Saturday Spotlight – C. H. Armstrong

The Bibliophagist Saturday Spotlight , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Saturday Spotlight – C. H. Armstrong

Thank you for coming to Saturday Spotlight to learn about and support a new author! I appreciate it and I know for sure they do. There are so many authors that are left out of the spotlight so this is my way of helping them to become recognized. I want to continue to help introduce you to new authors each week. If you are an author who would like to be featured please, feel free to contact me using the form below at the end of this post.

 

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Today, I am talking with C. H. Armstrong about her newest novel Roam. I am very happy for you to all read her interview questions! They were a lot of fun.

About the Author

 

C.H. Armstrong

 

 

 

I am a prolific writer and author of THE EDGE OF NOWHERE (2016), ROAM (Coming Feb. 5, 2019), and co-author of DÉJÀ YOU (2017).

An Oklahoma-native transplanted in Minnesota these last 26 years, I am a 1992 graduation of the University of Oklahoma and a rabid Oklahoma Sooner Football Fan. On most Saturdays from September through January, you can find me propped in front of the TV watching Sooner Football, or studying my smartphone for mobile updates from ESPN that give the current score of whomever OU is playing.

I’m a life-long lover of books and vehemently outspoken about banning and challenging books.

I’m blessed to come from an amazing extended family that begins with my father and his thirteen brothers and sisters. There is very little in this world more important to me than family.

 

 

C. H. Armstrong’s Novels

 

Remember to click on the image to read more about each book on Amazon.

 

Roam

RoamRoam

 

The Edge of Nowhere

The Edge of NowhereThe Edge of Nowhere

 

Déjà You: Stories of Second Chances

 

Déjà You: Stories of Second ChancesDéjà You: Stories of Second Chances

 

Chapter One: Featuring Selections from Penner Publishing’s Authors

 

Chapter One: Featuring Selections from Penner Publishing's AuthorsChapter One: Featuring Selections from Penner Publishing's Authors

Interview

Thank you so much for being here today! I am so excited to have you here on The Bibliophagist today. I know you have a new novel coming out and let’s be honest that’s exciting. I know many of your readers are looking forward to this interview so let’s get it started.

Can you tell readers a little bit about your story and how you created the idea?

The idea for ROAM came as a result of an assignment I was given to write a story for a local magazine about a soup kitchen that provided a weekly meal for the homeless and needy. Having the same preconceived notions about the homeless as I imagine most people do, I was nervous about attending and meeting the people. However, once there, I was so moved by the experience that I couldn’t get the people I’d met out of my head. I’d always assumed homeless people were “different” than myself—that they must have done something to become so destitute. Instead, I found people not so different from me at all. No, I’ve never truly wanted for money, but I realized that day how easy it can be to find ourselves in that position, and how lucky I was to never have been there. While there, I met a couple of kids who were close in age to my own children. Meeting those kids, I couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like to be a kid in the homeless community. High school is hard enough, and nobody wants to be “different.” I couldn’t stop imagining what it must be like to be that “different” from your classmates. It was through that reflection that the first words of ROAM were borne.

I volunteered at a soup kitchen as a teenager and loved it. I even gave up my daily meal to a little girl who told her mom that she was still hungry. I can only imagine how hard life would be. I am so happy that your novel addresses this, it is something many try to push aside when it really needs to be discussed.

What do you hope your readers will take away from this novel? What is the underlying message?

Understanding and empathy. I’m hoping that readers will put themselves, first, in Abby’s shoes as they walk alongside her in her experiences; and then, I hope it reminds them to step back and try to put themselves in the shoes of those around them. I’d like them to think about those who are different than themselves, and ask themselves “What might motivate that person to say/do that?” One of the things I’ve always tried to do is look at every situation as though I were on the opposite side of it, and ask myself if I’m handling things in the way I hope the other person would if our roles were reversed.

I could not agree more. These days there is a huge push among teenagers to have the best clothes, electronics, etc. They turn to mock those that have less rather than taking the time to think about their lives and take a walk in that person’s shoes. Those bullied then turn aggressive or block themselves off from the world. We need more compassion and understanding of what it would be like to be in their place.

What are some other novels that hit on some subject such as this that need more awareness?

It’s probably no secret by now that TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is my favorite book, and it’s no mistake that there are a lot of parallels drawn to it in ROAM. Reading TKAM as a teen, I was struck by Atticus’s direction to his children that you don’t really understand a person until you “walk around in his skin” for a bit, or until you try to understand the world from perspectives of another. So in writing ROAM, you could say I was very influenced by Harper Lee’s epic novel.

I love To Kill A Mockingbird as well! It really meant something to me when reading it the first time, just as it does now. I am excited to read roam and see what your new novel, a turning stone in societal issue recognition, will bring.

What are some of your thoughts on how others can help people such as Abby?

Helping the homeless and people like Abby starts with understanding. True, there are a lot of people who are homeless because of an issue such as substance abuse or mental health decline, but there’s a good number of people in the homeless community just because life took a right turn. So start with understanding. Volunteer in your community if you can. Donate food and clothing to places that benefit the destitute. Sometimes the only thing a person needs to find the strength to continue on is just a little bit of kindness.

I couldn’t agree more. A few years back when I worked at a Starbucks I organized a cold weather item drive for the local homeless. I was so happy when people would bring in old hats or gloves, even socks…things we take for granted. Compassion and understanding are essentials on your path to helping those in need. Do not be so quick to judge but do be quick to help when you can.

Writing this must have been difficult at times, can you tell us what the most difficult part of writing this book was and why?

When I’m writing, I “become” the main character in my head. When that happens, I feel every thought and heartbreak of the character. So to walk around in Abby’s head was sometimes a challenge. I remember that feeling as a teen of wanting to be just like everybody else, and the fact shew as different was emotionally painful for me. But I knew I was writing from the heart when, every time I edited certain passages, I found myself either crying along with her or rejoining.

That is what will make this novel so profound! The reader will be able to feel her emotions and really connect with her.

Being a teenager is difficult in and of itself, let alone the need to discover who you are as a person. What is one word of advice you would give to struggling teenagers?

High school and the teen years are fleeting. Sometimes it feels horrible at the moment, but know that this is just one phase of many in your life. The people who are unkind today could very well become your good friends tomorrow. From experience, I know that sometimes that means girl or that arrogant kid who seems carefree and has everything is often fighting their own demons that would shock you. Nobody’s perfect and everybody has issues. Some people are just better at hiding it than others.

Being a teenager and finding who you really are is difficult but I agree that it seems like forever when these years are fleeting. Most of the women who bullied me…I no longer have any contact with. Remember to be true to yourself and you can never really tell what someone else is going through.

What is your favorite, not writing related hobby? Why? How long have you been doing it and what got you started?

I’m an avid reader. If I could be on a deserted island, the only thing I’d need besides the basic essentials to survive is books. I like most genres, with the exception of science fiction, high fantasy, and non-fiction. And even then, I’ll once in a while find something in those genres.
Besides that, I really just enjoy watching my kids with their friends, whether that be while they’re doing a sport or just hanging out. I think I’m a teenage girl deep down inside and which I could hang out with them sometimes! Hah!

I too am an avid reader! I love watching my children, though they are younger. It is fun seeing how they grow into their own person and interact with others.

If you could choose a book character to be for a day who would you choose and why?

Hands down, I think I’d be Tris in DIVERGENT! I absolutely love that character. I love that she’s strong and refuses to back down. She’s a really well-written character and has many of the qualities I wish I’d been blessed with.
She really is a great character. I do love how she doesn’t back down!
A big question among readers…Ebook or physical copy? Why?
Depends upon what I’m doing, to be honest. There’s nothing quite like the smell and feel of a new book in my hands, but I love the idea of being able to crawl up in bed with a good book with the lights out. So they both serve a purpose, and it’s not uncommon for me to have the same book in both ebook and hard copy formats.

I agree too! I don’t own the same book in physical and ebook but that is a fantastic idea! I love the portability of ebooks and the small compactness of it but love the feel and smell of a physical book in my hands.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your writing/publishing journey?

I had no idea how amazing the writing community was! I always imagined writing as a very solitary pastime; but, in the last few years, I’ve learned that writers are very social, welcoming and helpful. I’ve made more wonderful friends among published and non published writers, and even those who’ve made it “big time” are just people like you and me.

That is the exact thing my in-laws say when I start to fangirl when an author I really love actually responds to my messages. They remind me they all put their pants on the say way in the morning.

 

 

 

 

Giveaway

C. H. Armstrong had been gracious enough to give away a physical copy of her book (US only…sorry).  Be sure to get those entries in, this is one book you do not want to miss.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

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