Tuesday 6 September 2011

Author Spotlight -Writing Inspirational Fiction by Sadie Cuffe



An editor once told us in no uncertain terms (wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley), we don't write romance. So we hedge a little bit on our genre ID and usually call it Inspirational Women's Fiction. We like to write what we know and, hopefully, give our characters an authentic voice. We also like to write about women who aren't drop-dead gorgeous, or a size 2, or who can dismantle a car and fix it in the morning and put on an LBD and host an intimate dinner party with homemade French cuisine that night. (We wouldn't know about that!) We like to create ordinary places, characters, and storylines that not only reflect our roots but give voice to all the other rural gals out there who are living their own stories. Most real women don't wilt and swoon when a guy takes our hand. We can think for ourselves in a crisis and pack a verbal punch when necessary. Real life is stranger than fiction, if you can only capture it on paper.

We also like the freedom that comes with creating Christian characters who struggle to do the right thing and who don't have a pat, saccharine answer to all of life's challenges, but never give up their faith and never give up period. What do you think makes a great story? Check out our website at www.cuffesisters.com, or drop us a line at cuffesisters@myfairpoint.net. We'd love to hear from you!

4 comments:

  1. Hi. I think a great story is one that haunts you after you've finished reading it. One that challenges your preconceived ideas about God, life, people, yourself. A great story is one that changes you for the better.

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  2. Amen, sisters! I love romance, I too want to ride off into the sunset - but I can saddle my own horse, thank you! I do a lot of family genealogy, and I will say this - it isn't the famous folks (I don't have any! LOL) that make an interesting story, it's the common folk, doing the right thing, finding grit in the middle of adversity and sometimes falling out of faith - only to renew it stronger.

    Awesome blog post! Can't wait to read the book.

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  3. I like that you do what moves you and not try to stay in a 'genre' niche! That's spectacular!

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