Juanita: Hello,
Rosemary, It’s so nice to be able to visit with you today. I know we’re going
to have a great time as we get to know you.
Rosemary: Thanks, Juanita! I’m looking forward to
our time together and the privilege of being a guest on your blog.
Juanita: I
found your books on an e-Reader list and am so glad I downloaded and read them.
Your three-book series was wonderful—up-to-date and so relevant to today. The
setting was modern America, present-day, and dealt with problems everyone has
heard about. Please tell us about them.
Rosemary: I’m glad you enjoyed them. Since you’ve
read all three, you know that they are realistic, contemporary Christian
fiction. My goal was to create a seamless story line that spanned all three
books. I’ve been told they are page-turners, with many readers reporting they
stayed up late to finish reading. That’s music to an author’s ears! J
Juanita: Did you always
aspire to be an author? Will
you tell us why you wanted to write these books and what you want people to
take away from them?
Rosemary: Becoming a writer was never on my radar
growing up. Although I’ve always been an avid reader and found that words
flowed easily for me, my career goal was focused on teaching.
I didn’t become a Christian until I was 30 years
old, choosing New Age beliefs instead. One day I was praying and expressing my
regret to God about how I had wasted those first 30 years trying to live
without Him. I’d even mocked Christians as out-dated and narrow-minded.
As I expressed my regrets in prayer, God impressed
on my heart that He was going to redeem the years the locusts had eaten away.
As a new believer, I had no idea that was actually a Bible verse from the Old
Testament book of Joel. Then He gave me an inspiration to use the gift of
writing and my life experiences from those first thirty years to help others
understand His grace, mercy, and love.
Initially, I hesitated, not seeing myself as an
author. But bit-by-bit God dismantled my excuses and fed me the stories that
became the Sandy Cove series.
My hope and prayer is that He uses these books to
make a spiritual impact on believers and non-believers alike. For believers, I
hope Michelle’s journey through New Age deception will help them understand
this false religion and be better equipped to share Jesus with family members
and friends who have been seduced by its tantalizing lies. For non-believers, I
hope it will open their eyes to who God really is and the only truth that can
truly set them free.
Juanita: How
much of your own life did you write into this series? How true to your life was
the heroine of Out of a Dream, Michelle Baron?
Rosemary: First let me say I believe that fiction
authors are most effective in their storytelling when they write about
struggles and conflicts they have faced in their own lives. That said, each of
Michelle’s trials are trials I have experienced, but her story is definitely
her own, and she has her own unique responses to these circumstances and
struggles.
Juanita: How
easy is it for people to become taken in by the New Age Movement?
Rosemary: For those who have never experienced a
genuine relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the New Age system of beliefs
is very enticing. It gives followers the flexibility to basically design their
own religion and create their own personal god, suited to their lifestyles and
desires. In our contemporary culture, that kind of self-power is very
appealing. Plus, New Age beliefs espouse “tolerance” for all beliefs, a mindset
that is advocated in our public life in America, including in our public
schools.
Juanita: Tell
us a little about your writing journey. How hard was it to get started on this
road and where has it taken you?
Rosemary: Writing these novels was a seventeen-year
journey. I wrote as God inspired me along the way, while I worked full time and
raised a family. In addition to the writing process, I had to make decisions
about publication, which required research and attending writers’ conferences.
Once the books were published, I began the process of learning how to get the
word out to potential readers through social media, advertising, and lots of
prayer.
Juanita: Please
tell us a little about yourself. Besides writing and reading, what do you like
to do? I understand you were once a schoolteacher, as I was. I think your
teaching experiences led to the writing of your third book, Into
Magnolia.
Rosemary: My childhood dreams always revolved around
being a wife, mother, and teacher. God has graciously given me the opportunity
to fulfill all of those dreams. My husband and I have been married for 37
years, we have two wonderful children — a daughter and a son — who are both
married and live near us. Recently we became grandparents to two beautiful granddaughters
now ages one and two.
My dream of teaching did not unfold easily. It was
nearly derailed before it began by an anxiety disorder that crippled me for the
first year after I obtained my credential. This was back in my New Age days,
and I basically abandoned any hopes or plans for teaching.
After I became a Christian and began asking God to
make me one of His servants, He answered, “Teach my children.” That was a very
frightening thought for me. I resisted for awhile, but He patiently and gently led
me one baby step at a time back into the classroom, beginning with a handful of
preschoolers in a parent co-op on the beach, to an elementary position, and
finally into my 15 years of teaching junior high English.
Those years as a junior high teacher gave me an
opportunity to work some intensive interventions in the lives of kids who were
struggling. Through my experiences, I saw the effects of broken homes, a
limping foster care system, and the lack of character education and values on
some very fragile kids. All of this contributed to the third novel in the
series, Into Magnolia.
Juanita: Your
second book, Through the Tears, dealt with the prevalent problem of
infertility. I went through this with my daughter and thought you presented the
problem very realistically. Why did you choose to write a novel with this
topic?
Rosemary: When my husband and I first tried to start
a family, we were hit with an unexpected diagnosis of infertility. Although the
characters in Through the Tears were
dealing with male infertility, ours was a case of sporadic ovulation coupled
with endometriosis on my part. Eventually, surgery and fertility drugs
succeeded, and we were able to have our daughter. Since endometriosis goes into
remission during pregnancy and nursing, our son was a special surprise baby who
was born 17 months after our daughter.
I wrote about this topic because there are so many
people who struggle with it silently. I wanted to portray how this issue
wrenches the hearts of those involved and becomes a consuming factor for them.
My prayer is that family members and friends, who
are looking in from the outside, will have a deeper understanding and
compassion for those in the midst of this struggle. I wish I had a dollar for
every person who suggested I should just “relax” and then I would get pregnant!
For those in the throes of medical issues, that is the very last thing they
need to hear. I also hope and pray that those who are immersed in the heartache
of infertility will find courage and hope from Michelle’s journey.
Juanita: And
you certainly attained your goal, in my opinion. Having watched my infertile
daughter suffer for many years, I can attest to that. Are you a member of a
Writers’ group? How important do you think this is for people who desire to
write?
Rosemary: I have been involved in several writers’
groups. It is a wonderful way to learn and grow as a writer, and I highly recommend
trying it! If you don’t click with one group, don’t give up. Try another. Or
start one yourself!
Juanita: I
read these books in e-format. Are they also available in print? How can people
get these books to read them?
Rosemary: My books are all available in hardcover,
paperback, and ebook formats. They sell on most online vendors such as Amazon,
Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo, Apple Books, etc. For more information, your readers
can visit the book page of my website, which provides some links for purchasing
them. www.rosemaryhines.com/books
Juanita: Do you have any more books in the works? What are
your plans for the future?
Rosemary: I have been praying about a fourth book in
the Sandy Cove series and have an idea for a devotional/prayer book. My sister
and I may co-write a stand-alone novel as well.
Juanita: Rosemary,
thank you so much for being our guest today. We’ve enjoyed reading about you
and your work. We’ll look forward to hearing from you in the coming years.
-----OK, Readers, Now
it’s your turn! Leave a comment and your
name will be entered in a drawing for one of Rosemary’s books. (If the "comments" don't work, please send me an email and I will enter your name.) The winner will
receive a copy of Rosemary’s first book, Out of a Dream, in print or e-format (Winner's Choice). The
winner will receive a link from Rosemary with instructions on how to download
the book if you choose an e-book. Print book can only be mailed to U.S. addresses. Don’t forget to leave your email address so you can be notified if
you are the winner.
My email is
mjnobles@charter.net
