Author Interview with Vanessa Hall

Today I’m delighted to introduce Vanessa Hall (sister of the Kristina Hall who’s appeared on this blog before) and hear about her writing adventures, in particular her ongoing series, GRACE SUFFICIENT.

Thanks so much for having me on today – it’s an honor!

1. Can you begin by telling us three random facts about yourself? (They don’t need to be writing-related.)

Three random facts … let’s see. I’m an arm-wrestler (not super successful, but it’s a lot of fun!), I love using essential oils, and I’ve never seen a movie in a theater. (That last one’s my favorite icebreaker question answer!)

2. What’s your favorite kind of scene to write? What do you struggle with?

I think my favorite scenes are probably the most dramatic. Whether it’s a confession, a life-changing choice, or some massive argument, I really enjoy those scenes. I think they just pull me into the zone of writing, and the words flow more easily when I get excited with the characters. (Wow, that makes me sound pretty melodramatic. But I prefer all drama contained to books.)

As for scenes I struggle with … definitely actions scenes, whether those are chase scenes, gunfights, or fistfights. I never feel like I’ve explained things well enough or that the characters give the right reactions. I think a big part of that is because those sorts of situations happen so quickly in real life, so it’s hard for me to get a good balance between having reactions and explaining what’s occurring without the scene feeling way longer than it should.

3. So I’m reading the newest book in your GRACE SUFFICIENT series. What inspired you to set the series in Russia?

Aw, thanks for reading Untold! I think the decision to set the series in Russia came from a variety of factors. I had a natural interest in Russia (partly due to the popularity of arm-wrestling in Russia!), and the fact I wanted a Russian ballerina in the first book (Unknown). There was also a strange thread about some sort of ex-spy in Russia, but that plot fizzled out quite quickly in Unknown. But as you know, that idea hung around for the third book.

4. Music, particularly classical piano pieces and hymns, are a recurring theme in the story. Why is that?

In the original draft of Untold, Molly was a more casual pianist who just enjoyed playing but wasn’t deeply invested in it. When I came back to edit the book, however, I decided I wanted to focus more on this side of her. As a musician myself, I could really relate to Molly (though I’m certainly not to her level of expertise!), and I found it pretty easy to write her thoughts and inclinations to music. This also gave me a chance to be a music nerd and mention pieces and Russian composers, which was so much fun!

I also found myself digging more into this side of Molly’s story when I recently became a church pianist myself. I’ve always loved hymns—they hold such rich, theological truths—and I like to include them in my books. I also really enjoyed using a hymn as a connection between Nick’s and Molly’s pasts.

5. Who’s your favorite character in the series? Does he/she feature in UNTOLD?

Wow, this is like asking who my favorite child is or something! With every book I publish, I feel like the characters go through a stage of being some of my favorite characters ever, and then when I move on the next book, the other characters take over that role. So this is really hard answer!

However, if I had to choose one character, it’d probably be Gabe Kelly—he’s one of my original MCs, and he becomes such a godly, brave man. Such a great guy through everything I put him through. He’s featured as a side character during Untold, but he’s mainly in the first part of the book. (Which is good for him!)

But I also have to say I love Nick and Molly, too. Nick is such a fighter in spite of all he’s been through, and Molly’s so sweet and grew so much in the story. Ahh, this is such a hard question!

6. What’s the main thing you’d like readers to take away from UNTOLD?

The overarching theme I’d love my readers to take away from Untold is the salvation that comes through faith in Christ alone (John 14:6.) That’s the most important thing I could ever get across to another person! But a specific thing that really stood out for me while editing Untold is that though believers face pain and trials and afflictions, God will use them for our good. He will use those hard, terrible things to draw us to Him. And someday, those trials and tribulations will be over, and we will forever be safe with Him.

7. Have you got another writing project in the works? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?

Yes! I’m trekking onward with this series—book #4 is in the editing stages, and I’m also currently writing book #6. I also have some smaller ideas that I’m playing around with, too, that should be pretty fun!