Guest Post: June Foster

June Foster

Who Do You Think You Are?

I love to write characters who find healing in their lives after discovering their identity in Christ. Janie Littleton in my latest novel, Restoration of the Heart, has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful, older sister. Janie is a bit overweight, wears glasses, and isn't exactly pleased about her appearance. No guy would ever find her attractive, so why bother to lose those extra pounds. When the state of Idaho hires her as historian to oversee the restoration of a hundred-year-old mining town, she accepts.

Luke Chamberlain owns the construction company hired to restore the 1890s historical buildings at Silver Cliff Ghost Town. Though now a Christian, Luke once dabbled in the world, including his engagement to the gorgeous woman crowned Miss Idaho two years before. He saw her narcissism and now wants nothing more to do with the shallow lifestyle she represents. When he meets the godly woman Janie Littleton, he sees beauty instead of a Plain Jane, as she's labeled herself.

When Luke proclaims his love, Janie believes he's merely playing with her heart. Surely when their project is finished, Luke will return to the big city of Coeur d' Alene and forget all about her.

Janie reads her Bible but has never taken seriously 1 Samuel 16:7 where Samuel is choosing Saul's replacement for king of Israel. "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart."

Part of the inspiration for my heroine in Restoration of the Heart came from something that happened years ago. Way before I wrote my first novel, I used to teach elementary kids. I participated in a program with the local university in my city in which they placed a student teacher in my classroom.

One of my student teachers was so gorgeous, she could've won a Miss America contest. But because of some personal issues in her life, she became quite difficult with which to work. Some days, in my own frustration, I saw her, not as beautiful, but unattractive. I don't mean to speak ill of her, but I perceived the disagreeable behavior, not the outer appearance.

On the other hand, I've known others whom the world probably wouldn't label as attractive but were beautiful in my eyes because I looked into their souls—that part of them where our Lord dwells.

In many ways, I, too, think like Janie. I'd never make it into a Cover Girl ad or a Ralph Lauren commercial, but my confidence comes from knowing how God sees me as He looks upon my spirit redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus.


About RESTORATION OF THE HEART

Though a Christian, Luke Chamberlain ignored his values and indulged in his beautiful fiancé's world of alcohol, parties, and nights at her apartment. After rededicating his life to the Lord, he vows never to fall into the lifestyle again. When the state of Idaho's Tourism Department offers his construction company the contract to renovate Silver Cliff, an 1890s silver mining ghost town, he accepts.

Janie Littleton studied history in college because life in the past is simpler than the uncomfortable reality of the present. With her extra pounds, eye glasses, and mousy brown hair, no man would find her attractive. When she's offered the job of project historian at the restoration of Silver Cliff, she accepts. But as Luke Chamberlain shows an interest in her, she doubts his sincerity. To make matters worse, someone claiming to be the miner who founded Silver Cliff in 1890 intimidates her with frightening midnight visits.

Can Luke convince Janie he's in love with the godly woman she is? Can Janie hold onto her faith as she's harassed by frightening appearances of old Ezra Barclay who died a hundred years ago?


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About the Author

An award-winning author, June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in education and MA in counseling. June's book Give Us This Day was a finalist in EPIC's eBook awards and a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards for best first book. Ryan's Father was one of three finalists in the published contemporary fiction category of the Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest and Awards. Deliver Us was a finalist in COTT's Laurel Awards. June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, and Deliver Us, and Hometown Fourth of July. Ryan's Father is published by WhiteFire Publishing. Red and the Wolf, a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, is available from Amazon.com. The Almond Tree series, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, What God Knew, and Almond Street Mission are available at Amazon.com. June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. Recently June has seen publication of Christmas at Raccoon Creek, Lavender Fields Inn and Restoration of the Heart. Visit June at junefoster.com.

Writing Tips: June Foster

June Foster, Author

As an English student in college and later an ESL teacher, I thought I had a handle on the use of the written word. Grammar, check. Sentence structure, no problem. Vocabulary, always improving. But writing fiction? I knew nothing about the "rules." I've learned a lot in the six years I've been writing inspirational fiction. I'd love to share. Shh, don't tell, but these are my weaknesses I still struggle with on occasion.

Since I'm a female, I've had to learn how men think in order to write from my hero's point of view. Most men are happy to tell you how they'd react given a certain situation. My husband is a great help. I asked him to envision that he and his girlfriend had an argument and broke up. (Before he married me, of course!) How would he react or what would he do? He said he'd go to the gym and work out or get angry. Totally opposite of the way I'd respond—having a good cry. Another step I took was to go online and read articles on the subject then apply these ways of thinking to my hero's struggles. For example, I learned that men think behind every conversation is a problem to solve. Women see it as an opportunity to share feelings. A woman might notice the color of a man's shirt, but a man will notice how tight a woman's skirt fits. Women stand in close proximity and maintain eye contact while communicating where men hold their distance and rarely establish eye contact. These are only a fraction of the differences.

Delivering the action in a story. When I first started writing, I thought I had to describe every move my characters made. Ryan held the car door open for Sandy. After she swung her legs into the front passenger seat, he closed the door and ambled around the front of the car to the other side. Opening the driver's door, he sat down in the seat and pulled his keys out of his pocket. The car key fit perfectly into the ignition and when he turned it, the motor rumbled to a start. You get the idea. My wonderful critique partners pointed out that the reader can and does "fill in the blanks" for the action you leave out. Describing every detail makes for tedious reading and a distraction for your reader.

Since I was an elementary teacher for many years, I find the need to explain and explain again. I have a tendency to infer something and in the next paragraph reiterate the same thing only in different words. I've learned to give the reader credit to "get it" the first time.

Villains. Sometimes I see life as either all black or all white. I tend to create bad guys with no redeeming qualities. The reader doesn't want to read about a character who's completely evil. And in real life, everyone has both negative and positive traits. So I've figured out how to make my villains somewhat likeable even though most of the time they misbehave.

Lastly I like to give my polished chapters a final check-up. I look for: 1. content. Does every paragraph move the story forward? 2. Is sentence structure varied and are action beats used wisely? 3. Do a find/replace and check for pet words such as that, just, still, back, and an over abundance of pronouns. 4. Run a spelling/grammar check, and 5. Read final chapters aloud. You'd be amazed at the flaws you'll find.

And most important, have your story proofread by a good freelance editor and frequently read the work of established authors.


About What God Knew:

Neonatal specialist Dr. Michael Clark is passionate about saving the lives of premature babies. But the pediatrics department at El Camino General can't provide the care many of his preemies require. Now he wants to build a specialty hospital where he can better care for his young patients.

Tammy Crawford is an accomplished geriatrics RN who wants nothing to do with her sister Joella's religious beliefs. She's independent and doesn't need anyone, including God in pursuing a new job as a nurse practitioner.
When she falls in love with the intriguing Michael Clark, she must reconsider her resolve to devote herself completely to her career and not be distracted by a romantic relationship. Now the obstacles are insurmountable. She's in love with a man from another culture and a different race.

Michael acknowledges his growing affection for the beautiful nurse yet can't ignore his brother's deep racial prejudices.

Can two people who are as different as night and day find a life together?


About June Foster:

An award-winning author, June Foster's novels include Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, Deliver Us, Hometown Fourth of July, Ryan's Father, Red and the Wolf, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, What God Knew and Misty Hollow. Find June online at http://junefoster.com.