I have read many of Celeste Charlene’s books and find much wonder in the faith and beautiful descriptions of Africa in these stories. Thank you, Celeste, for sharing with us.
Kathy: Would you give our readers a brief bio?
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?
Celeste Charlene is an RN with a Master’s of Science in
Nursing who specialized in community health programs for developing countries.
She served as a missionary for thirty-two years in West African countries,
treating the sick, establishing mobile clinics, teaching health, training
village health workers, and evangelizing.
When she’s not writing, she still writes. Not a day passes
that she doesn’t write something for one of her books, a devotion for her blog
or her Bible study. She’s written and
self-published 29 books in the last 10 years.
Every week or so she likes to remodel a garment she bought
at a thrift store or bake a new recipe.
Kathy: Can you share a little about your writing
journey? Any stories that still make you smile?
I began writing in a
diary when I was eleven and have written every day.
My first book, SHAKEN BLESSINGS, began with a
three-month-old infant. The mother died during child birth at a hospital and
the father already had eight daughters and didn’t want another one. Since the
baby survived and the mother died, people in that area thought the child was
cursed. I took the baby and named her
Blessing, hoping to dispel the curse. I started a separate journal about her.
After retiring I submitted my journal of Blessing to several
publishers. They said it was an interesting story and they enjoyed it, which
told me they had read it. None of the publishers I submitted it to published
journals, Christian work, or work for unknown authors.
They suggested I rewrite SHAKEN BLESSINGS into novel
form and submit it to Christian publishers, which I did.
I often laugh as I write about the genius twins, who are
characters in my first book series that starts with A LITTLE MERCY, and
follows with A TRAGIC GOOD, A WAVERING HOPE SCARRED BEAUTY, EXQUISITE ASHES,
and BROKEN SPIRIT. Readers liked
that series best, and I’ve continued with titles that start with G-H-I-J-K-L
and so on.
Kathy: How do you share your faith with your writing?
My books are women’s inspirational ones with God’s plan of
salvation or by showing how a character changes or grows spiritually through
Christ’s influence in her life or with a sermon in the story or with a
character sharing her testimony.
I’m a Christian, live a Christian life, and serve God as a
Christian in everything every day and my books show that. I attend church
faithfully and study the scripture, prepare the lesson and the handouts to
teach the weekly women’s Bible study at church. The Bible is our textbook.
Kathy: Do you have a writing schedule that works
for you? How do you balance your writing with other responsibilities?
I’m a very early riser between 4 and 5. After prayer, Bible
study, and devotions. I spend 20 minutes on my treadmill. Then I write about
thirty-forty minutes, and then on my treadmill another 20 minutes and write
another thirty-forty. By the time I’ve
completed an hour and twenty minutes on the treadmill and three to four hours
of writing, I cook lunch. Afternoons are spent running errands, visiting or
calling family or friends, or I might have lunch with a friend instead of cook.
I normally write 4 hours in the late afternoons and evenings.
This schedule is not cast in stone. I keep it most of the
time so I am always ahead of myself. If
a friend or family member needs or wants me to do something, I’m rarely behind
and can easily drop everything and take a day off, but even then I still write
some that day.
Kathy: Where do you find your story ideas?
All my stories came from people, incidents, and places that
I’ve written in my journal during the years I spent in Africa. To help keep my
missionary friends who are still there safe, I changed the names of all the
places and people. You will not find any of the African countries in my books
on maps.
I lived in some
dangerous places during treacherous times, in which cameras were banned and no
one was permitted to write anything about the country or anything that was
seen. Over the years I’ve used these stories and incidents in my novels.
Kathy: Tell us about one of your favorite
authors.
I have several favorite authors, and I read while I’m on my
treadmill.
God and the authors of His Word, Francine Rivers, Dee Henderson,
Victoria Thompson, Terri Blackstock, Jeanette Oke, Irene Hannon, Karen
Kingsbury, and Grace Livingstone Hill.
Kathy: Can you share with us about your latest
book?
FREAK TO FANATIC started out as a biography to answer
all the questions people have asked me, primarily “How did a girl like you end
up as a missionary?”
It turned into a devotion book, and the last section of it
are memoirs from thirteen years in Nigeria.
As a writer I’m what professionals call a “By the seat of
your pants,” author. I lay hands on my
computer every morning and pray that the words, thoughts, and messages I write
will honor and glorify God.
Kathy: Are you already planning your next book?
I’m always writing but God hasn’t given me a specific plot
for my next book. It will be the “m” book MAYHEM, MURDER, MADNESS, or
MASSACRES. Having worked thirteen years in Nigeria in which there were three
military coup d’etats and an increasing Islamic influence in the leadership,
I’m familiar with terror and violence. So far I have twelve pages of notes.
WHAT IS YOUR GOAL AS A WRITER?
I had no phone or Internet while in Africa. Some of the “Internet cafes” in the large
cities were getting started when I retired. So I’m computer illiterate.
Since I enjoy writing so much and had so many stories from
Africa that were hand-written in my journals, I wanted to retire, write books,
and give them away.
While in Africa, I forgot that books cost money. Still, I
started buying a few of my books to give away. Praise God for helping me give
away seven out of every ten books that I buy.
We can’t outgive God. Half the people who read the books later give me a
donation, which I use to buy more books to give away. God is good all the time and good to all of
us. Amen.
PS I do not advertise or market. but
missionaries are easy to find and so am I.
celestecharlene
| celestialsafaris.wordpress.com
celeste charlene.amazon.com
Or celestecharlene777@gmail.com
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