Write to the Point with Patty Smith Hall

Today we get write to the point with Patty Smith Hall. She is giving away two copies of her book. So read to the end and leave a comment for her 🙂

Tell us about yourself, family, where are you from, how long have you been writing?

Well, that information alone could fill up a book! I’m Patty Smith Hall and I’ve been married for 30+ years to a man who still knows how to make me laugh even on my worst days. We have two very beautiful daughters and will soon have a son when our oldest marries the love of her life Oct, 2015. After living in Georgia for forty years, I followed my husband to Grand Rapids, Michigan but homesickness and aging parents drove us back to Georgia almost five years ago. As for writing, I started penning short stories almost fifteen years ago–Wow, didn’t realize it had been that long!

How did you come to know Jesus as your Savior?

I accepted Christ as my Savior the summer before I turned 10–I’d struggled with it after hearing the Salvation message in VBS and finally asked Jesus to forgive me and come into my heart on July 4th, 1971, my own personal Independence Day!

Tell us about your latest book(s). What do want your readers to take away after the last page?

My latest book, Hearts Rekindled was the third book in my WWII series. It revolved around Merrilee Daniels Davenport, landlord of the local boarding house forced to spy on her tenets in return for medical treatment for her daughter who has suffered a bout of polio. Things get complicated when her former husband, John shows up with a letter from the daughter he never knew about, determined not to be the absent father he himself had.

When I started this book, I’d intended for this book to be about how marriage is something you have to constantly work on, but the longer I wrote, the more it became apparent that this book dealt with the issue of abandonment. My hope is that the reader will take away the knowledge that people may leave you but God is always there, always waiting for us wherever we’re at in this life.

How often do you blog and what do you cover in your blog?

I blog monthly on the 30th at Christian Fiction Historical Society as well as every 6 weeks on the ACFW South Carolina website. Of course, for CFHS, I talk about events that shape history or the time period I’m researching for my next book. This Sunday, I’m writing on the gentleman who developed the first motion picture projector(and it’s not Thomas Edison!) On the ACFW website, I give short lessons on the craft of writing.

Can you share with us a favorite book you have read?

I absolutely adored the Cheney Duvall series by Gilbert and Lynn Morris. The premise was fresh at the time–a woman doctor at the end of the Civil War who employed a male nurse with a secret past. Waiting for those books are what got me into writing fan fiction!

Can you share with us a Genesis 5020 in your life?

Right after I graduated from nursing school, I was injured in an attack by a patient which left me with severe nerve damage in my right leg. Needless to say, the nursing career I’d hope for was over before it had ever begun. I held on to that anger for years–I mean, I thought being a nurse was what He wanted for my life so why cripple me? The bitterness I felt got so bad, I was ready to throw away my marriage, my friends–I couldn’t see my worth. Then one day as I was once again whining, asking why God would do this, someone asked me why not? That question changed my whole outlook–life may not go as we planned but God is still there, still loving us. Our worth is found in Him. Now, all these years later, I see God’s fingerprints all over my life and I stand in awe!

Do you have a life and/or a ministry verse?

My life verse is Romans 8:28–For we know that all things work together for those who love the Lord according to His purpose. In everything–the good and the bad–God is working in our lives according to His hopes and dreams for us.

Where can we find you on the web?

http://christianfictionhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com

Is there anything I didn’t ask that you would like to add?

Thank you for having me today–I love visiting with folks who love to read as much as I do!

Thanks so much for sharing with my readers. We appreciate your time.

Readers, Patty is giving away two copies of her book (U.S. and Canadian residents only). Leave a comment for her by April 8th at 5:00 pm to be entered.