Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Meet C. L. Wells, author of Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God


I am happy to introduce you to author, C. L. Wells!  She describes her writing background as "my love for stories." At the time of this interview her debut novel, Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God, was listed as #2 on Amazon in its category! Published in June 2015, Memoirs is inspirational fiction, but the main character is a real girl and much of her true story is woven into the fabric of the plot. While is is listed in the young adult reader category "I’ve found that readers of all ages have enjoyed the story immensely." 

Author C. L. Wells
"I’ve always wanted to write a book but hem and hawed for years telling myself I couldn’t do it, wasn’t qualified, etc. When ‘Krystal’ talked to me about her experiences with self-harm, it sparked something in me. It was meant. Never waste time on self-doubt. We can do so much more than what we realize."

"Krystal is a teenager who is struggling with her parent’s separation. She is like so many other teenagers out there. She is smart, talented, and her own person. She begins cutting as a way to cope with her emotions and becomes addicted. Nearly half of all teens have engaged in self-harm in some form at one time or another. We all know someone who is or has self-harmed. We may not know who it is, but we all know at least one person, likely more."

What do you want your readers to take away from it?
Many things, but I want them to take away whatever was meant for them to receive based on who you are and what experiences you’ve had. However, there’s an overall message that says, Hey! Life can be hard and unfair but in the midst of it all, you have a purpose. There’s work to be done and fun to be had, so chop chop, there’s no time to lose!”

 ~~~~~

Excerpt from 
Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God  
Em and Krystal ladled soup into cups behind all the action. Krystal had chicken and noodle. Em had chili. While the tight quarters were challenging, they found their rhythm and stayed a cup ahead of Mike and Sharon. It wasn’t a difficult task with both of them serving, but oh, the heat! Between the stoves, warmers, and bodies, the heat was downright stifling.
Em glanced up at Krystal and started laughing.
“What?” Krystal asked.
“Before we leave, I’m taking a picture of us with our hairnets on,” she answered.
 “Okay!”
“You should take your hoodie off,” Em said, looking over at her. “You’ve got to be sweating to death with that on in here.”
“It’s all good,” Krystal said. She wasn’t going to admit that her pits were thoroughly soaked.
Em shifted her weight and began using her bossy mom voice.
 “At least roll your sleeves up. You’re going to get soup on them.”
 “No! I said I’m good.” Inwardly flinching, she knew she’d overreacted. Frustrated, she would love nothing more than to strip off her hoodie, which was now at least four times its weight because of the sweat. But that didn’t have anything to do with Em. “I’m fine,” she said more softly, wishing she could take back her harsh tone.
Em eyed her from under her bangs as she poured another cup of soup. Krystal turned around to see how many people were in line, and noticed the room was entirely full. 
She watched the little old man at a back table against the wall tear off a piece of bread and offer it to his dog, which it took gently from his hand. Glancing around, she still didn’t see anyone else with a pet.
It saddened her to see the old man. She was happy he had a companion, but hated that he had to find food in this place. He should be in a cozy home, sitting in a recliner with his dog curled up next to him.  Maybe she’d paint him that way.
She turned back to the soup station, lifted the ladle, and filled another cup. More than ready to go, she looked at the line of people again, hoping it would be shorter than it was ten seconds ago.
No such luck. Worse yet, Em was still acting wounded and made it a point to not look at Krystal at all.
Suddenly, she sucked in her breath and held it when through a gap in the line, she saw a boy from her school sitting at a nearby table. Brandon, she thought, his name is Brandon, and he’s in my French class. She didn’t know much about him other than he was a sophomore.
What was he doing here? She wondered frantically. It was clear he was eating, but how could that be? She couldn’t stop staring.
He sat hunched over, with his head slightly turned the opposite direction. Had he spotted her first, hoping to not be seen? Sitting with his left cheek propped on his fist, elbow resting on the table, he kept his eyes down as he ate. As she was about to turn away, she saw him peek over his hand in her direction and their eyes met.
Krystal’s face went hot. A tingle shot up her spine and danced on her scalp.
Frozen, she gazed into her soup. Why did she stare so long? What the heck is wrong with her?
“Krystal?” Mike said.
“Sorry.” She scooped a cup of soup and handed it to him.

 

To read more, 
find Memoirs at these online retailers
Kobo - Kobo
It’s in other places too!















 What's next? Memoirs is written as a standalone but I’m currently writing the unintended sequel.

My latest is a short story titled, ‘That’s How She Rolls.’ Currently, it’s included in an anthology with five other authors and their short stories. The anthology is titled ‘Where the Light May Lead.’ Later this year, I’ll put ‘That’s How She Rolls’ out on her own. *smile* 

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