Virginia Vaughan Interview

Q: How did you get your start writing fiction and what genre do you predominantly write in?

A: I have always loved making up stories and acting them out in my head. I was twenty years old before I actually put pen to paper and started writing them down. And I spent many more years after that writing and rewriting, honing my craft…and working up the courage to allow someone else to see what I’d written. It took a while to put myself out there and try to publish but now that I have, I mostly write romantic suspense. Reunion Mission is my third book with Love Inspired Suspense and the second book in my Rangers Under Fire series.

Q: What does your writing space look like? (Attach a picture if possible)

A: I do a lot of my writing in a spare room I’ve claimed as my office. It has lots of windows that look out onto the backyard and a great view of the rain when it falls (I love to watch the rain!) You can also generally find my three year old black lab curled up in a chair keeping me company while I’m working.

Q: In this busy world, how do you find time to connect with God and how does this impact your writing?

A: Making time to keep my relationship with God is vital to my writing. Because I write Christian fiction, the spiritual journey is vital to the growth of my characters. Aside from reading my Bible, I enjoy listening to Christian music or podcasts on my way to work in the mornings. God really uses those quiet times in the car to speak to me.

Q: What part of a writing career do you find most difficult?

A: One of the things I didn’t expect before I got published is how busy I would be. Time management is definitely the most difficult issue I face. Deadlines, research, coming up with new stories ideas and putting together proposals take a lot of my time. Add family obligations and my day job to the mix and my life is hectic. But I don’t plan on slowing down any time soon. I’m truly blessed to be doing something I love.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release REUNION MISSION?

A: Lured into a dark classroom, high school teacher Claire Kendall stumbles over the body of a dead student—and into the clutches of the killer. Certain she’s about to die, Claire is shocked when DEA agent Matt Ross bursts in and rescues her. The former army ranger who broke her heart ten years ago is back in town to bust a drug trafficking ring operating at the school. With Claire being framed for the young informant’s murder, she has to put aside their past and trust her handsome ex to keep her safe. But someone is dead set on bringing their hometown reunion to a permanent end.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

A: I love military heroes and spend a lot of my research reading up on the Special Forces teams and their missions. I met my hero, Matt Ross, in the first book in the series Yuletide Abduction when the rangers came together to help their friend. Matt was the calm, cool type and I knew something dark lurked beneath his all business exterior. I had a blast digging out his deep, dark secrets in this book.

Q: Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her.

A: Former army ranger Matt Ross is not what he seems. He hides inside of him a lot of pain and guilt about an incident from his youth—a car wreck on prom night that left his girlfriend injured and him guiltily fleeing town. Now his own injuries sustained in an ambush have pushed him out of the army. He is working for the DEA tracking down a drug ring that has invaded his hometown when he stumbles across his old girlfriend standing over the dead body of one of her students and becomes the killer’s next target. Matt must put aside his guilt over the past to help protect her from a threat now. But the longer he’s around Claire, the more his emotions threaten to come spilling out. He must stare down the past in order to save Claire’s future and hopefully finally find redemption in her eyes.

Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Least?

A: As I said before, I loved digging into Matt’s past and watching him deal with painful issues from the wreck and his guilt over leaving Claire when she needed him most. But what surprised me was how difficult a character Claire was to tackle. She didn’t open up easily about her pain from the past.

Q: What is the main theme or spiritual message of this book?

A: This story is all about second chances. Our God is the Great Restorer and He wants to heal us from our past mistakes if we’ll just allow Him to do so. One of my favorite verses is Joel 2:25 which says, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” Matt believed he was unredeemable after the wreck, but God found a way to use him in spite of his past mistakes.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A.I have a busy year ahead! My next book in the Rangers Under Fire series will be released in August 2016. It is called Ranch Refuge and features Colton’s story, another ranger you may remember from the first book in the series. I also just finished writing book four which is titled Mistletoe Reunion Threat. It’s another reunion romance and the hero is Garrett Lewis who makes an appearance in Reunion Mission. It will be out in December.

Q: If you could have dinner with 2 people, who would they be?

A: The first one is easy—my dad. He died five years ago and never had the opportunity to see me published, and one of the things I miss most about him is sitting around the table listening to him tell stories. My second choice would have to someone from the Bible, perhaps Paul or Miriam. I would love to know how they kept their faith even through all their suffering.

Q: Do you have a favorite hobby?

A: Like most writers, I enjoy anything with a good story—books, movies, television. I also spend a lot of time with family, especially my sweet, little great-nephews who are like my own grandchildren. I’m the aunt who always gives books for Christmas and birthdays. I love seeing their excitement over reading.

Q: What is the most rewarding thing you have ever done?

A: My two sons are my greatest accomplishments. They’ve grown into fine, young men and I am deeply proud of them. Other than being a parent and aunt, I find writing to be the most rewarding thing I’ve done. God has blessed me with this gift and my desire is to use it to glorify Him.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A: My website has all the information about my books at www.virginiavaughanonline.com. Readers can also connect with me atfacebook.com/ginvaughanbooks or on Twitter @gin_vaughan.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A: I’ve enjoyed being here! Thanks for having me, Susan. I look forward to sharing more of the rangers with you all in future books.