Welcome Deena Adams to our blog today. It’s Fiction Friday and today we are going to have a little fun while we learn a little more about Deena.
Can you introduce yourself to us?
Thanks so much for having me! I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart for forty-four years, and we have three married children and seven grandchildren. My husband is the pastor of Sonlight Church in Chesapeake, Virginia, which we planted in 1999, two years before he retired from twenty years in the Navy. I started writing in 2018 and have loved learning the craft and meeting some amazing friends along the way.
When you were a child, did you have a favourite book or books?
My favourites were Nancy Drew Mysteries.
Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and to write?
I enjoy reading many genres, but my favorite is what I write – Christian Women’s Fiction with deep themes and a strong spiritual arc.
Did you have any favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?
I didn’t read Christian fiction until I was in my thirties, so I can’t say any authors I read growing up influenced me.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I’ve had passing thoughts about wanting to be a writer throughout my life but never considered pursuing publication until 2018 when I wrote my first manuscript during National Novel Writing Month. When I attended my first writers’ conference six months later, my contest submission won second place, and an agent asked for a proposal. That’s when I believed maybe I could do this.
How did you go about becoming an author?
Once I decided to write a novel, I immersed myself in the Christian writing world. I scoured the internet for every free lesson, video, and blog I could find to learn how to create a compelling story. Over the past seven years, I’ve attended multiple conferences—in person and online—and entered many contests, winning and placing in a few. At the end of 2019, I started interviewing authors on my blog, and I served on the ACFW Virginia Chapter Board of Directors for six years—three as secretary and three as president.
In 2023, I signed with a prestigious Christian agency and thought I’d finally made it to getting traditionally published with one of the Big Five. My agent pitched both my completed manuscripts, and no one took them, so we mutually parted ways so I could pitch my manuscript to a smaller publisher. I submitted to Scrivenings Press, and they offered me a three-book contract.
If you were not a writer, what would you like to be?
Over the years, I’ve thought about becoming a lawyer, court reporter, interior designer, or Christian counselor but, unable to make a firm decision, I never took steps toward any of those. Now I get to live vicariously through my book characters and give them these professions.
Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?
My husband and I love to play cards and board games, especially with our family and friends, so we do that quite a bit. Spending time with those I love is always at the top of my want-to list. Also, I like being outdoors, so I prayer walk every morning when the weather cooperates. Going to the movies is fun when we can find a decent one that isn’t full of language or objectionable content. And I enjoy craft projects, but now that I’m writing, I don’t have extra time to devote to detailed crafting.
What do you hope readers will take home out of your books?
Since I write about hard topics, I hope readers who are struggling through difficult life circumstances will find encouragement to cling to the Lord through their trials and recognize that God does His best work of grace in our mess. He’s loving, kind, and full of mercy, so I hope that truth comes out in every story I publish.
If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?
I have several good friends I haven’t seen for many years, so I’d love to sit down with them and catch up on their lives. Cindy, my best friend from first through twelfth grade, Susann, my closest friend when we lived in Orlando in the early nineties, and Terri, my dear friend who helped us plant our church twenty-seven years ago and moved to North Carolina a year later. Outside of my relationship with Christ and my family, friends are most important.
Finally, can you tell us about your latest release? Where we can buy the book and where can we find you on the web?
My latest release is my very first release, Stronger than the Storm. This debut is Christian Women’s Fiction based on a personal experience we went through with a prodigal child twenty years ago.
The eBook is available for pre-order on Amazon, and you can purchase the paperback on April 28. For more resources related to the novel, like book club goodies, the trailer, a special song my husband created, and links to podcasts and blog posts about the book, readers should head to my website: deenaadams.com. They can also sign up there for my newsletter and receive a few freebies, including my novelette, Behind the Scenes, and follow me on social media.
I write stories inspired by or based on my own experiences or those of others I know. My novels will appeal to readers who love true-to-life circumstances that address difficult topics and point to hope in Jesus. The next two books in The Holbrook Family series will release in 2027 and 2028.