Hopefully, those who’ve enjoyed my first two novels will enjoy this one, too. And even though it’s being marketed as “Christian” fiction, I still believe those outside that target group will find the book interesting and valuable, the next step in the series.
Traci Borum – 3 November 2015
The Back Flap
One December night, in the sleepy Cotswold village of Chilton Crosse, a drifter named Ben collapses on George and Mary Cartwright’s snow-covered doorstep. As Christmas cheer spreads throughout the village with a Dickens-themed festival, Mary nurses Ben back to health, but she becomes curious about the secrets he seems to carry. On Christmas Eve, one of Ben’s secrets accidentally comes to light, forcing him to confront the darkness of his past and to rediscover the faith he once knew
About the book
What is the book about?
Seeking the Star is the story of a stranger with a past who gets a second chance during the Christmas season through an unexpected friendship.
When did you start writing the book?
A few years ago. It’s the third in the Chilton Crosse series, and I wanted to change things up a bit. So, I wrote a shorter Christmasy book with some spiritual themes.
How long did it take you to write it?
About three months. It’s half the length of my other two novels.
Where did you get the idea from?
The weather was getting cooler, fall was approaching, and I guess I was in a holiday-ish mood. And I thought, “I should set the next book in the series at Christmastime.” I liked the possibilities that the time period suggested. Some people are very cheery and lively for the holidays, and others are the opposite. I liked the idea of those two character types clashing in the book.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The only struggle came when, about a third of the way through the novel, I saw the book start to take a stronger spiritual tone. And since the previous two novels in the series weren’t “Christian” fiction, I hesitated. I had to make a decision at that point, to let this novel move into that spiritual direction, or to steer it back into the secular direction. But the main character (the stranger) is in search of redemption and forgiveness. So, with the book set during Christmastime, I felt that a spiritual tone was a natural one for that character’s journey. I’m happy with the results, glad I listened to my gut and allowed the book to be what it needed to be.
What came easily?
The ending. I sailed through it, the last forty pages, in a two-day period. I’ve never written that many pages in a weekend, but I could “see” the ending and didn’t want to lose the dramatic momentum.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
The stranger is entirely fictitious, but the villager, Mary, has some traits of my mother. It wasn’t a purposeful decision, but when I looked back on the character, I saw a lot of my mother in Mary.
Do you have a target reader for this book?
Hopefully, those who’ve enjoyed my first two novels will enjoy this one, too. And even though it’s being marketed as “Christian” fiction, I still believe those outside that target group will find the book interesting and valuable, the next step in the series.
How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?
It’s shorter, taking place in only a month’s time, where my other two novels span out over several months or even a year. I didn’t have the luxury of time with Seeking the Star, so I had to create character development and conflict more quickly.
What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?
I learned that following my gut paid off. I was a bit nervous that my editors might (understandably) ask me to water down or even remove the spiritual plot/tone of the novel, because it wouldn’t “match” the tone and specific genre of the two previous books in the series. But my publisher and editor were wonderful. I was given the creative freedom to leave the tone the way it was, and I’m forever grateful for that.
End of Interview:
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