3rd MOST LIFE CHANGING BOOK of 2007 is...

ONE SHENANDOAH WINTER by T. DAVIS BUNN!

One Shenandoah Winter is the moving story set in another time and place about certain individuals in a poor mountain community with the need for a doctor. A doctor answers the call and comes to work there, but though his efforts are appreciated, his bedside manner leaves the little community perplexed and leaves assistant mayor, Connie, riled. Poppa Joe is one of the original community members and at age 83 now, still wanting to be fully independent. He takes the doctor under his wing and that is the beginning of harsh judgements on all sides being uncovered and even found unbased. Forgiveness and redemption from the past are strong in this book and you will find yourself wanting to change your world in small ways when you are finished with this one!

Now remember, these books don't have to have been released in 2007, just read by me in 2007... that is important to note because "One Shenandoah Winter" was released in 1998 and is sadly out of print :-( although Davis Bunn did mention to me that the publisher is thinking about doing a re-release in another year or two, so obviously the publisher knows its good too! If you are able to get your hands on this book I highly recommend it - I will be giving away an extra copy I got my hands on (yeah! though its not new, its worth it :-) and Davis has agreed to give away a copy of one of the more recent books he talks about in his interview "My Soul To Keep" - so when you enter this drawing you are entering for a chance at two different books! Now lets meet T. Davis Bunn...

1) Sometimes people think of authors as being bigger than life and not "real", so I thought we would start off with a very important question, one that will show people just how real you are! "What dessert can you not resist when it is time to indulge?"

I can lose myself in anything chocolate, but my all-time favorite is a dessert my wife calls 'la bomba'. It's a French thing where the outside is a fresh-baked flourless bittersweet chocolate brownie, and at its center is a cube of pure bitter chocolate that melts while the outside cooks. Top that with vanilla ice cream and I'll follow you anywhere.

2) I picked "One Shenandoah Winter" as one of my Top 7 Most Life Changing Books of 2007 because the character development and plot lines that you wove in this story were amazing and so real! You mentioned that this book was really a stepping stone in character development to other books you have written since then. Tell us about one of your recent books that "One Shenandoah Winter" influenced...

This past September, Bethany House released a book entitled 'My Soul To Keep'. It's my second book taking place inside Hollywood (the first was 'Heartland', released in 2006). To my mind, this marks a real triumph for me as a writer, where a lot of the character and spiritual concepts I began working on in 'One Shenandoah Winter' were taken to a new artistic level. As you can tell, I'm pretty pleased with this one.

3) "One Shenandoah Winter" is out of print (released in 1998) but well worth the read if you can find it, but your life as an author extends well before and well after this one book and many people might remember a collaboration you did with Janette Oke on "Another Homecoming" and "Return To Harmony" and the "Song of Acadia" series. But the number of books you have written alone is amazing, what projects are you currently working on?

Right now I alternate between a book for the mainstream, which has a strong Christian moral, and a book for the Christian audience, which has a solid Christian message. I have just completed first drafting my next manuscript for Bethany House, entitled 'All Through The Night'. This is a really vulnerable time for me, no matter how many books I write. The baby is with outsiders now, learning to toddle around on its own two legs. In about a month I'll get it back, dressed in clothes I didn't buy, and talking words I didn't teach it, and I'll be asked by my editors to redo this or change that, and ohhhh, it's haaaard. Writing a lot of books doesn't change this bit at all. It's soooooo hard.

4) In "One Shenandoah Winter" a main theme that really impacted me was how Connie realized that she was very judgmental to people even though she didn't know the whole story. She started changing that and I realized that I too can tend to be judgmental when its not my place and like Connie, after I read this book, I wanted to change that about me. Do you find themes like this a starting point in your books, or do they just start to work their way into a book as you write?

In some cases I will start a book with nothing clear in my mind and heart except the theme. Sometimes it's the theme and one really powerful image or scene. Like, in 'The Quilt', I knew it was to be a story about giving thanks, because that is one of the big lessons my grandmother taught me, and I wanted to model a character after my mother's mother. And then I decided that Miss Mary had to die, and she would do it before her work was done, so the last gift she gave to others was of this unfinished work, the responsibility to carry on for others.

Thanks for taking the time in your very busy deadline schedule to talk with us today, how can people reach you if they have enjoyed your writing as much as I have?


You are very welcome, and thank you! My email address is DBunn01@aol.com, and my website is http://www.davisbunn.com/

Remember to post a comment if you would like the opportunity to win one of Davis' books and good luck!