How did you come up with the concept for Within My Heart?
So far, all of my stories have grown out of struggles I’m having in my own faith walk or from questions I’m wrestling with at the time, and the story in Within My Heart (WMH) is no exception. When thinking of great faith, we rarely think of great fear. But the Bible shows repeatedly that people of great faith also trembled in their boots as they took that first step in following God’s will for their lives. Nevertheless, they took those steps, trusting Him and then running for Him with everything they had. We should do no less.
I believe the timing of my writing WMH was orchestrated by God, and I know without a doubt that He shaped and re-shaped the fabric of this story so that I would learn some crucial lessons of faith that I needed to learn at this time in my life. Lessons I needed in order to walk the road He set before me and my family. And I’m so grateful that He did.
How did you choose the time frame?
The timeframe for this series (1875-1877) is set just before Colorado was granted statehood, and the actual event of its achieving statehood is celebrated in the course of these stories. My novels are filled with historical events that I weave into the plot and lives of the characters. Not only is this an era of history I love, it was an exciting time to live in Colorado and in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
What is the symbolism for the title Within My Heart?
There’s meaning behind the title, of course, but practically speaking we needed to start this title with a preposition since we’d already established that pattern in the series. We have FROM a Distance, then BEYOND this Moment, so we naturally needed another “prepositional phrase” type title. But even more importantly, the heart of this story is about trusting your own heart’s desires to God. It’s about taking steps of faith while we’re neck-deep in fear. It’s about trusting that still small voice within your heart, even while the storms of life rage without. So…it seemed a fitting title.
What aspects of being a writer do you enjoy the most?
The glamorous wardrobe! Exercise pants and t-shirts all the way! On a more serious note… The connections made with readers are precious to me, and are such an unexpected and appreciated blessing!
To read more of our interview, click here.
To read an excerpt from Within My Heart, click here.
