AN INTERVIEW WITH CARRIE TURANSKY

 

This month I’m chatting with Carrie Turansky, award-winning author, whose Love Inspired novel, A Man to Trust has recently released.

Welcome, Carrie, I’m so glad to have you here on my website!

Thanks, Deborah! I am grateful to have this chance to connect with you and your blog readers.

As a resident of Southern New Jersey, myself, I wondered what brought you over here from the Oregon Coast. Will you share that with us?

Our family has lived here in central New Jersey for twenty-three years. My husband and I met in Oregon where he was attending seminary and I was attending grad school at Multnomah. We married in Portland, then we moved to Hawaii for eight wonderful years where we helped plant a church. In 1988 we moved to New Jersey for my husband to pastor another church. We’ve lived here ever since, except for one year we spent in Kenya.

I saw on your website that you enjoy the unsurpassable produce Jersey is known for. What else about the state do you like?

We do enjoy the wonderful fruits and vegetables grown in NJ. We’ve belonged to an organic farm co-op for a number of years and like picking some of those vegetables, fruits and flowers ourselves. We also enjoy the beauty of the four seasons, the wonderful connection with history in this area, and best of all we love our church and the work God is doing in the lives of the people there.

The family photos you have on your website show you have a beautiful, fairly large family. Do you come from a large family yourself?

Our family brings us a lot of joy. We have five young adult children ages 24 - 30. The oldest three are married, and we have three grandchildren. Seeing our children grow up and become independent and responsible is such a blessing. Seeing them establish loving families and walking with the Lord is a great reward. I come from a smaller family, with just one sibling, my brother who still lives in Oregon. I’m very close to my husband’s family, and have been so blessed by those special relationships.

It’s great that your husband is also an author. Does each of you ever get involved with and help the other with their writing?

My husband Scott is the author of several books on parenting. He has an amazing gift of being both biblical and practical, and he also speaks around the country helping parents. A couple of his most recent titles are Parenting is Heart Work, and Parenting Shifts. Scott and I often brainstorm ideas and discuss our current projects but we write independently. He has read most of my books and is a great source of encouragement to me.

Carrie, please share with us about A Man to Trust.

A Man to Trust is my latest release from Love Inspired. It’s a contemporary inspirational romance set in Fairhaven, Washington. Here is a short summary: After years spent helping run her grandmother’s Christian bookstore, it’s finally time for Adrie Chandler to give her own dream of playing her flute in a symphony a chance. But can she really trust the beloved shop to new manager Ross Peterson? The man is too handsome, too charming…too much a reminder of another dream Adrie had to let go of – marriage. Yet Ross surprises her by knowing a thing or two about making sacrifices, Suddenly, Adrie’s questioning what she really wants. And whether the dreams she once thought unlikely are within reach after all.

I really liked the characters. Are they modeled after anyone you know?

The heroine was inspired by a friend who is a talented musician, but she is a mixture of people and personalities. The hero is also a combination of people and not really modeled after anyone I know. But I’ve had many readers write to me and say they wish he were real.

What do you hope readers will take away from the story?

A Man to Trust explores a few different themes that I hope will be meaningful to readers. The hero and heroine are both at crossroads in their lives and wondering if the dream they had envisioned for their future is ever going to come true. Learning how to connect with God and discover His will and path for our life is part of their journey. What does God want us to do with our gifts and talents? How can we learn to trust again after we have been hurt?  These are some of the questions I hope readers will consider along with my characters. I also hope the story carries them away and gives them an uplifting and inspiring break from everyday life, that it entertains and encourages them.

I know this is the second in a series. Please tell us about the first, and will there be a third? If so, when can we expect it to release?

The first book in the Bayside Treasure Series is Seeking His Love and the third will be Snowflake Sweethearts, which will release in late November 2012.  All three stories are set in Fairhaven, Washington, and they feature a secondary cast of characters called the Bayside Treasures. They’re a group of four senior age women who are dear friends, prayer warriors, and matchmakers for the younger generation.

Here’s a short summary of Seeking His Love:
Since losing his wife and child, widower Cam McKenna has tried to avoid children. But when he must temporarily care for his niece, Cam opens his home. With no ideas how to relate to a fourteen-year-old girl, he seeks the advice of the new Christian Youth Theater director. He’s touched when Rachel Clark gives his niece a scholarship – and teaches him more about teens. . . and love. But why is Rachel so secretive about her past? The truth threatens their fragile relationship yet promises to bring them closer to each other – and the Lord – than either dreamed possible.

Where can readers find you on the Internet?

I love to connect with readers on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter and my website, www.carrieturansky.com.  I also offer an email newsletter every other month. The signup for that is on my website.

Last question, Carrie, just for fun: How many pet bunnies do you have, and what are their names?

We’ve had several bunnies starting in 1996 when we lived in Kenya. Usually we have two at a time. Right now we just have one sweet white and gray bunny named Mercy. She is a “rescued” bunny and very loving and cuddly.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my site, Carrie. I wish you all the best with this, and all your books.

Thanks, Deborah!  I will look forward to sending out a book to someone who comments! Blessings and happy reading to all!
Carrie

If you’d like to win a copy of Carrie’s book, A Man to Trust, use my "Contact" page, and type “drawing” in the comments box. The deadline to enter is April 24th.

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