Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back Allison Wells
Allison: I have always been fascinated by the Woman at the Well. Who was she? What was her name? Why, oh why, was she married FIVE TIMES? What happened in her life for her to become the social outcast she was? So I decided to write her story - albeit a modern version - and explore what happened in her life.
LM: Research is an important part of writing any book. How did you go about doing research for your story?
Allison: I read the story of the Woman at the Well in every Biblical translation I could find. It’s important to get the full picture. In one version, it says she put down her water jar and ran into town to tell them about the Messiah. She, the town outcast, ran! She was the first evangelist in the Bible. Isn’t that amazing? But for the storyline, I drew a lot on my own experiences. Roxie is just about my own age, so her experience with pop culture was just like my own. It was fun to put musical references into the story that were bands I listened to growing up.
LM: You write contemporary and historical fiction. How do you decide which genre to write next? How do you find writing the two genres different? The same?
Allison: The research is definitely different. I didn’t need to look up how refrigerators work for a
contemporary piece - thank goodness! I think with Living Water, it’s already an ancient story, so bringing it into the modern-day appealed to me. But regardless, the characters are alive in my head and I can only pray to do justice to their stories.
LM: How do you develop your characters? Are they based on people you know...or yourself?
Allison: I think every main character has a little bit of me in her. Perhaps in mannerisms or something she says. A few side characters might be based on people I know. With Living Water, Roxie’s five husbands are very loosely based on people I knew or currently know.
LM: How do you balance your many responsibilities with your career as a writer? Any advice you’d give to fledgling writers?
Allison: Keep writing, even when it’s hard. Even if you have to put it away for two years because you have four kids running around. I wrote my first book in 2005 and it wasn’t published until 2019. But it was published. You’ll never see your book in print unless you actually sit down and write it.
LM: How long does it take you to write a book from idea conception to publication?
Allison: Way too long. As I said above, I have four children and I’m a freelance writer as well, so it might take me four or five (or fourteen) years to finish a novel. I’m hoping to streamline that a little better now that my youngest is in school. But it’s not about how long it takes, it’s about sharing the story God has put into your heart.
LM: What is your next project?
LM: Where can folks find you on the web?
Allison: http://www.allisonwellswrites.com is my website and you can connect with all my socials and find links to my books from there!
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So, when her first boyfriend turns into her first marriage, Roxie's life undergoes a drastic change. And when that first marriage doesn't work out, she marries again.
And again.
Until Roxie marries five times.
The first marriage is puppy love, then dangerous love, convenient love, wishful love, and one that might possibly be the real deal.
And yet, none of the men she marries can quench the thirst she feels in her heart. It's only when she meets a man who knows her entire life and all her mistakes that Roxie learns the power of something else-the deep and abiding peace of Living Water.
A modern retelling of the Woman at the Well in the New Testament, Living Water shows us that no matter our past, it's God's love that truly quenches the thirst of our souls.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3uFIzHS
