A fifth-generation Texan, Paula Peckham graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington. She worked for 19 years as a math teacher. She divides her time between Texas and Rio Bravo, Mexico. She and husband, John, have four children and nine grandchildren.
Her debut novel, Protected, book one in the San Antonio series, was published in April 2022. It was a finalist in the ACFW Genesis contest and won the gold medal in the 2022 Global Book Awards. Book two, A Father’s Gift, won a 2023 Selah Award. She published two Christmas anthologies in 2021.
Visit Paula Peckham online
Her debut novel, Protected, book one in the San Antonio series, was published in April 2022. It was a finalist in the ACFW Genesis contest and won the gold medal in the 2022 Global Book Awards. Book two, A Father’s Gift, won a 2023 Selah Award. She published two Christmas anthologies in 2021.
Accepted
Quenby Martin dreads the boring life 1860s propriety demands. Then San Antonio’s most respectable widow befriends her. However, her genteel companion conceals a life-threatening secret.
Jonathan Campbell is a young Texan with financial problems. Quen eagerly offers help to the handsome farmer, despite his obvious misgivings about trusting the future of his livelihood to the pretty young know-it-all.
Against the backdrop of the Civil War, Quen’s actions draw the attention of a bounty hunter, whose charms cannot hide his evil intentions. Faced with danger, Quen’s new reality tests her wavering belief in God.
She embarks on an important mission with the bounty hunter snapping at her heels and unwittingly draws Jonathan into a web of kidnapping and murder. His efforts to keep her safe expose his growing feelings for her.
Is her budding faith enough to give her the courage to stand up to peril? And at what cost?
- ISBN: B0CKP1MSB9
- Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.
Interview with Paula Peckham
Paula started writing because she had stories to tell. She would notice a situation and the words to describe it, usually in a funny way, would appear in her mind. She wanted to share those thoughts, to make people laugh, smile, to brighten their day. Being a high school teacher brought her plenty of good material to use. She laughed at her job every day.
Authors Who Have Influenced Her:
She loves reading many different genres. Stephen King was her favorite horror writer. Laveryl Spencer won the title for romance. Dick Francis took honors for mysteries. Frank Herbert wrote the best science fiction. Jan Karon was her first introduction to Christian fiction. Barbara Kingsolver held her spellbound with women’s fiction. Lee Child kept her hooked with thrillers. She started reading YA as an adult, and it was a tie between J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins. Sarah Bird kept her laughing. She has read so much of all of them, she’s sure flavors from each author spice her own writing. She’s absorbed style and technique from each one.
* * * * *
Thank you for taking the time to let other writers get to know you here in this interview. It’s always helpful to learn about another author’s path to publication and writing process.
What message do you hope readers take away from this book?
God has a purpose for your life. Trust him to lead you to it. And God loves ALL his children, so we should try harder to accept each other.
How do your faith and spiritual life play into the picture and affect your storytelling?
I draw on my own struggles a lot when I’m developing the spiritual arc for my characters. I think back on times when I was far from God, and how he drew me back. I then write that into my characters’ lives.
Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
The first book was me thinking about books I’ve loved and trying to recreate that feel. All subsequent books have come from a historical fact I learned that sparked an idea. And, of course, once I sit down to write, I pray that God’s thoughts and ideas somehow show up on the pages.
What led you to choose the genre in which you write?
Romance was my go-to genre for a long, long time, so it’s the story trope I’m most familiar with. However, I’ve read ALL genres, and there are some ideas lurking in my mind that fall in other lanes.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Mostly plotter. I have a six-stage format that I fill out to take me from one turning point to the next, but the stuff in between is pretty nebulous until I start writing.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Totally a God-thing that I ended up with Elk Lake Publishing. It’s too long of a story to go into here, but it was a trail of breadcrumbs leading me straight to Deb.
What’s your biggest challenge in balancing writing time with your other activities?
I’m so easily distracted. I’ve been working hard for almost a year now to train myself to stick to a schedule where I portion out a part of my day to each of the projects I’m working on. It rarely works, but I’m still trying.
What is your writing routine? Any quirky habits or must-have snacks?
I sit down at my computer and write. Sometimes it’s on my manuscript; sometimes it’s critiquing my partners’ stuff. And I do edits for authors. So, it’s basically whatever has the closest, loudest deadline that gets tackled. (see previous question)
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?
I visited a friend in Japan this summer. We stopped to eat at a restaurant, and my friend saw someone she’d met at a yoga class. We stopped to chat on our way to our table, and she recognized me from my author headshot on my book. She exclaimed, “I’m reading your book!” The first time I actually met a stranger who chose my book randomly, and I was halfway around the world when it happened.
What do you think makes your style of storytelling unique?
I’m not sure it’s unique, but I try to use humor and sarcasm in my dialogue. I also like having animals in the story.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
Reading, spending time with my grandkids, and traveling with my husband.
_____________________
Pearl Fredericksen lives on the beautiful west coast of Canada, where she enjoys photographing the scenery and writing about her favourite places. She also loves to read and post reviews to spread the word about good books. Her little dog, Bear, sits under her desk to keep her feet warm while she writes. He's very cute, and you can see him in quite a few photos at https://PearlAdaPridham.com
Authors Who Have Influenced Her:
She loves reading many different genres. Stephen King was her favorite horror writer. Laveryl Spencer won the title for romance. Dick Francis took honors for mysteries. Frank Herbert wrote the best science fiction. Jan Karon was her first introduction to Christian fiction. Barbara Kingsolver held her spellbound with women’s fiction. Lee Child kept her hooked with thrillers. She started reading YA as an adult, and it was a tie between J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins. Sarah Bird kept her laughing. She has read so much of all of them, she’s sure flavors from each author spice her own writing. She’s absorbed style and technique from each one.
* * * * *
Thank you for taking the time to let other writers get to know you here in this interview. It’s always helpful to learn about another author’s path to publication and writing process.
What message do you hope readers take away from this book?
God has a purpose for your life. Trust him to lead you to it. And God loves ALL his children, so we should try harder to accept each other.
How do your faith and spiritual life play into the picture and affect your storytelling?
I draw on my own struggles a lot when I’m developing the spiritual arc for my characters. I think back on times when I was far from God, and how he drew me back. I then write that into my characters’ lives.
Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
The first book was me thinking about books I’ve loved and trying to recreate that feel. All subsequent books have come from a historical fact I learned that sparked an idea. And, of course, once I sit down to write, I pray that God’s thoughts and ideas somehow show up on the pages.
What led you to choose the genre in which you write?
Romance was my go-to genre for a long, long time, so it’s the story trope I’m most familiar with. However, I’ve read ALL genres, and there are some ideas lurking in my mind that fall in other lanes.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Mostly plotter. I have a six-stage format that I fill out to take me from one turning point to the next, but the stuff in between is pretty nebulous until I start writing.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Totally a God-thing that I ended up with Elk Lake Publishing. It’s too long of a story to go into here, but it was a trail of breadcrumbs leading me straight to Deb.
What’s your biggest challenge in balancing writing time with your other activities?
I’m so easily distracted. I’ve been working hard for almost a year now to train myself to stick to a schedule where I portion out a part of my day to each of the projects I’m working on. It rarely works, but I’m still trying.
What is your writing routine? Any quirky habits or must-have snacks?
I sit down at my computer and write. Sometimes it’s on my manuscript; sometimes it’s critiquing my partners’ stuff. And I do edits for authors. So, it’s basically whatever has the closest, loudest deadline that gets tackled. (see previous question)
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?
I visited a friend in Japan this summer. We stopped to eat at a restaurant, and my friend saw someone she’d met at a yoga class. We stopped to chat on our way to our table, and she recognized me from my author headshot on my book. She exclaimed, “I’m reading your book!” The first time I actually met a stranger who chose my book randomly, and I was halfway around the world when it happened.
What do you think makes your style of storytelling unique?
I’m not sure it’s unique, but I try to use humor and sarcasm in my dialogue. I also like having animals in the story.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
Reading, spending time with my grandkids, and traveling with my husband.
_____________________
Pearl Fredericksen lives on the beautiful west coast of Canada, where she enjoys photographing the scenery and writing about her favourite places. She also loves to read and post reviews to spread the word about good books. Her little dog, Bear, sits under her desk to keep her feet warm while she writes. He's very cute, and you can see him in quite a few photos at https://PearlAdaPridham.com
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