Interview and giveaway with Robin Jones Gunn

Interview with Robin Jones Gunn

Thanks Robin for agreeing to be on my blog.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I'll tell you a little happiness. How would that be? Our 26 year old son just got engaged! Now to tell you another little happiness, my husband and I are in Hawaii (I'm typing this outside on the lanai while listening the calming curl of the beautiful Pacific. Ahhhhhh!) Last week our kids flew over to meet us and we went tent camping on the back side of Maui for four days. We all had a fantastic time. They just flew home yesterday and now my husband and I are enjoying a week vacation here together. I am one very happy mama. I love God. I love my husband. I love my kids and my soon to be daughter in law. I love Maui. And I love telling stories. That's a little about me.

2. How did you know you wanted to be a writer, have you always had the desire or did it come later?
I've always been a storyteller but I didn't know I could write. In high school I remember writing my best friend a 36 page letter on both sides of the paper while I was away on summer vacation with my family. I was so surprised when all she wrote back was a half a page with very little inside information about what was happening at home. I suppose I was a writer even then but I didn't realize that's what it was. I thought everybody could spill stories on demand.

3. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?
I would be a missionary. That's what I thought I'd become. I knew at a very early age that I wanted to serve God by telling other people about how amazing and loving and wonderful He is. I thought the best way to do that was to become a missionary and travel to foreign lands. In a way, that's exactly what has happened with the stories I write. I am not the one traveling to foreign lands, although I love to travel whenever I can. But my stories are going around the world and they are telling people about how incredible God is and how tender His heart is toward those who turn to Him. I never get tired of telling that story.

4. What was you motivation for writing both Finding Father Christmas and the Sequal Engaging Father Christmas?
To be honest, I wanted to try to capture a little taste of England and tuck it inside a simple story. I've been to England several times and wanted to write about the charm and whimsy still found in the small villages with their tea shoppes and stately manors. I wanted to explore the feelings and thoughts of a young woman who is searching for her place of belonging and finds that love and acceptance are within reach. However, the source of that love and acceptance is different than what she first imagined. She is being pursued by God. That's what I wanted to write. A story of a young woman being pursued by the Father of Christmas.

5. How did you come up with the characters for "Finding Father Christmas and Engaging Father Christmas" and are they modeled on people you know?
No, although Miranda soon began to feel like a real person to me as I wrote about her. I think her mother, Eve, was similar in some ways to the mother of one of my girlfriends.

6. I loved the concept of these books, the arriving in England and everything that happens after that and am really glad there is the second book. What would you like readers to take out of these books?
I would like readers to feel connected to the eternal truths about Christmas. Like Miranda, all of us have been hurt, betrayed and have felt lonely. God, the Father of Christmas, came to us. He longs for us to come to Him. Christmas is a great love story. Miranda thought she was searching for her birth father. What she finds is her Heavenly Father. If readers turn the last page of these two novellas and feel more loved by God and closer to His heart then my prayers as I was writing these stories will have been answered.

7. Did you spend much time in England finding the perfect setting for the books and will we see another story in the series?
I did spend time in England researching these stories. As a matter of fact, my next newsletter will tell a little about where I went and where the inspiration came from for the Whitcombe manor. May I encourage your readers to sign up to receive Robin's Nest E-Newsletter? Just go to http://www.robingunn.com/ to sign up or send an email to Robinsnest@robingunn.com.
At this point I don't have plans for a third in the series, but you never know!

8. Have to put in a Christmas question what would your ideal way to spend Christmas be?
Well, like a second book end to this interview, I guess I would have to say that spending Christmas on Maui with my family would be my ideal way to spend Christmas. We've done that a number of times over the years and it is a beautiful way to celebrate!

9. How can readers find you on the web? Along with my website, please come be my friend on Facebook! I'm on My Space, also, but I don't tend to check that site quite as often as Facebook. I really do hope your readers will sign up to receive the Robin's Nest E-Newsletter because we have lots of drawings for free books as well as updates on booksignings and events.

Thanks, Jenny, for inviting me to pop in and say hello

REVIEW Of Finding Father Christmas:
I enjoyed this Novella. Robin takes us to England where Miranda is looking for her Father. Miranda has a photo taken in England and decides to go to where the photo was taken.
Here is where the story starts and what she finds and experience creates a great story.

Engaging Father Christmas:
This book takes up 12 months after the first book and continues Miranda's story in England.
I dont want to say to much as I dont want to give away any of this story but both books I loved and would recomend. The outcome of this story is refreshing and a fitting end to the story.
4.5 out of 5 for both books.

If you would like a chance to win these wonderful books and live in Canada or the USA please leave a comment saying if you could visit any place in the world for christmas where would you go and why. Please leave a way of contact also.
you have till Wed evening Aussie time.