Atlanta Interview & Giveway #1 - A Christy Winner!

UPDATE: Thursday 8/11/11 at 3:00 pm - WINNER!

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Timestamp: 2011-08-11 19:53:14 UTC
Congrats to Diana Ferguson! Email me your address, Diana, and I'll send the book your way!

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Nancy Rue is an incredible author as well as a delightful and gracious lady whom I've had the privilege of calling "friend" for the past seven (or so!) years; she spoke at an event at our church and I had the opportunity to be her "chauffeur" throughout the weekend. So while the opportunity to attend the Christy Awards last month in Atlanta was an incredible blessing in itself; to be there when Nancy won not one, but two of the awards, becoming the first author ever to win two Christys in one night for two different books in two different genres--well, that was the icing on the cake!

The time following the awards was filled with the various media snapping pictures of the winners and doing brief interviews for reactions and sound bites. When everyone else was done, Nancy and I sat down for a quick chat. Here is the first part of our talk, about The Reluctant Prophet, Christy Award winner in the Contemporary Series category. (Part Two, and a giveaway of her other winning book, will post another day in this giveaway.)

How does it feel, winning two Christy Awards?!

It’s kinda overwhelming! I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. It really is a huge honor. And one of the things I loved tonight the most is that I’d never been to a Christy Awards ceremony before and I always felt like “Why are we competing? We all have something important to say.” But tonight it was like, there’s no competition here, this is a celebration, this is an appreciation for everything everyone’s called to do. That made winning really exciting, to be a part of this amazing community. And I think also, all the prayers for Lee Hough*, remembering Steven Bly* – this is family, and I realized that I’ve been a part of this family for 28 years. So yeah, this feels really good!

[*Lee Hough is Nancy's agent and also the agent of other authors; he had serious surgery for cancer just a week or two before the Awards. Steven Bly is a much-loved author who passed away earlier this year.]

The Reluctant Prophet is the first book in a series, and the second one is due out in October, right?

Yes, Unexpected Dismounts comes out October 1.

Can you give us a little glimpse of what’s coming?

Allison, of course is trying to adopt Desmond. And she’s overflowing in the house with prostitutes. And there’s the whole Chief situation, she’s obviously in love with him. And there are a couple of other things that will come in that I don’t want to spoil for you but that you’ll say, “Of course that was going to happen!” because little tiny hints were dropped in the first one. Now that she’s accepting more and more that she’s a prophet and this is what she has to do, it’s not that they just sail on through, which is where the Unexpected Dismounts [comes from], which is what they call falling off a motorcycle.

Well, I was wondering if the title Unexpected Dismounts came from your own personal experience?!

(Nancy laughs!) In the class I took [the Harley instructor] said that you’ve got to wear your leather and your chaps and everything just in case you have an unexpected dismount and I thought “I love that!” I don’t know if everyone else calls it that but I really love that expression.

And what’s the third book?

The third one is Too Far to Say Far Enough and that is a Harley rider’s little mantra. They’ll get some place and say, “We've gone far enough?” “Oh, you’ve gone too far to say far enough." You just want to keep riding. And I think she [Allison] will get to that place of no return where she’s going to want to give up; a lot of different things are going to happen, and she’s just going to have to say, “I’ve come too far,” and God will be there.

So are you finished with that book or are you writing it now?

I’m working on it right now, as we speak. But I think I’ll take the night off and celebrate!

And celebrate she should! Thanks so much, and congratulations again, Nancy!

The Reluctant Prophet is a completely engrossing book, as each of Nancy Rue's books are. But beyond that, it is a convicting read as well, as Allison steps out of her comfort zone to follow God's leading in a whole new direction. And the conviction doesn't stop with Allison's actions. The reactions of the "Christians" in her life also hit a little too close to home, unfortunately. How often do we as believers try to temper others when they take bold steps in living out their faith? Even before it won the Christy Award, I considered this to be Nancy's most stellar novel. . .and I have loved her previous ones. I promise, it will stir your heart -- and quite possibly your hands and feet!

Here's the book summary:

Forty-something Allison Chamberlain is still half-heartedly trying to figure out what to be when she grows up. It's a surprise to everyone when she has a divine nudge to buy a Harley motorcycle and go wherever it takes her. Soon Allison finds herself in the darkest corners of society, bringing home drug-addicted prostitutes and pointing out the narrow fears of her church group. Along the way, she learns the heartache of the very poor-and how healing can come through the voice of God and those who follow it.


GIVEAWAY!

I have a copy of this book (it was a great price at the Lifeway in Atlanta!) to give to one of you. You can enter up to three times! To enter,

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Follow this blog and leave a 2nd comment telling me you follow.
3. Post the giveaway button in your sidebar and link it to my blog - leave a separate comment telling me you did so. OR If you don't have a blog, email 2 friends to tell them about the giveaway and leave me a comment to tell me you did so.

All comments/entries must be received by 8:00 p.m. CDT Wednesday, August 10, and I will randomly draw a winner. US Residents only, please. Limit 3 entries per person. Be sure to include an email address if you don't have a blog.

If you don't win one here, you can purchase a copy on Amazon or your favorite bookstore.


P.S. Don't miss my review of another great book, Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig, in the post just below this one!