We are pleased to present....

Rachel Coker!

What is your favorite subject in school?
Definitely history. I love reading about past events and cultures. Obviously it can get tedious sometimes, like when plugging through massive textbooks on the battles of the Civil War. But when I remember that I am reading about real events that happened to real people, just like me, I get tingles. It’s an incredible experience to read about life as it used to be, and imagine what it would have been like to grow up in that kind of world.


What is your favorite part of being homeschooled?
Oh, I am such a homeschool geek. ;) I love everything about it! I enjoy all the freedoms homeschooling allows me to have—I can work at my own pace, take time off to pursue other interests, and use whatever curriculum is best for me. I love being able to learn things from a Biblical worldview. And what homeschooler doesn’t get a kick out of making fun of themselves and cracking jokes about “unsociable homeschoolers”? On days when it seems like I have too much of a social life to deal with, I love joking about my lack of socialization. ;)


What inspired you to write Interrupted?
My uncle passed away from a brain tumor when I was thirteen. I remember feeling a lot of different emotions at that time. Anger, sadness, confusion… Not understanding why God lets things like that happen that hurts the people we love. Allie’s story sort of grew out of a lot of the emotions that I was working through at that time. She found healing the same way I did—through Christ.


What has been your most rewarding moment as a writer?
There have been two really amazing moments that first come to mind. The first was one afternoon when I received my first “fan letter” in the mail. It was from this teenage girl who was so excited and inspired it made me want to cry. It was months before my book even came out, but it humbled me to realize that there were kids and teens looking up to me. The other rewarding moment was when my dad finally read my book. He never reads any fiction, but he read Interrupted and when he told me how proud he was of me, it was one of the best moments of my life. I think every kid lives for the day when their parents just glow because of something they did. It’s a really amazing feeling.
 

Tell us about your book.
This is from the back cover. "Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn’t shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie’s heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved." 


Where can people get your book?
Readers can buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and just about everywhere books are sold! Isn't that great? :) 



Do you have any advice for those who are just starting to write?
Write from your own life experiences. Don’t start off trying to pen some tragic Gothic romance or the next Lord of the Rings. Base your stories and characters on things you can relate to. If everything you write is be close to your heart, it will resonate as true and honest and people will enjoy reading it!


Do you have any final thoughts you would like to share?
Thank you so much to everyone who has shown me love and encouragement! It has been really inspiring to me to see this community build up around my story, not only of fellow homeschoolers, but Christians, writers, and teenagers. Hearing about others’ aspirations only pushes me to work even harder toward my own dreams.  Also, if anyone is interested in hearing from me on a more daily basis, I’d encourage you to follow my blog: www.rachelcoker.wordpress.com.