Today I’d like to welcome author Cara Luecht, to share about her new release, Soul’s Cry.
Today I’d like to welcome award-winning author Cara Luecht to the blog. Cara lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin with her husband, David, and their children. In addition to freelance writing and marketing, Cara works as an English Instructor for a local college. Cara graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Currently, Cara is studying for a Masters of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Welcome, Cara! We’ll start off with some quick questions so we get to know you a little better.
What is your favourite fruit?
Strawberries
There is nothing like fresh, sweet strawberries.
Which is your favourite season?
Autumn
And you call it autumn, not fall? Cool!
Where is your favourite place?
Home
What is your favourite Bible verse?
Psalm 42
What’s something funny or quirky that not many people know about you?
I like to wrap gifts with fancy bows (wired ribbon and flowers, etc…usually requires a hot glue gun).
Great! A hot glue gun makes anything look more creative.
Now, let’s talk about your book, Soul’s Cry. Here’s the description off the back cover:
Ione has everything she’d wanted with her busy shop filled to the brim with sumptuous fabrics, gossiping debutants, and a neatly increasing profit margin. Not to mention the unexpected attention of a man who doesn’t know her past.
And then the letter dropped from the mail slot onto the lush carpet. He was back. And the abuse, the shame, rushes in, reminding her of how unworthy she really is.
Miriam also has everything she’d wanted—and with a baby on the way, for the first time in her life, she has everything to lose. When she’d been alone, the future had held promise, but now with her life full, it also holds fear.
Unwilling to risk a vision of loss, Miriam stops painting what will be…right before Ione needs it most.
Soul’s Cry is the third book in your Portraits of Grace series, following Soul Painter and Soul’s Prisoner. Do readers need to have read those first?
No. Soul’s Cry can be read alone, but readers will have a better feel for the relationships between the characters if they read the others first.
The cover of Soul’s Cry shows an African-American woman. Is this Ione? What inspired you to write a novel with an African-American heroine?
Yes. This is Ione. She is a character that appears in the very first chapter of Soul Painter and is integral to that story. I’m not sure if I ever gave much thought to her being African American at first. She was simply the character I saw, so I wrote about her.
Later, especially when I decided to make her the main character in her own book, I did spend some time considering the implications of writing outside of my race.
Ione is an unusual name (almost as unusual as Iola). What does it mean? How do you find your character names?
The meaning of the name varies depending on the origin. “From King’s Island” is Celtic, and “Amethyst” or “Violet” is Greek. I did not choose her name because of the meaning; I chose it because I met a feisty old woman with that name, and I instantly liked it.
Character names usually come to me as I write. Sometimes, I have to hunt around for ideas, but typically the character knows what their name should be.
Interesting! Iola also has Greek and Celtic (Welsh) meanings, and the Greek meaning is Violet Dawn.
I checked out your website and saw your recent blog post, “Not Christian Enough.” One quote in particular stood out to me:
“when we only read books about how we wish the world was, rather than how the world is, we develop an isolated, unrealistic perspective”
How do you balance this view as a writer of historical fiction, which is about how the world was?
There is a difference between what the world was, and what we wish it was. All too often (especially in Christian circles) we tend to read things that line up with the way we wish the world would be. For example, the article this quote is from discusses the problem with Christian readers being encouraged to read primarily Christian non-fiction and other books that line up with the Christian world-view.
But the world isn’t all Christian.
Another way that this quote could be understood is as a critique for Christian fiction that tends to offer happy endings where the hero finds faith and then marries the long-suffering heroine.
But life doesn’t always work like that, either.
We need to read things that challenge our views, that require us to see others with a deeper understanding, and that help us understand the world as it is (or was…depending on what you are writing).
I agree! I love Christian fiction as a genre, but I sometimes choose to read general market books as a way of seeing how other people think. I think Christians can get too insular. I know we’re called to be in the world, not of the world, but we’re also called to go into all the world and preach the gospel. How can we do that if we have no understanding of the world?
There is a famous quote about history, that those who don’t read about the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them, which implies there is benefit in reading classic books. What are your views on this idea?
I think reading classic books is essential. But I think it is equally essential to read current books. Classic books can help us understand our world, but reading current literature gives us the skills to communicate what we have learned.
I love that distinction!
What is your favourite historical setting (in terms of time, place, or both)?
I really do love the late 1800s. So many things were changing all at once, that it offers a rich setting for any story.
What inspired the plot of Soul’s Cry?
Ione’s story had been building from the first time she appeared in Soul Painter. One of Ione’s most important characteristics is that she will sacrifice for anyone. I knew she needed to be in a situation that required another sacrifice from her.
Who is your favourite character in this book, and why?
I have to say Ione, simply because I have loved her for so long. That being said, I had a lot of fun writing the new character, Dr. Whitaker😊
What idea would you like readers to take away after reading Soul’s Cry?
The importance of community.
What do you find is the easiest part of the writing and publishing process? What’s the hardest?
Easiest – Writing
Hardest – Self-promotion
I’ve yet to ‘meet’ a writer who loves self-promotion!
You’re studying for a Masters in Divinity. What impact does your faith have on your writing?
The more I study, the more impact it has. I think my studies have led me to a greater understanding of compassion and meaning and the potential impact we have on each other.
What impact does faith have on the characters in Soul’s Cry, and the earlier books in the series?
Faith plays a large role in my understanding of the world, but it does not play a very obvious role for the characters (unless they are ministers, etc.). I call these books Christian fiction, not because of an obvious message of faith, but because I am a Christian, and I believe that if a Christian writes fiction, then that piece of work cannot help but be “Christian Fiction.”
What’s your favourite fiction genre, and why?
Literary and Historical. Oooo and mystery.
What book (or books) are you currently reading?
As Kingfishers Catch Fire (Eugene Peterson)
Finally …
Where can we find Soul’s Cry online?
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble
Where can we find you online?
Thank you, Cara! It’s been great to meet you, and learn more about Soul’s Cry.
Thank you for the invite!
Readers, what question would you like to ask Cara? Let us know in the comments!
Meanwhile, you can read the introduction to Soul’s Cry below:
