As we near the end of 2019, I am reminded that it wasn't too long ago when we were worried about the dreaded Y2K. Remember that? The world's computer systems were going to crash because some programmers at Microsoft apparently went to sleep at the wheel and didn't think their product (the most widely used computer operating system on the planet at the time) wasn't going to sell or be used in the new millennium.
Now, here we are, holding tiny computers in our hands called smartphones, which have more computing power than both of the Voyager satellites.
Chew on that one for a few.
As time moves on, things definitely change, and that brings us to our next guest on the Florida front porch, Lynnette Bonner! Lynnette and I go way back. We both have the distinction of having our debut novels published by the same, now defunct, publisher. Good times. However, one thing I have learned through it all is this: If that publisher had one thing going for it, they could find good talent from the pool of new authors. :-)
Welcome, Lynnette! As it is the ABTS tradition, we start of by asking the guest to give us a quick bio.
In fifty words or less, who is Lynnette Bonner?
I was born and raised in the country of Malawi,
Africa, just south of the equator. I spent my early years running through crisp
savannah grasses with my native friends, and then at the age of eight went off to a
boarding school three thousand miles from home. When I graduated from that school, I
traded the serenade of cicadas and sunshine for that of traffic and rain in the
Seattle area where I still live. (Today was sunny! Whoop! Whoop!)
Have you ever been sleepless in Seattle? :-)
Before you ever got a notion of
becoming a writer/author, how old were you, and what were you doing in that
time of your life?
Growing up overseas as I did, we didn’t have TV—or even electricity in some of the
places we lived. So I spent a lot of time reading. I credit this foundation to
the love of story that eventually led me to write my own books.
Are you married? Single? Have kids?
I met my husband in Bible college. He is a pastor. We have four children, all
but one of whom have flown our crazy coop.
I’m going to give you a shotgun
list of favorites. List your favorite in each category and then tell us in one
sentence why it is your favorite.
Favorite
Song of All-Time: Right now it’s probably "Chain Breaker" by Zach
Williams
Favorite
Non-Fiction Book (other than your own & besides the Bible): Dare I
confess that I rarely read non-fiction? Um… the Power of a Praying ___ series
was good. I read Wife a few years back.
Favorite
Bible Verse:
I could list several, but I’m not sure I’d quantify them as “favorite." I feel
all the Bible is equally important. I do love the book of James. (Maybe because
after trying to follow some of Paul’s sentences, the book of James is so easy
to understand. ;)
Favorite
Movie:
The Last of the Mohicans – Daniel Day Lewis version.
Favorite
Actor or Actress: Maybe I’m just not a person who easily chooses
favorites. I admire a lot of actors and actresses for different reasons. Too
many to list here.
Favorite
TV Show:
Any police procedural with a little romance.
Favorite
Novel (other than your own): Silk by Linda Chaikin
Favorite Author
(other than you): Again, too many to list. No one really stands above
the rest.
Favorite
Sport:
Do people really have favorites of all these things? ;) I like all kinds. I’ll
say, any sport my kid is playing in. But I love football, basketball, soccer.
Just not baseball. I’d almost rather watch paint dry than watch baseball.
Favorite
Team (Can be any sport, any level): Seattle Seahawks. Seattle
Sounders. Golden State Warriors
Favorite
Subject in School Growing Up: PE :)
Favorite
Subject Now:
Art
Favorite
Teacher in School: I loved many of my teachers. Mr. Bannister, my
Junior English teacher was awesome.
Favorite
Time of the Year: Summer
Favorite
Place to Vacation: What’s a vacation? ;) Um… San Juan Islands, WA.
Favorite
Drink:
Vanilla Coke
Favorite
Food:
Steak and tortellini with Alfredo sauce all over it. Lima beans on the side.
Of all the
stories/books you have written, which one is your favorite? And what compelled
you to write this story?
This one is pretty easy for me to answer, actually.
While I love all my characters, I think RyAnne from my Sonnets of the Spice
Isle series, holds a special place in my heart. That story takes place in
Africa, where I grew up. The historical research into that era was
heartbreaking. And I was blessed to be able to shine light on such a tragic
time in the world’s history. Readers can learn more about that series here: https://www.lynnettebonner.com/books/historical-fiction/sonnets-of-the-spice-isle/
Do you ever receive
negative reviews from readers? If so, how do you respond when you see them?
Most of my negative reviews have to do with that
fact that there’s “too much Christianity / religion in this book.” And I’m okay
with that. :)
Tell us about your
writing day. How do you go about writing?
In addition to being a writer, I’m a graphic
designer. I mostly do book covers for others. You can find my site here: www.indiecoverdesign.com.
So many days I’m working on a project for a client. But that works well for me
because I’m more of an evening writer. At the very least, a late afternoon
writer. So I do graphics in the morning and writing in the afternoon and
evenings, around my daughters sports schedule. Both my husband and I try to
make it to every game she’s in.
If you had one person you could
meet (think outside the Bible here) and could spend as much time as you wanted
with that individual, who would it be?
I think I would pick author Francine Rivers. I think she could teach me a lot
about how to be a better storyteller.
If you had one person you could
meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you
wanted with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus?
Difficult question… I think I’d love to get to know Mary the mother of Jesus.
She was willing to be used by God in an amazing way that changed the course of
the world, but made her seem like a crazy liar to those around her. What a
sacrifice. She had to watch her firstborn son die a horrific death. At one
point she became a widow. She had a hard life. Yet, I’m sure she would say it
was worth it. I’m sure she could teach me a lot.
When you are looking for a book to
read, what are the things that are important to you?
A great cover. Interesting story with a good dose of realism but humor is
always welcome. I’m a big fiction reader.
Is
there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything
we didn’t cover?
If
readers would like to try out my writing, they can sign up for my newsletter
and get a free contemporary romance novella. It is about a short-term mission
trip to Malawi, Africa, the country I was born and raised in. www.lynnettebonner.com/newsletter.
Awesome, Lynnette. Are there any other places readers can go to get to know you better and check out your writing?
Lynnette, it's been a pleasure having you on our blog as a guest author! May God bless your writing ministry and book design business.
Dear reader, thanks for stopping by! From our home to yours, may God richly bless you and yours this Christmas season.
Until next time,
Kevin
