An Interview with Melinda Evaul, Local Author of Grow Old With MeBy Drexel A. White

This article appeared in the Family News Network magazine and the Prince of Peace Newsletter in its truncated version below.

I have the pleasure of knowing Mrs. Melinda Evaul as a friend as well as fellow writer. So it was like sitting down with a neighbor to just share some porch time over sweet tea. Melinda has begun laboring on the next installment of her Quilt Trail series in which the familiar characters Sarah and Benjamin introduced in her first novel, Grow Old With Me, continue to evolve and their world expands just a bit more. Melinda’s website hints there will be a new character introduced in the next novel. These contemporary Christian romances give readers a unique view of rural life in North Carolina and Tennessee. Not afraid to tackle tough questions, she writes about people who grow spiritually through the difficulties life tosses in their paths.

Currently this award winning writer enjoys the premiere position of Best Selling E-book with Amazon.com. That's enough to encourage anyone to get right back into the saddle to pound out a follow-up. Last year my interview with Melinda appeared in the Family News Network magazine. I've plucked a few nuggets to share with The Prince of Peace Newsletter.

Melinda, in what genre do you write?(M.E.) I write contemporary inspirational romance. My novels are modern day love stories. I like to show the development of a true-to-life relationship where internal conflicts or external problems keep the hero and heroine apart. My characters grow closer to God as their personal relationship develops.

Her latest book, Grow Old With Me the first novel in the Quilt Trail Series is a modern day Beauty and the Beast meet in their fifties when a disfigured carpenter becomes a long-term guest at a bed and breakfast in the western-style tourist town of Love Valley, NC. Benjamin Pruitt plans to repair the town’s buildings before retiring to a solitary life. Sarah Campbell longs for freedom since her long task as caregiver has ended. Can Benjamin and Sarah piece the tattered remnants of their lives into a beautiful design to warm their waning years?

The message in your debut novel is what? What did you want readers to take away from this book?(M.E.) My focus verses for Grow Old With Me came from Heb. 4:15-16. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (KJV) Just think about it! Christ faced every tough question and temptation of life. God lets us boldly ask questions. He can equip us to face every need and never turns us away when we seek answers. God longs for us to be totally dependant on Him. That was the message Benjamin and Sarah needed to learn. I’ve faced some tough situations in my Christian walk too. My works of fiction allow me to share answers with readers who face similar fears and questions.

We get the gist of Grow Old With Me now share with us how it came to be published?

(M.E.) I sought agents and publishers for Grow Old With Me. I wrote this book based on a request from a publisher. I felt sure they would offer me a contract. After six months, they rejected it. I realized I could sell this series as niche books to an audience of quilters and people who value the heritage of rural America. Once I found that target audience, I established roads to reach them. The traditional publishing route didn’t fit my goal, so I chose to publish my own book. I didn’t want to wait several years for my book to release and my story won’t languish in some drawer or hard drive. I believe I wrote a book worth reading. God will place it in the hands of those He wants to reach with its Christian message.

Who’s inspired you the most? (M.E.) My husband believed in me and encouraged me to devote time to writing. He’s a great proofreader and doesn’t hesitate to offer the male perspective for the hero. More than once, he told me Sarah’s words would offend Benjamin’s male ego. I thought she’d said words of encouragement! I listened to the male in my life. My critique partner, Lynn Dean, saw me through many edits and pushed me to write the best book possible. She helped my husband create a beautiful cover design and drew the interior quilt graphics. I wouldn’t be writing blog interviews without these two special people God placed in my life.

Again I appreciate Melinda taking time out of her schedule for this interview. She is always a delight. You can get copies of her novel Grow Old With Me from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. Please visit her website at www.melindaevaul.com where you can sign up for her newsletter, follow her blog, updates on her next book or just view some great scenic photos. Like and follow her on Facebook at Melinda Evaul-Author. Proceeds from note cards, post cards, and photographic prints sold on her website contribute to the preservation of quilting and rural American culture. Melinda also donates money from her book sales to support various charities or quilting related projects.

BIO – Melinda EuvalMelinda is a Pastor's wife. Pastor Phil Evaul shepherds the Sale Creek Presbyterian Church located on Highway 27 across from the Mason's Lodge. That said here are Melinda's other specifics; a North Carolina native transplanted to Tennessee, mother of two, and grandmother of three. She’s a registered nurse, CPR instructor, and a water aerobics instructor. She is an award winning article writer. Avid photographers, Melinda and her husband enjoy traveling America’s back roads where rural culture and history are preserved through a unique art form—quilt barn squares. Each book in the Quilt Trail Series deals with some aspect of quilting and its influence in the Appalachian region.