It’s release day for Crystal Caudill’s debut book. She agreed to stop by today to tell us a little bit about her and her writing. Please give her a warm welcome.
When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
Writing has always been a survival tactic in my life. I didn’t quite realize how much like a novel my life reads until I was telling a close friend and her eyes just kept growing wider and wider. According to her, we now know what I write suspenseful stories. So technically, I’ve always been a writer. I never actually wanted to be published, but on my 30th birthday, God revealed that He wanted me to pursue publishing. After six months of fighting Him, I caved, admitted I wanted to be a writer for Him, and began the very slow and arduous task of learning the craft and the industry.
You have me intrigued. How does your faith and spirituality work with your writing?
Like I said above, God really pushed me into writing for publication, so I approach every book and writing session as a submission to His will and His guidance. Sometimes I get caught up in the to-dos and deadlines and forget to invite Him in, but it doesn’t take long for God to bring that self-dependence to a crashing halt. It is my prayer that the stories will entertain, challenge, and encourage readers while also glorifying God.
I like that. Could you tell us about your typical day?
There is no typical. My life is chaos. But if the chaos is quiet, my day generally looks like fighting with myself and my son get up in the morning, getting both kids to school, coming home, doing a load of laundry, making a cup of tea, doing my Bible study, and writing until it’s time to pick the boys up at 2:30. The rest of the evening falls into making dinner, transporting everyone where they need to go, and sneaking in more words wherever I can.
Sounds like you have a busy life. Apart from writing, what is your favorite creative outlet?
I love to bake, although my waist wishes I didn’t. Pies, scones, and tea time treats are my favorite, but during the pandemic, I needed something more usable to my family. So I took up bread making. I’m still learning, but I love having fresh bread whenever I want it.
I would love a good bread recipe. 🙂 Could you share the back cover blurb for your debut book?
Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves–or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he’s been sent to track down?
After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name–and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors’ threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn’t all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home–and the truth.
After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiancée is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career–but that’s better than failing her twice in one lifetime.
They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there’s no question they’re both still keeping secrets–and that lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.
I can’t wait for my copy to arrive so I can read it. What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
Counterfeit Love is all about wrestling with surrendering self-reliance and trusting God even if the worst happens. I hope that readers will walk away with the realization that bad things happen, but that doesn’t mean we can’t trust Him. God is enough, even if He is all we have left.
I’m looking forward to reading it. What advice would you give to new authors?
Don’t be in such a hurry. The publishing industry is SLOW. Do yourself a favor, even if you plan to self-publish. Take the time to really learn the writing craft, get critique partners and let them help you improve, enter contests for the feedback, take classes from the masters, study your favorite authors, and then when you think you can’t learn anything more… go learn something else. The more time you spend improving yourself, the more likely you are to succeed. (And I love to help other writers, so always feel free to ask me questions.)
Great advice. Thank you for stopping by. You can find Crystal online at these sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crystalcaudillauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalcaudillauthor/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/crystalcaudillauthor
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/crystal-caudill
Newsletter Sign-Up: https://bitly.com/CaudillNews
