WINGATE, Lisa

PERSONAL:

Born in Germany; father a computer expert, mother an educator; married, 1988; husband's name Sam (a science teacher and rancher); children: two sons. Education: Oklahoma State University, B.A. (technical English). Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Equestrian sports, hiking, skiing, antiquing, archaeology.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Texas. Agent—Claudia Cross, Sterling Lord Literistic, 65 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012. E-mail—lisa@Lisawingate.com.

CAREER:

Freelance writer. Formerly worked as a technical writer and curriculum writer for state of Oklahoma Vocational Technical department.

WRITINGS:

Tending Roses, New American Library (New York, NY), 2001.

Good Hope Road, New American Library (New York, NY), 2003.

Texas Cooking, New American Library (New York, NY), 2003.

Lone Star Café, New American Library (New York, NY), 2004.

The Language of Sycamores, New American Library (New York, NY), 2005.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A sequel to Lone Star Café.

SIDELIGHTS:

Texas-based novelist Lisa Wingate is inspired by family, friends, and the experiences that cause men and women to reevaluate and reappreciate the positive aspects of life. Her first novel, Tending Roses, finds young mother Kate Benson torn between putting her elderly grandmother in a nursing home and finding a way to allow the independent-spirited woman a richer life. Journalist Collie Collins, the protagonist of Wingate's 2003 novel Texas Cooking, is forced to chose between a major career advancement in Washington, D.C., or life with a new love in a small Texas town. weighing community and romantic fulfilment against financial and social gains. While Wingate's novels have sometimes been criticized for their sentimentality, Booklist contributor Patty Engelmann praised Tending Roses as a "touching story of love and faith" that puts "modern problems in perspective."

In Good Hope Road an act of nature changes the lives of the residents of Poetry, Missouri forever. With no plans for the future, twenty-one-year-old Jenilee Lane has been marking time, afraid to leave her abusive father. When a destructive tornado hits town, she rescues an elderly neighbor from a cellar in which the woman had been trapped by the storm, and the special relationship that develops between the two women gives both the strength to change their lives for the better. Calling Good Hope Road a "genuinely heart-warming story," Engelmann noted that the novel, with its portrayal of the strength of community, reflects "the true American spirit." "Wingate is a skilled writer," added Kliatt contributor Claire Rosser, noting that her novel "presents a strong view of how people can change for the better."

Wingate told CA: "I have been writing books for as long as I can remember, and I cannot imagine not writing. I seek to write books that not only entertain, but uplift and enrich those who read them. My goal is to provide an experience that is thought-provoking and good for the soul, that helps readers find their own answers to life. My work is profoundly influenced by my own spirituality as a Christian, but I seek to work in the mainstream rather than in Christian fiction.

"For me, being a writer is a little like having Peter Pan syndrome. Developing a story is like playing a childhood game, in which we created pretend worlds out in the backyard, assumed the lives of our characters, then developed the story as we went along. My stories and characters take on lives of their own, and I never quite know what will happen until I write it. Creating a book is always a journey of discovery.

"Most of my subjects are close to life, and have been inspired by real experiences—either mine or those of others I have met along the way. I like books that feel very real, as if someone you've just met is sitting down and telling you a story of some pivotal, life-changing experience."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2001, Patty Engelmann, review of Tending Roses, p. 1735; April 15, 2003, Patty Engelmann, review of Good Hope Road, p. 1451; September 15, 2003, Patty Engelmann, review of Texas Cooking, p. 227.

Kliatt, July, 2003, Claire Rosser, review of Good Hope Road, p. 28.

Library Journal, April 1, 2003, Wilda Williams, review of Good Hope Road, p. 84.