TRACY HIGLEY Interview and GIVEAWAY!

TRACY HIGLEY started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored twelve novels, including The Queen’s Handmaid and Chasing Babylon. Tracy is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. See her travel journals and more at TracyHigley.com

We're so excited to have Tracy Higley with us today! I'm personally a huge fan and let me tell you, you are going to love her latest release, AWAKENING. 

Tracy is giving away one copy--either print or ebook--of AWAKENING to one winner. To enter the drawing simply comment below and include your email address.

Now, let's find out more about her.

SS: How long have you been writing?

I started writing stories as soon as I picked up a pencil, I think!  My first “real” novel was started at the age of eight. I wrote short stories, plays, poems, and newspaper articles all through my childhood, but it took until I was about thirty to begin getting serious about writing novels for publication.

SS: Do you write full time? If the answer is no, what else do you do? If you are a full time author, what other jobs did you have in the past?

Besides writing, I also run an internet retail company, selling mainly craft and hobby supplies online. I have employees that handle all the day-to-day operations, which leaves me free to pursue writing, research, and travel. I’m also finishing up a Master’s degree in Ancient History.

SS: Tell us about the moment you finally felt like a “real author”?

I think it was the evening I got the call from my agent that my first book had been offered a contract by a publisher.  I’d only had an agent for about three weeks at that point, so the whole thing was very new.  I was shocked!

SS: Who has been your greatest supporter as an author? 

No question—my husband. In the early days, before the contracts started coming, he would rearrange his work schedule so he could be home with our little ones so I could get away and write, and his support has continued for the past twelve years – from encouraging me to get away to strategizing my career with me to just listening to me vent about stories that aren’t working!

SS:  Why suspense? Do you write in any other genres? If so, what?

I’ve written both contemporary suspense and historical suspense, but I always seem to gravitate toward the edge-of-your-seat types of stories that are heavily plotted with lots of twists and turns. It’s what I love to read, so I guess it’s a natural fit for my writing, too.

SS: How does your faith play into your writing?

Every book seems to be at least a bit of my own faith journey – discovering the ways in which God calls us to be part of a larger Story, to take on our own adventures, and the ways in which we resist and struggle. I think I’m always working that out on the page, through my characters.

SS: If you couldn’t write, what else would you want to do?

I really enjoy the business side of my life, so that would probably fill up more of my time.

SS:  Tell us about your current release.

I am very excited about this week’s release of Awakening.  I’ve been writing historicals for a few years now, and this is my first novel with a contemporary setting for quite some time. It’s woven with historical elements, but the main storyline is about a woman who has lost her memory in some unknown trauma, and the global quest for an artifact that is mysteriously tied to her past.   

SS: Where did you get your inspiration for this book?

It actually started on a long walk with another writer friend – John Olson – who is awesome at coming up with storylines. We were brainstorming together about the book I would write if I had no constraints of genre, market, or expectations.  The idea for the story was born that day, and evolved in the months that followed.

SS: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from your story?

I hope readers walk away with a sense of the mysterious and unexplained elements of the world in which we live – one where God is much larger than we tend to think and the unexpected can happen to any of us.

SS: Who is your favorite character in this book and why?

I love the main character Kallie’s strength and courage in the face of the great obstacles she faces.

SS: Who is your least favorite character in this book? Why?

Least favorite character?  I love them all!  Even the bad guys!

SS: What are you working on now?

I’m working on a trilogy of novellas that follow the magi on their journey to Bethlehem. It’s not your grandmother’s magi story, though!  Suspense, action, adventure, and spiritual darkness abound.

SS: A tough question: Where do you want to be career-wise in five years? Ten years? 

I’d love to still be doing what I’m doing – writing a couple of books each year and getting them out to readers who love them. I’d also like to continue my travels, and spend some longer periods of time in different areas of the world as my kids get older and more independent of me.

SS:  Now let’s get a little personal. Name two things on your “bucket list” that you haven’t done yet.   

I don’t really have a bucket list, but two places I’d really like to travel to someday are Morocco (Casablanca) and India.

SS:  What is the silliest thing you have ever done? 

Ha! I’m not nearly silly enough, so I will substitute “stupid.”  I tend to get lost in my own head often, which results in some mishaps.  Like getting seriously lost out in the world. Running out of gas (often). Forgetting to pick up children.  It’s a problem.

SS: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

Overcoming my significant claustrophobia to climb up the inside of the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

SS: Where can readers find you on the internet?

 I’d love for readers to check out my travel journals, book excerpts, and lots more on my website at www.TracyHigley.com, and connect with me on Facebook (/tracyhigley) or Twitter (@TLHigley)

Thanks so much for stopping by, Tracy! 

Don't forget to enter the drawing for AWAKENING by commenting and leaving your contact information!