Beverly
Nault writes Fresh Start Stories, because everyone needs one from time to time.
Her stories are filled with colorful characters
whose lives are changed through storylines that draw the reader in
through humor, poignant moments, and fun-filled adventure. Beverly is the
Associate Editor of the literary journal, “Eastern Iowa Review.” She is also a
freelance developmental editor.
Bev lives
with her husband Gary in Southern California and dabbles in photography. She
has two grown and married children, and one incredibly talented one-month-old
granddaughter who already shows a lot of potential.
“The
Kaleidoscope,” (2015, Wild Rose/Crimson Press) a romantic suspense, earned an
InDy’Tale Magazine five-star review and their Crowned Heart for excellence.
Beverly has written the
award-winning The
Seasons of Cherryvale, series, set in a small town. The first book in the series, “Fresh Start
Summer,” earned the San Diego Christian Writer’s Guild Excellence in Writing
Award, was included in Real Simple’s 21 Best Summer Reads list, and earned
Honorable Mention in the Reader’s Favorite Writing Awards (2011). Her short
story, “Camouflaged Christmas,” appears in the “21 Days of Christmas, a fiction
devotional (2015, Broadstreet Publishing).
Beverly
co-wrote “Lessons from the Mountain, What I Learned from Erin Walton,”
with Mary McDonough about her years working up on the acclaimed television
program, The Waltons, and her life growing up in Hollywood. “Lessons” won the Ella Dickey
Literacy Award.
According to one interview, your
favorite book as a teen was “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Why was this book
important to you?
At the
time I was intrigued by Scout’s precociousness, and also her relationship with
her father, who was an attorney. My own father was an attorney, and Atticus’
insights and wisdom resonated within me. Harper Lee built into the story so
many layers that it has a remarkable texture and relevance for any age and time.
For a book to reach so many levels is an extraordinary feat.
What other novels have influenced
you & why?
“Gone With
the Wind” is another novel of complicated relationships, a complex time in
history, and a strong heroine who at first glance reveals herself to be of
questionable “character,” but then she ends up a much improved, better version
of herself for what she’s gone through by the end. I admire authors who can
take us along the journey with their characters and at the end we feel as if
we’ve become a little better or stronger or more convicted as well. But without
all the turmoil and self-sacrifice, we can remain comfortable and relaxed in
our easy chair.
Where do you get your inspiration
to write?
Every
story has a different prompt. When I first
conceived of “The Kaleidoscope.” I imagined
what it would be like if we could see a glimpse of our own future. Would what
we see cause us to change, would we be bolder, or frightened of what was to
come? Would we become a better person for the challenge? As I researched
advances in artificial intelligence for the technical elements of the story, I
realized I wasn’t the only one wondering the same things. That in itself was a
glimpse into the future!
Do you have a favorite genre, as a
reader?
I read
everything from classical literature to short fiction to bestsellers, so I
wouldn’t say I have a favorite. I’ve also been Associate Editor for the Eastern
Iowa Review, a lyrical essay journal, and a beta reader for agents and
publishers, so my reading piles vary widely. I think reading multiple genres
informs an author’s work, and enriches their reader’s experiences. I’ve just
finished reading “Two Years Before the Mast,” and thoroughly enjoyed swinging
from the yardarms and exploring early California. Books are the best, aren’t
they?
You co-authored with Mary Beth
McDonough, “Lessons from the Mountain, What I Learned From Ellen Walton” (from
The Waltons, television series). What was that experience like?
That
experience was one of the highlights of my career. She’s a wonderful, kind,
funny, smart woman, and a very talented actor. We laughed together and cried a
bit over her incredible experiences, and I got to interview iconic actors from
Patricia Neal, who was the original Olivia Walton in the made-for-television
movie, “The Homecoming,” to Earl Hamner and Richard Thomas and the other living
cast members. Each was helpful and genuine and as kind as they are on the show.
Mary and I formed a bond that will last forever because of the experience, and
I’m proud of her for going on to write her own novels.
Do you have a writing routine?
(Time of day, place to write?)
I need
quiet and a comfy chair, and to know I have a couple of uninterrupted hours.
When I first began writing fiction I was told there’s such a thing as “fiction
brain,” a special place where your most creative thoughts come from. I can say
that it’s absolutely true. It’s as if you’re accessing a different part of the mind
that needs to be exercised, but also approached with respect and reverence for
it to work properly. Don’t want anything to shut it off when it’s really
cooking! By the way, I wrote the first draft of “The Kaleidoscope” long hand. I
learned in a workshop that it’s a great way to slow down the process to give
the creative brain a way to keep up, and I really do think there’s wisdom in
that. Typing your scribble into the computer then becomes the first round of
editing. Try it!
How did your Seasons of Cherryvale
series come about?
Seasons sprang
from my thoughts as I pondered about our communities where we we tend to drive home
and straight into our garages, essentially ignoring our neighbors and never
getting to really know them. So I came up with a concept of a town that had
been built many years ago around a bridle path that has become a jogging and
walking trail in the modern times. This artery’s history became a sort of
anchor for the townies, and now this CherryPath “ties neighbors together like a
patchwork quilt, in good times and bad.” Funny thing about that series, I live
in Southern California where we don’t really have seasons. So I needed to find
a small town that experiences the full range, from autumn colors to firefly
summers and the challenges of snowstorms, so I studied a map and found a small
town in Kansas called Cherryvale. I liked it so much I decided to “borrow” their
name. After the series came out, someone from the town contacted me and asked
if I knew they existed. I told them I did and hoped they didn’t mind. They said
they were actually flattered, and invited me to appear at the upcoming Cherry
Blossom Festival with the first two books that were available at the time. I
enjoyed meeting everyone in town, from the mayor to the Fire Chief to the
pastors of the churches, and all my new fans. They made me feel as if I was a
townie myself, and I’m excited to say I’m returning “home” for this year’s
Blossom Festival with the completed series.
Did you know, going into the first
Cherryvale book, that it would become a series?
Yes, I
wanted each book to be based on a season or holiday. There are six books or
novellas, and one short story. Here’s the sequence: “Fresh Start Summer,” “Grace
& Maggie Across the Pond” (a novella set in England), “Autumn Changes,” “Hearts
Unlocked” (a Thanksgiving Romance), “Christmas Bells,” “Aloha Grace” (a short
story set in Hawaii) and “Spring Blossoms.”
You have won the San Diego
Christian Writers Guild Excellence in Writing award. Could you describe the
importance of your faith?
My faith
in Jesus Christ is woven into the tapestry of my soul, and everything I write
stems from what he taught and what he’s done for the world in his sacrifice on
the cross. That said I try to temper everything I write so that it’s appropriate
to the piece and audience. No one wants to read sermonettes or anything heavy
handed. I believe it’s possible to use characters who believe in God without
sermonizing, or question and rebel and even reject God, because it’s how we as
humans process and live out our relationship with the Creator.
What is your definition of success,
as a writer? If you had to pick one accomplishment to be most proud of, what
would it be?
Probably
the publication of “Lessons from the Mountain.” An agent shopped our proposal
at the same time as the country was reeling from 9/11, and no one wanted to
take on a new project around that time. We stepped back from seeking a
publisher but went ahead and wrote the book. A couple of years later, we had a
terrific memoir of what Mary’s life had been like growing up in Hollywood, but we
had no agent. We knew we had an excellent manuscript, so we persisted, and we eventually
sold it on our own to Kensington. (It’s now gone into its fifth printing.)
The icing on my own personal cake was that in the very same month that
Lessons came out, “Fresh Start Summer,” also released from a small press. I
call them my twins, and still can’t believe my “luck” in having them released at
the same time.
Would you be willing to share a few
tips for writers?
Is there anything else you’d like
to mention?
I’m excited about my next novel. I’m currently fine-tuning, “Misdirect, A
Novel of Spies, the Sahara, and Searching for God,” which is about a former CIA
operative who finds herself back in the field. Following my own advice, I’m now
polishing it so it shines. I’ve had it with beta readers, I’ve taken important sections
to a critique group, I’ve hired an editor and proofer, and then when it’s been
through these very important steps, I’ll finally have it ready for market.
Here’s the summary: A CIA analyst assigned
to desk duty must return to field operations to redeem a failed mission she
blew years ago. When she’s about to retire and put the entire fiasco behind
her, she learns her estranged daughter’s fiancée’s life is in danger, and she
must not only rescue him from the enemy, she must stop the largest terror
attack ever planned on America.
Find Beverly at: www.beverlynault.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bevnault
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