Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back June Foster

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back June Foster

Linda:  Welcome back! It’s been a while since your last visit, but you’ve been quite busy. Congratulations on your recent release Ryan’s Father. The story addresses series issues. Where did you get the inspiration for this story?

June: In my novels, I write about Christian characters who encounter the challenges of living in today's world. I've written stories where my heroes deal with obesity, anger, drug use, and much more. The Lord placed on my heart a story about a Christian man who fights against same sex attraction.

Linda: You are a retired school teacher, and the main character is a teacher. Did you draw from your own experiences to write this story?

June: Yes, in some ways. I always taught the lower grades so I'm well acquainted with teaching reading. In the novel, the hero is a first-grade teacher, and I wrote several scenes where Ryan led his youngsters in learning to read.

LM: What do you do you do to prepare yourself for writing? Do you have a set schedule?

June: I generally write earlier in the day when I'm not tired or distracted. When I work on first drafts, I feel like my writing is terrible, but when I go back to edit, it doesn't seem quite as bad. (smile)

LM: How do you deal with writer’s block?

June: For some reason, I'm not bothered by writer's block, but on occasion I don't know what's going to happen to my characters next, so I try a method I picked up in James Scott Bell's class. He suggested getting a thesaurus and open to a random page and point to a word. Then do it again. Allow the words to spark an idea. For example, I glanced at "diamond" then "parade." I would now include those two elements in a scene if I needed an idea.

LM: Here are some quickies:

Lake or ocean? I'd rather visit the ocean but only to look at it, not to swim in it.

Walk, drive, or bicycle? I prefer to walk to get much needed exercise.

Cat or dog? I'm completely in love with dogs.

LM: You have visited many areas of the U.S. What is your favorite place and why?

June: We were so blessed to travel all over the US in our RV. However, my most favorite place was Hawaii. The air, the ocean and sand, the flowers, I can't tell you how glorious the islands are.

LM: What is your next project?

June: I'm writing a romantic suspense that will be published in December. In The Inn at Cranberry Cove, a young woman inherits her aunt's B&B in Washington state but encounters frightening midnight visitors. The handsome gardener whom her aunt hired before she died lives with a secret he can't reveal to the heroine.

Linda: Where can folks connect with you?

June: 

Website: http://www.junefoster.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/junefoster

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vjifoster

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjunefoster

About Ryan's Father:

Ryan Reid is a first-grade teacher and a Christian with a heart for neglected kids, but a chance encounter during an earthquake with Sandy Arrington, a beautiful young nurse, rocks Ryan’s carefully guarded world and unearths the secret he has held deep in his heart: he's gay. Though Sandy falls in love with him, Ryan’s forbidden affections lie elsewhere, and he must depend on the Lord to see him through a battle he always hoped he’d never have to face.

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B085S37ZDC

Talkshow Thursday: June Foster's Story Behind the Story

Talkshow Thursday: June Foster's Story Behind the Story

A Harvest of Blessing was inspired by a real life couple my husband and I met in Pensacola, Florida. Several years ago we were traveling and living in our RV full time. Since my husband is retired army, we generally stayed on military posts in their RV parks. This year we stayed at Pensacola Naval Air Station and attended the military chapel.

One Sunday we got to talking to a great couple and wound up going to lunch with them after church. Their story amazed me. They were both visiting the graves of their dead spouses when they met. They even pointed out the graveyard as we passed on the way to lunch.

Cupid went to work, and they eventually married. Their story has been on my mind for several years, and I finally got the chance to tell it in A Harvest of Blessing where my hero and heroine who're in their mid fifties meet in a graveyard. But that's where the similarity ends. I deviated from the real couple and made Nadia's husband a jerk and Jared's daughter an obstacle between the two of them.

In the story, Nadia's son David is serving a tour of duty in Germany. I put him in Germany because my husband and I were there before he retired from the army. Wood carvings abound in the European country,  and I thought it would be fun to have David bring one of the lovely pieces—like the one I own—back home for his mom. The real wood carving used to hang on my mom's wall. Today it sits on a cabinet in my dining room.

The carving is special to me as it is the artist's rendition of a loaf of bread and a chalice, an important element in Christianity—communion or the Lord's Supper.

I loved writing A Harvest of Blessing as this is the first book I've penned where the characters are middle aged. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Book Blurb:

If there's one thing Nadia Maguire knows, Jon Maguire robbed her of a godly marriage and left her in financial ruin. The night he was killed in an accident, guilt threatened to suffocate her. She wasn't sorry he died.

When Nadia accidentally sits on a stranger's lap in the graveyard where Jon is buried, she's horrified to learn the good-looking guy with salt and pepper hair is her new boss.

Jared Abrams is a widower who longs to move on. He's intrigued by the beautiful woman who puts God first in her life. But as their friendship grows, an unexpected obstacle separates them—his daughter Sarah. No one can replace her mother. Especially not Nadia Maguire whose son harmed her in high school.

If Nadia can't find the funds to get her house ready to sell, she'll have to balance two jobs with no time left to nurture a relationship with the man she loves. Will she and Jared find a Harvest of Blessings, or a season of drought?

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H36HMJN

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back, June Foster!

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back, June Foster!

Linda: Welcome back! It’s a pleasure to be able to visit with you again. You recently turned in your RV life to put down roots in a home? How has that worked out for you?

June: My husband had eye surgery so it became a necessity to settle down. We love our small town of Cullman, Alabama as we have a new home and doctors are nearby. My husband's family lives here as well. But, I'll be honest, I really miss our daughters and grandchildren who live in Seattle and El Paso, Texas. Since my husband's eye problem is resolving, we can travel again. So I'm sure we'll be going to see our kids. Just not in an RV.

Linda: Congratulation on your most recent publication, A Home for Fritz. What was your inspiration for the story?

June: Last summer, when we were still in the RV, we spent the summer in Shell, Wyoming at the base of the Big Horn Mountains. At the RV park where we worked and stayed, the owners had a precious dog named Fritz. A golden doodle, to be exact. About that time, my editor asked for stories in which the couple met because of a dog. So my tail, I mean tale, was born.

LM: Research is a necessary part to writing any book. What sort of “wow” or “aha” moment have you had when researching one of your books?

June: A Home For Fritz takes place at a dude ranch in Wyoming. Near Shell, an exclusive guest ranch, the Hideaway, is the destination for many wealthy visitors. The owner was gracious enough to take me on a tour of the grounds and the facility. I interviewed the wranglers as well as local ranchers. With each new fact I learned, I indeed experienced that "wow" moment.

LM: What writers influence you the most?

June: I love Julie Lessman's books. Her rich dialogue and the manner in which she "gets into the characters' heads" are stellar examples of good fictional writing. Fay Lamb, my freelance editor, influences me to improve my grammar and sentence structure. Joy Massengurge, one of my critique partners, guides my writing to get deeper into a character's head.

LM: Here are some quickies:

Favorite Color: green

Favorite Author: Frank Perretti

Favorite Food: Mexican

LM: What advice can you give to not-yet-published writers?

June: Ask: do you feel God called you to write for His glory? If yes, keep doing everything you can to get your stories out there. Improve your craft, go to conferences, get in a good critique group, get tough skin when rejections come, and pray hard. And at times, you may want to consider self-publishing.

LM: Can you tell us what writing projects are on your plate right now?

June: I'm finishing a Thanksgiving story due this fall. Then I've got a contract to write a romance where a crazy adventure takes the couple through the chapters.

Linda: Where can folks connect with you?

June: Check out my website: http://www.junefoster.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjunefoster

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vjifoster

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/junefoster

Talkshow Thursday: Meet June Foster

Talkshow Thursday: Meet June Foster

Linda:  Thanks for joining me today. Your latest book is part of collection published by Forget Me Not Romances. How did that come about?

Author June Foster

June:  Cynthia Hickey, the owner and innovative editor, is putting together a collection which features contemporary and historical fiction set in every state of the US. Since I had a story brewing in my head set in an old silver mining ghost town, I chose Idaho which is famous for its silver mining.

LM: That sounds fascinating! You have published lots of books. What is your favorite part of the writing process?

June: Probably when the story and the characters begin to form in my mind. I love getting to know them better, understanding their goals, their fears, their spiritual standing. Then I begin to imagine in what difficult situations I can place them and how they grow in the Lord.

LM: Your novels feature locations all over the U.S. When you write, how do you go about choosing which location to use, and do you have a favorite?

June: Since my husband and I travel full time in our RV, it's not hard to come up with locations. When visiting an area, my author's brain goes to work imagining a story that takes place there. Sometimes, the editor's requests for a particular story will determine the location. For example, Cynthia wanted stories set in small towns. Since we lived in a small town in Alabama before we started traveling, I chose to set my story in a fictional town near Huntsville. I don't have a favorite but love each location where my characters live.

LM: What do you do to prepare yourself for writing? For example do you listen to music or set up in a specific place?

June: I seem to have a one track mind so listening to music is a distraction. I've found that morning is the best time for me to write, so after my quiet time with the Lord, I grab a caramel latte and sit down to write at my laptop perched on my tiny kitchen table.

LM: You’ve done a lot of traveling by RV. If money were no object, what is your idea of the ultimate vacation?

June: Ooo, a challenging question. It would probably be a getaway from the RV. Though I would love to visit Jerusalem and Israel, my second favorite would be a fabulous two week trip to the island of Kauai.

LM: What is the quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?

June I'm almost ashamed to admit this. But before I became a Christian, I was waiting for my husband at the officer's club where he worked while in the Army. I sat alone at a table with a glass of wine and one of the officer's asked if he could sit down. Why I said yes, I'll never know. But in the course of conversation, I fabricated a huge story. I told him I had been widowed recently and was trying to get my life together again. I never saw the guy again and looking back, I can see how the Lord has refined me like gold since those days without Him. But in retrospect, I can use some of these old experiences to better understand my unsaved characters who find the Lord by the end of the story.

LM: What is your next project?

June: I am just about finished with the small town story I mentioned above then I'll write a sequel where two secondary characters from the book will be the hero and heroine of the new story. After that, I'm writing a story which will take place at a Wyoming dude ranch. Most exciting is we are spending the summer in Shell, Wyoming, where I can do research.

LM: Lots on your plate! It has been such a pleasure getting to know you. Where can folks find you on the web?

June:

Website: www.junefoster.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/junefoster

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vjifoster

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjunefoster

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/junefoster/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5755395.June_Foster