My guest this week on the Summer Spotlight Series is author Carol McClain. Thanks, Carol, for being here!

Versatile.

Others say weird.

In truth, McClain’s wacky and wonderful.

As a youth, she believed herself an odd-ball, craved being like others. She even practiced writing in clichés because her classmates did, and if they thought the phrases were cool, they had to be.

Fortunately, that phase passed, and she now celebrates her own diversity. She plays bassoon, creates stained glass, enjoys high ropes, loves to run and, of course, she writes.

For thirty years she attempted to teach teenagers the joys of the English language. Judging from the prevalence of confusion with their, they’re and there–not to mention your and you’re and the rest, she hasn’t succeeded much. She’s now on a quest to make magic with her own words.

McClain writes women’s fiction and has three novels published with Desert Breeze Publishing: DWF: Divorced White Female, Waters of Separation and The Poison We Drink.

She’s a member of ACFW and active in the arts community in her adopted hometown of Jacksboro, Tennessee.

In her spare time she mentors recovering addicts, teaches children’s Sunday school, boats, and hikes the Smoky Mountains. During festival season, she and her husband, Neil, sell their work at the art fairs.

You can find her at www.carolmcclain.com.

Her books are available online wherever books are sold. And easy-to-find listing of the three can be found at here.

Her most recent novel is The Poison We Drink.

Summer is too short to labor over ponderous tomes. This novel will sweep you up in its drama and keep those pages zipping. You’ll not want to leave the beach until the last page has been read.

How do you forgive the unforgivable? Torie Sullivan wrecks her car in a drunken fury and is rescued by a man she used to bully in middle school. Their worlds collide when Adam Benedict, now a paramedic, discovers Torie is homeless. He provides living accommodations for Torie with his girlfriend, Maya Vitale. The three unlikely friends must conquer their pasts to have a future. But some wrongs are too hard to overcome.

This novel sweeps you up in its tale of love, hatred and redemption. Readers say it is a 10/10–a must read.

Carol was kind to answer some of my questions.

Which of your characters have you most related to and why?

I most related to Anna Haas in Waters of Separation. First, I’m a firm believer in Fair Trade. Our overseas trade agreements hide the fact that we don’t pay foreign workers a living wage—thus the labor’s cheap.

Slavery is hidden in the production of goods, as well. We need to become cognizant of that.

However, on a deeper level, I have to learn to trust God more, just as Anna did. Her key Scripture in Waters is John 8:32, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Only by faith in God’s Word will we truly be free to be all we were meant to be.

Can you tell readers one thing they may not know about you?

I’m a kidney donor. About fifteen years ago, my youngest brother started the quest for a new kidney. The doctor said the testing was to have things in place for some time in the future. That future showed up about four months later.

It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done and have had no complications because of it.

If you know someone who needs a kidney, pray about it and consider being a living donor. A kidney from a live donor has a better chance of taking and functioning well. Also, a transplant before dialysis begins is more effective.

What do you have planned next in your writing future?

I’m currently writing a book located in Stinking Creek, Tennessee. It’s time travel without leaving the current century. A New York artist suddenly finds herself living in Stinking Creek. Her best friend is as conservative as she is liberal—and they won’t recognize they’re best friends, and in reality the same type of woman until that dark moment.

It’s funny and dramatic and wonderful.

What is the take-home message you want readers to discover in your latest novel, The Poison We Drink?

Forgiveness has nothing to do with the perpetrator of the wrong. Forgiveness sets the wounded one free. Torie Sullivan, the protagonist, faced horrors no person should have to face. It left her lost and bitter with a ruined life. Friendship and faith intertwine themselves in a deeply moving and satisfying tale of redemption.

I have learned so much about you, Carol! Thanks for sharing, and I love your cover for The Poison We Drink. The color scheme is beautiful! Best of luck in your writing career!

Stay tuned in to the Summer Spotlight Series here on saralfoust.com. Up next week, Author Kristen Terrette.