📚 A Bookish Chat with 'Awakened by Grace' Author Darlene West #Interview

Darlene West has a bachelor’s degree in English with a writing minor in the concentration of fiction, as well as a master’s in adult education. Darlene is a retired corporate developer, program designer, evaluator, training needs assessor, and curriculum specialist. Though she grew up in and loved the restaurant business, her favorite regular job was being a Christian radio disc jockey in Champlain, New York. She loves being a wife, mother, and especially a granny.

Welcome to The Writer's Life! How did you come up with the idea to write your book?

When I was street evangelizing and bringing the Word of God to those in mental hospitals, I learned there was a great need to address self-condemnation, chronic grief, and hopelessness.

How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?

I wrote awakened by grace for a general audience, but the ideal reader would be looking for hope in a hopeless situation.

What part of the book was the most fun to write?

The most fun for me to write was when Franklin steps down into the daylight basement. I enjoyed playing with the words. It was a creativity part of it. I really enjoy being creative no matter what I am creating: a new recipe, a play on words, a game strategy, and so on.

How did you come up with the title?

It was my goal to convey it’s God that loves us and cares and wants to mend our brokenness.

What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

I’m a female author who wrote my story from the viewpoint of a male in third person. I developed that strategy for the art’s sake of it.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

Don’t give up. Persevere, persevere, that’s the best advice I can give. Don’t give up, especially when you get a lot of rejections. Don’t bend for the pressure of time to give yourself an excuse to self-publish. Join writing groups, go to writing conferences, and hire a mentor for advice and encouragement. If you feel that you have exhausted all your options, look for a smaller publisher to get your foot in the door.

How do you use social media as an author?

I used it to meet other writers and to meet editors.

What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

I haven’t started, as of yet, but I’m praying on either a story about a drug addict or a single mom.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

It would have to be with Edith Warton. I would like to learn how she came up with her point of view for age of innocence, as well why she wrote it in third person. I would love to pick her brain on her writing styles.

Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

That there is hope in this world, no matter how hopeless your situation may be. That hope we find in Jesus. To always remember, God always has another way and tomorrow is another day.

Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

It was my goal to write awakened by grace as a story that is different from most stories. I attempted to bring a story to my readers that was not only about Jesus’s love, but that was interesting and engaging to my reader.

Title: AWAKENED BY GRACE
Author: Darlene West
Publisher: Resource Publications
Pages: 252
Genre: Christian Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

After the tragic death of his wife, Katie, Professor Franklin Franklyn blames himself. Filled with anguish, he walks away from his family and removes himself from all social interactions, which augments his suffering. But soon after the second anniversary of his wife’s death, his self-imposed reclusive lifestyle is interrupted by an unplanned visit from his eight-year-old granddaughter, Maggie. From that point on, Maggie’s faith-filled answered prayers manifest before Franklin’s eyes. As the two experience God-led divine appointments, Maggie encourages new people to become part of Franklin’s life. In spite of all Franklin witnesses, he finds it difficult to let go of his guilt and move on without his wife.

PRAISE

“Awakened by Grace is a touching story of a man whose wife was killed. . . . His granddaughter, Maggie, opens the heart of her grandfather and teaches him to look outward instead of inward. . . . It is a wonderful story of overcoming adversity.”

–Susan Osborn, author of over thirty books

“You will love Awakened by Grace and never want it to end. If you’re looking for a book that portrays love, hope, forgiveness, and redemption, this is it. You can’t help but root for Maggie. Her faith is unending and her tenacity is infectious. I highly recommend you grab a cup of coffee and snuggle in for a good read. It will be hard to put down.”

–Veronica Dixon, Christian, wife, mom, legal assistant

“In my opinion, Darlene West’s book Awakened by Grace is very well-written and engaging. Through the trials of the characters in her book, I love how Darlene has used her faith in the Lord to illustrate how she believes that God can bring light to situations that are very dark.”

–Ron Wells, music aficionado, Seattle, Washington