Welcome Our New Author-Janet Christensen!
It’s the first week of December, and all through the office, Christmas music is playing as we sing loud the chorus!
We’re closed to new queries, new business, and new tasks while we wrap up the year and give thanks for the 2017 blast!
But, today, we wanted to celebrate yet again, the addition of a new member to our circle of author friends!
Okay, you’ll have to forgive my lack of talent in the rhyming department, but it’s the holiday season, my absolute favorite, AND, I’m excited to share some good news with you all.
Please help me offer a Texas-sized welcome to Little Lamb Books’ newest author… Janet L. Christensen!
When we were first introduced to Janet during a #FaithPitch event, we thought maybe our roster was too full to add to in 2017 (truly a great problem blessing to have, y’all!!). But, God’s timing is wonderful, and after receiving her manuscripts, getting to know her, and sorting through the details, it became clear that our year would not be complete unless Janet joined our family.
Originating from Rapid City, South Dakota, Janet is married to her high school sweetheart and has two teen-age boys. As a family who is in ministry, Janet works in human resources for their local hospital, but her passion to write has lead her to have a short story, titled “Jump”, published in Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone by Chicken Soup for the Soul this year as well as to have a children’s fiction piece be named a finalist in the Oregon Christian Writers’ Cascade Awards in 2016.
Janet’s beautiful Christmas picture book, The Littlest Star, will be available this time next year! We can’t wait! I’m sharing a short interview with her here on the blog, so you can all get to know her better, but you can also currently follow Janet on her website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
Where do you call home? Rapid City, South Dakota is our current home, although we have spent 8 years in Meridian, Idaho. We consider it our second home!
Where is your favorite place to write? I love to write outside on my back deck. I find it so centering to listen to the birds and the breeze through the pines first thing in the morning with a steaming cup of tea. In the winter months, on my couch in front of the fireplace is where I write. It is a close second.
What are your favorite kids’ books (or authors)? I am a huge fan of Dr. Seuss! I just love the melodic rhyming. I was raised with a nightly dose of Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now?, and Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, along with others. I can still quote my favorite lines today (even though I can’t remember where I last put my keys, but that is a different story.) I also really like The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.
Who is your favorite fictional hero(ine)? My favorite heroine would be Scarlett O’Hara. She is strong, determined, and won’t be defeated by her situation.
What is your life motto? I think it would be, “Let Your Light Shine.” I am a very positive person and I feel compelled to share that joy with others. I start conversations with strangers I meet as I am walking down the street and frequently have a kind and encouraging word.
What do you think would be the main message or theme of your book? The Littlest Star is the story of the nativity, told through the eyes of a little star that witnessed the whole thing, and I think the theme is that it doesn’t matter how big or how small you are, God can choose you for great things. With God, ALL things are possible.
What do you think makes a good story? My favorite element of a good story is a flawed character. I like to be able to relate to their challenges. And the best part? Watching that flawed character overcoming those challenges! I love the potential that lives inside a flawed character. I also have to have a happy ending.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? I start all of my writing projects in composition books. I like the feel of a pen in my hand. I like to scratch out edits, move things around, etc. I also like to see where I have been. You never know, after four edits I may want to go back to the original.
What is your favorite scripture? Jeremiah 29:11, Joshua 1:9 and 2 Timothy 1:6-7-I feel like God has spoken these verses over my life at one time or another, and they have deeply impacted me. I can name the exact moments in my life when He led me to them, so powerful was the experience.
We are very honored to have Janet join Little Lamb Books, and I love the story of the nativity told through the eyes of The Littlest Star. It’s really going to be hard to wait until Christmas 2018 for it to be in your hands! Don’t forget to subscribe to Janet’s blog, and also be sure to visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, and catch up on all our latest news. We have so many amazing titles and God-sized testimonies to share in 2018!
Lambie Love,
Rachel