AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH CATHY BRYANT

Please welcome novelist Cathy Bryant to Barb’s Author Interviews. I’ve followed Cathy’s website and blog for several months and am impressed with her efforts to encourage aspiring writers. I’m also enjoying her debut novel, TEXAS ROADS, which is now available in paperback and e-book format.

Welcome, Cathy! Thank you so much for agreeing to be a guest here on my blog. Of the books you’ve had published, which is your favorite and why?

TEXAS ROADS is my debut novel, so it will have to be my favorite (even though I’m excited about the second book in the Miller’s Creek, Texas series, which I’m currently writing). It’s special to me because the heroine, Dani, is looking for a home, an issue I personally struggled with for years. The spiritual thread of the story is about finding true home.

Here’s a blurb about the book:
Dani Davis longs for a place to call home. With quaint country charm, quirky residents, and loads of business potential, Miller's Creek seems like the perfect place to start over...except for the cowboy who gives her a ride into town. Then malicious rumors and a devastating discovery propel her down a road she never expected to travel.

Cowboy mayor Steve Miller is determined to rescue his dying hometown. When vandals jeopardize the Miller's Creek renovation project, he can't help but suspect Dani whose strange behavior has become fodder for local gossips. Can Steve and Dani call a truce for a higher cause and help Dani discover the true meaning of home?


Which is your favorite character in TEXAS ROADS?

Without a doubt my favorite character in TEXAS ROADS is Mama Beth. She’s the mother figure for Miller’s Creek, and is full of witty wisdom, but is harboring a shoulder-sagging secret. When I grow up I want to be like Mama Beth.


Tell us about your current WIP.

My current work-in-progress is Book Two in the Miller’s Creek, Texas series, tentatively entitled A Path Less Traveled. It tells the story of a widowed mother who is trying to make a life for herself and her young son. Unfortunately, that might mean leaving the place that’s etched on her heart.

Do you have a favorite scripture or quote?

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” ~2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV) I love this verse. It’s the gospel in a nutshell. To know that Christ traded His righteousness for my sin is mind-boggling and humbling.

Where do you get ideas for your stories?

The characters usually introduce themselves first, and the story flows from there. To give an example, once on my daily two-mile walk, out of nowhere I heard this prim and proper voice in my head, saying, “Tyler, Dent and Snodgrass, hold please.” (Please don’t send the guys with the long-sleeved white jackets, lol!) From that one little snippet of dialogue came the character of Gracie Soldano, the heroine for Book Three in the Miller’s Creek, Texas series. The story still unfolds…

What is the hardest thing about being a writer?

All of it. I don’t mean to sound negative, because it’s also exhilarating and addictive, but from coming up with the story idea, to plotting, to writing that lousy first draft, to edits and revisions, to formatting and designing covers, to marketing the book—it’s all mind-numbingly exhausting. If you’re looking for an easy career look elsewhere!



What would you hope readers will take away from your books?

I hope readers can glean God’s grace and goodness from every page. I also hope they fall in love with Miller’s Creek, Texas, and feel like they’ve arrived somewhere vaguely familiar. My author tagline is “Heart-Stirring Stories, Life-Changing Grace,” so I also want readers feel a tug at their heart strings while they read.

How can readers get in contact with you?

I love connecting with readers! You can find me in the following places:
My blog: http://WordVessel.blogspot.com
My website: www.CatBryant.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cathy.england.bryant
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CathyBryant

Barb, thanks so much for inviting me to visit your blog. It was fun!

Thanks again,Cathy, for being my guest. Blessings on your writing! And readers, Cathy has generously offered to give away one book for the first fifteen comments and a second giveaway if we have over thirty comments (restricted to USA only). Just leave a comment -- with contact information in case you’re the winner! – to be entered in the drawing.