Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits dedicated Sunday School teachers and Christian parents for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ.
After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a Business Degree she used for a very short time (sorry Mom and Dad), she moved to Spartanburg, SC to attend Converse College where she obtained her Masters degree in Education. During this time, she met the man she would marry—the boy next door!
She is married to Jack Eason, who speaks, leads worship, and consults ministries around the country.. In December of 2010, they celebrated their fourteenth wedding anniversary. Lynette and Jack have two precious children, Lauryn, thirteen years and Will, who is ten.
Lynette has taught in many areas of education over the past ten years and is very happy to transition that teaching to writers conferences.
Some of Lynette's favorite authors who influenced her writing include, Brandilyn Collins, Dee Henderson, Shirlee McCoy, Karen Kingsbury, Robert Liparulo, Terri Blackstock and Deborah Raney.
Lynette is a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America), FHL (Faith, Hope, and Love) and ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).
Lynette loves to ice skate, go bowling, walk on the beach, visit the mountains of Asheville, NC, watch American Idol, Law and Order, A & E channel, and surf the web. She is often found online and loves to talk writing with anyone who will listen. She gives God the glory for giving her the talent and desire to spin stories that bring readers to the edge of their seat, but most importantly, to the throne of Christ.
Visit Lynette Eason online
When the Smoke Clears
As a member of the North Cascades Smokejumpers, Alexia Allen always takes care of the equipment that keeps her safe. So when she nearly dies in a fire due to equipment failure, she knows something is up. Ordered to take time off while the investigation continues, Alexia makes a last-minute decision to recuperate at her mother's home and attend her high school reunion. Yet trouble seems to be following her, and within hours of arriving home she's involved with murder, arson—and a handsome detective. But the conflicts ahead are nothing compared to the ghosts of her past. As she strives to remember and forgive her family history, she must also decide if the secret she's been guarding for the last ten years must finally come to light. Chock-full of the suspense and romantic tension readers have come to expect from Lynette Eason, When the Smoke Clears is the explosive first book in the Deadly Reunions series.
- ISBN: 0800720075
- Publisher: Revell
Interview with Lynette Eason
Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, where she accepted Christ at the tender age of eight. She holds a business degree and a Master's degree in education. She and her husband, Jack, have two children, Lauryn and Will. Some of Lynette's favorite authors include Brandilyn Collins, Dee Henderson, Shirlee McCoy, Karen Kingsbury, Robert Liparulo, Terri Blackstock and Deborah Raney. When she's not writing, this busy author loves to ice skate, go bowling, walk on the beach, visit the mountains of Asheville, NC, watch American Idol, Law and Order, A & E channel, and surf the web. She is often found online and loves to talk writing with anyone who will listen. Lynette gives God the glory for giving her the talent and desire to spin stories that bring readers to the edge of their seat, but most importantly, to the throne of Christ.
Lynette, I've been peeking into your website, and I have to admit, I'm impressed! The number of book covers on your "Books" page tells me a couple of things: You don't waste a lot of time, and you have a vivid imagination. I'm looking forward to hearing a little about the ups and downs and highs and lows of your journey.
Well, I’m happy to share!
Since I mentioned your backlist, I think our inquiring readers would like to know how many you have, and how long does it take you to write a book?
I am finishing up my 19th book. I have one last Revell book in the Deadly Reunions series to write. And I just found out that Revell is going to buy my next three-book series, so I’m very excited about that. It takes me about six months to write a 90,000 word book for Revell.
I love the cover of your latest release, When the Smoke Clears. Tell us a little about this one.
The cover is AMAZING. The art department really outdid themselves on this one and I’m so proud of it. When the Smoke Clears is book one of the Deadly Reunions Series. I had to do quite a bit of research on firefighting for just one scene in the book, but it was fascinating. And scary!
Reflecting back, what experience/revelation/bit of advice, etc., do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Persevere. Keep writing through the rejections. Look at the rejections as learning experiences. Take what you can from them and use it make your writing better. Because if you stop writing and submitting, you won’t have any rejections, but you won’t have any acceptances either.
You obviously do a great job of balancing writing time with your other responsibilities. What is the biggest challenge to that goal?
Sometimes I don’t feel like I do such a great job. LOL. Balance is the key word, though. I could sit and write for HOURS if I didn’t have any interruptions. But I have a life. I have a husband, kids, a dog, and a full time teaching job. All of those things take time. So I just have to make sure I etch out my writing time and make sure I’m using it to the maximum. I often write sitting in drive thrus (I love that little notepad on my iphone!) While I’m watching my daughter play volleyball, I may be working on a scene in my head, getting it exactly how I want it so that when I sit down, I can write it out without stopping to think. And when my kids need me, I focus totally on them, making sure they have what they need from me. I never want them to feel like I value my writing over spending time with them so I’m very careful about that. But when a deadline is looming, I just have to pray that God will hold it together for me and allow me to get everything done that I need done.
How do your faith and spiritual life affect your storytelling?
I couldn’t write without my faith. Sometimes I think I might like to break into the secular market, but I can’t craft a story without some kind of faith element to it. I think that’s because we’re all spiritual beings and whether some wish to acknowledge it or not, without the faith element, a story is really only two dimensional—and lacking. I want Jesus to be on every page I write. I want people to see how much I love Him. I want my stories to change lives. So as I sit down to write, I keep that in mind and I pray He gives me the words to bring people closer to Him.
What do you consider the greatest moment of your writing/publishing career?
Getting an email from a woman who was so down and depressed about her life telling me my story had made a difference and she now felt closer to God, she had hope again. I cried over that one. I was so honored and humbled that God had allowed me to write those words that helped someone find Him. Wow!
Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
Deadlines spur me!! LOL. No, seriously, I love the craft. My favorite part of the whole process (besides THE END) is brainstorming an idea and forming it into one paragraph that sums up the entire story.
What do you think makes your style of storytelling unique?
Um…I honestly don’t know. I think it’s because I’m a seat of the pants writer and I let my characters surprise me sometimes.
Fill in the blanks: If I could take credit for only one of my published books, I would choose...
When the Smoke Clears because it just goes to show you that as the author, you have no discernment as to whether the story is good or not. By the time I turned it in, I hated it. Then it started getting great reviews. I’ve decided to go back and re-read. Apparently it’s not as bad as I’d feared and God is going to use it somehow, someway, in spite of the author! ☺ .
Any parting words?
Thanks so much for having me here! I’m so honored to be able to share with you and would love to hear from any readers. My website is www.lynetteeason.com and my email addy is lynetteeason@lynetteeason.com. If anyone is interested in receiving news from me about my books and writing, there’s a place to sign up for my newsletter on both my website and my blog: www.infinitesuspensefromlynetteeason.blogspot.com. I know, that’s LONG, right?
Thanks for sharing with us, Lynette! It's been a pleasure.
Same here!
Lynette, I've been peeking into your website, and I have to admit, I'm impressed! The number of book covers on your "Books" page tells me a couple of things: You don't waste a lot of time, and you have a vivid imagination. I'm looking forward to hearing a little about the ups and downs and highs and lows of your journey.
Well, I’m happy to share!
Since I mentioned your backlist, I think our inquiring readers would like to know how many you have, and how long does it take you to write a book?
I am finishing up my 19th book. I have one last Revell book in the Deadly Reunions series to write. And I just found out that Revell is going to buy my next three-book series, so I’m very excited about that. It takes me about six months to write a 90,000 word book for Revell.
I love the cover of your latest release, When the Smoke Clears. Tell us a little about this one.
The cover is AMAZING. The art department really outdid themselves on this one and I’m so proud of it. When the Smoke Clears is book one of the Deadly Reunions Series. I had to do quite a bit of research on firefighting for just one scene in the book, but it was fascinating. And scary!
Reflecting back, what experience/revelation/bit of advice, etc., do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Persevere. Keep writing through the rejections. Look at the rejections as learning experiences. Take what you can from them and use it make your writing better. Because if you stop writing and submitting, you won’t have any rejections, but you won’t have any acceptances either.
You obviously do a great job of balancing writing time with your other responsibilities. What is the biggest challenge to that goal?
Sometimes I don’t feel like I do such a great job. LOL. Balance is the key word, though. I could sit and write for HOURS if I didn’t have any interruptions. But I have a life. I have a husband, kids, a dog, and a full time teaching job. All of those things take time. So I just have to make sure I etch out my writing time and make sure I’m using it to the maximum. I often write sitting in drive thrus (I love that little notepad on my iphone!) While I’m watching my daughter play volleyball, I may be working on a scene in my head, getting it exactly how I want it so that when I sit down, I can write it out without stopping to think. And when my kids need me, I focus totally on them, making sure they have what they need from me. I never want them to feel like I value my writing over spending time with them so I’m very careful about that. But when a deadline is looming, I just have to pray that God will hold it together for me and allow me to get everything done that I need done.
How do your faith and spiritual life affect your storytelling?
I couldn’t write without my faith. Sometimes I think I might like to break into the secular market, but I can’t craft a story without some kind of faith element to it. I think that’s because we’re all spiritual beings and whether some wish to acknowledge it or not, without the faith element, a story is really only two dimensional—and lacking. I want Jesus to be on every page I write. I want people to see how much I love Him. I want my stories to change lives. So as I sit down to write, I keep that in mind and I pray He gives me the words to bring people closer to Him.
What do you consider the greatest moment of your writing/publishing career?
Getting an email from a woman who was so down and depressed about her life telling me my story had made a difference and she now felt closer to God, she had hope again. I cried over that one. I was so honored and humbled that God had allowed me to write those words that helped someone find Him. Wow!
Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
Deadlines spur me!! LOL. No, seriously, I love the craft. My favorite part of the whole process (besides THE END) is brainstorming an idea and forming it into one paragraph that sums up the entire story.
What do you think makes your style of storytelling unique?
Um…I honestly don’t know. I think it’s because I’m a seat of the pants writer and I let my characters surprise me sometimes.
Fill in the blanks: If I could take credit for only one of my published books, I would choose...
When the Smoke Clears because it just goes to show you that as the author, you have no discernment as to whether the story is good or not. By the time I turned it in, I hated it. Then it started getting great reviews. I’ve decided to go back and re-read. Apparently it’s not as bad as I’d feared and God is going to use it somehow, someway, in spite of the author! ☺ .
Any parting words?
Thanks so much for having me here! I’m so honored to be able to share with you and would love to hear from any readers. My website is www.lynetteeason.com and my email addy is lynetteeason@lynetteeason.com. If anyone is interested in receiving news from me about my books and writing, there’s a place to sign up for my newsletter on both my website and my blog: www.infinitesuspensefromlynetteeason.blogspot.com. I know, that’s LONG, right?
Thanks for sharing with us, Lynette! It's been a pleasure.
Same here!
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