Guest Post with Faith D. Cox (aka Novelists in November Hype Up, Part 2)

Ello everyone! I would have posted yesterday, but the last few days have been a blur of crazy activity for me. Anyway, I'm here now, and am continuing to hype up the release of Novelists in November with an interview with the amazing Faith D. Cox. Faith is a screenplay writer, a women's fic and kid's author, and Andrea Cox's mom (click here to see last week's interview with her!). 
And now, without further ado, the questions!

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Hi Faith! Welcome to the Southern Story Scribbler. Let's get started.
How did you get started writing? When did you begin to seriously write? (As in, with the mindset of "this could be published"?)
​Hi, Cate! Thank you for hosting me. I began writing with a fourth-grade writing assignment. We were told to write a story, and I carried a notebook and pen with me wherever I went. That’s when I began the love of writing!
In my early twenties, I wrote poetry and got a couple of poems published. I have written children’s manuscripts and a middle-grade story but haven’t gotten any of those published yet. Just a couple of years ago, I began writing Christian women’s fiction and teen’s fiction. After homeschooling children and having my own tutoring business, which I still operate, I began seriously pursuing a writing career to get my works published. My Heart Still Sings in Novelists in November anthology is my second short story to write and my second to be published. 

​What genres do you primarily write in? What’s your favorite genre?
I write Christian’s women fiction, romance, young adult, and tragedy along with teen and children’s stories. I have written more children’s stories in the past, but I seem to be moving toward Christian women’s fiction and young adult more at the moment. I’m not sure I have a favorite. I write a variety, and I enjoy them all. 

What was your first ever completed writing project? (And where is it now?)
I guess my first completed writing project was my story I wrote in fourth grade. Sadly, I guess it has long ago been in a garbage dump. I sure wish I would have kept it!

What was your first ever published project?
My first published project was a poem entitled “Blessings Keep Comin’” which was published in 1989 in World Treasury of Great Poems, Volume II.

Can you tell us about your Novelists in November story, “My Heart Still Sings”?
“My Heart Still Sings” is about a seventeen-year-old swimmer who is determined to get to the Summer Olympics and win the gold. She has trained for years with the best coaches and is about a year-and-a-half away from standing on that podium when an unexpected accident happens. She falls into depression and struggles through her physical and mental pain to resurface back to life.
Fun Fact: This is the second time I will be published in an anthology with my daughter, Andrea Renee Cox. Unfortunately, the first one is out of print. The publisher only kept it available for one year.

How did you get the idea for “My Heart Still Sings”?
The idea for “My Heart Still Sings” was definitely inspired by God. I had a different idea in my head; but when I sat down to begin typing, the Lord revealed to me, before my fingers hit the keyboard, the story was going to be about a high school Olympic-bound swimmer. I had no idea! I cleared my head and began researching. I didn’t even realize the story would be released the same year as the official Summer Olympics until my daughter Andrea told me.

One fun fact our readers may not know is that you’re also a screenwriter! How does the process of screenwriting differ from working on a full-length novel or short story?
Screenwriting is more brief. You still have to tell a great story but with less fluff. You have to have the three-act structure, locations, actions, and dialogue and keep the story intriguing and moving; whereas full-length novels or short stories can linger a bit more in the telling of the stories.
Fun Fact: I am a 36-time award-winning screenwriter, and I have screenplays that were nominated for “Best Role for a Leading Woman,” “Best Ensemble Cast,” and “Humanitarian” awards.  

Do you have a favorite writing style? As in, do you prefer writing prose or screenplays?
When I was in seventh grade, I began playing basketball! (There weren’t little league sports like there are today.) I played basketball all the way through my senior year of high school. On weekends, I would be found with a basketball in my hand. I loved the game! When I was in high school, we were asked if we wanted to start a volleyball team. I didn’t know how much I would enjoy it, but I wanted to be a part of it and help pioneer the game in our community. To my surprise, I found enjoyment in volleyball as much as I did in basketball. They were different, but I thoroughly enjoyed them both! That is how I feel about writing prose and screenplays. They are different, but I deeply crave writing them both!

Do you have any other upcoming (or recently released) projects you can tell us about? :D
I’m working on some Christian women’s fiction and young adult prose projects, but I don’t have any release dates set at this point. I am also planning to edit a middle-grade project and hopefully get it published in the next year or two.
As far as screenplays, I have a script entitled “You’ll Remember Me” that was released October 4, 2024. It is a six-minute short film that can be found at https://youtu.be/Vw7fNC9R_NI?feature=shared. Feel free to watch, share, and comment! It is currently in a couple of film festivals.

That's all the questions for you today, Faith! Thanks so much for doing this interview and letting us learn about you and your books!

About the Author
Faith D. Cox discovered her love of writing with a fourth-grade class assignment. She carried
around her spiral notebook for weeks and penned the story. She followed her dream and now,
many years later after homeschooling children and having an after-school tutoring business, she
is a published author and a multi-award-winning, produced screenwriter of family-friendly,
heartwarming works. Faith writes children’s and middle grade books along with women’s fiction,
romance, and tragedy. Faith has a heart of compassion and is devoted to God, family, and writing
as she shares God’s love to encourage, inspire, and entertain through laughter and tears.
You can connect with Faith here:
Website: https://faithdcox.com
Blog: https://faithdcox.com/blog/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/faithdcox
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/faith-d-cox
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/faithdcox
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14439650/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FaithDCox

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That's all for this week! Be sure to pre-order your copy of Novelists in November and fill out the form on Kellyn's website to get those goodies! (And also to support all the lovely authors who have joined forces to give us what is probably my favorite anthology of the two... :D) Next week, we'll be featuring Kellyn Roth, owner of Wild Blue Wonder Press and organizer of Novelists in November. 

Until next time! 
​~Cate