ACRBA tour Looking Glass Lies by Varina Denman

1 - 5 May 2017

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is Introducing 

Looking Glass Lies 

(By the Waterfall Press, 2 May 2017)

By Varina Denman

About the Book:

A poignant and relatable novel, Looking Glass Lies captures the war women wage against themselves, and the struggle to see beauty reflected in a mirror not distorted by society’s unrelenting expectations.

For most of her adult life, Cecily Ross has compared herself to other women—and come up short. After a painful divorce from her emotionally abusive husband, Cecily returns to her hometown of Canyon, Texas, looking to heal.

But coming home isn’t what she expects. In a town as small as Canyon, her pain is difficult to escape—especially with her model-perfect ex–sister-in-law working at the town’s popular coffee-shop hangout. With help from her father, a support group, and an old friend who guides her to see her own strengths, Cecily may have a shot at overcoming her insecurities and learning to love again.

The true test comes when tragedy strikes, opening Cecily’s eyes to the harmfulness of her distorted views on beauty—and giving her the perfect opportunity to find peace at last.

About the Author:

Varina Denman enjoys writing fiction about women and the unique struggles they face. Her novels include the Mended Hearts trilogy: Jaded, Justified, and Jilted, as well as her latest release, Looking Glass Lies. She seems to have a knack for describing small town life, and her debut novel, Jaded, won the ACFW Genesis Contest, the BRMCWC Selah Award, and the INSPYs Bloggers’ Award for Excellence in Faith-Driven Literature.

Varina attended three universities over a span of five years, majoring in four subjects and earning zero degrees. However, she can now boast sixteen years as a home educator, volunteering in her local cooperative where she has taught numerous subjects including creative writing and literature. Varina lives in North Texas where she volunteers in local marriage and family ministry. She is represented by Jessica Kirkland of Kirkland Media Management.

More information:
https://varinadenman.com/

Interview Questions

In Looking Glass Lies as well as the Mended Hearts series, you touch on subjects that are not often talked-about. How do you choose your topics, and what is your motivation? In all my books, my goal is to help women deal with issues in their lives, and generally the issues we women need the most help with are the ones we keep hidden, the secret ones that nobody likes to talk about. Those are the subjects I want to crack open, so that my readers and I can poke them with a stick, see what’s really happening in our lives … and heal a little.

All your books deal with female leads who are struggling with unique issues, but they seem to portrayed from the heart. How much of the plots come from your own life experience? Each book is different, but generally my books begin with a nugget of my own life story, or maybe just a feeling or an impression, and then I completely blow it up into an elaborate, exaggerated story. So I guess you could say, each plot line comes from my own life … but just barely.

Could your writing best be described as women’s fiction or romance? Why? It’s taken me a while to learn about myself as an author. At first, I thought I was a romance writer, but now I’m confident my books fit neatly into women’s fiction. All those issues I pile into the plots just don’t lend themselves to the romance genre, but I always add a touch of romance just for fun.

So far, all of your books are set in Texas. Do you have plans to pursue other settings in the future? Not yet, but I’m not limiting  myself either. As for now, my next book will be set in Texas, but after that, I’m not sure where my stories will take me.

What is your background, and how did you end up writing novels? When I was young, I never dreamed I’d be a writer when I grew up. In school, writing assignments were drudgery, but then again, most of my papers were research not creative writing. My lifelong goal was to marry an awesome guy, settle down, and have a bunch of kiddos. Once I did all that, I surprised myself by developing an increased interest in books which led to an interest in writing. Now I’m having the time of my life.

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0f489up3zIZnNk76WdgzoM21ar2o5ZVx2qMgufUfrhpkfvjdNez1dAqVn5fLDQEb-ma9R0o8rShifFPxZK9YwVvWMqlfStKNSBYK7dxB2KzLD0jL_ZyiRZY2-XXrbIFuuwpIuKWKKv4/s1600/acrba+button1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0f489up3zIZnNk76WdgzoM21ar2o5ZVx2qMgufUfrhpkfvjdNez1dAqVn5fLDQEb-ma9R0o8rShifFPxZK9YwVvWMqlfStKNSBYK7dxB2KzLD0jL_ZyiRZY2-XXrbIFuuwpIuKWKKv4/s1600/acrba+button1.jpg" /></span></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1 - 5 May 2017</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif=""> <a href="http://acrba.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large; line-height: 25px;">Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance</a></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif="">is Introducing </span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif=""><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Glass-Lies-Varina-Denman/dp/1503942708/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Looking Glass Lies </a></span></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif="">(<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Waterfall Press</span>, 2 May 2017</span></span>)</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif="" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> By Varina Denman</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif=""><br /> </span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kczg4EPaSW0/V_HHU5g8RlI/AAAAAAAAAKE/fb6hu3W5n5UOph2TjixaKNTEsBBx_JiVwCLcB/s1600/beyondthefightes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qjEEehlDoW0/WQWVh20si3I/AAAAAAAAAPs/2y0TI_iCoKYECP-Al2J5WfBE6jQpdJb_ACLcB/s1600/41hidpO4c7L._SY346_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qjEEehlDoW0/WQWVh20si3I/AAAAAAAAAPs/2y0TI_iCoKYECP-Al2J5WfBE6jQpdJb_ACLcB/s320/41hidpO4c7L._SY346_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif=""><br /> </span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif="" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the Book:</b></span></div> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A poignant and relatable novel, Looking Glass Lies captures the war women wage against themselves, and the struggle to see beauty reflected in a mirror not distorted by society’s unrelenting expectations.<br /><br />For most of her adult life, Cecily Ross has compared herself to other women—and come up short. After a painful divorce from her emotionally abusive husband, Cecily returns to her hometown of Canyon, Texas, looking to heal.<br /><br />But coming home isn’t what she expects. In a town as small as Canyon, her pain is difficult to escape—especially with her model-perfect ex–sister-in-law working at the town’s popular coffee-shop hangout. With help from her father, a support group, and an old friend who guides her to see her own strengths, Cecily may have a shot at overcoming her insecurities and learning to love again.<br /><br />The true test comes when tragedy strikes, opening Cecily’s eyes to the harmfulness of her distorted views on beauty—and giving her the perfect opportunity to find peace at last.</span><div> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O_Y7G2m6GhU/WQWXGzEk0qI/AAAAAAAAAP4/64VvYU9Pn20dpctP7wjzBVh7rzNISzl1wCLcB/s1600/VDenmanHeadshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O_Y7G2m6GhU/WQWXGzEk0qI/AAAAAAAAAP4/64VvYU9Pn20dpctP7wjzBVh7rzNISzl1wCLcB/s320/VDenmanHeadshot.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif="" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span arial="" helvetica="" sans-serif="" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"> <div class="MsoNormal"> <div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"> <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Varina Denman enjoys writing fiction about women and the unique struggles they face. Her novels include the Mended Hearts trilogy: <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jaded</em>, <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Justified</em>, and <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jilted</em>, as well as her latest release, <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Looking Glass Lies</em>. She seems to have a knack for describing small town life, and her debut novel, <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jaded</em>, won the ACFW Genesis Contest, the BRMCWC Selah Award, and the INSPYs Bloggers’ Award for Excellence in Faith-Driven Literature.</span></div> <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Varina attended three universities over a span of five years, majoring in four subjects and earning zero degrees. However, she can now boast sixteen years as a home educator, volunteering in her local cooperative where she has taught numerous subjects including creative writing and literature. Varina lives in North Texas where she volunteers in local marriage and family ministry. She is represented by Jessica Kirkland of Kirkland Media Management.</span></div> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>More information:</strong><br /><a href="https://varinadenman.com/">https://varinadenman.com/</a></span></span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <h3 style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Interview Questions</span></h3> <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Looking Glass Lies</em> as well as the Mended Hearts series,<em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </em>you touch on subjects that are not often talked-about. How do you choose your topics, and what is your motivation? </strong>In all my books, my goal is to help women deal with issues in their lives, and generally the issues we women need the most help with are the ones we keep hidden, the secret ones that nobody likes to talk about. Those are the subjects I want to crack open, so that my readers and I can poke them with a stick, see what’s really happening in our lives … and heal a little.</span></div> <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">All your books deal with female leads who are struggling with unique issues, but they seem to portrayed from the heart. How much of the plots come from your own life experience? </strong>Each book is different, but generally my books begin with a nugget of my own life story, or maybe just a feeling or an impression, and then I completely blow it up into an elaborate, exaggerated story. So I guess you could say, each plot line comes from my own life … but just barely.</span></div> <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Could your writing best be described as women’s fiction or romance? Why? </strong>It’s taken me a while to learn about myself as an author. At first, I thought I was a romance writer, but now I’m confident my books fit neatly into women’s fiction. All those issues I pile into the plots just don’t lend themselves to the romance genre, but I always add a touch of romance just for fun.</span></div> <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So far, all of your books are set in Texas. Do you have plans to pursue other settings in the future? </strong>Not yet, but I’m not limiting  myself either. As for now, my next book will be set in Texas, but after that, I’m not sure where my stories will take me.</span></div> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /> <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What is your background, and how did you end up writing novels? </strong>When I was young, I never dreamed I’d be a writer when I grew up. In school, writing assignments were drudgery, but then again, most of my papers were research not creative writing. My lifelong goal was to marry an awesome guy, settle down, and have a bunch of kiddos. Once I did all that, I surprised myself by developing an increased interest in books which led to an interest in writing. Now I’m having the time of my life.</span></div>