Interview with author Tracey Bateman!

Captain's Log, Supplemental

I have the super-cool privilege of interviewing Tracey Bateman this month!

CT: You wrote for moms. What do you want to say to that demographic?

TB: You're not alone! Honestly, I'm not super mom. I forget about school assignments (and as I write this I just remembered my son has a pyramid due tomorrow that we haven't started on yet. SIGH. we need cardboard, box cutters, paints, all for the outside and we have to make all the inside stuff that went in a pyramid.), I dread awards ceremony day at the end of school because with four kids it takes HOURS. I want to scream when they fight, and often do. Moms on TV are so wise and even the bad ones turn out good by the end of the thirty minute sitcom. But hey, let's be real. Not all of us can multitask well. I've even left two of my kids (at different times) at church. I'm just glad they're all old enough to use the phone now. :) So basically I want to take the pressure of perfection off of moms. Sheesh. Let's give ourselves a break. My mom wasn't perfect (sorry mom, but you weren't) and look how I turned out. :)

CT: Where would you like to see your writing going, in terms of genre and scope, in the next several years?

TB: I like the idea of crossing to the ABA. I'm not sure it will happen any time soon. But I'd like to do something similar to Jan Karon and Charlene Baumbich. They effectively share the gospel as they entertain, but it's goodness and light wrapped up in entertainment. With my current publisher, I feel like there is that opportunity to eventually move in that direction. But mostly, I just want to stay on course and walk out my purpose. God is in charge. He is sovereign. My life isn't my own.

CT: Do your kids influence your writing at all? How? How about hubby?

TB: They do in some ways. For instance, the four kids in CLAIRE are all the ages and sexes of mine with very similar personalities. but there are a lot of things that are made up too. Situations are from my mind. They never happened. Just the personalities and character traits are similar.

CT: What was the funnest part of writing LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE?

TB: Claire is just so easy to write. Even when I get stumped, I can get right back on track. It's just the character and story that I've been given to write. I know the end before I start, so I'm working toward somethng. I would wake up with funny scenes in my head. It's like God just blessed the book. The second book wasn't as easy. But I am finding with the third book that my stride is back.

CT: How do you handle writing in the midst of your crazy-busy schedule?

TB: Drugs and alcohol. NOT REALLY!! You just have to do what you have to do. This is my job. ACFW is what I do for Jesus and for others right now in place of church ministry, and my family has to be fed. Deadlines have to be met or God only knows what might happen. :)

CT: What's your favorite scene from LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE?

TB: Her darkest moment that leads to her resolution. It involves a baby cradle, but I don't want to say anything beyond that in case someone is reading the interview that hasn't read the book. :)

CT: How did you choose your characters' names in LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE?

TB: I don't know. They just popped into my head. Except for Claire. We had a democratic candidate for state auditor who had all these signs up all over the roads. And her name is Claire. :) I was playing around with some first person jounaling of this character and realized when I decided to put a proposal together that her name couldn't be "I". CLaire was as good a name as any. And as soon as I wrote it, I knew that was her name. Just felt right.

CT: Is there going to be a sequel?

TB: Yep two more--you know CBA publishers do things in threes. I think it has something to do with the Trinity. Claire knows Best comes out in June and I Love Claire releases next January. There is a fourth optioned, but I don't know if we'll ever get around to it. I guess if the masses clamor for more, I'll do it. :)

CT: If you were a fast-food item, what would you be and why?

TB: Gimme a break

CT: What books do you like to read?

TB: I like lots of books. I love Gone With the Wind. ANYTHING by Angela Hunt. All of Francine Rivers' novel-length books. I love really good chicklit, but I've mainly read ABA. I love Kristin Billerbeck Chick. And Rachel Hauck's chick lit is fabulous.

CT: Confession time: what's your weirdest habit?

TB: I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you.

CT: Do you cook and why or why not? What's your most famous (or infamous) dish?

TB: Oh yeah. I do. I love to cook for my family. Just my way of saying, "I love you, now go eat and let me work." I make great cajun food. Well, great for a yankee. My cajun family would say it's not the best. But we love it. And it beats restaurant Cajun. Gumbo. I also make great manicotti and homemade shrimp pizza.

More on the interview tomorrow!

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

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Camy’s Worsted Cotton Comfortable Skirt with Lace Edging knitting pattern

I made my original Comfortable Cotton Skirt with a simple eyelet round at the bottom, but this one has a simple antique garter stitch lace edging, “Edging to Trim the Body and Sleeves” on page 43 of the book New Guide to Knitting and Crochet , published in 1847. You can download a free ebook copy of the book here . The edging was originally to trim a Baby’s Knit Body, but I have no idea what that is. :P If you do, please do leave a comment. I also changed the hip increases to 4 distinct darts rather than 8 sections, but if you prefer the hip increases from my original Comfortable Cotton skirt, you can substitute that. Like the original Comfortable skirt, this one is cotton for summer, and loose for casual wear. It has a little positive ease and is only slightly flared. The waist is drawstring rather than elastic so that I can loosen it on my fat days or after pigging out at my favorite restaurant. This pattern/recipe is for my size, but there are instructions at the bottom for

One-Skein Pyrenees Scarf knitting pattern

I got into using antique patterns when I was making the scarf my hero wears in my Regency romance, The Spinster’s Christmas . I wanted to do another pattern which I think was in use in the Regency period, the Pyrenees Knit Scarf on pages 36-38 of The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, published in 1840. She is thought to be the first person to use knitting abbreviations, at least in a published book, although they are not the same abbreviations used today (our modern abbreviations were standardized by Weldon’s Practical Needlework in 1906). Since the book is out of copyright, you can download a free PDF copy of the book at Archive.org. I found this to be a fascinating look at knitting around the time of Jane Austen’s later years. Although the book was published in 1840, many of the patterns were in use and passed down by word of mouth many years before that, so it’s possible these are

Keriah's Narrow Crescent Scarf

In my series Lady Wynwood’s Spies, my character Keriah is more emotional than her friend Phoebe, and so when writing about her in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 6: Martyr , naturally I described her scarf as having more lively colors than the greens and blues that Phoebe favors. I didn’t really have a particular yarn colorway in mind when I wrote the scene, but when looking through my stash to knit her scarf, I found the Carnival colorway in Knit Picks Chroma Twist Fingering, and it was absolutely perfect for her. Chroma Twist Fingering is discontinued, but you could knit this in Chroma Fingering or any other color-transitional yarn. In the Regency era, a tri-color 3-ply yarn like Chroma Twist Fingering would probably not have been sold in shops, but it also may not have been completely unheard of. It is made by simply dying the wool rather than the finished yarn, and then the dyed wool would be split into 3 parts and each part spun into a single ply, before all three plies

The Robe by Wes King

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.07.2006 I’ve been developing the spiritual theme for this current project for a while, and I think I’ve finally nailed it down. This song has inspired me in my own walk, but then it occurred to me that it communicates the emotional theme for my WIP very well, too. The Robe by Wes King Anyone whose heart is cold and lonely Anyone who can't believe Anyone whose hands are worn and empty Come as you are Anyone whose feet are tired of walking And even lost their will to run There is a place of rest for your aching soul Come as you are For the robe is of God That will clothe your nakedness And the robe is His grace It's all you need Come as you are Anyone who feels that they're unworthy Anyone whose just afraid Come sinner, come and receive His mercy Come as you are For the robe is of God That will clothe your nakedness And the robe is His grace It's all you need Come as you are From the album: The Robe c1993 Emily Boothe, Inc. (BMI)/Careers-BMG Mus

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Grace Livingston Hill romances free on Google Books

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci

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Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter