Interview with Inspirational Romance Author Candee Fick

Candee Fick is the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy with her day job or writing, she can be found cheering on the home team at football, basketball, baseball, and Special Olympics games. In what little free time remains, she enjoys exploring the great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings through a good book

Welcome back to my blog, Candee. Please tell us about Dance Over Me.

Dance Over Me is the story of a fledgling actress (Dani) searching for her long-lost brother and her place on the stage, except that a jealous cast member threatens to drop the curtain on her dreams. It’s also the story of a young man (Alex) living his dream as a musician. When Dani dances into his life, he hopes he’s found the missing piece to his heart but fears the bright lights of a bigger stage could steal her away. In addition to the romance, it’s also an adoption reunion story set at the fictional Wardrobe Dinner Theater where readers will find their toes tapping to the sound of Big Band trumpet and rousing tap dance numbers. Just try to avoid the backstage diva drama.

This sounds like a fun book. Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

The initial story nugget came in a dream years ago but changed a lot as I dug deeper into the characters and created believable situations for Dani’s story. Actually, now that I’ve drifted back down memory lane, my initial idea fits better into the current book I’m writing (book three of The Wardrobe series) so I suppose my subconscious has been playing with that dream for a long time! I chose to set it at a dinner theater because they bring the Broadway musical experience closer to home and make a perfect date night. The title for the book actually comes from a song by Phillips Craig and Dean (“Amazed”) about God dancing over us while we are unaware. It’s perfect for this story because of the dancing piece but also the reminder that God is working behind the scenes in our lives.

I am a fan of musicals, ever since I was a kid. I have the DVDs of the Roger and Hammerstein musicals and many others, too. Since this story is about dancing and Broadway musicals, what kind of research did you do?

Since I adore musicals and love going to dinner theaters, I could draw on a lot of my personal experiences and memories. However, I still bought tickets to see the two plays performed in the book—42^nd Street and White Christmas. I also contacted the three closest dinner theaters with a list of questions. One responded with the phone number of an actress who answered those questions and many more over the course of an hour. When she revealed that her company supplied shared apartments for the cast, my mind buzzed with plot possibilities for more conflict outside the theater doors. As far as dancing or acting goes, I’ve dabbled a little during church Passion plays and an Israeli folk dance group but had to research the names of specific tap dance steps in order to bring that authenticity.

Do you consider your female character to be feisty or meek yet spirited?

Dani’s a fighter inside, but after spending years growing up in foster care, she’s learned the hard way that sometimes it is better to get along at all costs. She tries really hard not to step on anyone’s toes and would prefer to avoid the spotlight of attention. Part of her motivation is living out her faith with humility and kindness, but a bigger part is fear of having a target placed on her back and losing what security she has gained. Of course, through the challenges she faces, she’ll gain the confidence to take a stand when necessary.

Where can my readers find you online?

My online home base is my website/blog at www.CandeeFick.com where readers can find out about my other books and get a peek at the first chapters of my novels when they sign up for email updates. I’m also active on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CandeeFick) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Author.Candee.Fick).

Thank you so much for this interview, Candee. I hop my readers will check out this new book.