Melanie, describe yourself for our visitors.
I’m the mom of two very busy girls and a follower of Christ. I enjoy reading, dancing, hiking, and exploring the world God created whether it’s on the other side of the world or near my home in Oregon. God put a passion in my heart for writing stories when I was in elementary school, and He reignited that passion about a decade ago. I still love to write (actually I love to create…writing is hard work J), and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the stories that God has placed in my heart.
How do you find time to connect with God?
What a privilege it is to be able to connect with our Maker! I find myself praying and reflecting and worshipping Him throughout the day. My favorite part of the day, however, is those cool sunny mornings when I can go on a quiet walk before my family is awake. During those wonderful walks, I’m able to have uninterrupted time alone with God before the craziness begins at the Dobson house.
Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?
I recently discovered The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer, and in this powerful book, Tozer says that people are designed to connect to God—that we need to seek Him, and we need to listen. "The facts are that God is not silent," Tozer writes, "has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak." This is a potent reminder to me that God still very much speaks and works today.
Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?
Kristen Heitzmann, Angela Elwell Hunt, and Linda Hall are some of my favorite novelists. Jan Karon’s Mitford series is like comfort food for me—I’ve lost count as to how many times I’ve read these books.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
I’ve been a bit obsessive (some would say a lot obsessive J) about writing since I was a child as I journaled, wrote poetry, and created “mystery” stories. In high school and college, I wrote articles and essays for the yearbook, school newspaper, and local newspaper, but when I graduated, I pursued public relations as a career and spent almost a decade writing press releases in lieu of creative writing. I had always dreamed about writing fiction but intended to start when I was “older.”
Months before my thirtieth birthday it hit me that I was, in fact, “older,” and if I was going to pursue this dream, I had been better start soon. It took three completed manuscripts and several trips to Christian writer’s conferences for me to figure out how to put my story ideas into a novel. In 2006, eight years after I started writing fiction, Together for Good was published.
Tell us about your current book.
Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana is part of Summerside Press’s new line of novels featuring the stories of small towns across the country. This book is about a Quaker woman named Anna Brent who runs a station on the secretive Underground Railroad in 1850. When her work is threatened, she turns to an outspoken abolitionist named Daniel Stanton for help. The two of them risk everything to harbor runaways and aid them in their flight to liberty.
This book was an absolute joy for me to research and write! I traveled to Liberty and spent several days crawling around in secret rooms and hiding places that once harbored runaways slaves along the Underground Railroad. I explored old cemeteries, walked along an abandoned canal, learned how to cook on an open hearth, read mounds of old articles, and met some amazing people who opened up their homes and family histories to me. While this book is fiction, it is based on true stories about the courage and compassion of Quakers who harbored runaway slaves in their homes and then escorted them up to Canada along the "Liberty Line.”
What influenced you to write this book?
I grew up in a small town in Ohio that was once an active part of the Underground Railroad. My cousin’s home was rumored to have been a stop for runaway slaves, and as we played hide-and-seek in the dark basement and other secret spaces, I wondered what type of people lived there in the mid-1800s and why they would risk so much to help runaways.
As my interest in writing a novel about the mysterious Underground Railroad grew, I was elated to discover a town like Liberty, Indiana where so many Quaker families harbored runaway slaves within their homes. These people risked their property and their lives to aid people whom they considered “friends.” It has been an honor for me to learn about this town’s remarkable heritage.
Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?
That’s a tough question, because as I wrote this book, I was cheering on all my main characters and what they were fighting for. Marie is probably closest to my heart because she is a young runaway slave who is risking everything to get her baby boy to Canada. She is terrified that her son will be caught and returned to their cruel master in Tennessee so she is willing to sacrifice even her life as long as he can be free.
What’s next for you?
I’m working hard to finish my next novel (Crescent Hill) which will be releasing the spring of 2010, and after that, I will be writing three more Love Finds You novels. I’m SO excited to delve into the research on these next books, based on towns in Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
Where can visitors find you online?
My website and blog is at www.melaniedobson.com, and I’d love to have the readers visit me there or on Facebook or Shoutlife.com.
Recent Comments