Featured Author Interview: Siri Mitchell

Siri Mitchell is the author of nearly a dozen novels, among them the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists Chateau of Echoes and The Cubicle Next Door.  Siri graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi. The following is an April 2013 interview with Siri.

The Christy Awards: 2013 Nominees Announced

The nominees for the 2013 Christy Awards were announced this weekend.

A total of 28 nominations over nine categories have been revealed. Winners will be announced and presented with their awards at the 14th annual Christy Awards dinner to be held Monday, June 24, 2013, at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri.

The following is a list of those categories and the nominations in each.

Featured Début Novelist: Ian Acheson

Ian Acheson is the Australian author of the Chronicles of the Angelguard, published by Lion Hudson.

Ian reads a lot, mainly spiritual development books, and a lot of Christian fiction. He finds that great stories transport readers to another place. He's also been telling and writing stories for most of his  life since he was a kid.

Ian is a professional strategy consultant having been in the Corporate world for the past 25 years. He brings some of this experience into his stories.

Ian has lived in Sydney, Australia, all his life. He shares his home there with a most beautiful and gracious lady, his wife, Fiona, where they try to keep up with two almost-twenty something young men who give them much joy and you know what else if you’re a parent.

The following is an April 2013 interview with Ian.

Featured Author Interview: Murray Pura

Murray Pura was born and raised in Manitoba, just north of Minnesota and the Dakotas. He has published several novels and short story collections in Canada, and has been short-listed for a number of awards. 

For more than 25 years, in addition to his writing, he has pastored churches in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and Alberta, and has traveled extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

His novels include the Snapshots in History series, and The Danforths of Lancashire series.

The following is an April 2013 interview with Murray.

Featured Author Interview: Mary Connealy

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist. She has over a half million books in print.

Mary wrote for ten years before having her first book published. When she did get her first contract she had twenty finished books on her computer at home. She had just enough encouragement through those ten long years to keep on writing.

She is the author of the successful Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series, and her novel Calico Canyon was nominated for a Christy Award.

The following is an April 2013 interview with Mary.

Featured Author Interview: Deborah Raney

Deborah Raney is the author of A Vow to Cherish, which inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title.

Her books have since won the RITA Award, ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists.

Deborah has written more than twenty books. Her most recent series is the Hanover Falls novels, published by Howard/Simon & Schuster. 

The following is an April 2013 interview with Deborah.

RECAP: 2013 First Quarter - Author Portfolios & Featured Authors

Since Soul Inspirationz //  The Christian Fiction Site relaunched in January, almost 50 Author Portfolios have been added to the website, with more than 20 of those as Featured Authors with exclusive interviews. There is still a lot more yet to be featured in the coming months, but the following is a recap of added Author Portfolios and Featured Author Interviews from the first quarter of 2013.

Featured Author Interview: Kathleen Fuller

Kathleen Fuller is an American writer, specializing in Christian and Amish romantic fiction.

She is the author of several books, including the Amish series Hearts of Middlefield and the Middlefield Family series for Thomas Nelson Publishers, as well as the young adult series Mysteries of Middlefield. She is also included in two Amish anthologies for Thomas Nelson, An Amish Christmas and An Amish Gathering, and in the upcoming Barbour anthology A Pioneer Christmas Collection.

Kathleen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and currently resides in Geneva, Ohio with her husband, James Fuller, and three children.

The following is an April 2013 interview with Kathleen.

Featured Author Interview: Bonnie Leon

Bonnie Leon is the author of nineteen novels, including the recently released Joy Takes Flight,  book three in the Alaskan Skies series, the popular Sydney Cove series and the bestselling  Journey of Eleven Moons. 

She enjoys speaking for women’s groups and teaching at writing seminars and conventions. These days, her time is filled with writing, being a grandmother and relishing precious time with her aged mother.

Bonnie and her husband, Greg, live in Southern Oregon. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

The following is a March 2013 interview with Bonnie.

Featured Author Interview: Mesu Andrews

Mesu Andrews is an author and speaker who has devoted herself to passionate study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep love for God’s Word, Andrews brings the biblical world alive for her audiences.

She’s published three books, Love Amid the Ashes, Love’s Sacred Song and Love in a Broken Vessel. Another is scheduled for release with Revell in March of 2014.


The following is a March 2013 interview with Mesu.

Featured Author Interview: Nancy Mehl

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and her very active puggle, Watson. She’s authored fourteen books and is currently at work on her newest series for Bethany House Publishing.

 The first book in her Road to Kingdom series, “Inescapable,” came out in July of 2012. The second book, “Unbreakable” released in February of 2013. The final book in the series, “Unforeseeable,” will be available in September of 2013.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul.

The following is a March 2013 interview with Nancy.

Featured Author Interview: Wanda Brunstetter

Wanda Brunstetter is an award-winning romance novelist who has led millions of readers to lose their heart in the Amish life. 

She is the author of over 60 books with more than 6 million copies sold. Many of her books have landed on the top bestseller lists, including the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and CBD. Wanda is considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, and her work has been covered by national publications, including Time Magazine and USA Today. Wanda’s books have been translated into four foreign languages.

Wanda writes about the Amish because they live a simple life, which she feels we all need in this day and age.

The following is a March 2013 interview with Wanda.

Featured Author Interview: BJ Hoff

BJ Hoff’s bestselling historical novels continue to cross the boundaries of religion, language, and culture to capture a worldwide reading audience. 

Hoff’s stories, although set in the past, are always relevant to the present. Whether her characters move about in small country towns or metropolitan areas, reside in Amish settlements or in coal company houses, she creates communities where people can form relationships, raise families, pursue their faith, and experience the mountains and valleys of life. 

The following is a March 2013 interview with BJ.

Featured Author Interview: Ann Shorey

Ann Shorey is the author of the At Home in Beldon Grove and Sisters At Heart series, lover of flowers, wild Oregon woods, and good books.

Ann is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency, and is an active member of several writer’s organizations, among them American Christian Fiction Writers, Oregon Christian Writers, and Willamette Writers. As such, she is enthusiastic about the benefits of attending workshops and conferences. Ann is available to teach workshops on research, story arc, and other fiction fundamentals to writer’s groups.


The following is a March 2013 interview with Ann.

Featured Author Interview: MaryLu Tyndall

MaryLu Tyndall, a Christy Award Finalist, and best-selling author of the Legacy of the King's Pirates series is known for her adventurous historical romances filled with deep spiritual themes. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. 

MaryLu currently writes full time and makes her home on the California coast with her husband, six kids, and four cats. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures that not only entertain but open people's eyes to their God-given potential. MaryLu is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.

The following is a March 2013 interview with MaryLu.