Gayle was married to Chuck Roper "for more years than seems possible!". Gayle's life was turned upside down when her much-loved husband died. One way she dealt with per pain was to write it. She lives in Southeast Pennsylvania in the middle of Amish country.
The following is a September 2014 interview with Gayle.
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THE INTERVIEW
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An Unexpected Match
by Gayle Roper
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Contest open to entrants worldwide.
Contest runs from
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5 Totally Useless Things about Me:
- I love to have real flowers in the house all year long.
- I'm a night owl. Going to bed before midnight feels wrong.
- I don't like to cook. I live alone and cooking for just me feels silly. Fortunately I love eating out.
- My oldest granddaughter is getting married this month. Does anyone look at the grandmother of the bride?
- I've been in Christian publishing as a writer and a teacher of writing for over 40 years and have loved it.
How did you become a novelist, and did you always want to write?
My becoming a novelist was one of those unexpected God-things. I taught school until we adopted our sons, and I wanted to stay home with them. However I was bored. Little guys are precious, but their conversation is a little lacking. So I started creating conversations. The first thing I sold was a short story to a teen magazine that is now defunct. I made $10US. I was on my way. Then I wrote a mystery novel that was actually published.
For several years it was hard to find markets for Christian fiction, but I kept writing. I wrote a newspaper column that became two books of devotions. I wrote non-fiction, autobiographies for folks who needed help (I don’t do that anymore), children’s first readers and junior novels. Then Christian fiction took off and I concentrated on my first love, writing novels.
What do you think is significant about Christian fiction?
I often tell people that Christian non-fiction tells you how you should live while Christian fiction models life for you. Characters make good choices and bad choices, and the reader sees the consequences of these choices. There’s no lecturing or admonishing. There’s the playing out of godly principles in tough times or the pain of ignoring God’s ways, all modeled by people the reader has come to care for.
What I always hope and pray for is that readers will learn from my characters’ examples and make godly choices and apply godly principles in their own lives. Perhaps they might even come to faith for the first time. Sometimes it’s as simple as a divorced woman writing me that reading Autumn Dreams made her laugh for the first time in a year. Broke my heart for her and made me feel blessed to be able to lighten her load.
What responses to your novels have affected you the most and why?
One of my favorite responses is when a non-Christian reads one of my novels and says with a surprised look on her face, “That was really good.” Score one for the Kingdom.
How has being a novelist impacted your relationship with Christ?
The impact of writing novels on my relationship with Christ has been two-fold. One, the process of writing forces me to pray a lot. “Lord, I’m stuck. I need an idea.” “Lord, help me say this clearly.” “Lord, This part of the book feels flat. Please help me find the right words to enliven it.” “Lord, my baby is going into the world. Please use it for your glory and as you want.”
And the second impact is that I’ve been forced to think deeply about topics my characters are facing. One thing I never want to do is inadvertently write something that is contrary to the Word of God. That doesn’t mean characters all spout godly stances. They don’t. Bad guys have to be bad guys. But the arc of the story comes down on the side of faith and godliness.
When I sign a book, I always put Colossians 3:17 after my name. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” In the broadest sense, that’s my goal in life.
Another verse I’ve clung to is Philippians 4:11. “I’ve learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” This idea of learning contentment has come into play at various times in my life, most recently as I’ve become a widow. I’ve written about this learning process on my blog, Widow’s Journey (www.widowsjourney.com).
Practically speaking, my goal is to get up each day and live that day well, accomplishing something, anything. I want to laugh, be friendly, be kind. I want to be on the Best Sellers list too, but I can’t control that one, so I don’t angst over it (though I definitely talk to the Lord about it).
What do you like to do in your spare time?
As a lover of story, I fill a lot of my spare time with reading. I also love movies. Since I don’t like to cook, I really enjoy eating out even if I go alone. It doesn’t have to be some place fancy so long as I don’t have to make the meal. I take my Kindle with me and read while I eat. Very relaxing. When my favorite little restaurant closed a while ago, I was so disappointed!
I’ve lived for many years in Amish country, a few miles east of Lancaster, Pa. These amazing people have fascinated me as I watch them living totally against the culture. One of the things I’ve always wondered is how someone with a questing mind handles stopping his or her education at 14 years of age. I know there are many highly intelligent and clever Amish people, but what if your mind doesn’t gravitate toward the practical but the theoretical? What if it’s ideas that fascinate you?
I decided to write about a young Amish woman who, if she were English, would be an academic. How does she reconcile her inner yearnings with her culture? With her concept of godliness? That’s the basis for An Unexpected Match. Then to up the conflict for her, she meets a man who is an Army veteran, and his theology of war is totally at odds with hers.
What stories can your fans expect from you in the days ahead?
I am joining the independent publishing world with my next two novels. They are stories that were purchased by a traditional publisher who decided not to publish fiction after all. But I really like the stories and think they need to be available to readers. So Lost and Found and Hide and Seek will be published through Kindle White Glove (their arm for agented writers). The books are loosely tied around the theme of Legacy: every family leaves one, good or bad. Lost and Found is the older sister’s story. Hide and Seek is the older brother’s. Two more about the two younger siblings will follow later.
What would you like to say to your fans in New Zealand, and others worldwide?
I want to visit your country! I also want to say thanks for making Christian fiction such a force in the world of books. I thank you for caring about standards and quality. I thank you for sharing the world of imagination and faith.
Do you have any parting words?
Read on. Live well. Finish well.
(Between Two Worlds #1)
by Gayle Roper
- Harvest House Publishers
- Contemporary
- September 2014
- ISBN: 9780736956185
[Kindle | Amazon | The Book Depository]
Rachel Beiler loves her job as the teacher in her Amish community. She's obedient, humble, and compliant and tries to keep the ordnung to the best of her ability. But Rachel has a secret--something that could get her shunned if she's found out. She loves knowledge and yearns for a college education.
After serving a dozen years in the Army, Rob Lanier has returned from Afghanistan. But now that he's home again, he's constantly reminded of his family's fall from grace. His father--once a highly respected and wealthy community leader--has disgraced the family, and Rob can't find it in his heart to forgive him.
When Rachel and Rob meet, sparks fly. But when a series of frightening events surrounding Rachel's brother Johnny brings Rachel's world crashing down around her, this unlikely match between an Amish teacher and an Englischer ex-soldier seems to be God's perfect answer.
(Legacy Series #1)
by Gayle Roper
- Gayle Roper
- Contemporary
- July 2014
- ISBN: 9781497388314
[Kindle | Amazon | The Book Depository]
Dinah Hyland comes from the perfect family. She has always looked forward to the day she has her own home. Her distress over her lost dream runs deep when she is medically unable to have children. Connor Marshall's family was less than stellar. He plans to remain a bachelor and teach in China only to lose his dream when he becomes guardian to his late sister's four small children.
Both struggle with God as it seems He has taken what matters most to them.
When Connor's new family attends Hobby Horse House, Dinah's day care, tension between the two grows as she observes how inept he is in caring for the kids and he sees how good she is. While they work to find harmony-and more-they must save the children from a kidnapper and find peace with their disappointment in God.
Buy Gayle's Books at The Book Depository
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Be in to win a digital copy of An Unexpected Match by Gayle Roper Two digital copies to be won Contest open to entrants worldwide. Contest runs from 19 September - 3 October NZDT How to Enter: Please comment about the interview, or leave a message for Gayle Roper in the blog comments below, then enter the Rafflecopter draw. Only entries made using the Rafflecopter contest will be eligible for drawing. Winning entries drawn will have their entry options validated before being accepted - if incomplete another entry will be drawn. |