Christine Lindsay is the author of multi-award-winning Christian fiction. Born in N. Ireland, it was tales of her ancestors who served in the British Cavalry in Colonial India that inspired her historical trilogy, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight. Her Irish wit and use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming and in Sofi’s Bridge coming May 2016.
Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine is the happy wife of David of 35 years, a mom and a grandma. She makes her home on the west coast of Canada, and in Aug. 2016 she will see her long-awaited non-fiction book released, Finding Sarah, Finding Me: A Birth Mother’s Story.
How to connect with Christine...
www.ChristineLindsay.org
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Get to know Christine Lindsay
While I always wanted to write, it wasn’t until after the reunion with my birthdaughter Sarah in 1999 that I began. Sarah was my firstborn child, and when I gave birth to her in 1979 I was an unwed mother. Relinquishing Sarah to adoption was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But 20 years later when Sarah and I were reunited, the adoption reunion was a great deal more traumatic than I was prepared for. I went through my original feelings of loss all over again. It was during this time that my husband caught me crying one day. He went out and returned a while later with a brand new pen and journal, and said, “Here honey, write it.”
As time passed I felt the Lord urge me to put the spiritual and emotional healing I had received from Him into Christian fiction to encourage others. I love stories, and enjoy taking my readers on a journey that will entertain them for a few days. And while I am entertaining them, it is my prayer that they will start to believe in happy endings for themselves by trusting ALL to Jesus.
Emilie: Wow! What an amazing story Christine! I think it's one of the bravest and most beautiful things for people to share their hurts with others for the benefit of healing.
Tell us a little bit about your book...
Do you have a favorite character in this work? If so, why?
While I love all my heroes and heroines, there is always a secondary character that I fall in love with. In my British Raj trilogy that was Eshana, a beautiful Indian Christian. In Sofi’s Bridge it is Sofi Andersson’s housekeeper Matilda.
Mattie has been the housekeeper of Sofi’s wealthy Seattle family mansion since the time Sofi and her sister were born. 1913 in the US saw a great influx of immigrants, and Mattie, coming from Scotland fit right into the Swedish Anderrson family and their other servants. What I love about Mattie is her flamboyant love for her charges, her no-nonsense way of speaking in her strong Scottish brogue with all those rolling “Rrrrr’s”. When Sofi wants to kidnap her sister to take her to safety in the Cascade Mountains, Mattie is the only one she wants to take with her.
What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
That we cannot save the ones we love. I think there are a lot of Christian folk out there like me, who are tempted to help too much at times when the ones we love are stuck in bad circumstances. This is especially true in families. How often do we try to “fix” things for others when maybe the Lord wants that person to go through their hard times in order to learn wisdom?
This is the case for both Sofi and Neil; each of them is so willing to sacrifice the labor of their heart in order to “fix” the lives of her family in Seattle and his family in Ireland.
We all must learn to trust God not only for our own souls but the souls of those we love. (tweet this)
Is there a funny story associated with writing the book?
Sort of funny; the trade of steel riveting bridges and ships was inspired by my great grandfather and my grandfather (yes father and son) who were both riveters in the Belfast shipyard, and on the building of the Titanic. The Titanic was my grandfather’s very first ship when he was an apprentice at 14. However, as a family we accept no responsibility for the 1912 sinking of that infamous vessel.
Emilie here: Oh WOW! What an amazing piece of history!
We're your characters easy to pin down or did you discover them along the way as you wrote the book?
Very rarely do I know my characters fully as I start writing. I have a pretty good idea, but in every book I write I discover things about them along the way. Neil coming from a poor background who went to school to become a doctor, and the fact that he is Irish, came more easily to me. I’m Irish so I understood him and his manner of speech.
But Sofi is of Swedish ancestry, only second generation American. It was harder for me to understand a woman from a wealthy background. What made Sofi come alive for me was that, even though she’s wealthy she has a strong desire to work. I’m the same, I love to work.
Writing
Let's talk about your writing...
How long did you write before you got published?
I started writing in 2000, and my debut novel Shadowed in Silk was published 11 years later. The thing that really helped me was winning the ACFW Genesis in 2009 in the historical category for this manuscript. Various agents noticed me at this time.
After that, I could have written a book with a more marketable setting to gain the interest of a bigger agent and publisher. My British Raj trilogy is set in British Colonial India, and wasn’t of immediate interest to the American market. Sad, really, because those who do read the trilogy love it. I completed the trilogy for artistic reasons, and I stuck with the same small press to do so. I’m glad I did because that trilogy earned the following awards: The Genesis already mentioned, The Grace Award, Canada’s The Word Guild Award, and was a finalist twice for Readers’ Favorite.
Through that I gained the interest of another small press, WhiteRose for Londonderry Dreaming set in Ireland, and this May will see the release of Sofi’s Bridge which won 2nd place in the RWA Faith, Hope, and Love contest a number of years ago.
My advice to aspiring authors is to not short-changed your writing apprenticeship (tweet this). There is a lot to learn. Don’t rush, but take your courses, join writing organizations, read books on writing, and go to the occasional writers’ conference when you can afford to. Keep in mind that many conferences, not all but some, will allow you to attend workshops if you attend as a volunteer.
Emilie here: Great advice! I know I can get impatient when it comes to my writing but rushing means I didn't get a chance to really hone what I'm working on.
You
What is your favorite genre to read? Why do you enjoy it?
I used to love historicals, and as a teen I especially loved Gothic historicals like Victoria Holt books. As a woman on the other side of 50, I now enjoy novels that braid present day with the past. I think this is because as a mom and adult kids and as a grandma, I appreciate how our past lives as families affects us. I love novels where old secrets are uncovered, old hurts are forgiven, and families and individuals find renewed love and joy.
Emilie here: Thanks so much for being my guest today Christine! And thanks for this great opportunity for my readers to win a copy of Sofi's Bridge!
::WINNER::
Last week Liz was on the blog talking about her new release The Red Door Inn and she offered up a copy. Our winner is....
Vicki Geslak
Congrats Vicki! I've emailed you :)
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