Watchful Wednesdays – Special Guest Barbara Ann Derksen

Watchful Wednesdays – Special Guest Barbara Ann Derksen

AND a Christian Book Launch and Giveaway.

Read to the end of the post and you have a chance to win a $100 gift certificate from Amazon. Don’t miss it.

Barbara-Ann-Derksen-web

This is the second in a series of three posts from John 316 Authors who are on a Blog Hop Book Launch. On Monday we had the pleasure to highlight Cheryl Coldwell. If you missed it click on the link. Toady we welcome Barbara Ann Derksen.

I asked her to tell me how her writing and her faith work together.

The Woman Behind the Words

by Barbara Ann Derksen

The words flowed that night, when in 1993 I sat down at my husband’s TRS80, Radio Shack’s early version of a home computer. The story surprised me. It shouldn’t have but it did.

First of all, the fact that my once 13 words a minute speed on a keyboard (used to be called a typewriter when I was in the work force twenty years before) had increased to almost 15 words a minute, a speed that caused my two index fingers to simply fly over the keys. Secondly, the story was filled with Christian verbiage. I had simply intended to write a short little ditty that was pure fiction but something … or Someone … interjected some Christian truths that added depth to my piece.

I had become a Christian a little over twenty years before and, for me right from the beginning, being a Christian meant a 24/7 lifestyle. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when it flowed out of me in my prose, too. Over the years, writing quickly became a way to fulfill The Great Commission, something I believe we are all responsible for.

Crafting a believable story is not so hard if you are a people watcher, a reader, and you have been given the gift of creating characters who take you on a journey. I map their daily journey, as they trip over situations in their very plausible world yet do not adhere to the world’s view.  Abusive verbiage and in depth descriptives in tense scenes are, for the most part, left to the readers imagination.

I want my readers to be entertained and yet not feel as if they need to wash their minds with soap afterwards. I want them to picture people who love the Lord, living life that’s not always perfect, making mistakes, meeting bad people, getting into trouble, and yet knowing where they can find answers. I want my readers to say, “I can do that too.”

In Shadow Stalker, my male protagonist, Jeremy, is a believer who sets the example of how to live life amidst the turmoil surrounding him. He works hard to show Christine, my female protagonist and a non-believer that God is the person who has all the answers. Her independence keeps getting in the way, however.

Shadow Stalker, as with my last four mysteries, provides entertainment, although some may lose precious sleep trying to read what happens next. But they also inspire toward a closer walk with God, and show that it’s possible all the time and in all circumstances.

Writing is hard work and fun all rolled into one book. At the end of the day, however, the work could burn up in a house fire but if the person who read a book, begins to understand his need for a Saviour, then I will have accomplished what I set out to do.

There are many ways to communicate the Gospel to people all around the world. God has asked me to communicate this way and He supplies the story line. The rest is in His hands. All He asks is that I be obedient to His call on my life.

Shadow Stalker

 Shadow-Stalker-web

Here is a little bit about the story:

An ominous shadow hangs over her, as Christine Finder,  alias Melissa Rompart, visits the brutal slaying of her parents most nights in a dream.  The threat of discovery propels her to search for the whereabouts of the killer to see the man brought to justice. In the meantime, the killer stalks her mind while she operates Finder’s Keepers, an agency that searches for the people her clients hire her to find. Nathan Brent is only four years old and missing. Will she find him in time or will the killer find her first?

Tweetable:

New book by Barbara Ann Derksen. The Shadow Stalker. Suspense. Check it out. (Tweet this)

Barbara Ann Derksen

Barbara-Ann-Derksen-web

Born in Canada, Barbara lived in the US for 12 years. There her writing surfaced as she worked under contract as a journalist for six years with over 2500 articles published in newspapers and magazines during that time. Meeting and interviewing people, digging for the hidden gems in their lives, made those years informative as well as instructive. She began attending Colorado Christian Writer’s Conferences and each year, under the tutelage of great Christian writer’s like James Scott Bell, Angela Hunt, and others, she honed her skills.

Barbara’s devotionals are sought after each year when she publishes a new one that reflects what God has placed on her heart. From Straight Pipes, her first, to More Than Bells, Preparation for Prayer, the latest, Barbara’s devotions take people to the place where God can touch their heart and leave a lasting impression. When people stop by her table for the latest, they talk to her about using the devotions in their chapter meetings, or their personal devotions. Some men return at their pastor’s request because the books are used as launch pads for men’s bible study. Many copies have been passed on to new believers as discipling tools.

Links

Amazon.com – http://amzn.to/10hvLa5
Amazon author page – http://amzn.to/KLEDab
Linkedin – http://linkd.in/KFuzlh
Goodreads – http://bit.ly/GJcTCd
Twitter – http://twitter.com/#!/@prolificwriter1
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/barbara.a.derksen
Facebook fan page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/EaglesNest/205663322735
Google+ – http://bit.ly/QmW1Fa
website – http://www.barbaraannderksen.com/

Shadow Stalker page on website (read excerpt and order) – http://www.barbaraannderksen.com/bookstore/shadow-stalker-book-1-finders-keepers-series/

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2 comments

  1. Thank you so much for hosting me today. I hope your readers take part in the launch for the opportunity to win free prizes. Shadow Stalker is the first book in a series. Essence of Evil, book two, will be released late April.

    1. Barbara,
      It was a pleasure to feature you today. May all three of the book launchers rest in God’s hands, find peace through this time and may the Lord expand your territory to reach those He needs to reach.
      Blessings,
      Janis

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