Interview Lena Nelson Dooley

The Will Rogers Medallion was recently awarded to Lena Nelson Dooley who has over 650,000 books in print, too!  Congrats, Lena!!!
Read more about this at: http://hartlineliteraryagency.blogspot.com/2011/07/lena-nelson-dooley-wins-award.html?spref=fb


Lena is the author of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, and of the upcoming new release Maggie’s Journey, book one in the McKenna’s Daughters series. Lena has published many other books, as well, some reviewed here on OTT.

I met Lena through ACFW, participating in some of the same online classes with her.  When I saw the opportunity to have her critique my manuscript at the conference in Indianapolis last year, I was thrilled and jumped right on it.  Lena is just as warm, encouraging, and witty in person as she is online.  She has been a Mentor of the Year through ACFW for good reason and has been the President of the Dallas Fort Worth Ready Writers group for some time. 

Lena, thank you for this interview and 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? 

My mother died when I was seven years old. That affected me for many, many years. I had a hard time understanding why a loving God could take a woman who was so loved by everyone and who had small children who needed her. I was in my thirties before I came to understand that God really does love, no matter what happened in my life that I didn’t understand at the time.

How has this affected your writing?

Two of the stronger themes that runs through many of my novels is forgiveness of others and of God and learning to trust God in everything.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Philippians 3:10

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

KJV

Disability friendliness:

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio? I believe many of your books are available as e-books with audio capability, is that correct (on Kindle)?

Yes, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, is available in Kindle format with audio capability. So will the McKenna’s Daughters series be.

The only other book I have in audio format is Pirate’s Prize.

How many of your books are out in large print?  (Thank you – we offer this information to our readers with difficulty reading books in regular print format.)

I have had three books release in Large Print:

A Daughter’s Quest, Can You Help Me? And Caught Red Handed, The Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

Bad things happen, but God is good.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

I become fully immersed in the time periods and the characters. I’ve run into many interesting things in my forays into research. In Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, I found many interesting things in the town that thrived in 1890, but is a ghost town today. One of the buildings from 1836 is still standing and restored.

Thank you Lena for agreeing to answer these questions.  And readers, Lena shared with me that she had a wonderful stepmother!  God is so good. 

Thank you, Carrie. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and your blog readers.




Giveaway: Readers - leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win a copy of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico.  We will have a review up on Wednesday, too, by Diana Flowers and there will be a second entry chance.  Drawing will be done next weekend!