Trish Perry's new book and giveaway--The Midwife's Legacy

Hi Trish, so happy to have you stop by for a visit and for your willingness to do a giveaway of your latest book, The Midwife's Legacy. Since today is Monday, we will do the giveaway next Monday evening from all commenters who leave a contact email and who have a US mailing address.

Please tell us about your favorite book as a child and your favorite book as an adult. Can you see a connection between those books?

I definitely had a favorite as a child: My Father’s Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett. I can’t say I really have a favorite now that I’m an adult. But what I remember liking about MFD still holds true for novels I enjoy today. It transported me. It took me right into the story with it. And it left me feeling uplifted. Today I read just about every genre available, and I’m more than willing to read novels that move me but don’t have happy endings. But the novels I truly enjoy are those that leave me feeling hopeful.

What is your favorite Scripture? Do you also have a favorite Scripture that encourages you in your writing?
“So do not fear, for I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
I turn to that verse when I start to fear or worry about anything. It always gives me peace.
One verse that encourages me in my writing is “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)
I believe that with all my heart, and I make a point of committing everything I do to the Lord every morning. That way I know that—whatever happens and whatever “I” accomplish that day—everything I undertake will be according to His plans for me. It relieves a lot of stress and comforts me.

If you could go to any place in the world to research/write a book, what setting would you choose?
I would choose Italy in the spring. A beautiful country villa in Lake Cuomo with a veranda looking out on the water and the proximity of shops and restaurants for when I was ready to reward my hard work with a break. Maybe run into George Clooney here and there.

My husband and I got to visit Italy on our 41st anniversary in 2009. It is lovely, and I hope you do get to go sometime. I can't guarantee you'll see George Clooney, though!
I often wonder if I would write if I had to do it the old-fashioned way without computers and spell-checks and email. Is there anything about technology that you don't like? Or anything about it that you feel enhances your writing?
I’m with you! When I have to write by hand, I’m annoyed, although I do find it forces me to let go of my internal editor and just dump. But I think better with a computer right in front of me, and I can get the words down more quickly when I’m on a roll.
What I don’t like is the fact that computers can let you down—I’ve had moments of text loss that have literally brought me to my knees, crying. That doesn’t happen when you have your work on paper!

As a writer how have you had to grow and stretch out of your comfort zone?
Two areas have challenged me over the years.
First, I’ve had to get used to the fact that not everyone who reads my work is going to like it—and those who don’t are often eager to express that dissatisfaction to the cyber world. Hey, it happens. C’est la vie.

Secondly, I still stumble all over my words when I talk to an editor about my ideas, and I probably always will. One terrific thing about writing for the CBA is how kind editors are. That helps a lot.

What advice would you give to a beginning writer that you wish someone had given you?
Again, I would recommend taking the first moments of your day to commit what you do to the Lord. And then do your best—write when you can and write the best you can. Learn as much as you can in the time allotted to you. Don’t let life’s interruptions cause you dismay. The writing will happen according to God’s will, as will the places your writing will go. Relax in that and do your best.

Please tell us about your book and where we can order it. 
The book, The Midwife’s Legacy is actually a four-novella anthology, and each novella focuses on a midwife from a different point in time. Readers go from 1850’s Wisconsin to the 1860’s Oregon Trail to Portland at the turn of the century to the beautiful Willamette Valley in contemporary Oregon. And the lives of these four midwives are tied together by a journal that’s passed down through the years. I loved this project, and I think readers will, too. The book can be purchased at all of the online bookstores and by request at fine bookstores everywhere.