Review:

C.J. Darlington, winner of the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest, presents her debut novel Thicker Than Blood. Christy and May were orphaned after a car accident claimed the lives of their parents. After the parent’s death 15 years earlier, Christy and May chose different paths for their lives. May went on to owning and running a ranch and Christy found herself drowning her sorrows in alcohol and abusive relationships.



One of my favorite scenes was when Christy arrived at the ranch. May had been praying for restoration between her and her sister Christy, yet when May first saw Christy she was conflicted with feelings of anger versus the joy of answered prayer. C.J. Darlington does a great job in showing the internal struggles we all go through while doing the right thing. Restoration is not ease—and we see through the characters May and Christy there are still consequences for our actions—but through Jesus relationships are restored and grace is given. Thicker Than Blood was an enjoyable book to read. I look forward to more!

C.J. thank you for joining us, please tell us a little about yourself and when you first knew you wanted to be a writer.

I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid, but it wasn’t until I was in my early teens that I started wondering what it would be like to be an author. I knew nothing about the process, but that was probably a good thing. I used to think I wanted God to show me the huge, big-picture plan of my life … right then. But now I’m realizing that just knowing the next step to take in this journey is enough.

I never had a huge epiphany moment, but I’ve always dreamed of being a writer. When I was fifteen I began a story about two estranged sisters. I had no idea that little story would eventually become my first published novel, Thicker than Blood.

What inspired you to write Thicker than Blood?

The germ of an idea came from games my sister and I would play with a friend when we were children. We would role play different imaginary characters, making up stories for them which we acted out as we went along.

I thought it would be neat to write a story featuring two of these characters, sisters May and Christy Williams. And early on I realized I wanted the story to be about redemption. I loved the concept of one sister (May) knowing the Lord and reaching out to her unbelieving sister (Christy).

What character do you relate to the most? Christy and her love of books or May and her love for the outdoors?

I actually relate to both women. Like Christy, I do love books. I’m a used and rare book dealer by day, so it was especially fun to weave some of the intriguing rare book facts I’ve learned over the years into this story. As a matter of fact, a first edition of Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls plays an important role in the novel’s final outcome. But I also love the outdoors as May does. One of my favorite things to do is go camping. I don’t get to do it as much as I’d like anymore, but I still try to take one big camping trip a year with my family. There’s nothing like being in nature to remind you of God.

With Thicker than Blood being your debut novel, what was the most challenging thing you experienced in writing your first novel and how did you plow through it?

Not giving up was a huge challenge. From idea to publication it took almost fifteen years before Thicker than Blood saw the light of day. That’s a lot of time to spin your wheels! But I determined that no matter how long it took, whether it was my first novel or my fifth that was published, I wasn’t going to give up.

What was it like to win the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest?

I entered the 2004 Operation First Novel contest with an early version of Thicker than Blood, and it placed as a semi-finalist. But I quickly learned it was far from being ready for publication. So from 2004 to 2007 I tweaked and improved the story, all the while submitting proposals to editors. I received nothing but rejections.

One night in September 2008, right before I drifted off to sleep, I had a Eureka moment. I now believe it was the Lord prompting me, but at the time it just felt like a light bulb going off in my head. “Wait a minute,” I thought. “Why don’t I enter the new and improved Thicker than Blood in this year’s contest?”

It turns out I had only two weeks before the deadline. But enter I did, and then the waiting started. I figured the contest would be a great way to gauge whether the book was publishable or deserving of space under my bed. In November I found out it was a finalist, and then in February I flew out to Colorado Springs for the Writing for the Soul conference where they would announce the results. When Jerry Jenkins said the winner was Thicker than Blood I was thrilled. I’d almost giving up on it! I guess that goes to show you we’re often our worst critics as writers. The whole experience was a dream come true, and I’m constantly awed at how good God’s been to me.

Is there anything in the works that you care to share with us today?

I’m really excited about the sequel to Thicker than Blood, which I’ve recently completed. It’s working title is Innocent Blood, and some of the characters you know from Thicker become minor characters in Innocent. You’ll see Christy again, and Hunter Dawson’s older sister Abby plays an important role. But this time the main character is a teenage girl who finds herself in serious trouble. I get to feature an even rarer book in this story.

Thank you so much for allowing us to get to know you better. Before you leave, do you have a favorite bible verse? And why is that particular verse a favorite?

Romans 5:6-8: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This Scripture epitomizes everything I want to share in my fiction. To think that this verse is not fiction is totally amazing.

Thank you so much for visiting with us here C.J. this has been a real honor for me!

Thicker Than Blood by C.J. Darlington can be purchased here.

About:

C. J. began writing the story that would become her first novel Thicker than Blood when she was a fifteen-year-old homeschool student. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over a decade, scouting for stores similar to the one described in Thicker than Blood before cofounding her own online bookstore. Thicker than Blood was the winner of the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel.

In 2006 C. J. started the Christian entertainment Web site TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. She makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats.

When she’s not writing, she’s reading. Her hobbies include book and art collecting, fly fishing, painting and drawing.

FTC Disclosure: Special thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for sending me a review copy of Thicker Than Blood by C.J. Darlington

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