Eileen Rife {Writer Wednesday}

You may have seen my excited post yesterday - but today is finally here and so is my lovely guest, Eileen Rife! Give a big Thinking Thoughts welcome to her, grab a cup of coffee, and get to know this talented author and speaker.

A little bit about Eileen...

Eileen has a lot of titles under her belt: author, speaker, wife, mother, grandmother, marriage counselor, and English lover.  All of these combine to create the basis of a dynamic storyteller and speaker.  Ever since she was a child, Eileen has loved dreaming up stories and those stories have only been enriched by the journey of her life so far.

"Healing words for hurting hearts," is how Eileen Rife describes her books. Whether through fiction or nonfiction, Eileen wants readers to come away with love that extends beyond themselves, faith that can see the impossible, and hope that endures against all odds.

How to connect with Eileen...
 
Website: www.eileenrife.com
Blog: www.eileen-rife.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/eileenhinklerifeauthor
Publishers Website: Oak Tara
You can check out her books on Amazon too!

Author Interview | Eileen Rife

You & Writing
Tell us a little bit about yourself:  How did you start writing?  What has kept you writing?


...As a child, I loved writing and telling stories. Walking to school every morning, I created characters, then talked to them as I ambled down the road, which was often my way of dealing with grief and loss. After the death of my brother, I learned to empathize with the underdog. Many of my stories revolve around issues that many find difficult to talk about--death, homosexuality, sex trafficking. Through my characters, I offers readers an opportunity to draw close, peel back the layers of their own hearts, and examine what lies within.



...And added to the mix--romance, always a romance around one corner or another!



...An alumna of Christian Writers Guild and member of American Christian Fiction Writers, I have published several nonfiction books, written newsletters, a marriage column, and over ten church dramas. My byline has appeared in magazines, such as Discipleship Journal, Marriage Partnership, Mature Living, Christian Home & School, Drama Ministry, and ParentLife, as well as other print and online publications. My fiction works include Second Chance and the Born for India trilogy (Journey to Judah, Restored Hearts, and Chosen Ones). You can look for Laughing with Lily and Wit & Wisdom from the Wee Ones--coming soon from OakTara. My husband, Chuck, a licensed professional counselor and marriage/family therapist, and I conduct marriage seminars for churches and organizations in the states and overseas. We have three married children and six grandchildren.

Your Writing
Tell us a little bit about your book or what you’re working on currently? Why are you/did you write it?
...Chosen Ones is about a couple in crisis who encounter a child taken captive. 

Life in Chennai, India, is complicated. While Maggie and Gavin Munsfield adjust to a new baby, missionary friends, Dan and Yvonne Pratt, experience the heartbreak of infertility and miscarriage. When their lives intersect with a young girl caught up in the horrors of sex trafficking, each of them will receive a precious gift. But will they find it in their hearts to accept an outcome so different than what they expected and hoped for?

...Chosen Ones is inspired by my daughter’s and son-in-law’s hearts for sex trafficked victims. 

What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
...That sometimes God’s plans are not our plans. But if we allow Him, He can turn bitterness into sweetness.

Writing
Where do you find inspiration for your story/characters?  Are they based on real life or pure imagination or both?
...Typically both. I take a trip down memory lane, foraging ideas along the way. Usually that journey is enough to spark an idea or two and then my imagination takes over.

When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories? 
...My overall intention is to provide a satisfying read that not only entertains but builds awareness and moves the reader to action.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors for writing and/or publishing?
...If God has called you to write, never give up!

You
What’s your favorite green food?  (In honor of St. Patrick’s Day of course!)
...Spinach! I use fresh spinach in smoothies, salads, tacos, and quiche.

If you could travel to any location and stay there for one month (probably spending most of the time writing) where would you go?
...That one’s a no-brainer. Maui!

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I identified with you right off the bat, Eileen! I was that same child - the one walking around dreaming! My imagination was a better entertainer than any television show I could have watched, and growing up in a small town, I was able to use the lack of conventional entertainment to feed my creative side!

I love how you say you take inspiration from the past to form your stories, but that you couple awareness with a good fictional plot.  It's such a wonderful thing how novels read for entertainment can also be educational! Plus, your advice to writers is so true (and so encouraging for me as well) - "If God has called you to write, never give up!".  I may just make that my mantra ;)

Thank you so much, Eileen, for joining us here at Thinking Thoughts and thank you for the GIVEAWAY of one of your fantastic novels, Chosen Ones! 

For you, readers, make sure and leave a comment below with your email included if you want to be added to the drawing for a hard copy of Eileen's novel, Chosen Ones. The contest is open today until Sunday evening (9pm Pacific Standard Time) and I will announce the winner on Monday March 25th!