Candace Calvert interview and BOOK GIVEAWAY

Candace thanks for taking the time to visit us today! I appreciate you answering these few questions. It will be fun to get to know you better. Tell us a little about yourself.
It’s my pleasure to be your guest, Wanda, and to have a chance to connect with your readers. I’d love to have them “scrub in” with my Mercy Hospital team!

How long did you write before you were published?
Like most writers, I began early: all those girlish diaries and adolescent journals—which in my case contained actual history, from the JFK assassination to man’s first walk on the moon! My first published work was an inspirational essay in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul. After completing my first novel, I queried 100 agents . . . and received 99 rejections. (The fabulous) Natasha Kern signed me in late 2002 and sold my first humorous mystery in 2005. In 2008, I followed my heart to write for the Christian fiction market . . . and found a “home” with Tyndale House.

Tell us about “Code Triage,” the featured book.
My agent and I wrote this back cover copy together:
Dr. Leigh Stathos likes her ER shifts fast, furious and adrenaline-infused, “Treat ‘em and street ‘em” with no emotional complications. Life’s taught her a soul-rending lesson: nothing lasts forever, including marriage. The clock is ticking toward the end of hers. Then an unwelcome confrontation with “the other woman” begins a whole new set of lessons.

San Francisco police officer Nick Stathos never gives up, whether protecting his patrol neighborhood, holding fast to faith—or trying to save his marriage. Seven days is all he has to reach Leigh’s heart. But when a desperate act of violence slams Golden Gate Mercy Hospital into lockdown, it starts a chain of events that will change lives forever.


Is there any person who has been a strong influence in your writing journey?
I’d have to say it was my father, a charismatic storyteller who could keep me enthralled by tales that included everything from “magic glow worms” to talking leaves. His stubborn tenacity was a genetic gift that helped me through those 99 rejections!

What message do you want to be clear to your readers?
My tagline is “RX: Hope.” And that’s what my stories offer. I think it’s just what the doctor ordered in these challenging times.

What are some of your likes and dislikes? Your hobbies, interests? Where do you like to vacation?
I dislike so few things . . . except for selfishness, TV game shows, and Escargot—can’t get past the garden pest aspect of that fancy dish! People who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that I love to cook and bird watch, and that I’m my husband’s biggest Karaoke fan. We are enthusiastic travelers and particularly like to cruise. I’ve been blessed to enjoy adventures that found me hiking Alaskan rainforests, swimming with stingrays, singing with a Newfoundland band, paddling the canals of Venice . . . and climbing aboard a camel at the Pyramids.

Tell us a little-known fact about yourself that readers may not know.
On an impulse, I went skydiving—dropping 13,000 feet from an airplane. And still ask myself, “What were you thinking?”

How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?
I’m fairly compulsive and approach my writing goals with a concrete plan: chapters per week (and thus words per day) to complete a book at least a month before deadline. I wrote the books in the Mercy series 6 months apart, but think 9 months allows for a more life-friendly experience. After all, experiencing life is the best way to generate story ideas.

What are you currently reading?
I’m reading Leanna Ellis’ (quirky, delightful) women’s fiction novel, Facelift.

Do you grow flowers or vegetables? What are your favorite flowers?
I grow both, and agree with my agent Natasha Kern that “Angels live in the garden.” For fragrance, sweet peas are my favorite. For flamboyant color, I love Zinnias. We’ve recently moved to a home that has a rose garden, and it stirs wonderful memories of my mother.

What are you writing now?
The first book in my proposed Grace Hospital series, (working title) Trauma Plan.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
I welcome readers to visit me at my website www.candacecalvert.com , on Facebook at Candace Calvert Books, and on Twitter @CandaceCalvert.

And thanks for spending this time with us, Candace.
We wish you much success.
My delight, Wanda. Thank you for hosting me! I look forward to signing a copy of Code Triage for your drawing winner.



Former ER nurse Candace Calvert gives readers a chance to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine. Her new Mercy Hospital Series for Tyndale House offers charismatic characters, pulse-pounding action, tender romance, humor, suspense--and an encouraging prescription for hope. Think “Grey’s Anatomy finds its soul.” A wife, mother, and proud grandmother, Candace makes her home in northern California.



To win a copy of the book Code Triage
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Entry Deadline November 1, 2010