Author Colleen Coble shares about
Lonestar Angel (Thomas Nelson), the fourth volume in the Lonestar series: Eden’s hope is rekindled when Clay delivers astounding news — their daughter has been found…
WHAT LED YOU TO WRITE LONESTAR ANGEL?
I love writing marriage of convenience stories. After 40 years of marriage I’m firmly convinced that a successful relationship is built on a choice to love each and every day. Even when we don’t feel like it. The inciting incident just appeared full blown in my mind: what would happen if a young woman thinks she’s divorced then finds out it was never finalized? Even more, what if her husband told her that the baby they thought was drowned in a kidnapping attempt gone wrong was still alive? I just had to write that story.
STARTING OUT, WHO WERE THE AUTHORS WHO INSPIRED YOU? WHO INSPIRES YOU NOW?
When I first started writing, there were very few Christian books out there. I’m an avid reader and have always had a book in my hands. I wanted to write books that were good stories but I also wanted to write from a Christian worldview. So much of what I was reading ended with no hope. We have the best hope in the world – the hope of eternity! And the wonderful grace that God gives us every day. Diann Hunt inspires me with her courageous faith every day in the midst of a fight with ovarian cancer. Her books are funny but deep with how God’s grace gets us through the hard things.
HOW DOES YOUR FAITH INFLUENCE YOUR WRITING?
I would find it impossible to write without the spiritual element in my novels. Faith is an integral part of my life and I love seeing people grow and change as their knowledge of God deepens. I love being able to show that side of my characters too.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN THAT YOU WANTED TO BE AN AUTHOR?
I wrote my first story in first grade. It was about a horse that had twin colts. The teacher praised it and I began to wonder if I might have a book on a library shelf someday. That desire was with me all through school. When I married, it went underground as I was raising our family. Then when I was 38 I had a younger brother killed in a freak lightning accident. It was a wakeup call that it was time to follow my dream. It took 7 years of work before that first novel sold. But it was worth the wait!
WHAT DO YOU MOST HOPE THAT READERS GET FROM READING YOUR WORK?
My heroines are all overcomers. No matter what your past, no matter how much you’ve messed up, you can overcome it with God’s help. You don’t have to let your past dictate your future.