Angela, welcome to Writers on Reading!
Congratulations on your release, Eleven
Pipers Piping—a Christmas book with a touch of July worked in. This
Christmas series looks like you just have to unwrap it first! (But I’m gonna
have to pause to mention how I love one of your previous titles, Snowflake Tiara—it’s just a perfect fit
for that book’s theme! Anyone curious? Click here.)
Thank you so much for inviting me to be here, Deirdre. What a great place to
talk books!
I love these interviews and look forward to learning about your
reading habits! So, as a historical/romance writer, can you tell us what speaks
to you as you pick your next reading experience?
First, I love reading across a lot of genres. If the book has a
significant spot in history, is time travel, or fascinates me with setting I'm
all over it. :) I love traveling places in my mind with books.
What was the most out-of-character
book you’ve recently read, and what led to your choice?
I'm actually
a professional book judge. So I'm reading a lot of different self-published
books right now. One that surprised me (and that I'm not usually drawn to) was
a medical drama. It's great twist caught me by surprise and yet the author did
it very well. (I can't tell you the title because it's still in the contest.)
Well, I hope you’ll drop by after the
contest, if the author allows, and share! As a writer, you should know better,
but as a reader, you know we all do it…so, when did you last “judge a book by
the cover”? How did it work out?
Lol, I
actually judge book covers professionally as part of contest criteria. It is so
very important to market the internal content of a book with a spectacular
cover. A poor cover does set a precedent in the reader's mind. I'm rarely
surprised. But when I am, I definitely give specific pointers to those authors
to help their marketing efforts. It's tough to change a print book. But it's
not tough to change an e-book.
Well,
I wouldn’t want you changing the cover on your upcoming release. Do you find
time to read during the months you’re writing? If so, what did you read while
working on Eleven Pipers Piping? If
not, did you treat yourself to a good book, when you sent it off to your
publisher?
I do take
time to read while writing to give myself a break and because I get so
fascinated by research. I can get lost for hours in both online and hard copy
for research. I'm super driven. So the very first thing I'm doing is learning
about podcasting for my debut on iTunes July 28, 2015 Grace Under Pressure
Radio with Angela Breidenbach. The show is about becoming women of Courage,
Confidence, and Candor. I'm listening to podcasts about podcasts and watching
tutorials. Oh, and I'm starting a screenplay so I actually downloaded Final
Draft software before I listened to a podcast. So I'm also listening to
podcasts about writing screenplays. I did tell you I was eclectic in my
"reading"… ;)
You
most certainly did. So with such variety, did a book recently make you
laugh/cry/sigh/shiver?
Remember I
told you I read across genres? I really do. I think it helps me grow as a
person, a writer, and a leader. So…a book that made me laugh out loud a
self-pub I recently judged. The author did so much right, but still had a lot
to learn. But the flashes of great humor were noteworthy. That author has talent!
A book that made me cry was For Time And Eternity by Allison Pittman. That book
still reverberates in my memory. Books that made me shiver are by Tosca Lee,
Demon: A Memoir (because it really made me consider my own life choices) and
Havah: The Story of Eve (because it made me consider my affect generationally
for my children's children's children, and so on.) I truly want to leave a godly
legacy. That's a massive goal. But God says he'll bless us up to 1,000
generations, and I want that so badly I can taste it, smell it, and I dream it.
So I pray it, and I write books/screenplays and will be doing the podcast to be
intentional about that goal.
A
beautiful goal, a legacy it seems you’ve already
started, and some really great reads all wrapped together! What was the last book you absolutely couldn't put down? Why?
I love
Tracie Peterson. She inspires me as a writer because of the depth of her
research (done with her hubby, Jim) and the story worlds she creates. I have a
vast collection of Tracie Peterson books just to study her technique and series
skills. When I grow up I want to be like her ;)
When
you grow up, hah! (You're both Montana girls, too, aren't you?) Were you the kind of kid/teen who loved reading?
Um, YES! I
will admit this now…I often was late to school because I stayed up reading all
night. Shh, don't tell. Yes, it's true.
Laughing.
I hope your secret’s safe here. Folks, what do you think? Yep, we won’t tell.
So, which novel do you first remember reading?
I don't
remember because I began reading at four years old. I was reading novels from
the 1930s by the time I was eight. The first novel that really affected me
deeply though was Island Of The Blue Dolphin. Another was Heidi. I thought it
was so cool to dress up as Heidi in the fifth grade for our school Halloween
party. Let's just say no one in my class had any clue who Heidi was but my
teacher.
Hah, how fun. You’re the second gal
who’s remember the Island Of The Blue Dolphin as you favorite childhood book. I
missed out on it, think I might have to read it now. Grin. So, when did you know
you wanted to write?
From my
earliest memory. I wrote poems, songs, and stories starting in Kindergarten. I
had full notebooks. I so wish I'd have been able to keep them. I'd probably
write better child characters because I'd go back in my kid head, lol.
What an excellent point! So, did any
or multiple books influence this desire to write?
Heidi,
Boxcar Kids series, Island Of The Blue Dolphin, and yes…Gone With The Wind. I read
that book in the sixth grade and again in high school. Craft and marketing
books can get me fired up too! Yeah, that's maybe a different answer but it's
true.
We’re interested in these interviews
for the different answers. Has any book stuck with you recently? What created
the lasting impressions?
A book that
made me sigh, cry, and shiver is Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers. It's an
older book now that's been rereleased recently. This book has a lot of
parallels in my life as a mother who had to work long hours to provide for my
children. But then I actually was with both my mom and my dad when it was their
time to pass. Being with them, watching them struggle in those last days brought
parts of that book back. I'm so grateful I had those last hours with each of my
parents. So very grateful.
Oh
my…Angie, you’re not supposed to make us cry, just tell us what books made you
cry! I read Leota’s Garden when it first released---before this millennium. I agree I remember it as a great book.
What is on your to-read list?
Fiction—TraciePeterson's latest Brides of Seattle book, Refining Fire. Craft–ProofreadingSecrets of Best-selling Authors by Kathy Ide. Marketing/how-to—Podcasting for
Dummies (for a second time because it's been too long from reading to
implementation). Screenwriting craft—Story by Robert McKee (because I've
already read How to Succeed in Hollywood by Dr. Ted Baehr). My list is actually
a lot longer…
Is
there a book you are looking forward to rereading?
(See
Podcasting for Dummies). But in fiction, I'd love to reread Allison Pittman's
Sister Wife series #1 to set me up to read the second one.
And with summer in full bloom, what is
your ideal summer reading experience?
I have a
wonderful yard swing my husband gave me last summer. I adore sitting out there
and reading with the deer munching on my lawn. (Shh, don't tell hubby or he'll
chase them away.) The breeze gently blows. I have my favorite energy drink on a
dinner tray beside my yard swing. Muse, my fe-lion, chatters at me through the
screen door (when he's not climbing it with his claws.) My miniature horses
whicker at me across the fence. So sometimes I get up and give them a handful
of grass and go back to reading. That's a perfect afternoon! I hope I get a few
of those this summer. I did get several last year. Maybe I can do that while
judging contest books? Yes, I'll try that this weekend.
Ooooh, it's a fawn! Well, that is an ideal summer
reading experience! And it really lets us see you as a reader, Angie. One last
question before I let you prepare your swing for tomorrow. If Maila Holmes from
Bridal Whispers (The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection due out Jan. 2016
from Barbour Publishing) were to pick a book from today’s shelves, what do you
think it would be?
Maila is the
most recent heroine on my mind because I just turned in Bridal Whispers, a
novella in the Barbour Publishing The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection,
and finished the edits last week. She's also very loosely based on my grandma,
a first-born Swedish-American who was raised speaking only Swedish. She became
a nurse. So I think she would want to read medical romances like my friend
Sandra Orchard writes. I've read a few of her books, and they're very good Love
Inspired short romances. I think she'd also pour over medical journals because
of the advances in medicine since 1899-1900, lol.
Oh, that’s a perfect answer! Bet she’d
wanna read that medical drama you couldn’t tell us the title of. Definitely
makes me want to read more about Maila—see why I love these interviews? Thank
you for your reading habits with us, Angie. Folks, you can continue to connect
with Angie—and find out more about her books—at the links below, but first a
her bio.
Angela
Breidenbach
is a captivating speaker, radio personality, and an award-winning author. She
serves as the Christian Author Network's president and executive assistant for
the Montana-based Jadyn Fred Foundation. A professional judge of close to 1000
books, Angela has also authored:
SnowflakeTiara: The Debutante Queen, historical romance (audio version soon)
Eleven
Pipers Piping, sequel to The Debutante Queen, releasing end of July
2015
A HealingHeart,
contemporary romance, also on audio
Gems ofWisdom: For a treasure-filled Life, nonfiction
Grace Under
Pressure,
Fall 2015, nonfiction partner to the iTunes Grace Under Pressure Radio:
Becoming a woman of courage, confidence, and candor—debuting July 28, 2015!
Coming Jan. 2016, Bridal Whispers historical romance novella in Barbour Publishing's
The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection
Feb. 2016, Taking the Plunge, historical Montana romance in the Sporting
Chance collection.
PURCHASE AND CONNECTION LINKS:
Twitter/Pinterest: @AngBreidenbach
Grace Under Pressure Radio link: http://angelabreidenbach.com/category/grace-under-pressure-radio/ (watch here
for the first show information!)
Eleven Pipers Piping doesn't have a
sales link yet, so Angie created a preview page on her website for us. http://AngelaBreidenbach.com/Eleven-Pipers-Piping/
What a wonderful interview, Angie. I wish your grandma was still around to join Maila in reading my romantic suspense. Based on her era, she'd probably especially enjoy my mystery series with a herbal researcher turned amateur sleuth. I have an elderly female character in there renowned for knowing all the old world remedies. :)
ReplyDeleteSandra, I'm intrigued! Which series is that exactly? You have too many books for me to know at a glance, pleeeease don't tease us like that! :)
DeleteLOL, Deirdre. It's the Port Aster Secrets series. And...book one Deadly Devotion is free in Ebook right now, so you can check it out for free. :) Thanks for asking.
DeleteCuriosity answered AND a freebie? It's too good to be true, eh, folks? Here's the link (though you'll have to copy and paste it) http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Devotion-Port-Aster-Secrets-ebook/dp/B00B85M2RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437174909&sr=8-1&keywords=deadly+devotion
DeleteI keep trying to post and it's not going through. So if this is the third one, forgive me :)
ReplyDeleteSandra, I totally think my grandma (mormor in Swedish) would love your books! I do :)
And Deirdre, thank you for having me today!
Angie
Angie, your post came through---third time's the charm! Sorry it gave you trouble. Sounds like you've picked wisely for Maila, now we just need to be able to read her book.
DeleteI'm so excited for it to come out!
DeleteThanks :)