When authors are asked, “What is your book about?” the temptation to give TMI (too much information) should be ignored.
Well-chosen “sentence summaries” do the job without giving away too much of the content or overwhelming the questioner.
The same applies to short pieces. Many won praise from readers attracted by succinct titles, such as “Tips for Trips with Older Travelers.” Lessons learned from road trips with my 95-year-old mother.
Here are examples from some of my most popular books.
After feeling compelled to write my only Biblical novel, I gave notice on my government job and at age 43 went into full-time free- lancing.
A valiant nurse and wounded pilot serve under seemingly impossible conditions while stranded on a South Pacific Island during World War 2.
The greatest gift is the one given away.
Bellingham, Washington’s answer to Nancy Drew. YA series. Trouble on Tuesday, Wednesday Witness, Thursday Trials. Friday Flight, Saturday Scare, Sunday Suspicion follow.
Can Lexi, a shy, small-town Canadian girl, find happiness by moving to Washington State?
Five dedicated nurses battle sickness and dark forces determined to destroy their beloved Seattle Shepherd of Love hospital.
Four full-length western romances. Each complete in itself, but the set reads like a continued story.
Note. It is worth taking whatever time needed to create sentence summaries.
Palm Sunday, 4-1-23, Auburn, Washington. I look forward to Easter Sunday. Lyrics from well-loved hymns ring down through the years and echo in my heart and mind. I smile. Memories of friends, neighbors, and family from Darrington, Washington’s many churches joyously rise to the skies from the Ski Bowl, celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord. Magnificent White Horse Mountain towering above the worshippers, like a benevolent watchman intent on guarding the little mountain town.
Each Easter Sunday, at 6 a.m., ministers from the various denominations took turns giving a short message. Talented singers offered special music, designed to warm hearts on cold mornings. If it rained or snowed, we met in the Community Center.
Following the service, we went home for breakfast and to replace warm clothes with our “Sunday best,” to attend Sunday School and church at our respective houses of worship. Some had family get-togethers.
We had a Treasure Hunt
Dad and Mom believed that anything worth having, is worth working for. No just handing us a basket with boiled eggs, perhaps oranges, and some candy. While my brothers and I were sequestered in the house under strict orders not to look out the windows. Mom hid clues.
The hideout. The big stump. The downed tree, whose branches made a green room. The pussy willow and birch tree. The woodshed. And more. Each clue led to another, and finally, the basket. Tired but victorious, we settled in with our prize.
Mom did this year after year. We never got tired of our hunt. Sometimes friends or relatives joined us. Years later, my younger brother’s family carried on the tradition.
Dad, Mom, and my brothers have all passed on. I am now 87. Voices raised in song, and laughter over simple things, still shine brighter in my memory than the eggs we once dyed. I give thanks to my Heavenly Father for His loving care and continuing provision.
“I serve a risen Saviour, He’s in the world today, I know that He is living, Whatever men may say.
“I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.
“He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
“He lives. He lives salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives. He lives within my heart.”
May each of you find the peace and comfort He gives to those who seek Him.
It is good to be back after weeks in the hospital and rehabilitation center. At times I feel like an inch worm but–hey, with every tiny movement forward, he/she eventually reaches the desired goal. Me, too, to be ungrammatical.
“Colleen Loraine, the looper,” continues to make progress. Milestones include the first time being able to stand at the sink and do dishes, and (with my walker), journeying down the driveway to the mailbox. I finally was able to tackle and deal with a mountain of paperwork. Funny, how small accomplishments can be so encouraging.
I didn’t feel ready to come home when released from Wesley Rehab, and wondered how I would make it “on my own.” My hard-working niece researched the availability of help so seniors can stay in their homes. I now have a caption phone. Meals are delivered (supplemented by Safeway deliveries). I have had several weeks of physical and occupational therapy and nurse visits. My bathtub has been replaced with a walk-in shower. Other help is in the works. Friends and neighbors have been diligent in looking out for me.
God is good. Decades ago, my dear friend Marjorie Gordon, gave me an Old Testament blessing. “. . .may your strength match the length of your days!” Deuteronomy 33:25 (TLB). Never has it been more appreciated.
Dad taught me to always concentrate on how far I have come, not how far I have to go. I am.
May God bless you all, as He has, is, and will continue to care and provide for me.
Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” was right. There really is no place like home, especially after almost 3 months of hospital and rehab stays.
As Dad taught me, I am not concentrating on how far I have to go to restore energy, but how far I have come. I have home physical therapy, etc. using a walker for now.
I appreciate all the wonderful messages and responses to my notice of being home and I apologize for not answering individually. Between workmen coming to see about replacing tub with a walk-in shower, the installation of a captioned phone, and numerous visits by professionals, time gets filled. Big job now is accomplishing what needs to be done between naps and according to energy level.
Next job is reducing the mountain of paperwork cluttering my desk.
God has been with me every step of the way and continues to bless. Thanks to my niece Julie and two close friends who spent hours researching programs and helpers (professional and caring friends and neighbors) I am well looked after. Working on developing patience. GRIN.
Writing? This is the most I have done. I have a revised book in the computer that was edited by a friend last November. Not yet ready to finish it.
I’ve never before had two titles come out within days of each other. Very different stories, and totally different hero and heroine from Candleshine’s High Calling.
Elizabeth’s Bold Escape: Cherished Romance #13
“East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet.” (Rudyard Kipling, 1889)
Spoiled, headstrong Elizabeth Courtland, who delights in shocking early 1900s society in Grand Rapids, Michigan, thinks otherwise. Will following a dedicated minister to a tiny Washington State frontier town bring “Madcap Betty” happiness or heartbreak?
Daniel Spencer is deeply committed to serving Pioneer. Can Elizabeth’s untimely arrival hamper the work to which he has been called?
My fictional hero Daniel is much like my great-grandfather Pastor A. B. Towne, who went to Darrington, Washington (basis for Pioneer) shortly after the turn of the century. Elizabeth is nothing like my petite, devout great-grandmother!
Chapter 1 Opening
“Miss Betty, your mama says for you to come down right now!” The freckled face of the serving maid in a neat gray uniform looked worried. “The carriages are coming, and Mr. Prescott’s glarin’ at his watch and watchin’ the stairs. All the people are—” she broke off sharply. “Miss Betty, whatever is the matter?”’
Elizabeth Courtland whirled, white skirts billowing around her. “Abbie, have you ever been in love?”
The maid’s eyes reflected her shock. “In love! Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Of course not, Miss Betty. Who’d look at the likes of me?”
Elizabeth cocked her head to one side. “Oh, I don’t know. You are well put together and have shiny hair and blue eyes. A man could do worse.”
Abbie just stared, then roused herself. “You’d better come. All those folks waitin’ for your engagement to be announced. Your papa’s goin’ to be up here after you if you don’t get downstairs.”
“Let them wait.” The imperious head crowned with sweeping dark hair was in sharp contrast to the creamy white shoulders and snowy lace dress. “It’s my engagement party, isn’t it? I’ll go down if and when I feel like it. I may not go at all.”
“Miss Betty!”
“What’s wrong, Abbie? Shocked because I’m in no hurry? Why should I be? I’ve been practically engaged ever since I was born.” She waved a haughty hand toward the newspaper clipping on the dressing table, mocking its contents.
HOUSES OF COURTLAND AND WETHERELL TO BE JOINED
In the most lavish ball of its kind ever to be held in the fair city of Grand Rapids, Miss Elizabeth Courtland’s engagement will be announced to Mr. Prescott Wetherell.
Betty dropped to the bed, appraising the Wetherell’s best guest room. “Hah! What choice did I ever have in the matter?”
Concern for her mistress replaced Abbie’s anxiety over getting her downstairs. “But Mr. Prescott just about worships you, Miss Betty! He’ll give you everything you want and let you do just as you please. He’s even letting me go with you to your new home just because I’ve always been your maid. Aren’t you happy?”
At the risk of crushing her gown, Elizabeth sprang from the bed defiantly. “Why should I be? Prescott is—Prescott. As for having my own way, haven’t I always?” She did not wait for a reply. “Too bad I didn’t have a passel of brothers and sisters to look after. I’ve never had anything but my own way.”
“You’ll have children of your own to look after.”
“Children? You must be out of your mind. Having children ruins your figure and makes you unfit for dancing.”
“Yes, ma’am. But children have a way of comin’ when you ‘re married.”
“Then I just won’t get married!”
“Miss Betty!”
“I mean it, Abbie. I won’t be tied down with children, even if nurses do look after them. It’s bad enough marrying Prescott, who’s dull as dishwater, but at least we can travel. He says he’ll take me anywhere I want to go.”
Abbie’s freckles stood out at her own daring as she asked, “Miss Betty, don’t you love Mr. Prescott?”
“Love Prescott Wetherell?” There was honest surprise in Elizabeth’s voice. “Why should I? We’ve grown up together, and I’m fond of him. He’s the most suitable match. Why should he want more than that?” She turned back to Abbie. “What do you know about it, anyway? You said you’d never been in love.”
Abbie’s face was sober. “Before my mother died she taught me never to marry a man I didn’t love with all my heart. She said it was a sin to marry without love.”
“Sin!” Betty broke into peals of laughter. “The only sin in this world is not doing as you please.”
Candace “Candleshine” Thatcher dedicates her life to nursing and loses her heart to Lieutenant Jeffrey Fairfax during World War 2. The wounded Marine washes up on an island in the South Pacific where Candleshine and survivors from their sunken ship are stranded.
Promises made under threat of invasion must be postponed. Nursing in the jungle requires service beyond the call of duty by Candleshine and her two fellow nurses.
Separation from Jeffrey follows evacuation under fire. Can a love born in the midst of war survive? Will Jeffrey ever return to his beloved Montana cattle ranch with Candleshine as his wife?
Colleen L. Reece’s 180 “Books that You Can Trust to Inspire and Entertain,” have sold 6,000,000 copies.
A quintet of related novels, each complete in itself, set in a Seattle Washington hospital conceived in prayer and dedicated to serving as Jesus served.
Five dedicated nurse friends solve mysteries and find love at Shepherd of Love Hospital. Available as a print collection, and as Kindle and print singles. Each title is complete in itself but flows into the next. Like reading one long, exciting story.
#1. Lamp in Darkness. Jonica flees from heartbreak.
#2. Flickering Flames. Nancy is the victim of prejudice.
#3. A Kindled Spark. Lindsey faces forces intent on destroying her beloved hospital.
#4. Glowing Embers. Shina is torn between love and the need to honor her father and mother.
#5. Hearth of Fire. Patti takes desperate measures to escape a stalker.
The quote, “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” from The Wizard of Oz created shivers and excitement in anticipation for what lay ahead.
“Heroes, Heroines, and Villains, Oh My!” does the same for characters in novels.
I love telling stories and finding settings, but the best part of writing fiction or novels based on truth is creating characters. Decades ago, I cut appropriate pictres out of magazines and posted them by my typewriter. Now my editor/publisher graciously allows me to “find” my characters and backgrounds online and submit sample covers.
It takes hours to discover what I see in my mind and transfer to my computer, but it’s worth it.
Here are some of my favorite Heroes, Heroines, and Villains (Oh My!)
Candace Thatcher and Jeffrey Fairfax from the soon-to-be-released Candleshine’s High Calling. A courageous nurse and a brave Marine lieutenant serve God and their wounded companions while trapped on an island in the South Pacific during World War II. I admire them immensely.
Nurse friends dedicated to serving others at a special Seattle hospital: Jonica in Lamps of Courage.Nancy in Flickering Flames.Lindsey in A Kindled spark. Shina in Glowing Embers.Patti in Hearth of Fire. They stand for the best.
ViIlains from the same series.
Troublemaker Lacy Jones-Duncan, determined to capture the doctor she once scorned. Curtis Barton, the despair of his doctor brother’s life. Dr.Keppler, plotting to ruin the hospital. Racist Schwartz, creating terror for those he hates. Pilot Chales Bradley, stalks Patti.
Lexington Elaine LeClair, too tall, too shy, too over-looked. There is a lot of me in her. I started school when I was five and skipped 5th grade. Not all of my new classmates welcomed me.
Benjamin, the young shepherd stays behind to care for the sheep, then finds the manger at Bethlehem empty when he finally arrives seeking the Christ-child.
Villains
Darius, the miser, old enough to be Michal’s grandfather, but determined to marry her. Jethro, from whose house Sabra, a servant, flees.
Anne Carroll accepts singleness as God’s plan, until golden-haired Paul Hamilton, wearing the face of an angel, comes into her life. Is he a knight in shining armor, or the worst kind of hypocrite?
Can Anne, who has been raised to “tell the truth and shame the devi;” do so when what she knows can mean ruin to her beloved pastor father? I applaud her steadfast determination to fight evil.
Juli Scott Mysteries
Juli Scott, the heroine in this series, is a lot like me. We are both strong Christians and depend on God to get us through tough times. Juli visits the Skagit Inn which overlooks the Skagit River in western Washington where I dreamed of building a colonial mansion should I ever be rich! We both determined we’d become authors. Juli and her Lunch Bunch love solving mysteries. I’m glad I could join them!
Boxed set of 7; author’s response to Nancy Drew. Also available as single Kindle and print titles.
Mysterious Monday: Why didn’t Juli’s Dad come home?
Trouble on Tuesday: Juli’s best friend vanishes.
Wednesday Witness: What did the Lunch Bunch see?
Thursday Trials: Who is persecuting Juli and her friends?
Friday Flight: An old enemy reappears.
Saturday Scare: Danger on Mount Rainier.
Sunday Suspicion: Who is threatening Principal Smiles.
Today I am 87 years young, the perfect day to look backwards and forward.
Birthdays in our family were always special. Meals ended with dessert of the birthday person’s choice. White cake with fudge frosting for me, banana whipped cream cake for my younger brother, and butterscotch pie for Dad–who “wasn’t much of a hand for cake.” I can’t remember Mom or my older brother’s favorite.
Certain birthdays stand out. A group of friends from a church 50 miles away surprised me with a potluck picnic at Clear Creek, a local campground, for my 17th birthday.
When I turned 40, a co-worker at Bonneville Power Administration (she was half my age) marveled, “I never knew anyone who was excited about getting to be 40!”
At 70, my brother asked, “What is different from when you turned 60?” I thought for a moment, then said, “Well, it takes me 15 minutes longer to mow my lawn.”
Before Mom passed on at almost 96, she asked my brother and family to always remember my birthday. They have, with whomever is available. Meals at home, or in nice restaurants, family get-togethers, a day at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, a stage play of “Brigadoon.” One year, I reversed the trend and took everyone to the Old Spaghetti Factory.
This year was no exception to my family’s faithfulness. Day before yesterday, my sister-in-law and oldest niece took me to lunch at a favorite place. To my delight, my niece pulled up three of her four out-of-state daughters on her phone. How exciting to see their smiling faces, hear their “Happy Birthdays,” visit with them, and hear them say, “I love you.”
I am now the last of my immediate family. If Randy were still here to ask, “So, what is different at 87 than at 70 or 75?”
My answer? “Well, I can no longer do everything I once could, but I am so grateful for the many things I can do. And that I am not afraid to recognize, accept, and admit my limitations.”
The best thing is, God always supplies help when I need it. Examples.
For the past several years, a wonderful neighbor mows my lawn–a young man now in college who I have known since he was a child.
Across-the-street neighbors keep close watch and are here when I need them. Including telephone calls if my garage door is still open after dark.
NML. (No more ladders.) The last time I climbed up to change a light bulb in the garage, I looked down at the cement floor and asked myself, “What are you doing up here? This is not smart.” The next time a bulb needed changing, I snagged my long-term mail carrier when he was taking a walk while off duty. He was happy to help, then and at other times.
My yard needed major work this year. I invested in a big clean-up. My next-door neighbor’s daughter, who I had watched grow up, her husband, and two hardworking kids spent hours pruning shrubs, edging, hauling and spreading a gazillion bags of decorative bark, and taking away the debris. The father will come back when it rains (hopefully soon,) clean the roof and gutters, and sprinkle with moss prevention, things I did for many more years than would be expected!
Looking back
I have lived in the same home in a quiet cul-de-sac for more than 40 years, surrounded by those who love and care for me. I love the song “Count Your Blessings,” written in 1897 by Johnson Oatman, Jr.
When upon life billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings every doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by.
Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done.
Ten years ago, after being diagnosed with cancer and beginning chemotherapy prior to surgery, my doctors asked what I considered was bringing me through with flying colors. I replied, “Four F’s–faith, family, friends, and St. Francis [the hospital].”
The first three still apply. Unexpected blessings, big and small, brighten my life. Yesterday I received a card from a former neighbor who has kept in touch and comes to visit me through all the years since they moved. The cover shows roses, like the ones we both grow. Her message brought a rush of memories and gratitude.
“It’s been 44 years since we first met you and your mom. How fortunate we were that God drew us to that house across the street. You have been a light of God in our lives and so many others. Your humility and joy in the Lord inspires others. We love you.”
The card will go in my cherished keepsakes box.
Looking ahead
I have no idea what the future holds. This I know. God will continue to guide, surprise, and care for me as He always has. Every morning I thank Him for another day to love and serve Him by serving others. I praise Him every evening for keeping me safe. Rich in faith, family, and friends, I am of all people, most blessed.
Years ago, I witnessed an incident that brought tears. A teen girl who thought she was better than everyone else held a slumber party. She invited every girl in her class except one shy, often ignored classmate. The cruel act destroyed what little self-esteem the outcast girl had. It took years for her to see and accept herself as a person of worth.
Looking for Lexi
Decades later, I needed a heroine for #11 of my Cherished Romances series. Remembering that mean girl’s action, I asked myself, “How would I have handled it if I had been the one left out?”
Would I have retreated inside myself and licked my wounds?
Pretended I didn’t care?
Decided to fight back? If so, how?
Ideas began to sprout. Suppose I became important, a person my former classmates finally had to respect? Excitement and compassion filled me. Lexington Elaine LeClair would fulfill my long-held wish to bring good from evil.
It wouldn’t be easy. Haunted by the past, Lexi faces a long, rocky road to self-acceptance and the possibility of finding love. Yet I would walk with her every step of the way.
Summary.
Lexi LeClair stands at a crossroads. Dare she follow the advice of her favorite author Emilie Loring in There is Always Love, 1940?
“There is only one common-sense move when you don’t like your life. Do something about it. Get out. Go somewhere. Follow a rainbow. Who knows? You may find the legendary pot of gold at the end of it.”
Or will she remain lonely and imprisoned behind the wall she has built in an effort to protect herself from more rejection and pain?
Summoning up the courage of her ancestors who founded her hometown in British Columbia, Lexi leaves LeClair to attend college in Bellingham, Washington in hopes of becoming a different person. Yet she is still the shy outsider, in spite of popular Sally Marshall, who tries to instill confidence in the heart-sick girl.
A sermon by campus chaplain Scott Downing that every life counts, jolts Lexi. He singles her out, but how can she compete with an unscrupulous new student who is obsessed with Scott and determined to win him?
A diabolical scheme tarnishes Scott’s reputation. Lexi turns to God, praying for release from the prison of her own making. He hears and answers. Yet the troubled girl wonders: does Scott still care?
Colleen asked me to share the interview I had with her and posted over on Andi’s Blog.
Colleen is one of the judges to help choose the top 3 stories in the Summer Writing contest. Let’s learn more about Miss Colleen L. Reece!
1. Tell my readers a little about yourself; where you grew up and what it was like.
I was born in the little logging town of Darrington in western WA on October 1, 1935. I learned to read beneath the rays of a kerosene lamp in a home without electricity or running water. Our home had once been a one-room school where Mom taught all eight grades. The cloak room became my bedroom.
2. How old were you when you first discovered you loved to write, and what did you write?
As soon as I learned to read and write, about age 4—all kinds of stories that had been running around in my head.
3. What was your first published work?
My first writing “sale” followed a June 3, 1947letter to a radio contest. I was eleven years old, and my parents could not afford very much in those days. I wrote this letter and won a bicycle!
Dear Free for All,
I’ve heard of the “Gang” as you call them and if they can’t guess this, something is wrong. Because, it’s easy as pie.Most of the children around here have bicycles, but I don’t have. Daddy goes up every day to fall timber (as we live in the heart of the timber country) and by the time he gets home, the store is closed. But if I had a bicycle, I could go to town and bring thing [sic] home in the day-time. Although there are lots of trees around here, money doesn’t grow on trees and neither do bicycles.
I’ve written before and so, Free for All, if you don’t send me a bicycle pronto, I’m going to spend more money in postage writing to you than the bicycle costs.
If I won it, I would be the happiest girl in the Universe. There is one chance in a million and I’m taking it.I wrote in on a quiz once and I won some money so I’m signing myself
The Lucky Girl, Colleen Reece
4. What were some boulders on your rocky road to becoming an author?
Boulder #1 – When I was 17, I wrote The Staircase Mystery by kerosene lamp light, a full-length novel designed to out-Nancy Nancy Drew, and out-Hardy the Hardy Boys. I typed it on cheap paper, underlined the title in red (gasp) and submitted again and again. Two-and-a-half years later, I received a contract. The company loved and praised the book—and wanted me to send them $1,800 to publish it! I did not do it and thank God my yellowed-page, unsold manuscript still lies in my closet and shouts, “amateur” at me. Years and years later, Mrs. Marlow and I spent time together at a writers renewal. She brought an early work, and I brought The Staircase Mystery. We laughed so hard it is a wonder why didn’t fall off the beds.
Some good did come from those books. Our first works did have interesting characters, settings, and plots. We knew we could finish a complete book. I also learned what a vanity press was: Publishers who ask for money for books like mine that should NOT be published.
Boulder #2 – Decades after that early Staircase incident, I wanted to write an inspirational romance. Unwilling to spend a whole year writing a manuscript and then finding out I probably couldn’t sell it, I wrote one chapter and submitted it. World. Class. Dumb. Three days later (and this was before email!), I got a letter saying that the editor really liked my chapter and (gasp!) wanted to see the whole manuscript! I figured I’d just blown my chance for a contract because I did not have the entire book written. The happily-ever-after is that I finished that book fast, and she bought it. The Heritage of Nurse O’Hara, my first novel, came out in January 1977. I sold Avalon Books ten more titles. Moral to this story? Before contacting a publisher, at least have a good first draft completed.
5. How many published books do you have in print?
More than 175, with 6 million copies sold.
6. Which is your favorite kid series that you wrote, and why is it your favorite?
The Juli Scott Mysteries: Mysterious Monday Trouble on Tuesday, Wednesday Witness, Thursday Trials, Friday Flight, Saturday Scare, and Sunday Suspicion.
There is a lot of me in this series. Julie and I are strong Christians. We both wanted to be an author. Juli dreams of building a colonial mansion overlooking the Skagit River, which I wanted to do if I ever got rich and famous. Neither of us ever did, but in the books, Juli’s friend Shannon’s grandfather built the Skagit Inn in the exact spot (an important part of the series).
7. Many aspiring young authors wonder if they can make a career out of writing what they love. Very few authors can make that work. You are a success story. How did that happen?
I was working and winning honors (Secretary/Administrative Assistant of the Year) at a good-paying government job in the summer of 1977. I’d had a couple of inspirational novels published and had just finished Belated Follower, my one and only Biblical novel, a book I felt compelled to write. While driving to work one morning, I prayed, “Lord, what am I doing spending most of my time and energy on the job? I could be making the world a better place with my writing.”
I listed all the reasons that was not practical, then found myself writing down, “I feel like Peter, James, and John must have felt when Jesus called them to leave all and follow Him. I gave notice that same day. The summons to serve Jesus was so powerful it outweighed all the obstacles, then and ever since.
8. What do you always keep in mind when you are writing?
To write only those things I feel God leads me to write, and to honor Him by making sure everything I do is acceptable to Him.
9. What are your recent titles, and what are you working on right now?
I recently did a revision of my finest book ever, Belated Follower, the book that led me to walk off my job into full-time freelance writing. An interesting note: Written in 1977, it was not published until 1995. However, when it came out, it brought in more praise than all my other titles combined. God’s timing is perfect. He knew I needed those extra years of growing as an author to do this special story justice.
Lexi’s Last Chance will be published soon. A shy Canadian girl, the only one not invited to her high school graduation party, moves to the United States . . . and vows to become someone who will gain respect from those who persecuted her. Among my favorite titles.
10. Most of us know you as a successful novelist, but during your career as a writer, you have written much more than novels. What other ways have you been published?
Over 1,300 short stories and articles in magazines, mostly Christian, as well as many inspirational gift books, especially Walking with the Master (God’s provision and protection all the days of my life). From Lamplight to Limelight, Journey of Joy, written at students’ requests, shows how God multiplied the “someday” book I wanted to write as a child and led me to become a best-selling author.
11. Have any of your books been translated into other languages? If so, which ones?
Several of my older books have. A Gold Star for Eric, the true story of a little boy who lived with my parents and me from age 8 to 18, started out as a short stories serial in church weekly take-home handouts. In 1989, the stories became a book, which later was translated into Spanish and Portuguese. The Portuguese edition has sold over 28,000 copies and continues to touch lives for Christ throughout Brazil.
12. You are advanced in years, Colleen, yet still writing strong! What is an important piece of advice you can give to young writers who would like to emulate your success?
Yes, I’m 86 on the outside but always young on the inside! Advice? Learn all you can about the craft of writing. I never had the opportunity to take writing classes and workshops, although starting in 1979 I began teaching them (from having developed expertise in the field). I was fortunate in having editors who saw potential in me and went out of their way to mentor me. Unfortunately, editors today can’t or won’t take time to mentor beginning authors.
Find yourself someone with whom to share. For over 25 years, Mrs. Marlow and I have brainstormed, and monitored each other’s work. Most importantly: Write what you feel God wants you to write and never compromise your ideals in order to get published.
The best test of any manuscript is whether you would be proud to show it to Jesus.
Thank you so much, Miss Colleen Reece, for taking your time to share with us. I loved your interview and I hope other readers enjoyed it too!
![Romance Quartet: Four full-length western romances by [Colleen L. Reece]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SIihTPdpL.jpg)
Daniel Spencer is deeply committed to serving Pioneer. Can Elizabeth’s untimely arrival hamper the work to which he has been called?
e Thatcher and Jeffrey Fairfax
COLLEEN L. REECE 