“As the Ink Flows” Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Carol Ford

We are continuing our 5-day Q&A series with the authors of “As the Ink Flows” – yesterday we heard from Melony Teague and today we get to chat with Carol Ford!

Carol Ford is writing a memoir about her adoption and finding her birth family at the age of fifty. She’s an active member of The Word Guild, and her fictional short story about elder abuse was a finalist in the 2013 Fresh Ink Contest. Another short story, “My Mother’s Gift,” was a finalist in 2016 and is published in Hot Apple Cider with Cinnamon. Carol facilitates a local writers’ group in her home. She offers consulting, specializing in personality assessments, communication, and career management. Last year Carol shared her work experience weekly on Hope Stream Radio. She speaks at church, college, industry and community events. Carol and her husband live in Newmarket, Ontario. Learn more about Carol by visiting her website: https://carolfordassociates.wordpress.com/.

As the Ink Flows is a devotional by writers for writers, integrating the craft of working with words with the faith of people of the Word to deepen, sustain, and expand ministry in the world. This collection of 90 devotions features a focus Scripture, a brief meditation on the text and the writing experience, and a prompt for personal reflection and creative response. Written by five members of a Christian writers’ group, As the Ink Flows offers inspiration and encouragement for writers and speakers who want to connect their convictions and their craft for the glory of God and the equipping of God’s people.

“As the Ink Flows is a unique book that will inspire writers with thoughtful devotions and challenge them to think more deeply about their craft and their Creator. I like the variety of topics that were chosen and the wisdom the authors shared. Writers will especially appreciate the reflection section that gives them space to process what they’ve read. I highly recommend this book to all writers who are looking for encouragement and inspiration.” – Carrie Turansky, award-winning author of the Edwardian Brides series

Hi, Carol – it’s so nice to “meet” you! Welcome to the blog!! 🙂

I start all of my guests out with a fast four:

Carol: Apples because they are easier to eat and peel (I guess I have a lazy bone or two.)

Carrie: Apples ARE easier. And you don’t even have to peel them if you don’t want to. Which automatically makes them the better choice.

Carol: Hard to pick, I’m too hot in the Summer and too cold in the Winter.

Carrie: haha! Maybe Fall then? Or Spring?

Carol: Dogs because they love you all the time

Carrie: Now see? You need to explain this to Melony. I tried to keep my dog Zuzu from seeing her answer because … well… I like having Mel as a friend. But your answer is really the type we encourage around here 😉

Carol: Hard to choose –Depends  if it’s Morning or Evening

Carrie: Or, you know, you could be like me and like neither and get weird looks at holiday gatherings and potlucks… sigh. Lol.

Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Carol: If I could have a superpower, I would choose to just shake my finger and all the housework would be done. There are sooo many other things to do.

Carrie: Oh my goodness! YES PLEASE!! Wouldn’t that be a marvelous superpower to have?

Books are kind-of a big deal around here. When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first?

Carol: Always to the non-fiction sections, sales tables and biographies

Carrie: The sales tables are my kryptonite haha!

How did the five of you find each other and how did you all decide to team up for As The Ink Flows?

Carol: Claudia Loopstra, has been a good friend of mine for over 30 years; Melony Teague and I met at a short course on writing our stories, Glenda and Marguerite both attended the Write Canada conference in 2012,  and because of our common interest in writing,  and since we all lived quite close to one another, we formed a writers’ group.

Carrie: I’m so glad God brought you all together 🙂

Why is a devotional for writers so important? And, what makes As the Ink Flows unique?

Carol: As we met monthly, we could see that other writers might benefit from a devotional that would spark writing content.  And the idea of doing a combined project seemed like a great way to blend our talents and interest in the craft.  While developing a book proposal to submit to publishers, we discovered that our book was unique for a few reasons: There are many devotional books that share personal inspirational content and also several that use well-known authors as examples of Christian writing, but few provide practical writing assignments combined with a Christian world view. Many of the devotions in As the Ink Flows demonstrate helpful writing techniques and show comparable models of these techniques from Scripture—these features set this book apart from similar publications.

Carrie: That’s one of the things I love most about As the Ink Flows – the incorporation of the writing techniques with Scripture and practical assignments! I’ve not seen that before in a devotional resource and I think it makes it invaluable for authors in all stages of publication.

Which devotional from the book is your personal favorite?

Carol: The favorite one from my own contribution would be “Tears”. I still get emotional when I read this one.

Carrie: That IS a great one!

What do you most want authors (or readers or bloggers) to take away from As the Ink Flows?

Carol: I want authors to see that the ‘living word’ of God is a great example of writing.  Writers can also reread the devotions, reflections and prompts and respond completely differently every time.

Carrie: Oh I love that perspective – “that the ‘living word’ of God is a great example of writing”. What a fantastic (and true) thought!

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me today, Carol 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you!

Carol: Well, ‘birthing’ a book is a huge responsibility and I believe this coming year will be very busy with speaking, offering writing workshops and marketing the devotional whenever and wherever we can. I am also working on my own memoir; I was adopted at age 5, found my birth family at age 50 and now understand the miracle of a rescued life.

Carrie: Wow! That sounds like it will be a powerful memoir and one that has the potential to be life-changing for some who read it!

One of my readers (living in either the US or Canada only) will win a copy of As the Ink Flows! Give it to your favorite author or keep it for yourself! I have it myself and really enjoy it!

Giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies.

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Come back tomorrow to hear from Claudia Loopstra & another chance to win!