An Interview with Noelle Marchand

Hi everyone! It's my great pleasure to welcome my fellow Love Inspired Historical author Noelle Marchand to Lady Scribes today. Noelle's latest work, The Runaway Bride, hits shelves this month. Before we start the interview, here's a brief background sketch about Noelle:

Author Noelle Marchand

Noelle Marchand's love of literature began as a child when she would spend hours reading beneath the covers long after she was supposed to be asleep. Over the years, God began prompting her to write. Eventually, those stories became like "fire shut up in her bones" leading her to complete her first novel by her sixteenth birthday.

Noelle is a Houston-native with a Bachelor Degree in Mass Communication with a focus in Journalism and Speech Communication.

Hmm. When I was sixteen I think I had written one poem! I am so impressed with all Noelle has accomplished at such a young age! On to the interview...

LG: Noelle, you mentioned that you wrote your first novel when you were 16. What was it about? What happened to it?

NM: Great question! It was a contemporary inspirational romance set in Houston, Texas about a guy winning back the girl he loves after he’d walked away from her. I knew when I started it at fifteen that it was probably going to be my “starter novel” but I sent it to a publisher anyway. I received one of those stock rejection letters, filed the manuscript in my desk drawer, and started on my debut novel which was the project I was really excited about. That first book is still in that drawer but I plan to dust it off and send it back in time to WWII for a rewrite one of these days.

LG: When did you make your first sale? What was it like when you finally got The Call?

NM: I made my first sale a few weeks before I turned 21. I didn’t have an agent so the whole process from sending off the proposal to getting the call took about nine months. I was nervous, excited, impatient— you name it during those months. When I finally got The Call I did a full-fledged snoopy dance with a little moonwalking thrown in. It definitely seemed surreal. It still does sometimes.

LG: Your books center on the American West--specifically Texas. As a Texas girl myself, I'd like to know what inspires you to write about our great state.

NM: It just makes for a great setting. It has a very rich, slightly wild, and interesting history having been under six different flags. The landscape is varied (rolling hills, deserts, swamplands, beaches) but tied together by that huge Texas sky. For writers that can translate to potential stories about quaint small towns or bustling big cities, outlaws or lawmen, cowboys and even pirates.

LG: Have you ever lived outside of Texas? If so, what did you miss most about it?

NM: I haven’t lived outside of Texas but I have taken trips out of a state. They taught me to appreciate the warmth, hospitality, and friendliness of Texans. Living here, it’s easy to take for granted that strangers smile at each other on the street and have random conversations with each other. I like that pace of life is less frenzied and more relaxed even in a big city like Houston.

LG: Besides writing about the west, what other time periods/genres would you ever want to write about?

NM: I have always been interested in the WWII era. The Golden Age of Piracy, American Revolution, Antebellum South, all hold special appeal to me. In other words, nothing is off-limits. I’ll stick to romance for a while but may eventually write some non-fiction as well.

LG: What's up next on your writing horizon?

NM: I have another book in this unofficial series coming out March 2013. I’m still in the editorial process for that. I’m also in the beginning stage of writing a novel involving the Underground Railroad.

LG: OK, I have to ask--if you couldn't write, what would you do?

NM: Ah! That’s a scary thought. Lol. Honestly? I probably would have pursued a career as a ballet and/or contemporary dancer. That was my other passion as a teen.  I was actually pretty good.

LG: Any advice to your fellow writers out there, whether published or unpublished?

NM: Read what you want to write. Figure out what makes your favorite books special. Is it the hero and heroine, the author’s writing style, the setting etc? Use those elements to improve your own writing. At the same time, don’t be afraid to do what’s never been done.

Thank you for stopping by, Noelle! To stay in touch with Noelle, you can follow her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter. Noelle is very generously giving away a copy of The Runaway Bride to a lucky Lady Scribes commenter today! Be sure to leave a comment with your name and email address to be considered for the drawing. Here's just a taste of this novel to intrigue you:

The only husband Lorelei Wilkins ever wanted was Sean O'Brien, but she's wasted too much time waiting for him to love her back. When another man proposes, she accepts—until she stands at the altar…and realizes she can't marry without love. Bolting out of town toward a fresh start, she never suspected her parents would send Sheriff O'Brien to bring her home!

After an innocent mistake leaves Lorelei and her reluctant rescuer with compromised reputations, marriage is their only option. But first they must triumph over suspicious locals, shady characters, an inconvenient groom and the bride's own stubborn heart. Will it take putting their lives on the line for Sean and Lorelei to realize that only love can conquer all?

 

Thanks again for stopping by Lady Scribes, Noelle! It's a pleasure to host such a talented authoress.