Gay N. Lewis #2–Author Interview

Hello, everyone! I hope that you’ve been having a great summer. Many of you have sent lovely messages asking about my blog and telling me that you miss it. Your messages have meant so much to me! I apologize for being absent, but for those who don’t know, I’ve been very ill and I haven’t felt well enough to write. That being said, I want to thank everyone who has been surrounding me with prayer. I’m feeling better, and hopefully, things will be back to normal soon. It may be a while until I can maintain a regular writing schedule, but in the meantime, please feel free to visit my old articles. You can access them by clicking on “Article Index” and then clicking on “Index of Articles.”

I’m writing today for a very special reason. Months ago, before I fell ill, I scheduled interviews with Gay N. Lewis and Susan Karsten. Gay and Susan are lovely Christian authors and sweet friends of mine. Gay’s interview is posting today, and Susan’s interview will post on Monday. Even though I’m still a bit under the weather, I wanted to make sure to introduce you to these terrific ladies.

Today, it’s my honor and privilege to welcome Gay N. Lewis back to my blog! Gay is an incredible Christian woman. She is genuinely nice, and she also has a delightful sense of humor.

Danele: Gay, I’m so glad to talk with you today!

Gay: Thanks, Danele, I’ve enjoyed your time travel books.

Danele: That’s so nice of you to say! I’ve really enjoyed reading your Sarah books as well. Sarah’s antics always make me laugh.

Gay: We both write fantasy, but I think writing about a dyslexic angel is far easier than writing about characters that time travel. I research for Sarah, my angel, but I can’t imagine the amount of research it takes for your books. You do a great job remembering who is who and who did what in each time zone. Whew!

Danele: What a lovely compliment! I have to admit that I really enjoy orchestrating my characters’ travels through time. You should see my desk—it’s covered in charts to keep me organized. I think the best part about writing is that we can have a blast doing something we love. I can tell that you love your character, Sarah. She’s lots of fun!

Gay: My little Sarah wants to wear red stilettos but falls down each time she does. She often uses human disguises or shrinks to miniscule. No matter her size or appearance, she creates a catastrophe however she emerges. I enjoy making readers laugh at Sarah’s antics.

Danele: You definitely succeed in making your readers chuckle! Sarah always makes me smile. Speaking of your Sarah books, can you give us a list of your titles?

Gay: I have 14 books listed on Amazon and other online booksellers. They are available in eBook. Many are also available in print and audio. They’re all Christian and faith inspired. All my Sarah books are squeaky clean. So is my latest, Mattie’s Choice. Rather than list them all with blurbs, let me invite you to my Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Gay-N-Lewis/e/B00AAVJ4G0/ref

Danele: That’s perfect, Gay! Speaking of your books, one of the things that I enjoy about your Sarah stories are the little glimpses of heaven that you give. What’s the first thing you want to do when you get to heaven?

Gay: Thank Jesus for coming and dying for all of us, especially me. I find His act indescribable and can’t imagine why He would do such a thing for me. Others? Yes. But I know who I am.

Danele: What a lovely answer—God’s grace toward us is so amazing! After you thank Jesus, what’s the first question that you’d like to ask God when you get to heaven?

Gay: Why do you love all of us so much? Your great mercy and love makes no sense when we consider our humanity and Your Deity.

Danele: That’s so true! God’s love is mind-blowing. Whenever I feel upset and tempted to doubt God, all I have to do is pause and think about His love. There have been times when I’ve felt the love of God in such a powerful way that it’s literally a tangible thing. God isn’t just a nice idea—He’s a powerful, living force—and the idea that someone like God actually loves us, and wants to be involved in our lives, is absolutely amazing! Now, Gay, here’s another question for you. If you could be a Bible character, which one would you choose to be?

Gay: Lazarus. I’d like to ask him what he did in heaven and how it felt to come back to life. We all want to know more about eternity, and if I’d been him, I’d have shouted heaven’s virtues on every dusty street corner.

Danele: Lazarus’s miracle was awesome! Now, let’s put a different spin on things—if you could be a Bible character, which one would you NOT choose to be?

Gay: Moses. I’d hate to put up with whining, complaining people for 40 years. Dealing with a few in my life for a matter of weeks drives me crazy. I’ve got a few relatives that are negative, rude and they daily cause me grief. I can’t imagine 40 years of nagging. And just think—there were between two and three million of those complainers! My hat is off to Moses.

Danele: Oh, Gay! You just made me laugh!!! Moses really was patient, wasn’t he? Here’s another question for you: how has being a Christian influenced your writing?

Gay: I’ve been a Christian since I was about six years old and I surrendered for special service when I was eight. I thought I’d be a missionary, so I studied Spanish in school. I’m not sure why I chose Spanish. I really thought the Lord would send me to Africa. So why would I need Spanish? Ha! I have no idea what languages are spoken in Africa. The plans we make. Right? God had other ideas. He arranged for me marry a preacher. I’ve spent my life in Texas, well, except for that one year in Oklahoma. I’ve always wanted to serve and I’ve done a bit of everything. Teach. Write. Sing. Play keyboard. Rock babies. Clean church toilets. Name it and I’ve probably done it.  Writing is one of my favorite things to do. I don’t preach in my books. I use humor to tell a story and express teaching points.

Danele: Do you have a piece of advice for new Christians?

Gay: Yes! Hang in there. Life may get harder for you instead of easier. Satan wants to draw you away from your new commitment.

Danele: I think that’s a wonderful piece of advice for all Christians—not just the new ones. Personally, this summer has been extremely difficult for me—I’ve been very ill. And I know that this summer has been difficult for many people around our nation and the world. There have been floods, hurricanes, fires, tornados, and earthquakes. It seems that every time I turn on the news, I hear that another group of people is facing a serious problem. When we are in the middle of a trial, sometimes, it seems as if it would be easier to give up rather than keep going, but really, giving up isn’t an option. Hanging in there with Jesus is what we’ve gotta do!

Gay: That’s true.

Danele: Now, Gay, I know that this is an exciting time for you! Your latest book, Mattie’s Choice, is being released tomorrow, September 15, 2017.

Gay: Yes, and although it won’t be released until tomorrow, Mattie’s Choice is currently available for pre-order through Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075GFSXCS/

Danele: That’s wonderful! Can you tell us a little bit about your story?

Gay: My latest book, Mattie’s Choice, is a departure from my Sarah Series. Sarah is filled with humor. She’s such a klutz, but Mattie’s Choice is a bit more serious, although there is humor mixed in. It’s a historical novel set in 1925 and the saga continues to the war years. There’s an epilogue in 1975.

Danele: That sounds really interesting—please, tell us more.

Gay: The premise for Mattie’s Choice concerns choices, the way we interpret Scripture, right or wrong, and the choices we make based on what we perceive the Bible to say. The choices we make have a ripple effect on the lives of others. I wrote this book to help abused women realize they have choices. Mattie Colby didn’t have many choices in 1925, but more exist today. Mattie believed her husband’s behavior was her fault. Women today often feel the same way. I’ve heard more than one say, “If I could only be a better wife, he’d love me more and he’d be kind.”

Danele: Abuse is such a terrible problem. How did you come up with the idea for Mattie’s Choice?

Gay: Mattie’s Choice is based on a few family experiences. My mother-in-law was married to a controlling man. He refused to allow her to see her family—even her twin brother.  One of my daughters married a man who physically attacked her. Talk about a shocker. That one was. I have a niece who also married a nutcase. This guy forced her to sit on the toilet all night long and read Scripture. He watched her through the night to make sure she didn’t fall asleep.

Danele: That’s awful! I’m so sorry that the women in your family went through such horrible things!

Gay: Weirdos are out there. What choices can women make to change an ungodly situation? I hope this book will help them realize God has better plans for them.  There weren’t many resources in 1925 to help abused women, but they exist today, and I hope women will search for them.

Danele: That’s lovely, Gay. I hope that Mattie’s Choice helps many people! I want to thank you for being with us today. I really enjoyed talking with you!

Gay: I’m happy we had a chance to visit.  Thanks for inviting me. I loved it.

 

Friends, Gay is such a wonderful person! If you would like to learn more about her, or her books, please follow the links below. I hope you have a terrific day!

http://www.gaynlewis.blogspot.com

https://www.amazon.com/author/gaynlewis

www.facebook.com/GayNLewis and also on Twitter @GayNLewis2.