Dorothy Love Interview

I’m happy to welcome my good friend Dorothy Love to The Borrowed Book today. An accomplished author in the secular market, Dorothy makes her Christian fiction debut with Beyond All Measure. A native Tennessean, a former college professor, an avid traveler and amateur historian, she shares a home in the Texas hill country with her husband and their two golden retrievers.

Welcome, Dorothy. I'm so glad to have you with us today talking about your writing journey and your wonderful book. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

My dad began reading to me when I was a toddler and I learned to read for myself before I ever started school. I can’t remember not being able to enjoy the wonder of books. In third grade, a teacher encouraged my authorial efforts and that was it.

After you began writing, how long did it take to make that first sale?

I wrote and submitted for five years before landing my first book deal. In the interim, I wrote hundreds of magazine pieces to help pay the bills.

All your perseverance paid off in the publication of your book. What is the title?

BEYOND ALL MEASURE

I've read your book, and I loved it. Give us a short blurb about it.

Ada Wentworth may be young, but after losing her family, her fiancé and her fortune, she knows she can rely upon no one but herself. She journeys to Hickory Ridge, a small town nestled in the foothills of the Great Smokies, to take a job as a lady’s companion. She plans to stay only until she can earn enough money to establish a millinery shop back east. But then she meets Wyatt Caldwell, the handsome Texan who owns the local lumber mill. As their feelings for each other grow, Ada must decide whether she can trust God with her future, and Wyatt with her heart.

What inspirational message do you want readers to take away after reading Beyond All Measure?

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Holding onto blame and bitterness leads to isolation and pain; forgiveness and trust bring peace and fulfillment.

As I read your book, I found myself falling in love with your characters who inhabit the little town of Hickory Ridge. Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

It’s hard to choose one favorite. I love Ada for her determination, Lillian for her wise counsel, and of course Wyatt. Who can resist a long-legged, blue- eyed, Stetson-wearin’ Texan with a killer smile who calls you “darlin’?

You are so right. Wyatt is a strong hero, but I also really liked your setting in Hickory Ridge. I could tell you understood the area and the attitudes of the people who lived there. Where one has lived often affects the settings a writer uses in his/her stories. Have you found this to be true in your writing?

Absolutely. I write Southern historical fiction because I am a southern girl. I know the geographical and cultural landscape. I believe that we are connected by an invisible thread to the place where we were born and raised, and that when we are away from it, something inside us keeps us longing for it.

I know you are dedicated to your family, friends, and your church. How do you juggle all your responsibilities and still find time to write wonderful novels?

I’ve had to learn to say no to some things I would really love to do. Last year I gave up membership in a book club and I miss those women still. I’ve had to learn that the world does not end if there are dust bunnies under the bed or if I buy a cake from the bakery instead of baking one from scratch. Everyone who loves me understands that I hope my books will be a ministry, too, and usually they are supportive, even when I must say no.

I also know you to be a fun-loving individual who likes to laugh and live life to the fullest. What would you say is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

When I was teaching at a small college in the Midwest, one of my fellow profs double-dog dared me to sing in his rock band. Who can step away from a double dog dare? So I did it, chiming in on a couple of old Elvis classics. I had a ball and didn’t get booed off the stage, so I guess it went okay.

I'm glad you didn't abandon your writing to take up a singing career. I can hardly wait for your next book. What are you working on now? Can we expect other books to release soon?

I’ve just turned in the manuscript for the second Hickory Ridge novel, BEAUTY FOR ASHES, due out in February of 2012, and now I’m busy writing the third which is to be called EVERY PERFECT GIFT. And working on a proposal for a new series.

For the aspiring writers who may be reading this, what advice would you give them?

Read at least a dozen books for every one you try to write. Take all the classes you possibly can. Seek honest feedback from someone qualified to give it. Know when to give up on a submission that is not selling and move on to something else. A dear friend of mine spent seven years on one manuscript, revising it every time she received feedback from an editor who rejected it. That’s seven years in which she could have been reading more, writing more, learning more, and submitting more.

I post regular tips on writing and the writing life on my website, www.DorothyLoveBooks.com. Click on Writers’ Caffeine.

I would advise writers to read Writers’ Caffeine. I have certainly learned a lot from reading your posts. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us that I haven’t asked?

I love history and I love encouraging others to seek out the untold stories of their own families’ pasts. I find the 19th century endlessly fascinating. Each week, I write about various historical topics on my Blog page at www.DorothyLoveBooks.com. If you love history, love finding out about your own ancestors, come visit. If you’d like to have one of your ancestors featured in a future novel, check out my contest there on the site. It’s easy to enter and I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for dropping by today, Dorothy. It’s been a pleasure to have you as a guest.

Dorothy is also giving away a copy of Beyond All Measure on Friday. If you’d like to be entered in the drawing, leave a comment. You may be the lucky person who gets to read about a “long-legged, blue- eyed, Stetson-wearin’ Texan with a killer smile.”