Shawna K Williams ~ Interview + Giveaway!

*You can earn up to 6 entries in this giveaway. Read below for details*

Today author Shawna Williams is telling us about her new ebook, In All Things. She has offered copies of this book and the prequel to one lucky commenter. She will also be stopping by throughout the week to answer your questions! So if you have anything you want to ask her, you can include it in your comment for entering the contest. If you are only leaving a question in the comment and not entering the giveaway please say so.

Welcome, Shawna! Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm a Christian, wife, mom of three great kiddos, and a writer who also makes jewelry. I love telling stories about people, getting to experience their up and downs and learning something of value along the way. I believe that fiction is a beautiful tool through which God's Grace can be shared, and I hope to do that through my stories.

When I'm not writing, reading or enjoying some family time, I'm most likely stringing beads, rock hunting or petting my dog.

Tell us about your salvation experience.
This is a lengthy story. My nature is rebellious so even though I was brought up in going to church I had to learn some things the hard way. This is actually a story I much prefer sharing on an individual basis, and I'm happy to do so. Here is a link though to a post I wrote for Michelle Sutton's blog that tells a little, and also explains the passion I feel for writing about Grace. My salvation experience is closely tied with this passion. http://healingheartsseries.blogspot.com/2010/10/shawna-k-williams-shares-her-thoughts.html

Are you:

A spontaneous writer or a scheduled writer?
Both. If something hits me I will try to get it down as soon as I have the chance, but I have to schedule my time to turn it into something more than babble. I have to have alone time for ideas to really flow, that's why I write after everyone is asleep. For some odd reason my best ideas seem to occur to me while I'm in the shower.

Stubborn, or compliant?
STUBBORN, but reasonable. I have this saying. I don't think hubby likes it, though. "I'm not stubborn. I'm just right."

Organized or completely chaotic?
Organized chaos.

How do you handle disasters/BIG problems? Do you have a funny or interesting story showcasing how you handle them?
I tend to be pretty analytical when solving a problem. The worst thing for me is when I can reason something one way, and then another, and neither presents a better option. Ugh...I hate that because it forces me to rely on my gut, and I don't trust my gut. I should, because often its right, but I need gut feelings and facts.

I suppose our move to Mena was a problem that appeared to present a logical solution but instead went awry. We already owned a house here and intended to move, but not for several months. This was five years ago, right after hurricane Katrina.

We still lived in Baytown and had been camping at the beach in Galveston. Upon our return we learned that Rita was out in the gulf. She was a cat.5 aimed right at our house. It was a no brainer that we had to evacuate. The thing was we planned to move anyway, and since there was a possibility that our belongings would sustain heavy damage, and we had three days time, we decided to rent a moving truck and take care of it there on the spot. The only unforeseen was fuel, but since Katrina had just hit the problem of gas should have been fixed, right?

Well, I don't know how but we got 85% of our belongings packed into a moving truck, moving trailer and our camper and left with a day and a half to spare. All was fine for the first hour and then we struck traffic. We ended up pulling off the road and sleeping. The next morning the roads were clear. Yay! We hopped into our vehicles (my dad had come to help) and drove for a full fifteen minutes and hit traffic again. For the next eight hours we managed to travel another 20 to 30 miles. Cars started running out of gas and dying on the road because that little gas issue was solved by sending tankers loaded with gas into the city. The problem was that everyone had evacuated the city. And the wonderful government officials in Lufkin decided that a cat 5 hurricane headed for their area wasn't reason enough to shut down incoming traffic so the roads could be used for evacuation. Anyhow, my husband had a client in Nacogdoches and we made to their house to ride out the storm, which had changed course so that this client's house was directly in its path. Fortunately the storm had weaken by quite a bit.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
I'm a geek. Sorry, I am. I like geology, ancient cultures -- especially those wiped out by volcanoes -- and psychology. I read about these things and like it. Wanna know why amethyst, which is just crystal quartz, is purple?

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be? Also, how would you rate the romance in your books?
I'm not really sure. I haven't attempted to emulate anyone. I do love Francine Rivers, though I wouldn't dare compare myself to her. I love how she understands human nature and writes with compassion and conviction. That's what I want to do.

I'd give No Other and In All Things PG ratings. I make an effort to avoid physical description as far as kissing goes. I try to keep the focus on emotions when I write a romantic scene.

Orphaned Hearts is a Christmas time story and it's G rated. It's very sweet.

What are you working on now or going to write next?
I'm working on a spinoff from No Other and In All Things for the character of Roger. I'm not working very fast though. I just have a loose synopsis and about 1,000 words, and haven't pitched it to my publisher yet. I have a few other ideas for some other stories, too. I'm trying to decide how best to prioritize because there is a chance I may actually be able to go to the next ACFW conference and I'd like to have something ready to pitch.

How can readers get in contact with you?
Shawnawilliams@allegiance.tv

Here's my website:
http://shawnakwilliams.com/

Blog:
http://shawnawilliams-oldsmobile.blogspot.com/

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/shawnakwilliams

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shawna-K-Williams/236629884245

Book blurb:

Jakob and Meri's story continues...

Meredith Louis's Hollywood career is at a point of transition. No longer under Majestic Studios' control, Meri is free to broaden her appeal as an actress and finally earn the recognition she desires.

Meri and Jakob return to their hometown for the holidays where Meri hopes to reconcile with her parents after a decade of silence. But after a disastrous encounter, Meri is plunged into turmoil as old fears resurface in unexpected ways.

Jakob, already dealing with unresolved family issues of his own, is further burdened by his inability to help his wife. Can he learn to step aside and trust God's plan.Will Meri recognize what she already has?

In All Things is a story of faith and restoration, cemented in the belief, "...that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Who would you pick to play the lead roles if this book was made into a movie?
I have a good answer for this one!

When this story first came to me the movie Pearl Harbor had not been out that long, and for some reason I could easily see Josh Harnett as Jakob. Charlize Theron was who I saw as Meri back then. However, as the years trickled on, both of these actors started to seem a little too old to fit Meri and Jakob in No Other anymore, because in that book they are 20 and 22. When I started rewriting No Other to get it ready for publication it was season 8 of American Idol. I'm from Arkansas, and our state had a contestant, Kris Allen, in the contest. He went on to win – something that made Arkansans very proud. There was a lot of publicity surrounding him in our state, and physically, except for his height, he fit the description of Jakob. But manner-wise, he really fit! I even had a friend in Florida, who was familiar with Jakob's character, email me to say so. To top it off, Kris Allen's wife, Katie, fit the description of Meri spot on. So all during the rewrite of No Other these two were who I saw as Meri and Jakob.

BUT, when it came time to rewrite In All Things I ran into the opposite problem. Jakob and Meri were older, now 31 and 33. Kris and Katie Allen seemed too young to picture as my characters. However, Josh Hartnett and Charlize Theron didn't. Sooo, I went back with my original cast. The story had caught up to their ages. Weird.

Do you have a link to a place to read the first chapter or an excerpt of this book?
Sure do. Here's a link:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-118/Shawna-Williams-In-All/Detail.bok

You can also read the first three chapters on Freado. http://www.freado.com/book/8470/in-all-things

And I have sample pdf files of the first three chapters of both No Other and In All Things for anyone who wants them.

~~~~~

**This book giveaway is open to anyone, but the bracelet can only go to a U.S. resident!**

Okay readers, here is your chance to win ebook copies of No Other, In All Things, and a freshwater pearl bracelet as well!

TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win). The comment is mandatory. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment AND your email address.

*If you leave a comment you will be entered unless you specify that you would not like to be entered.

*Here are the ways to get entries:

(First entry) The mandatory comment saying you would like to be entered with your email address.

+1 Become one of my followers OR subscribe to my blog by email.

Read and leave a comment on one or more of my recent book reviews.
+2 In All Things
+2 Nightingale

**You can earn a total of 6 entries if you do all of the above entry options. Make sure to tell me in your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries.**

*The contest will run from today (November 19) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (November 25). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner either directly after choosing him/her or on Friday the 26th, and then that person will have one week to reply. If the winner doesn't reply within that time period, I will pick a new winner.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting.