Interview with Leah Good

Today I have an interview with Leah Good!! =D

Why did you decide to be an author?

They say that true authors write because they can't not write. Which is largely true for me. I also feel like writing is one of the primary skills God gave me an aptitude for. If God gives a talent, it's because He wants it to be used. So I'm trying to do just that.

What's your favorite book and why?

Not a fair question. Even excluding my own books and the Bible, it's not a fair question. ;) Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Safely Home, and A Little Princess are all very high on my list. Safely Home is one of the most powerful pieces of fiction I've ever read. It follows the journeys of two men who were once college roommates. One is a successful American businessman, the other returned to China and has sacrificed everything for his Christian faith. It's a more intense book--I'd suggest readers under thirteen ask a parent to pre-read it--but a very powerful one.

Who's your favorite author?

Another hard one. I love the character development of Jill Williamson, the plots of Jerry B. Jenkins, and the humor of John Flanagan.

Can you tell us anything about the book you're working on now?

I'm currently working on the sequel to Counted Worthy. I can tell you that it begins around nine months after Counted Worthy ends and will probably involve a lot more traveling for Heather. My brother has been helping me to better develop the technology of the story world, because this book is promising to be a lot more complex in those details than Counted Worthywas.

What were the best and worst parts of writing Counted Worthy?

Counted Worthy was an exciting book for me because I could tell my writing had gone up a notch. Things read better. The story also communicated an important message more powerfully than any of my previous manuscripts. That was really exciting. So those were the best parts. Recognizing improvements. The worst part was "post-production." Editing Counted Worthy took forever and got to be very tedious. I'm so happy it's over and am hoping editing the next book goes much more smoothly!

What is your favorite genre?

Well, for most of my life the answer to this question has been historical fiction. Right now, though, it's probably dystopian. I'm not normally one to follow trends, but I love the flexibility and power dystopian novels have to communicate a message without becoming preachy. It's a genre Christian writers could do a lot with.

Do you do any research for your books? If you do, what are your main sources?

My previous (unpublished) manuscripts were historical fiction. I did a ton of research for those. My favorite sources were the "Writer's Guide to Everyday Life" series. I started writing Counted Worthy because I wanted a break from the intense research required for historicals. What little research was necessary for Counted Worthy, I did through Google and Pinterest searches.

What do you like most about writing?

Sharing my stories with readers. It's incredibly exciting to hear that someone was drawn into the story or was challenged to serve God better because of a characters struggle to do the same. Allowing others to read something I've put so many hours into is always a little scary, but writing wouldn't have much point if I never shared it.

Thanks so much for having me here on Future Homeschool Authors! It was great to be here. :)

-Mikayla-