Today I have the opportunity to welcome author Virginia Henderson to my blog. Let’s get to know her with this fun interview 🙂

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LB: What is a main takeaway in your books that you hope to instill in your readers?

VH: This varies from book to book but for the most part, I want readers to feel immersed in a world that is similar to their own, yet the most unexpected (possibly on the border of unrealistic) is thrown in the lap of the main character and the reader asks themselves, what if that could happen? How would I react? For example, 24 Hour Lockdown begs the reader, would you survive 24 hours locked in a public library with complete strangers? The Abundant Blessings Series, a Christian Family Saga that only takes place during Christmas, is meant to encourage and uplift readers. Each book centers around a theme. Book one is about Grace. Two centers around Mercy. And book three, a work-in-progress, is about Peace. 

LB: I bet you have fun picking the themes for each book! Tell us about the first fictional characters you wrote.

VH: This goes way back to my Middle School Days. Possibly even late Elementary. My mom was a huge reader (and still is) of Betty Neels. And I decided that I would write a book just like that, complete with a Plain Jane with unhappy home life, and a handsome doctor that swooped in, married her and they lived happily ever after. What I got was two pages of tears, trauma and, if I remember correctly, everyone died at the end. I vividly remember writing up this main character and seeing her come to life in my mind. She didn’t have much personality except sweetness, shyness, and a broken spirit. She was short-lived and was heavily influenced by Neel’s work, but she was the first character that I ever created.

LB: That does sound like a dramatic story for a child to write, but it sounds like she paved the way for your current works 😉 Tell us about the fictional characters you’re currently working on.

VH: My current character, Nelson Manning, is a hard-hitting freelance journalist living in the ’50s. He’s the definition of smugness, pride, and an overall provoker. He’s not shy when it comes to writing a juicy headline and he’ll use any source, savory or otherwise. He’s the star of a free short story exclusively on my blog. It’s to celebrate a milestone of 50 blog subscribers!

Note: The short story will be finished soon! Stop by the blog to check out the progress.

LB: Nelson sounds like he’ll have some big lessons to learn, and congratulations on over 50 blog subscribers! What role do you think fiction has in the lives of Christians?

VH: I believe fiction plays a huge role in the life of a Christian. In a fictional world, we can watch faith come to life in difficult situations. We can follow a character through their journey and look back on how much they’ve grown and developed and think to ourselves, “What an example to look up to, even though they’re fictional.” With God all things are possible. Fiction opens the door to worlds we can only imagine, and the stories are limitless. Imagination and creativity are gifts, and it would be a shame to never use them.

LB: I agree that fictional characters can be role models 🙂 What is one of the most gratifying experiences you’ve had so far as an author?

VH: There are so many gratifying moments, but the one that sticks out the most is opening author copies of a new book for the first time. Seeing the cover in the flesh. Holding the efforts of years of hard work, long nights, and writing slumps in your hand is just incredible. Truly rewarding and worth the ups and downs of the writing process.

LB: Seeing the finished work sure is exciting! What is a fun fact about you or your books that you’d like to share?

VH: I actually have two fun facts about 24 Hour Lockdown. 

1) The library and its layout are heavily inspired by my own local library. It basically is my library.

2) The lockdown aspect is loosely inspired by a true account I experienced. I was working at my church office one day, and suddenly we got a call from the police that we were in lockdown. I didn’t get all the details, but there was some drama going on at one of the nearby apartments. The exit doors were locked, shades pulled, and we waited for the police to call back. Meanwhile, I’m finding all of this exciting. It didn’t last long at all, maybe ten minutes, and when I got off work, I told my mom all about it, including a story idea about a neighborhood in a lockdown written from everyone’s point-of-view. Then it dawned on me…what about a lockdown in a library? Even better, to fashion the fictional library in the story after my own local library.

LB: Haha! Yes unusual and somewhat scary circumstances often lead authors to write a book. Thank you so much for letting me interview you! Before you head out, where can readers find you?

VH:

My blog: Books by Virginia – Reader. Writer. Dreamer.

My Newsletter

Goodreads

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

YouTube 

Note: Virginia’s book reviews on YouTube are super fun to watch, and she features Christian and clean fiction! Check our her channel, as well as her collection of series, standalones, and short stories.

Virginia’s Biography:

Originally from Ohio, I now reside in Texas with my folks and little sister. I’m a born again Christian and I want to give all the glory to God. He’s gifted me with this passion for writing and I want to give it back to Him.

When it comes to writing, I tend to lean more towards suspense, thrillers, the occasional wholesome Christmas story and “what if” scenarios. Such as what if you were to check out a library book and someone unknowingly left a document in the pages that contained life-altering secrets concerning the government. That sort of thing.

Aside from writing, I’m always reading. I love the classics (Treasure Island and Peter Pan being my top favorites), historical fiction, fantasy, adventures, fairy-tale retellings, suspense, and any and all things Newsie related. That particular time period (turn of the century New York) is one that I find very interesting.

I very much enjoy plays and musicals, embroidery, road trip adventures with the fam, retro arcade games, and board games. I’m also very interested in weaponry (archery, swordsmanship, etc).

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LB: Archery and swordsmanship? Cool! Well, Virginia, I appreciate you making your first appearance on my website!

VH: Thank you so much for having me on your blog! 🙂