Real Life is Better Than Fiction

Today's awesome homeschooling/mom/author is H. L. Burke. Thanks for joining me today! How long have you been homeschooling? Roughly three years. We're a military family and move around a lot, frequently in the middle of the school year, so we kind of need to be able to take school along with us at short notice. How long have you been writing? Forever, pretty much. I've been looking for excuses to share stories since elementary school. I was a homeschool student myself, so I had to start the “school” paper. I kind of took a break when I got married then started writing again about four years ago seriously planning to publish. I always intended to go indie. The traditional way just takes way too long, and I'm impatient. What gave you the writing bug? I'm a talker. I like to talk. Writing is like talking, just slower. Do you remember the first story you wrote? I dictated a short story about rabbits (which I illustrated) to my mom when I ...

The last several months have been a little rough. Besides losing my father, I lost two friends, one very unexpectedly. It hurts to know that I will never see their smiling faces again except for old pictures and in my memory. While I mourn their losses greatly, I know I will one day see them again. Songs come on the radio and remind me of each one. Those songs bring tears to my eyes, however, those tears are not altogether sad. I know they are no longer hurting. I know they no longer have to battle with this world. I know they have been reunited with loved ones who have gone on before. I know they are worshiping their Savior. How do I know these things? 1 Thessalonians 4:13, "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope." I have hope. For the last several years I've had an acquaintance who grieves greatly over the loss of a loved one ...

Another busy homeschool-mom-author is up on the blog today. Welcome, Robin Merrill! How long have you been homeschooling? 5 years How long have you been writing? Since I could write, but professionally, 17 years. What gave you the writing bug? Not sure! Do you remember the first story you wrote? Yes. I was in third grade and I handwrote an 18-page story about meeting Amy Grant. My poor teacher! What type of books do your write? My first love is poetry, but I also write fiction and devotionals. How do you find time to write? Not sure! I sometimes write late into the night. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? I always want to be honest in my writing, and sometimes that offends people, but I don't mean to! Do your kids help with your creative process or give you ideas? They certainly try. They are always giving me ideas, and I do read my stories to my fourth-grade daughter, who has found some plot holes for m...

Real Life and Writing Books with author Norma Gail Write what you know is the mantra we hear. However, sometimes the story God lays on your heart is not 100% familiar in every way. I am celebrating the third birthday of my debut novel, Land of My Dreams . The story bears some similarities to my life. A woman meets the love of her life while struggling with heartbreak. My husband is European, so I know the experience of becoming part of a family who thinks very different from my own. However, I’ve only been to Europe twice and only once to his homeland. Each of us goes through times when we struggle with God. Each of us has doubts. Each of us must learn to overcome personal struggles in the strength of the Lord. Each of us longs for love. Then comes the unfamiliar part, I set Land of My Dreams in Scotland. That’s a long way from my New Mexico home. As Bonny Bryant, the main character says, “Scotland is about as similar to New Mexico as water is to dust.” I have visited Scotl...

I am blessed to have yet another homeschooling/mom/author visit on the blog this week. Today we get acquainted with Kristen Kooistra, who is a fantasy writer. How long have you been homeschooling? This is my first year. My oldest is 4 years old and we’ve been tackling the challenges and joys of writing, phonics, counting, colors, shapes, opposites, etc. My mother homeschooled my four siblings and I for most of our school years. I experienced three and half years of non-homeschooling (2 years public school, one year of charter school, and ½ year of a Christian school), but homeschooling was my favorite. I always knew that I wanted to homeschool my children too. I love being with them and seeing them learn. How long have you been writing? I’ve always dabbled a little, but I didn’t start writing seriously until 2014. What gave you the writing bug? Something inspired me and I decided to wing it, not thinking it’d actually pan out. But I kept going and the story...

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Today's homeschool author is from the other side of homeschooling...a student, Faith Blum. It's great to have you here, Faith! I’m excited to be here. Thank you for offering this series of author interviews for homeschooling or homeschooled authors. Some people reading this may not know you, so list three or four things about yourself to help them get a feeling for your personality.  1.       I’m much more outgoing online than I am in person. Although, if you get me talking on the correct topic, I can talk quite a bit. 2.       I live at home with my parents and siblings 3.       I am the oldest of four, but there are 20 years between me and my little brother. Yes, he was a bit of a surprise. How long does it take you to write a book? That really depends on the book. My fifth novel, The Solid Rock took me 32 days to write the rough draft in July 1-August 1, edited in December throug...