Claudette Renalds

Why I Started Writing:

As early as I can remember, I entertained an active and vivid imagination, but it would be many years before I put the stories to paper. In 2013, our church studied The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson where we were challenged to circle our goals or dreams. Following the service, I shared with a friend what I felt God had placed in my heart—a desire to write inspirational fiction that would touch others. With my friend’s encouragement, I went home and began to write what would become my first novel, By the Sea.

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

Reading has always been my favorite pastime, but since my husband and I retired, I’ve read hundreds of books. Most were inspirational fiction from contemporary, historical or Regency genres. What they all had in common was a good dose of romance. Some of my favorite authors are Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Tamera Alexander, Lawana Blackwell, Deborah Bedford, Lori Copeland, Deanna Gist, Robin Lee Hatcher, Julie Lessman, Tracie Peterson and Lori Wick.

Books I Have Written:

By the Sea, my first novel, is a contemporary Christian fiction involving the life of a reclusive but popular writer of historical fiction. His life dramatically changes when he meets a war widow and her two young sons.

Several short stories and devotionals have been published in compilations by the Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship including, “A Touch of Regency” in Short Story Revival (2017) and “A Legacy of Prayer,” in Legacy, Heartprints that Linger (2018).

What I'm Working On Now:

Back to the Sea, the second book in the Shell Island series, tells the story of two very different individuals who each have a heart for the poor and oppressed. Conflicts arise when their conservative and liberal agendas clash within their joint effort to help the people in a low-income community.

Destination to Love, a mail-order bride story, is set in 1910 and involves the abrupt transition of a young woman from a wealthy Boston family to the wife of a Wyoming rancher.

Claudette Renalds

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