with Louise M. Gouge

Tell us about your epiphany moment when you decided you were going to seriously pursue writing and eventually publication.
When my children were in middle and high school, my friend and I went to lunch to talk about our upcoming empty nest years and what we were planning to do. I told her about my lifelong secret life in which I imagined all kinds of stories, often wondering if I should write them down. When I told her about my current story, she said, “You go home and write that down right now!” So I did. From the moment I began to put the words on the page, I knew I’d found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Time management. I have three jobs (writing, teaching, and copyediting), so I have to make sure I get them all done in a timely way. Must meet all deadlines. Can’t let anyone down. Whew! I just have to keep driving hard to get it all done.


Which character in your new release most interested you while you wrote?
The American Patriot sea captain, Jamie Templeton, is the character with the most difficult struggles in this story. One struggle is to complete his mission of learning about England’s plans for prosecuting the war against the American colonies. He risks his very life to help in the Revolution he believes in. But his other struggle is against his own heart. He has fallen in love with the daughter of the very man he’s spying on. This sets up a great conflict for Jamie because he is a man of unwavering honor and strong faith in God. How can he go against his principles for the sake of his own heart? Better to deny himself than to betray his mission.

What is your strangest habit? Um, well, er. . . okay, I confess. It’s Spider Solitaire. Love that game. Sometimes I even dream about it. That’s very strange.

Are there things you put off doing because you dread them?
No, not usually. I’m more the “jump in and get it done” person. I hate having things hanging over my head.

What would a perfect day for you look like?
I just had a perfect three days this week. I went to St. Augustine, FL, to research my next book. Three days digging for setting nuggets in the historical society’s research library and later walking around that historic city. Weather was not too hot, not too cool, not too rainy, not too sunny. And my dear hubby went along to help me. We had a great time!

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
These days I’ve honed it down to historical Christian fiction. Some eras and locations interest me more than others, but I do like a variety. And I’m crazy about getting lost in real life historical accounts such as the ones at the St. Augustine Historical Society’s library.

Are there spiritual themes you like to write about?
My favorite theme is the grace of God. We all live by His grace, His free, unmerited gift, so I like to include some sort of affirmation of that in every story. So often, people think they have to work to earn or keep their salvation. But when Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant that He had just complete the entire work of salvation. We can’t add anything to it; all we can do is reach out and accept this free gift. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). Once that verse takes hold in a person’s life, she/he will never be the same. That’s grace.

What lesson is the Lord teaching you right now or recently taught you?
I had a phrase come across my mind about a month ago: deliberate Christian. I like that. It means that I should deliberately do everything I do as a Christian, as Jesus guides me, and as He wants me to do it. Still working on that, but I don’t think we ever achieve it to the point that we can coast along. We must always deliberately seek to be like Him, not to earn salvation or rewards, but because that is the place He has designed for us, our place of greatest happiness.

When is your next book due out and can you tell us about it?
I don’t have a release date, but my next book is the third one in my Revolutionary War series. As indicated above, it takes place in St. Augustine, which was a haven for American colonists who were loyal to King George III. Many people had to flee to that city because of persecution in the northern colonies. As a strong Patriot myself, I find it interesting to write “from the other side.” But writing this story is fun, as all of them are.

Thank you for inviting me to be on your blog and helping me promote The Captain’s Lady!

Thank you for being with us, Louise. It was fun and encouraging!

Louise is giving away a copy of The Captain's Lady. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment and check back on Tuesday, March23, to see if you've won. You can enter twice--once on each post in this spotlight. If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment, otherwise, you can just check back and email me through the button in my sidebar.
**Annoying little disclaimer: This giveaway is open only to U.S. addresses. By clicking on the Amazon link above or in the sidebar, and purchasing, I will receive a very small percentage of the sale.

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