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07 August 2011

C.J. Chase - Interview


Cj Chase 
C.J. Chase is the author of Redeeming the Rogue (Love Inspired Historicals, August 2011). I was blessed to meet C.J. through our local Tidewater Area Christian Writers group when it got started several years ago.

C.J., welcome to Overcoming Through Time.  Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

Well, like most people, I haven’t breezed through life unscathed by difficulties, but the one that stands out most was when our second son was born, and we learned he has Down Syndrome. That just wasn’t in my plans! I was one of those type-A perfectionists, and a child with intellectual and physical disabilities was a blow to my hopes, dreams, and ego. Now 13, Nathanael is a sweet kid who loves books, country music, and baseball. There will always be a bittersweet quality to our joy, but looking back, I can see how God has used him to change me. And I don’t think it was at all coincidence that the hero of my debut book has a younger sister with Down Syndrome. (CFP note: This is also referred to as Down’s Syndrome.)

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

For you created my inmost being,
        you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
        your works are wonderful,
        I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
        when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the
        depths of the earth,
        your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
        were written in your book
        before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139: 13-16 (NIV)
As to the why, I think most people can guess, based on my answer to the question above. It’s a comfort to know God has a purpose for us, even the least of us.
Is your book available in audio format?  Are any available as e-books with audio capability?  Large print?  (Thank you – we offer this information to our readers with difficulty reading books in regular print format.)
No audio, and at this time, Love Inspired Historicals are not published in large print. However, they are available for the most popular e-readers (Kindle, Nook).

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?
I’ve discovered that many of the same questions and issues I hear people ask about God (i.e., how can a supposedly loving God allow evil) – often as excuses for shutting out God or denying God’s existence – apply to people across all times. I hope exploring these issues in past times will help modern readers grapple with them.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?
Well, each book I write reveals something new to me about God and myself. I’ve come to believe that my time isn’t wasted, even if a book doesn’t sell, if I strengthened my faith during the course of writing.

Thank you C.J. for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Giveaway:  Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of C.J.’s new book.

20 comments:

  1. Congrats, C.J. on your new book! What an exciting time this must be for you, after all the hard work you've put in! What a wonderfully, touching interview this is, Carrie, and I just read that scripture the other day, C.J....beautiful, and one of my favorites!

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  2. Hi, Diana. This is C.J. I'm on the road today and having difficulty logging onto my account, so I'm showing up as anonymous. And I lost my first comment, which is a shame since it was wittier and more amusing than what I'll probably come up with on my second attempt.

    It really has been an exciting time -- and absolutely exhausting. Fun, but I think I'll be ready to go back to my mostly-anonymous life as a write come September.

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  3. CJ is out there at Walmarts signing her books!! How cool is that? She is such a great writer. I am finishing up my reading of Redeeming the Rogue and get an hour at the OT's office this afternoon and some more time tonight to enjoy it!

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  4. Congratulation on your newest book! That is awesome!
    Carrie, thank you for hosting this interview. I'm looking forward to reading some of C.J.'s books. :)

    sheri(dot)salatin(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. Oh, C.J. don't you just hate that when you have a nice long response typed out to someone's comment and it flies off into cyberspace, and you try to wrack your brain to remember everything you said! lol Yes, I can imagine anonymous would be a little refreshing right now, but that just doesn't sell books.:-) They never have cool authors like you signing books at any of the 3 Walmarts in my town.

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  6. Congrats on your newest release C.J. and can'at wait to read. I wish you would come to Middle Georgia to sign your books. We seldom have author signings yet we are the fastest growing city in GA. and our neighbor city is larger and we are just off I-75. So easy to get here. lol Hopefully one day you will get to come..

    misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

    Google/blogger will not let me post on this type comment form so using Anon.

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  7. We've been traveling to visit relatives, so we stopped at Walmarts along the highways where we were driving. I'd run in and sign the stock. Not a book signing per se, but kind of fun. And hopefully, a few book buyers will get a kick out of finding a signed book in their store. One Walmart had 0 and one had 12 copies. Most were in between. I've signed in VA and PA, and I'm going to try to hit a few more in WV and VA on my way back. If you shop at a Walmart in the mid-Atlantic region, you might find a book with an "autographed by the author" sticker this month.

    I would have thought Walmarts would have similar store layouts, but ... not really. We've learned to ask the greeter on the way in where the book section is.

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  8. Thank you for the welcome, Sheri.

    And it looks like I've gotten signed into my account this time.

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  9. Sheri "accidentally won" copy of CJ's book because I got confused and ordered one for her! I am over halfway through the book and it is SOOOOO GOOOOOD!

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  10. C.J., your book sounds like one I would enjoy reading. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of your book.

    I have a 28 yr old daughter who was born with multiple severe handicaps and I can say God has used her to strengthen my faith continually!

    homesteading[at]charter[dot]net

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  11. Anne, CJ's sons came down to the beach and spent the day with us last summer and were so sweet! She is a great mom, too!

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  12. Welcome, Anne, and thank you. Isn't it amazing how God can use those difficulties to change us for the better? I am a more compassionate and understanding person than I ever would have been otherwise.

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  13. Congratulations on your new book. It looks great. I'd love the opportunity to win it.

    Blessings,
    Jodie Wolfe
    digging4pearls(at)comcast(dot)net

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  14. CJ, Congratulations on your book. It sounds great and I defintely would love to read it.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

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  15. Jodie, thank you for stopping by.

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  16. Thank you for the kind words, Jo.

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  17. Congrats on your newest release! You are a new author to me. I love discovering new authors. Reading is my passion.

    I loved reading your interview. When you spoke of having a Down Syndrome child, my thoughts went immediately to this young man in my church. He has Down's Syndrome also and it sure hasn't stopped him from enjoying what life has to offer. He loves the Lord with all his innocent little heart! He wants to be a Pastor! Everyone loves Todd!

    I would love to win a copy of "Redeeming The Rogue".

    Blessings!
    judyjohn2004[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  18. Judy, I am putting up a review on Friday and we will do a drawing this weekend for a copy of CJ's great new book! CJ is an amazing person - very lovable but also so effortlessly elegant. She doesn't even have to try! She just is!

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  19. Congrats to Jodie Wolfe and Anne Payne for winning copies of Redeeming the Rogue! Jodie won via Random.org and I picked Anne as an extra winner because her transparency touched my heart. Many blessings! Oh and if you post a review somewhere let me know!

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  20. Thank you, Carrie, for picking me for a book! That's so sweet.

    God gives us each what we need and supplies all we require to handle what He gives!

    I love what CJ said about there being a bittersweet quality to the joy. That is so true! My girl will never speak with her voice but she speaks with her eyes...she is a sweetheart!

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