LORILYN INTERVIEWS Shellie Neumeier About Her New Book “Driven”

I met Shellie Neumeier through the John 3:16 Marketing Network and am excited to introduce her here. She is coming out with a new YA Novel, Driven. 

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Lorilyn: Tell us about your latest book Driven.  Do you have a favorite passage you'd like to share?

I can share the back cover blurb: “Robyn can’t help but notice the handsome new guy at her school. She ignores, however, the arrival of another being at Brookfield Central High School—a demon assigned to destroy her…

Robyn loves her friends, enjoys her youth group, and looks forward to meeting cute Caleb Montague. But when a caustic news reporter challenges her school’s prayer team, Robyn must choose: defend their right to meet on campus and pray for whomever they wish or back down at the principal’s request.

Now she must learn what God wants her to do. And she had better learn fast because there’s a supernatural enemy in town whose sole mission is to stop her—no matter the cost.”

Lorilyn: And how about the first couple paragraphs…

Shellie: “From a comfortable height above the trees, Sebastian circled the abandoned paper mill, drinking in the atmosphere of dereliction and decay surrounding the property. This place has more character than most of the humans I know. Half broken windows winked like the evil eyes of wayward souls, while snow drifts gathered in the corners. The wind toyed with the snow, whipping trails that could chill his feet and ankles. If he had feet and ankles, that is.


“Slipping through a second-story window, Sebastian watched a rat scurry across the dusty floor in a dash for the shadows. Like an angry cloud—black as asphalt, thick as cigar smoke—Sebastian floated after the rodent, watching with mild interest as it raced for another shadow and nearly collided with an old tom cat whose eyes glowed brightly with hunger. The tom sprang, but


“Sebastian turned away. He didn’t have time for these cat and mouse games today, no matter how much he enjoyed them. He had a bigger game to consider, and as he moved over the room, he thought about the girl he’d come to destroy.”

Lorilyn: Also, please share some of your writing goals.  What's next for you?

Shellie: I’m thrilled to say I’m under contract with my mid-grade chapter book to be released in 2/2012 (MuseItYoung Publishing) entitled The Wishing Ring. My twelve and nine-year-old helped develop the plot, which makes the story one wild and imaginative ride. 

I’ve also teamed up with Lisa Lickel in writing a romance novel. I enjoyed writing the young adult sections. But my favorite project is another YA novel written about a young boy with special needs. After a fit of rage, he finds himself struggling to survive life in a treatment center.  It’s been eye-opening writing that piece.

Lorilyn: What do you hope readers will get from reading your book?

Shellie: Hopefully, my readers will come away with a renewed sense of power. A sense of I-can-do-that, whatever “that” may be in their lives. And of course, I hope they come away having enjoyed a great ride from the story.

Lorilyn:  On a random note, if you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Shellie: Hmm. I’d love to be a Jaguar, filled with grace and speed; or a she-lion, fierce in her cub's protection; but my husband likens me to that dog on UP (the one that says “squirrel” with energized distraction).

What Others Are Saying About Driven

Driven is a new take on the age-old battle of good versus evil. Gripping from the first page, this is one book you won't want to put down. ~Leanna Kay, co-creator of www.samiesisters.com - a place for Christian girls to grow in faith.

Driven is a breathtaking book of tension, intrigue, and heartwarming emotion. From the moment I began to read until the very last word, I couldn't put it aside. It held me enthralled! ~Lindsay Below, Head Over Hand-Bought Heels

In the tradition of This Present Darkness and The Screwtape Letters, Driven pulls back the veil between worlds and reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against Satan and his minions. But the journey of Robyn and her friends against both physical and spiritual enemies also illustrates the more exciting truth: that ultimate victory rests with our God. ~Anne Mateer, Wings of Dream, September 2011.

You can purchase Driven from Amazon by clicking here

LORILYN INTERVIEWS Tracy Krauss about her book ”My Mother the Man Eater”

Lorilyn: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Tracy: Although I have always loved the creative process and have been a “storyteller” for my entire life, I started writing about 25 years ago. Of course, in those days it was a compulsion I found time for during my children’s naps. I hammered out reams of paper on my mother’s old typewriter, or filled notebooks with my scrawl. 

When the home computer age came to be, it revolutionized my writing, but I spent many tedious hours retyping what I had previously written and discovered most of it wasn’t really worth the paper it was written on! I finally started looking more seriously into publishing about eight years ago.


Lorilyn: How do you write? By the “seat of your pants” or outlining?

Tracy: A little of both. Once I get the inspiration for a novel, I like to create very elaborate background stories for each character. I like to know my people inside and out and understand what makes them tick. Then I do a rough outline, eventually expanding into plotting each Chapter or scene. Invariably, though, when I start the actually writing process, lots of things change and I go with that. The characters seem to take on a life of their own and often surprise me with what they say and do.

Lorilyn: Tell us about your new book, where the idea came from, how long it took you, what inspired you, and how people can get a copy.

Tracy: My Mother the Man-Eater was originally inspired when I was playing the Sims. The characters and interaction mushroomed into the idea for this book – a forty-something cougar on the quest for fulfillment. 

From the time I actually sat down and began crafting the idea into a book until it was finished was about four years. I tend to work on several projects at once, so this was while working on three other novels and about six plays (not to mention working). I

t is available at the usual online stores - Amazon, B & N, Chapters/Indigo (in Canada), Blessings Christian marketplace, and others. It is also for sale in several local brick and mortar stores in my area, Chapters/Indigo Stores, or directly from the publisher.

Lorilyn: What would you say to a writer who aspires to write fiction? Any good tips?

Tracy: Never stop learning. The moment you think you know it all is the moment you become stagnant. This means writing, writing, writing, and sharing your work with a critique group or other trusted friends. (Start with people who won’t be too hard on you.) 

After that, seek critique from unbiased and professional people. These commentaries often hurt, so get used to it and get tough. It makes you stronger and makes you a better writer. 

Taking courses and workshops is probably also a good idea as is reading lots of books in various styles and genres. Finally, examine your reasons for writing. If it is to get rich and become the next NY best-seller, then maybe you should quit and do something else. 

If it is your passion, however, you really don’t need me telling you what to do. You already know: WRITE.

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Tracy Krauss is an author, artist, playwright, director, worship leader, and teacher. Originally from a small prairie town, she received her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Saskatchewan. She has lived in many places in northern Canada with her husband, a pastor, and their children. They currently live in Tumbler Ridge, BC. 

My Mother the Man-Eater is Tracy’s second published novel. A third novel Play it Again is currently in the production phase and is the sequel to her debut novel And The Beat Goes On, an archeological suspense. Other published works include a play called ‘Ebenezer’s Christmas Carol’ available through Pioneer Drama Services.

Tracy Krauss’ book My Mother The Man-Eater can be published from Amazon by clicking here.

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Get Real,” by Lorilyn Roberts: Based on Ken Kuhlken’s Book “Writing and the Spirit”

Becoming the person God created me to be has been fraught with unbelievable obstacles. I don’t know whether it is so with others, but from the time I was a child, I have struggled with being “me.” 

A broken home at an early age, unrealistic expectations, lack of spiritual truth, insecurity, and a failure to recognize me as “created in God’s image” kept me on dead-end roads for years.

The gumption never to give up in search of truth was God’s gift. His unconditional love has enabled me to overcome the demons from the past, the lies I believed, and the grace to let go of the hurt. Redemption is the reward in this world for a life well-finished in spite of perilous beginnings. And for that I am thankful.