Interview & Giveaway! Cathy Bryant ~ Author of The Way of Grace!

Cathy Bryant is here today with an interview and giveaway! :)

Welcome to Christian Bookshelf Reviews, Cathy!! Will you tell us a little about yourself? 

Glad to be here, Melanie! Thank you! I'm a Texas country gal, who recently was transplanted to the beautiful Ozark mountains of northwest Arkansas to be closer to the world's cutest grandson. I'm a wife, mother, Nana, writer, teacher, and musician.

  

What is your book, The Way of Grace, about? 

The Way of Grace tells the story of a justice-seeking perfectionist who pursues her dream of a perfect life in her hometown of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Leaving behind a good job with a good friend, Gracie Soldano decides to join forces with a local prosecuting attorney who is everything she thinks she wants to be. Then a disheveled free-spirit turns her perfectly ordered world upside down by challenging the idea of personal goodness. A fall from perfection leaves her teetering between vengeance and grace, caught in a deadly crossfire that leaves her dreams in a heap of ashes. But through it all, she learns to accept her far-from-perfect life as one completely immersed in God's grace.

What is something the average reader wouldn't know about you?  

I'm a published music composer and chocaholic.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was an early and avid reader. Once I started school, it was a pretty natural leap for me to go from reading stories to writing stories. During high school, I won some writing contests, and my after-school job was at the local newspaper. I tried writing novels during summers while my kids were little (during my public school teaching days), but always ended up filing them away when school started again. When the empty nest hit, I also went through a few challenging times which made me realize if I were going to follow my dream of writing a book that I'd better get after it. So, to answer your question, it wasn't so much a realization that I wanted to be a writer as it was just a part of who God made me to be.

How many books have you written/published and do you have a favorite? 

I've completed and published three novels--all part of the Miller's Creek series. My favorite is always the one I'm working on at the time, which is the case this time as well with book four in the series.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I'm not sure it's interesting, but I always have a bottle of water and a dish of chocolates nearby while I write. I try not to eat the candy constantly, but instead use it to reward myself when I get my word count in. I've also gotten pretty good at writing while I'm on the treadmill. I placed a couple of old boards across the arms and set my laptop on them. Multi-tasking at its finest! ;)

Where do you like to write? 

I can write anywhere and everywhere, but I must have adult onset ADHD because I don't do well with distractions.

What is the best and/or worst part about being a writer? 

The best part about being a writer is going to work in my pajamas. The worst part is the numb backside (hence the treadmill solution).

What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

In my spare time (which seems to grow less and less by the day), I enjoy hiking, camping, canoeing, gardening, reading, and home improvement projects. I'm also a reality TV junkie. My favorites are Survivor, the Amazing Race, and Dancing With the Stars. I've applied for both Survivor and Amazing Race, but with no luck so far. If I were a celebrity, I'd be doing all I could to get on Dancing with the Stars, but they'd probably boot me off in short order. (It would be worth a good laugh anyway...)

Is there a place you’d like to visit, but haven’t yet? 

I've always wanted to see the Mediterranean and surrounding areas--Athens, Rome, Egypt. It's all on my bucket list, so maybe some day.

Do you have a favorite Bible verse? 

It's hard just choosing one, but if I can only have one it would be 2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Not only is this verse the gospel in a nutshell, but it astounds me that Christ took our sin in exchange for His righteousness. Wow!

Love that verse! Do you have a favorite song and/or movie? 

Again, hard to choose just one, but if I must, I'll choose "In Christ Alone" as my fave song, and "The Sound of Music" as my fave movie.

What is your favorite holiday? 

Hands down, Christmas

A few this-or-that questions:

Snowstorms or Thunderstorms? I grew up in Texas where thunderstorms often entail tornadoes, so I'll opt for the snowstorm.

Tea or Coffee? Coffee (and LOTS of it)!!! One of my favorite writerly things to say is: "Give me coffee or the protagonist dies!" =)

Call or Text? Text

Early-bird or Night-owl? Used to be early-bird, but as I age I'm turning into more of a night owl.

Cats or Dogs? Both!

Are you currently working on any new novels? If so, could you give us a hint? 

I'm working on the first draft of book four in the Miller's Creek novels, entitled Pilgrimage of Promise. Though it's a stand alone novel like the rest of the books in the series, it will be helpful to read the first two books in the series, Texas Roads and A Path Less Traveled before this one. The first three stories are contemporary, but on this book, we travel back to Miller's Creek in the 1960s to learn the early story of Mama Beth, who is the mother figure for Miller's Creek. Here's the tentative book blurb: Mona Beth Adams wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Bo Miller. Before he leaves for college, they promise to wait for each other, but their relationship is sabotaged by a cruel scheme and interrupted by the Vietnam War. Then the unthinkable happens and Mona Beth must leave town to protect her family from scandal. When she arrives back in Miller’s Creek, she learns that Bo has finally returned, but he's not alone. Can she learn to lean on the One who never breaks His promises?

Thank you so much for being here! Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers and where can we find you on the web? 

It's been my pleasure, Melanie. Thank you for having me over! Here's where readers can find me online (yeah, I know . . . I'm all over the place):

Blog: http://WordVessel.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.CatBryant.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathy.england.bryant?ref=tn_tnmn
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Cathy.Bryant.Author?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cathy_Bryant
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2666708.Cathy_Bryant
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cathy-Bryant/e/B002SKQCDO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Giveaway!!

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