A Path to Forgiveness – Author Q & A

Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Path to Forgiveness by Lisa M. James, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT A Path To Forgiveness

Title: A Path to Forgiveness
Series: The Prodigal Woman #1
Author: Lisa M. James
Genre: Christian Fantasy

Reckless. Extravagant. Wasteful. These were all words that could describe Esther. Thirteen years of careless living had left Esther and her young son destitute. When her husband disappears at night, leaving Esther with the full burden of their debt, Esther has no choice but to claim her husband is dead and enslave herself and her child to stay alive. So severely had she broken the relationships in her life, she never expected a man from her childhood to speak on her behalf and carry the weight of her debt. Yet Esther soon realizes that escaping the demons of her past would not be so easy.

Levi had little interest in seeing Esther again. When a promise to her father leaves him honor-bound to take her as his wife, he struggles with the bitterness he holds toward her for allowing her addictions and selfishness to derail her life. Yet, he could not hide the deep desire within him to be a husband and a father, even to a woman he did not love and a child that was not his by blood.

Discover the story of a reckless woman in A Path to Forgiveness.

PURCHASE LINKS For A Path To Forgiveness*: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF A PATH TO FORGIVENESS

Lisa M. James is an independent author, marketer, and former Sunday School teacher. She loves writing romantic fantasy novels featuring women of color for both young adult and adult audiences to enjoy. Her fictional writing is inspired by historical fiction, fairy tales, and Christian romances. When not writing, Lisa loves chatting about her faith, Disney movies, and football while drinking chai lattes. To keep up with her latest releases, subscribe to www.lisamjames.com.

CONNECT WITH LISA: Website | Instagram | Twitter

AUTHOR Q & A WITH LISA M. JAMES

Which of your Published or Unpublished books is your favorite, and why?

The Fifth Kingdom series. That was the first story I had on my heart and put on paper. It was built in my mind for almost 10 years before I had the courage to write it and publish it. It really kicked off my author journey so it’ll always hold the key part of my heart. It started out as 4 individual novellas, mostly because I was just starting out as an independent author and I didn’t know proper word count for a full length novel. It was originally published from 2015 to 2018, but in 2020 I created a compilation single novel of the combined 4 stories!

How do you pick your character’s personalities or looks?

I write on the platform of having female leads of color, so a little selfishly, many of my female characters start out looking like me! Brown skin. Black hair. Brown eyes. And then I alter them slightly to take on a look of their own. Darker or lighter skin. A change in the texture of hair. Different eye colors.

What is your favorite genre to read? What is your favorite genre to write? And why are they your favorites?

Read: Biblical Fiction. I love to read anything that draws me closer to my faith and makes me turn to reading the Biblical truths that inspired the stories.

Write: Fantasy. Mostly because I am not a historian and I like to make things up! Also I love adding an element of magic or mystique into my stories and I like bending reality.

What inspires you the most?

For me it’s a “who” over a “what.” My dad. It’s been fifteen years since he’s passed but he was the first person to believe I could write and publish a novel, even before I put a single word on paper. Anytime I’m facing some writer’s block or negative feedback, I think back to that moment when he had this blind faith in my abilities.

Once an idea takes root, how long does it take you to write it down? Do you use outlines?

Ideas stay in my mind for months (sometimes years) before I actually write them down. When I’m ready to write, I usually always start with an outline; even if it’s very high level. However as I start to build a story out, the story in many ways, starts to write itself and takes different turns then what I initially considered. So I try not to get too stuck on my outline and give myself flexibility.

Do you have a favorite author? Or someone whom you would say has influenced your writing style?

I’ve always loved Lynn Austin and Tessa Afshar. Though I write a different genre than they do, I am always inspired by the way they interact with their readers. Lynn Austin was the first author to ever respond to my “fan mail” and Tessa Afshar is so wonderful in interacting with her fans on Instagram. I just love how beautiful and personal these women are and I want to emulate their communication styles with my readers.

What are your hobbies other than writing?

Baking and making baby quilts. (There were a lot of quarantine babies born in my family and friend groups so I got pretty good at making baby quilts the last two years!)

Do you have a genre that you would never write?

I get scared by a drop of a pin so I know I would be a terrible Horror author.

What is one thing you would say has had the greatest impact on your writing?

It’s the readers and those who take the time to review my books or reach out to me and share their thoughts. I read each review, comment and message, and take them into consideration. As hard as it is to receive critique’s or negative reviews, I find the criticisms I receive in my work fair (for the most part), and I think about it with the next story I write, or when I republish a previous story.  Same with the positive feedback. I internalize it, tuck it away, and bring it back to the front of my mind when I need encouragement to keep writing.

Lastly, what was your favorite book growing up?

Ella Enchanted. I love the mix of romance and magic ☺

I think we have so much in common Lisa! Thanks for letting me and my readers get to know you better!
Sincerely,
Kimmie – The Travelers Wife

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