Discover more about Novelists in November in this interview with author Andrea Renee Cox.
About the Book
Novelists in November is a Christian short story collection featuring eleven emotional tales of authors finding their calling in Christ and pursuing hope, joy, and inspiration. This anthology contains touching stories from contemporary and historical fiction authors with a mix of romance, women’s fiction, and mystery!
- Andrea Renee Cox: “Melting-Pot Thanksgiving”
- Bethany Willcock: “And As She Talked”
- Hannah E. Gridley: “Reasons to Be Thankful”
- Katja H. Labonté: “Act in the Living Present”
- Faith D. Cox: “My Heart Still Sings”
- Kellyn Roth: “Tollemache House”
- Katie Zeliger: “Finding Beauty in the Suffering”
- Shira J. Rodriguez: “The Lost History of Lavender Lockbourne”
- Heather Flynn: “Pages of Grace”
- Avrie Swan: “The Sound of Healing”
- Kelsey Bryant: “Between Moor and Mountain”
Melting-Pot Thanksgiving by Andrea Renee Cox
Can she create the Imperfect Perfect Thanksgiving?
Sarah Jones has many responsibilities on her plate, but Thanksgiving wasn’t supposed to be one of them. When asked to host the holiday, she can’t push aside the task, even if it means dealing with her mother’s interference. As Sarah juggles meal preparations, a tight writing deadline, and guiding her two foster children through difficult life events, she must also find the courage to buck high expectations and family traditions.
Will the trials of strained communication, disappointment, heartache, and altered plans strengthen Sarah’s God-given novelist dreams? Will this imperfect yet dutiful daughter find a way to craft the perfect Thanksgiving dinner?
Author Interview with Andrea Renee Cox
What is something interesting readers would enjoy learning about you?
I’ve been a sports fan since I was a little kid. I fondly remember attending football and basketball games as a kindergartener. So sports tend to pop up in one way or another in a lot of my stories. In “Melting-Pot Thanksgiving,” my short story in Novelists in November, the leading lady’s brother followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a teacher and a coach. This aspect might play a tiny part in the tale, but it definitely made me smile as I wrote that connection to my lifelong love of sports.
What does a day in the life of your characters look like?
A day in the life of Sarah Jones, leading lady of “Melting-Pot Thanksgiving,” is a balance of mothering her foster children, writing middle grade novels, and dealing with family drama. Thankfully, her best friend lives in the other side of the duplex, so she’s got a listening ear just next door when she needs it.
What was the inspiration behind your story?
God inspires all my stories. I went through probably nine different ideas before landing on this one. Not even sure how I came around to the idea for this one, but as soon as it landed in my brain, I knew this was the one I was going to write for Novelists in November. When God gives me that “when you know, you know” feeling, that’s when I know I’ve found the next story He wants me to focus on. Working on that next right story with Him is one of my favorite things.
What did you learn while writing this story?
This might sound weird, but I learned how to let go of my previous story. “The Cottage on the Hill,” which was published in Springtime in Surrey, was the sweetest, most romantic story so far that God has given me to write, and I absolutely loved it. It sank so deep into my bones that I found it nearly impossible to switch gears to a new story once I was finished with that one.
In fact, I had to completely scrap draft one of “Melting-Pot Thanksgiving” because it came out flat with zero author voice or story tone. God helped me find the right tone from page one of draft two, and with every draft since (there were a total of twelve drafts on this story), “Melting-Pot” grew on me more and more so that now I love it equally to but in a vastly different way than “Cottage.” That journey to letting go of one story and claiming another was such a surprise blessing.
What encouragement do you hope readers will take away from your story?
Andrea: I never know what readers will get from my stories because every reading experience and lesson learned is unique to each individual reader. However, one of my favorite themes in “Melting-Pot Thanksgiving” is diversity. Sarah Jones desires for her home to be a safe place for her foster children of diverse backgrounds and cultures to be comfortable and grow in love toward one another. She encourages them to rise above stereotypes but to also cherish the heritage from which they came.
This is very much a reflection of my heart. I’ve long been fascinated by the wide variety of cultures in America and the world as a whole. Accents and traditions and foods… it’s all utterly scrumptious, and it’s my hope that my love for culture shone through enough to inspire others to adore it as well.
Texan author Andrea Renee Cox is a born-again child of God who enjoys writing stories that inspire, copyediting fiction manuscripts, tutoring middle school students, and going on road trips with her family. Whether she’s working on historical, contemporary, women’s fiction, romance, or romantic tragedy, she uses her skills in research and writing techniques—as well as guidance from God—to produce the best story of her ability every time. Her books may be found on her website, and readers are welcome to follow her blog and subscribe to her newsletter for the latest updates in her journey.
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I enjoyed the interview, Danielle and Andrea! I am one of the authors in Novelists in November, and I look forward to reading all the stories!
Congratulations on the release! I’m glad you enjoyed the interview.
Thanks for reading our interview, Mom! So excited to be published with you!
Oh how fun! I noticed the similar last names, but didn’t know whether/how you were related!
Thank you for interviewing and hosting me, Danielle!
It was my pleasure!