marie: I am always amazed at the depth of personality in the characters written about in your books, do you usually start with characteristics of someone you know (no names, please, lol) and work out from there, or are they completely figments of your imagination?

Kimberly: They are all figments of my imagination. These people become real to me and on a good day the story plays like out like a movie in my mind. I can see and feel their emotions and get into their head. I know that sounds weird. I’m a Behavioral Science major, so I think that probably helps with my characters. 

Paula Marie: How can your fans keep in touch with you and your news?

Kimberly: Thanks for asking, Paula. My website is the best place to start. https://kimberlyrjohnson.com/

I have links to all of my social media as well as my newsletter and blog signups.

Paula Marie: Finally….Coffee? Tea? Cream? Sugar?

Kimberly: Black hazelnut decaf coffee or herbal mint tea for me. I am very sensitive to caffeine, so I need to be careful. I also can’t have dairy and limit my sugar intake. I know, very boring! Thanks so much for inviting me to visit with you and your readers, Paula. I enjoyed chatting!

Paula Marie: It has been an honor, Kimberly! Readers can get the full list of Kimberly’s books available on Amazon right here: https://amzn.to/2PiAIuV

I want to do something special for this 3 month anniversary of the blog! I am going to give away one of MY favorite gifts besides books, lol, a journal!

If you are interested in winning this beautiful journal, please SIGN UP with your email address (to the right) to be entered to win! I will be announcing the winner a week from today and contact you privately to get your mailing address!