Interview with Fiction Writer, Melanie Dobson

Recently, I was talking with some college students about their summer fiction reading.  ”I often wonder how the book was born,” said one of them.  I’ve often asked that question myself.  In this interview, we get the chance to find out how a special work of fiction was born from the author herself, as well as what is her mission as a writer.

As you read Melanie Dobson’s interview, can you think of any other questions you would like to ask?  Leave a comment for her below and enter a chance to win a free copy of her novel in the month of Septermber.

Could you tell us about your latest novel?

Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana is part the new Summerside Press line featuring stories set in small towns across the country. This novel is about a Quaker woman named Anna Brent who runs a station on the secretive Underground Railroad in 1850 until her work is threatened by a slave hunter searching for a runaway girl.

I thoroughly enjoyed researching and writing this book, but even more exciting than writing it was going to Liberty and meeting the delightful people of this town. Several of them welcomed me into their home and let me crawl around in the secret places where the runaway slaves once hid.

How did you come up with the concept for this novel?

I grew up in a small town in Ohio that was once an active part of the Underground Railroad. My cousin’s home was rumored to have been a stop for runaway slaves, and as we played hide-and-seek in the cellar, I wondered what type of people lived there in the mid-1800s and why they would risk so much to help runaways.

As my interest in writing a novel about the mysterious Underground Railroad grew, we discovered Liberty, Indiana where multiple Quaker families had once harbored runaway slaves within their homes. The story for this novel formed out of the real-life stories of people who risked their property and their lives to aid those whom they considered “friends.”.

Did you have a favorite character? Who and why?

That’s a tough question, because as I wrote this book, I was cheering on all my main characters and what they were fighting for. Marie is probably closest to my heart because she is a young runaway slave who is risking everything to get her baby boy to Canada. She is terrified that her son will be caught and returned to their cruel master in Tennessee so she is willing to sacrifice even her life as long as he can be free.

What is your mission as a writer?

There is nothing I want more than to follow where God leads. I’ve been passionate about writing since I was a child and right now God has opened the door for me to write fiction with a desire to inspire readers in their journey with Him. If God begins to lead me in a different direction than writing novels, I pray I will follow.

What aspects of being a writer do you enjoy the most?

I love being in the “wonder” stage of dreaming up a new novel. It is so fun to develop the characters and the seeds of plotlines and then marvel as the story grows. It’s like I start with a big mystery to solve and along the way I have lots of “ah ha” moments when the pieces start clicking into place. And then, when the manuscript is finally done, I sigh with relief and thank God that all my dreaming somehow worked together to create another story.

What message would you like your readers to take from reading Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana?

Whatever God has called us to do, we should do it with passion and drive. In this book, the main characters risk everything to fight against slavery and help runaway slaves. Even when the Federal government makes it illegal to aid runaways, they never waver in their commitment to assist those in need.

Do you have a favorite bible verse or quote you’d like to share?

I recently discovered The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer, and in this powerful book, Tozer says that people are designed to connect to God—that we need to seek Him, and we need to listen. “The facts are that God is not silent,” Tozer writes, “has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak.”  This quote was a theme throughout Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana and is a continual reminder to me that God still very much speaks and works today.

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Melanie Beroth Dobson is the author of several inspirational novels, including Together for Good (Kregel, 2006) and Going for Broke (David C. Cook, 2007), The Black Cloister (Kregel, 2008), and others.

Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials.  Read more about Melanie’s writing and story in her website and blog.