Come Meet the Author of Shadow Stalker

Barbara Ann Derksenis the author of the mystery Shadow Stalker.

 Join me as Barbara answers some questions about herself and her new book. Then enter to win a $100.00 Amazon gift certificate.

    Where are you from?

I grew up in rural Quebec to a non-Christian family. At fifteen, my parents moved the family to Ottawa Ontario, the capitol of Canada. There I graduated high school and began a working career in the Bank of Commerce.  Had no aspirations to write.

    For those who aren't familiar with your work, can you tell us a little about yourself?

My interests have always included a book of some kind. As my husband and I were raising or family, I read self-help, especially once I accepted Jesus as my Saviour when I was 27. I read to learn how to be a Christian wife and mother and to find out who Jesus was and why I was worth His death. In later years, my reading settled into mystery so when I began to put together my first novel, it was the mystery genre. By then I was working as a journalist in Iowa, where we put down roots for twelve years. It was also while living in Iowa that we were introduced to Christian Motorcyclists Association and the ministry we have engaged in for the last 13 years.

    How many books have you written?

I’ve penned 17 book, 6 mysteries (one inactive for rewrites), 6 devotionals, a parenting guide, a collection of war stories, and three children’s books, one with six stories. I also have two audio collections for children.

    What is your newest book about?

Shadow Stalker, is the first book in the Finders Keepers Mystery series. At the age of five, Christine Finder, alias Melissa Rompart, watched her parent’s brutal murder from a hiding place of her father’s choosing. She was spirited to a distant cousin’s ranch in Texas to keep her safe but the killer was never caught and she is the only person who can identify him. He stalked her to the ranch but only after she returned to Winnipeg, Canada 20 years later, her country of citizenship, and the city where her parents once lived. The killer’s shadow stalks her as she opens an agency to find missing people with the help of her service dog, Chief. She also plans to find him and see her parents vindicated.

    What inspired you to write this book?

Aside from the fact that I love a good mystery, I woke one morning after my last series was complete, with the entire story rolling around in my head.  Believe the Lord is my inspiration and my boss so His plan becomes mine.

    Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?

My main character is a non-believer who begins to work out of the office of Jeremy Goodman, a strong believer who listens to the still small voice of God. My readers will encounter in him an on-going active faith that walks with him daily. They will discover that God speak to all of us who call ourselves God’s children.

    Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

If God is calling you to write, then you need to do so and to write what He asks of you. I write devotions because He asked if I was going to obey Him or what after I fought the still small voice for three months. He gives me inspiration for mystery, I believe, because I obeyed Him with devotions. God uses our words to reach people where they are and to get them to notice Him. As a writer, you need to do your best and produce your best because it reflects Him and we want, always, to put our best foot forward for the cause of Christ.

    What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

In my ministry with Christian Motorcyclists Association, I once took wiper rags with the gospel message into a Hell’s Angel encampment. I passed them out, with a smile, to all the bikers assembled. Another time, I took fresh, cold water to bikers in a Sons of Silence camp. God uses me, a woman, in this hard core biker environment, to get their attention and, based on the reaction I got, He succeeded. One biker jumped away from me saying, “I can feel that God thing happening.” I didn’t have to say a word. I’ve also been dubbed the Spray Lady for hosing off 1000 or more hot, sun-burned bikers at another rally.

 Thanks for sharing with us Barbara!

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