Grace Awards Showcase: Victory by DeEtte Beckstead

Victory is the story of a little girl, and the town where she lives. The town of Victory has a history of patriotism, faith, and friendliness. The little girl, Brown Eyes, orphaned when her missionary parents were killed in a fire, lives with her only known relative who does not want the girl. When The Guest comes to town, the people open their hearts and town to him, without knowing who he is or what is motive is. Shortly after his arrival, The Stranger appears, much to the discomfort of The Guest. Slowly, the town loses its freedoms as one of the men takes over little by little. When they have a face to face showdown on the mountain, the life of the child and the future of the town are at stake. Will freedom be a thing of the past? Who will have the Victory?

Available at Amazon

Interview with DeEtte

Hi, DeEtte. I'm so happy to feature you here as part of the Grace Awards Showcase Tour. I know Victory is not your only novel. You've also written one called The Christmas Visitors. I've wondered, in which genre do you classify your books?

Both are Christian fiction, paranormal. There are no ghosts, werewolves, or zombies, but there are demons and angels. 

What made you decide to write in your particular genre?

It just sort of happened that way. Once I started writing, the story wrote itself. I am a Christian with strong faith, and it came from that. 

What compelled you to write Victory?

When I was writing for NaNo in 2007, I started with a description of the day. The story moved on to the scene with the pigeon. It was just a few days after my real encounter with a pigeon who had crashed into the apartment roof, so that was added. The rest just grew from there. 

So is Christian paranormal your favorite genre to read also, or do you have other favorites?

I like to read Christian fiction, historical fiction, and classics mostly. There are some I have read by my fellow authors that I have really enjoyed, even though I wouldn't have chosen that genre for myself.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Crocheting is one of my hobbies. All my grandchildren have toys and clothes I have made for them. They will often ask me to make them something special, and I will do it. I also crochet dog sweaters, afghans, shawls, and doilies. Right now I am making a butterfly swag for one of my granddaughters with over 30 different crocheted butterflies on a crocheted vine.

In my free time.... what is that? I always seem to have something I need to be doing, but I like to read, watch old movies, play with my grandkidlings, or crochet. I also love to visit historical sites!

Oh, visiting historical sites sounds like great fun to me! So with your experience, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write about what you love. Don't worry about making it all work to start with; just write. There will be time later to go back and make corrections, adjustments, deletions. Write what you feel. There is that old saying “Strike while the iron is hot.” When you know you have something to write, get it written then. Carry a notebook and pen with you to make notes or write complete scenes if you are away from the keyboard.

If a word count is important, don't fill in with words that don't add to the story. Just write. Once the first draft is finished, you can go back.

Don't be afraid of editors; they are your friends, there to help you make your story the best it can be.

Find the method that works for you and stick with it, even though your best writing buddy may use a different style. If you need to write an outline and character sketches first, do so. If you write better just sitting down and writing, do that.

Whether or not you ever get anything published, you are a writer if you write.

Visit DeEtte and find out more about her life and writing at her blog:

deetteanderton.wordpress.com