I’m delighted to have Rachel Hauck, author of the delightful book Lost in NashVegas, join us today. Rachel is a multi-published author living in sunny and sometimes hurricane plagued, central Florida with her husband and ornery pets . She is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a BA in Journalism. Visit her blog and web site at www.rachelhauck.com. I asked her a few questions about the book, women, and life.

What is one thing you wish each woman in the United States understood about herself? (Nothing like starting easy, huh)

Oh, I love this question. I wish we understood we have a destiny in the universe, in this hour in history, to become the women God wants and needs us to be. Most of us have been trained to be Wannabe Men and the universe is void of the women we need to be. And, if we’re not Wannabe Men, we’re women not pursing all God has for us.

I say to each women find your dream, find God’s destiny for you and run like the wind toward it.

You and your husband are active in youth and prayer ministry. How does that impact or influence the books you write?

Tony recently handed over the youth ministry to a younger man. After 20 years. But it was a God thing. He’s now doing foundational teachings and actually started an outreach in the worst part of town.

We do the prayer and worship ministry still. Youth ministry impacts my writing because being around teens keeps me young and up to date with pop culture. Important factor for chick lit.

Being involved in prayer and worship impacts my heart and changes how I see God and myself. My confidence increases. My hope increases. If anything, it provides a foundational emotional stability.

I feel the more I stand in His presence, the more His fragrance is on me and what I write.

Wow! I love that. I want His fragrance all over my writing, too. Now for some easy questions: What’s one book you keep returning to over and over again? Why? What makes it a repeat read?

I don’t reread many books. But, I’ve read the Little House books a dozen times. I love Laura Ingalls Wilder. She captures life so purely and from a time we’ve forgotten as a nation.

Hmmm. I’m discovering I’m unique in the way I love to return to favorite books like old friends. How did you get the idea for Lost in NashVegas? (Fabulous cover, by the way.)

My agent gets full credit, right down to making the heroine a songwriter. She called me one day with an idea – redneck chick lit – and it took me awhile, but I came up with Robin Rae McAfee. I thought, “What if your secret desire is to be a songwriter but your greatest fear is to sing in front of people?” And a story was born.

How would you describe the book? Chick Lit, Romance, a Rachel Hauck original?

I’ll go with Rachel Hauck original. I call it Chickmance.

How can we pray for you at this stage in your writing and ministry?

Always pray for wisdom, creative, endurance, and the ability to write as well as I possibly can. A few downloads from God wouldn’t hurt either.

I just finished the book. Check back tomorrow for my review.