Nikki, describe yourself for our visitors.
I live in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with my husband of thirty years, Antonio. The unusual way we met was the subject of my first book, The Winds of Sonoma. We have two grown sons. When I’m not writing I love to read and study books by Watchman Nee and Oswald Chambers. I’m also studying the Jewish faith. I do fund-raising for various charities and causes like Special Olympics and Women of the Word. My days start at around 4 a.m. and end around 11 p.m.
How do you find time to connect with God?
Well, this has become much easier since I began writing in 2001. I write every day from about 5 a.m. to noon and I always begin that writing time with praise and prayer. That sets the tone for the day. I truly believe that God is very involved with the creative process of Christian writers. When He calls us to write He also wants to equip us. Prayer allows us to keep the channels open so He can guide our storylines, provide us the resources we need, and keep us on track to writing the book of His heart. My writing journey has been an incredible faith builder for me.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
When my youngest son graduated from high school I decided to do some of the things I’d put on hold when we started our family. So in 2001 I signed up for a writing class on the Internet. That teacher encouraged me to submit. So I did. Much to my surprise my first attempt to get published, a magazine article, resulted in a sale to Writers Digest! After that I tried submitting some poetry. It sold. As it turned out, everything I sent out was accepted for publication. After publishing various pieces I decided to try writing a book. That resulted in a sale in 2003 to Revell for a three book series. Clearly, such early success makes my journey unusual, but I believe it was a case of God’s timing. The full story is on my website www.nikkiarana.com, on the home page under my picture. It is so important for those called to write to persevere and wait on the Lord. He prospers what He ordains and His timing is always perfect.
Tell us about your current book?
The book currently at the publisher’s is As I Have Loved You. It will be released next June. It is the story of a single mom and a devoted mother, Leigh Scott. Her only son, Jeff, a junior in college who was diagnosed with ADD while still in grammar school, is the light of her life, but now Jessica, a young woman with a sordid past, threatens to extinguish that light. With Leigh’s father battling cancer, a looming book deadline, the ongoing tug-of-war over her son, and her first love—a handsome Native American and devout Christian named John Higheagle—reappearing on the scene, Leigh struggles to keep her balance, even as she cries out to God to give her a gift to minister to others. It is only as Jessica’s life takes a tragic turn that Leigh begins to understand the true gift that God has wanted to give her all along.
How did you come up with ideas for your current release?
My current release is The Fragrance of Roses (August 2006, Revell). As I mentioned, all my books deal with social issues. In this book I wanted to raise public awareness about the need for more minorities to donate to bone marrow registries. It is no longer the painful procedure it once was. It seemed like a perfect fit for “Christian†fiction. Who knows better than we that the life is in the blood? Jesus shed His blood for us, shouldn’t we consider giving our blood to save lives? The story is about a ten-year-old boy who is half Mexican. He is stricken with leukemia. The book follows the parents’ search for a blood match. It takes them all the way to Mexico.
List your most recent books.
In the past twelve months my Regalo Grande series was released:
The Winds of Sonoma – Inspired by a true story. My story.
In the Shade of the Jacaranda – The story of an unplanned pregnancy and the message that God has a plan for every life.
The Fragrance of Roses – The story of a young boy fighting childhood cancer with the message that God hears and answers all our prayers. Though sometimes in unexpected ways.
What’s next for you?
The book I’m writing now is called Chosen. Through a series of events to long to go into here, God has given me a heart for the Muslims. All my books deal with social issues and so my next series will be about the need for the American Christian church to reach out to the Muslims, both to evangelize them and to disciple them. Because most Christians know little about Islam, I’m also co-authoring a non-fiction book, written for the lay
Christian, that explains why the Muslims hate us, and how we have given them reason to. Yep, when you understand their culture it becomes obvious. But I’ll also offer information that will allow us to overcome that and reach out to them.
Where can visitors find you online?
My website is www.nikkiarana.com. I’d love to hear from your readers.
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