Jacki, describe yourself for our visitors.
I am a wife, a mother of four, and a grandmother of nine. I have a little dog that loves me not matter what I do or say—he doesn’t even care what I look like. I have a God who loves me exactly the same way. Amazing. I love to get up in the morning and have my first cup of coffee looking at the oak tree out my office window. That’s where I usually meet my muse—sometimes he shows up…often he doesn’t. I like to mess around with oil paint and watercolor too, but that’s not where my gifts lie. I’ve seen my grandchildren do finger paintings that are better when they were two years old. I love music…classical to rock, blues to gospel, country hymns and bluegrass. I don’t like hard rock or rap. I read everything I can get my hands on. I devour a book; I simply can’t put it down until I’m finished. I’m passionate about writing, that’s where God put my heart. With every book I write, it is my ambition to grow and be faithful to my readers. I aspire to give them an entertaining story that will dazzle and provide honest and thoughtful information to keep them coming back for more. Above all, I am a Christian writer, and my faith guides my pen.
My husband and I teach third grade Sunday school at our Baptist Church, one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. I believe they teach us more than we teach them.
How do you find time to connect with God?
This is an easy question.
I need some quiet time with God,
To help me through the day;
A little time to read His Word,
A little time to pray.
From this, I gain the strength I need
To carry me along;
It lifts me up on wings of joy
And gives my heart a song.
I wish I’d written that, Sandra Town Lytle wrote it. It’s called Quiet Time. That’s the answer to your question.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
I suppose you could lay my rejection letters end-to-end and they would stretch across the state of Texas. Those are the queries to agents. You know those “Top 20 Worst Agents” listed on Predators and Editors? I believe I got an acceptance letter from every one of them. Thank the Lord, I found out about them before they found out about me. By this time I figured (and correctly) there must be something wrong with my manuscript. I sent it off to be critiqued and edited. Meantime I’m working on other things, all the time gaining a little humility, along with some writing skill, understanding my work wasn’t nearly as good as I though it was. After many rewrites, Blood Secrets was published. My next novel is also going to be published in May of this year. Perseverance and the Grace of God are wonderful.
Tell us about your current book.
A story woven in the past and the present, Blood Secrets is set in the beautiful ski country of Colorado. When Sara Connelly inherits the beautiful Escondido Ranch adjacent to a world-class ski resort, she and her fiancé, Paul Sabine find a naked body hanging in the barn. As Sara completes the restoration of the old house on the ranch, Paul accepts Christ and tries to support Sara while he struggles to change his life to follow the Christian path he has chosen. In the meantime, Sara is hearing voices in the house, seeing the vision of a young girl, learning of old and terrifying occupants she believes are her kindred spirits, and dealing with the reappearance of her psychotic twin sister Amy. She has no time for Paul’s new religiosity.
The phrase, Born Again takes on a completely new meaning when, at forty years old, Sara unexpectedly discovers her Blood Secrets hidden on her ranch—she and her twin sister Amy are not who they thought they were!
How did you come up with ideas for your current release?
My husband and I lived in Vail, Colorado where I was a resident manager in a resort hotel when I wrote Blood Secrets. I believe God did some of his best work in the Rocky Mountains. This book isn’t at all what I planned, however many of the same elements exist in my book that we experienced in the mountains.
List your most recent books.
My second novel, The Java Pump will be published in May of this year. With help of family members, Lucy Haggerty converts a long-abandoned gas station into a coffee house. The Java Pump draws a vivid cast of characters, each with a story to tell, all anxious to solve a 70-year-old murder–much to the delight of the two resident spirits, gunned down on their honeymoon in 1928. As the story unravels, more than a mystery is solved. Souls are saved.
I have a Civil War drama almost finished, A Letter Home. William Copeland settles in the little town of Rockdale, Texas, and in the late spring of 1861, all of his friends join the Confederate army. William knows that he could claim British protection, but feels morally compelled to follow his mates into war, not because of deep political conviction; he merely takes sides because he’s living in Texas. Besides, his adventurous spirit calls. William finds that war quickly turns a boy into a man, and solidly defines his character.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a time travel and another story about the Rocky Mountains—maybe a prequel to Blood Secrets.
Where can visitors find you online?
My website is www.jackimcguyer.com
My book is also available at www.wings-press.com
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