I’ve been asked to participate in the Author’s Blog Chain. Kelly Moothart tagged me on her blog. Visit her blog at http://www.kellymaymoothart.com She writes poetry and short stories and is marketing her novel, Mystery Ink: Murder by Text under her pen name, Kelly May.

The Author’s Blog Chain asks authors four questions. Here are my answers.

What are you currently working on?
Each morning I write two to five devotionals for my new 365-day devotional book. I take a new scripture each day and study the original Hebrew and Greek words before writing the short devo and then add an application prayer-poem at the end. I hope to have it ready for the 2015 market.

I am also working on a sequel to The Late Sooner. At this point my working title is The Late Sooner’s Daughter.

In my to do file, I’m collecting true miracle stories for a God’s Little Miracle Book IV.

How does your work differ from others’ in the same genre?
My historical fiction books are loosely based on fact. I have the one-line-a-day diary my great-grandfather wrote when he staked a claim in the Oklahoma Territory in 1889. What he left out, I filled in. With The Late Sooner’s Daughter I’m taking family stories about my grandmother and weaving them into an interesting tale.

In my God’s Little Miracle Book series, for the great majority of the accounts, I personally know and have participated in these miracles as they developed.

In Family Favoritesfrom the Heartland, I have collected the best, most requested recipes from my family. I’ve thrown in a few stories about some of the recipes to enhance the cook’s enjoyment. Most cookbooks are a random collection of recipes. Mine are personal.

Daily Walk with Jesus, I co-authored with a longtime friend, Ardythe Kolb. I furnished the scripture and the end prayer-poem and she wrote many of the devotionals. Many devotional books are written by numerous authors whereas this book is only by two.

Why do you write what you write?
In my historical fiction books, I write them so that they are appropriate for all reading levels. I think it’s easier to learn history when real people are involved. We need to know where we came from so we can see where we’re going.

As a chaplain to corporations, I meet people who are of the false assumption that God has quit doing what He did in the times when Jesus walked on earth. People need His miraculous touch now more than ever. My miracle books were written to inspire people to believe in the Living God who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Last year as we prepared a family dinner, some of my teen granddaughters didn’t know to put salt in the water to make the hard-boiled eggs peel easier. I decided to write Family Favorites from the Heartland so they would have the recipes with proper instructions to carry on the traditions of our family’s tried and true favorites. Maybe they will become yours as well.

How does your writing process work?
With the historical fictions, I make a mental list of scenes I want to include. Usually the novels are chronological and know where they end. When I write the first scene, I’m off and running in a seat-of-the-pants fashion. For me, meticulous plotting seems to take the fun out of the discovery as I write.

With the miracle stories, many times I’ll go back to my journals to check if what I wrote at the time matches up with what I remember of the incident. Then I jump in and show the story in scenes as if i related the story to you across the kitchen table over a cup of coffee.

With the cookbook, I draw from memories. I tell of when the children and I picked pecans to make pecan pie. I share the first time I learned where fried chicken came from. The last story in the book I take you on a journey finding a lost recipe after twenty-five years.

When writing devotionals, I read a scripture, then examine the true meaning of that scripture as I examine the original Hebrew or Greek language and then apply it to today’s living.

Check out my website at sallyjadlow.com and my other blog at familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com

Who’s up next–
I’m tagging Rebecca Thesman so she can continue the next installment of the Author’s Blog Chain.
Rebecca Thesman writes under the pen name RJ Thesman. Her book, “The Unraveling of Reverend G” tells the story of a woman minister who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The second book in the series, “Intermission for Reverend G” is scheduled for release from CrossRiver Media in April, 2014. Her books are available on Amazon at:http://amzn.to/11QATC1. You can find out more about Rebecca on her website at: www.rjthesman.net.
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