Looking Out the Window: LoRee Peery Talks About Her New Book, Where Hearts Meet, Writing and Praying Bible Passages

A Warm Welcome to LoRee Peery

LoRee will give away a PDF copy of Where Hearts Meet. To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below.

Hi LoRee, let's talk about your writing. What led you to it?
I’m convinced writing is what the Lord wants me to do at this time in my life. I don’t know what else I’d spend my time on. I believe that without faith I cannot please God. Without faith my words can’t bring Him glory. So I need to trust Him from the get-go for words that ultimately honor Him. Writers have viewed the action of writing as a compulsion, a drive, a conviction, even as a need. It’s all in how a person views what we do. I once heard an author say, “I cannot not write.” That sums up why I write.

Where do you get ideas for your books? Ideas are everywhere. I carry note paper in my purse and have it throughout the house for the times Bible verses, concepts, characters, dialogue, settings, or random ideas strike. I’ve started with character, a place, a situation, lines from movies, pictures, news articles, or what I keep in my three-ring idea notebook. Brainstorming a new project can take three days or two weeks.

In three words describe your style of writing. Prayer bathed chaos

What themes do you write about? Redeeming grace. As a Christian, and a Christian writer, I believe my purpose in is to keep the love of Jesus at the forefront of my writing. I strive for my characters to either learn how much God loves them, or for them to know where the Lord wants them in life. Most of the time, my stories are set in Nebraska, which can be stated as their sense of place. Since I write romance, happily-ever-after according to the Lord’s will, is the goal of my stories.

Does your faith affect your writing? If so, how?
First, I cannot do it without Him, as stated above. Writing is hard. It takes determination and perseverance and there is some kind of struggle most days. When I am weak, I need His strength. Second, thanks to Zoe McCarthy’s perspective, I count on God as my co-Author.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Pray. Write. Read. Write. Learn. Write. Attend conferences, workshops, or take online courses. Write. Write some more. Keep your senses alive and alert. Pray. Write.

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Praying a passage from the Bible

Aging as viewed in Psalm 71

One of my favorite things to do is pray a passage from the Bible. In Thee, O Lord, I have taken refuge. For Thou art my hope. My mouth is filled with Thy praise. Do not cast me off in the time of old age…

I’m a senior citizen so I can identify with this Psalm. In many ways I’m still in the twentieth century. Though the Psalmist, presumably David, often had enemies who threatened his physical body, enemies against the aged of today are often younger people without patience, who do not value the elderly. Young readers may not have understanding because they haven’t lived through certain life experiences. Deena and Simon in Where Hearts Meet are exposed to the ravages of dementia as it affects his mother, Rose.

I’ve witnessed the ravages of dementia in my friend, Emma. Jesus loves Emma and I cannot disbelieve, since Emma served the Lord with her whole heart, phrases from the Psalms like verses from chapter 71, reach her heart and mind despite the disease.

Charles H Spurgeon’s take on the Psalm: The first four verses are faith's cry for help; the next four are a testimony of experience.

From Ps. 71:9-13, the aged saint pleads against his foes, and then rejoices in hope, Ps 71:14-16.

He returns to prayer again in Ps. 71:17-18, repeats the confident hopes which cheered his soul, Ps. 71:19-21; and then he closes with the promise of abounding in thanksgiving.

Throughout, this Psalm may be regarded as the utterance of struggling, but unstaggering, faith. Dear Lord, do not forsake me when my strength fails. O God, Thou has taught me from my youth. I still declare Thy wondrous deeds. Even when I’m old and gray, don’t forsake me. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to Thee.

About Where Hearts Meet

Shattered by the loss of her parents, Deena pours her love into her patients at an assisted living facility. When the son of one her charges starts showing up to spend time with his mother, Deena's wary heart is warmed by his attention to his mother...and to her. Simon is plagued by his ex-wife's disappearance years before. When he meets Deena, who closely resembles the woman, he fears his attraction is based only on Deena's looks. But she exhibits a warmth his ex-wife never had. Dare he risk his once broken heart? As two lonely souls pursue a tentative, budding love, secrets and lies come forward to tear them apart. Can Simon and Deena overcome loss and allow their hearts to mend?

Buy Where Hearts Meet

Amazon
Barnes and Noble Nook Book
Pelican Book Group - White Rose Publishing

Bio
Christian romance author LoRee Peery writes to feel alive, as a way of contributing, and to pass forward the hope of rescue from sin. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. LoRee clings to I John 5:4 and prays her family sees that faith. She has authored the Frivolities Series and other e-books. Her desire for readers, the same as for her characters, is to discover where they fit in this life journey to best work out the Lord’s life plan. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and author. She’s been a reader since before kindergarten. One day she slapped a story in her lap. “I could write better than this.” (Lofty assumption, eh?) Her dear hubby challenged, “Why don’t you?” Thus her writing journey began many moons ago. Connect with LoRee through these links: www.loreepeery.com https://twitter.com/LoreePeery and https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery