Author Christina Miller’s idea of a perfect day involves a southern beach, a stack of books, and a glass of sweet tea. Years ago, she left her job as an RN to work in the church her husband pastors. She also became a writer—and sometimes she gets to work on the beach.
Christina is a Love Inspired author, Bethany Global University (Bloomington, Minnesota) graduate with degrees in theology and missiology, a church secretary, worship leader, and children’s ministry teacher. When she doesn’t have her nose in a book or her toes in the sand, you might catch her visiting an antebellum mansion, opening her early-American home for Dinner Church, or teaching at a women’s conference. Christina lives on her family farm with her husband of thirty-three years.
Visit Christina Miller online
An Orphan’s Hope
After being left at the altar twice already, Preacher Jase Armstrong guards his wounded heart by avoiding commitment at all costs. But then Erin Tucker, the nurse for his live-in eighty-something boss, comes into his life. She’s good with the three-day-old baby daughter recently left to him by his cousin. She teaches him how to care for the baby. Will Jase open his heart to this family God has placed around him?
- ISBN: 1335567526
- Publisher: Love Inspired
Interview with Christina Miller
Your bio sounds interesting. I see that you and your husband host a dinner church in your home. How wonderful--feeding body and spirit at the same time.
Dinner church is a blast! For the past few years, we've been comparing our church model with the New Testament, early-church model and decided to open our home more often for hospitality. Each dinner church is run differently. Our friends in a larger town operate in a public venue and simply open the building to the public, feed them great food, and present a gospel message. They're doing great.
On the other hand, we invite both believers and not-yet-believers to our home for a meal. We lead the conversation as it naturally drifts toward Jesus, just as we see our Savior doing in the gospels. Besides pastoring a small church in our rural area, my husband owns and operates a construction company, so he meets lots of people in his work and takes the opportunity to invite them to our home to learn of the Lord.
You have degrees in theology and missions and used to be a nurse. Plus, you live on a farm. Can you tell us how all of that led to your writing career?
Yes, I have the same degrees as my pastor-husband, since we attended Bible college together right after we got married (although I have not as yet sensed the Lord asking me to become ordained). My education and years of ministry experience have definitely impacted my writing.
In my current release, Jase is a youth pastor, which was our first step into ministry as well. I hope Jase's ministry experiences feel authentic, told from my thirty-four years of experience in the ministry, working youth ministry and as a middle-grade Sunday school teacher, church secretary, worship leader, women's Bible study leader, and whatever else our church has needed. I'm a former RN as well. The heroine in An Orphan's Hope is a nurse, and my August 2022, release includes a flight-nurse hero and a nurse practitioner heroine.
Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a combination of the two? Tell us something about your writing process.
I'm both a plotter and a pantser. My publisher requires a detailed synopsis, so I know most of the elements before I start. However, I leave lots of room for adding a quirky secondary character or two as well as some humor as I write the book.
Where do you get your ideas for your stories from?
I like to write stories about small towns, families, and church families, so a lot of my ideas come from my personal interactions in those settings.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
The most significant event in my publication journey was not how to get published, but how to stay published. When Love Inspired Historical closed a few years ago, I realized that, as much as I love history and historical novels, I had to write contemporary if I wanted to stay with my company and continue my writing career. I made the decision to write to the market, and soon I landed a three-book contract with Love Inspired. (Although I'm also currently writing a historical proposal for Love Inspired's new trade line.)
What message do you hope readers take away from An Orphan's Hope?
I hope that, after reading An Orphan's Hope, readers will be reminded that "all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23).
Is there a particular audience or age category that you aimed for while writing?
My readership includes Christian women of all ages who love to read wholesome, sweet romances. Since Love Inspired novels are G-rated, readers can share them with their school-age daughters or their grandmothers. In fact, after church yesterday, one of my ten-year-old Sunday school students asked to read my books. So, you can be sure she'll get a stack of books this Wednesday night!
What would you like to say to aspiring authors?
If you believe God has called you to write, then keep writing and don't give up. I had many, many rejections before I got my first contract. But the Lord was faithful. If He's called you, and if you learn diligently and put in the hard work, He will see you through to success.
_______________________________________
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
Dinner church is a blast! For the past few years, we've been comparing our church model with the New Testament, early-church model and decided to open our home more often for hospitality. Each dinner church is run differently. Our friends in a larger town operate in a public venue and simply open the building to the public, feed them great food, and present a gospel message. They're doing great.
On the other hand, we invite both believers and not-yet-believers to our home for a meal. We lead the conversation as it naturally drifts toward Jesus, just as we see our Savior doing in the gospels. Besides pastoring a small church in our rural area, my husband owns and operates a construction company, so he meets lots of people in his work and takes the opportunity to invite them to our home to learn of the Lord.
You have degrees in theology and missions and used to be a nurse. Plus, you live on a farm. Can you tell us how all of that led to your writing career?
Yes, I have the same degrees as my pastor-husband, since we attended Bible college together right after we got married (although I have not as yet sensed the Lord asking me to become ordained). My education and years of ministry experience have definitely impacted my writing.
In my current release, Jase is a youth pastor, which was our first step into ministry as well. I hope Jase's ministry experiences feel authentic, told from my thirty-four years of experience in the ministry, working youth ministry and as a middle-grade Sunday school teacher, church secretary, worship leader, women's Bible study leader, and whatever else our church has needed. I'm a former RN as well. The heroine in An Orphan's Hope is a nurse, and my August 2022, release includes a flight-nurse hero and a nurse practitioner heroine.
Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a combination of the two? Tell us something about your writing process.
I'm both a plotter and a pantser. My publisher requires a detailed synopsis, so I know most of the elements before I start. However, I leave lots of room for adding a quirky secondary character or two as well as some humor as I write the book.
Where do you get your ideas for your stories from?
I like to write stories about small towns, families, and church families, so a lot of my ideas come from my personal interactions in those settings.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
The most significant event in my publication journey was not how to get published, but how to stay published. When Love Inspired Historical closed a few years ago, I realized that, as much as I love history and historical novels, I had to write contemporary if I wanted to stay with my company and continue my writing career. I made the decision to write to the market, and soon I landed a three-book contract with Love Inspired. (Although I'm also currently writing a historical proposal for Love Inspired's new trade line.)
What message do you hope readers take away from An Orphan's Hope?
I hope that, after reading An Orphan's Hope, readers will be reminded that "all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23).
Is there a particular audience or age category that you aimed for while writing?
My readership includes Christian women of all ages who love to read wholesome, sweet romances. Since Love Inspired novels are G-rated, readers can share them with their school-age daughters or their grandmothers. In fact, after church yesterday, one of my ten-year-old Sunday school students asked to read my books. So, you can be sure she'll get a stack of books this Wednesday night!
What would you like to say to aspiring authors?
If you believe God has called you to write, then keep writing and don't give up. I had many, many rejections before I got my first contract. But the Lord was faithful. If He's called you, and if you learn diligently and put in the hard work, He will see you through to success.
_______________________________________
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
For more great interviews, visit our Author Interview Archives.