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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Writer’s book will be on store shelves this fall


Inspirational author Nikki Arana of Post Falls will have her first book, the first in a series of three, published in October. 
 (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)
Cathy Keister Correspondent

Post Falls author Nikki Arana is slated to teach a workshop she’s called, “The Devil’s in the Details,” but you won’t find devils cast as heroes in her books: Arana writes inspirational fiction.

After publishing poetry and magazine articles, Arana’s first book, “The Winds of Sonoma,” classified as inspirational fiction, is due on bookstore shelves Oct. 5. Two more books follow: “In The Shade of the Jacaranda,” and, “On the Wings of the Wind,” (working title), both in the general audience category.

Together, the three books comprise Arana’s “Regalo Grande” series. “Regalo Grande,” is the ranch’s name where the stories take place in Sonoma County, near San Francisco.

Publisher Revell Books is a division of Baker Publishing Group, of Grand Rapids, Mich. Baker Publishing Group is one of the largest and most influential evangelical publishers in the world.

The series’ first book, “The Winds of Sonoma,” is about a brilliant and ambitious attorney, Angelica Amante, and the illiterate laborer, Antonio Perez. Their different worlds evolve into a beautiful story of love, which continues throughout the three-book series. Arana helped design the cover for the first book.

Book two, “In the Shade of the Jacaranda,” follows Angelica and Antonio’s marriage and the birth of their first child.

The third book, “On the Wings of the Wind,” deals with Angelica and Antonio’s child’s battle with acute myeloid leukemia. For this, Arana needed an expert’s help.

“With what I can only call God’s provision, I connected to a highly respected research scientist in Europe, whose field is molecular immunogenetics and genetic susceptibility to childhood leukemia,” Arana said. “He helped me plot the book.”

She also connected with the HLA (human leukocyte antigens) laboratory director at City of Hope Cancer Center in California, and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital’s chief of staff at Stanford.

“The people I need, all along this path, just seem to appear when I need them.”

That includes Arana’s husband of 29 years, Antonio. They have two grown sons; Estaban, 26, and Aristo, 23. The book series is based on Arana and her husband’s own inspiring love story.

Besides sharing her love story, Arana freely shares her road to publication with others in person and on her Web site. Arana also publishes a newsletter.

And she enjoys teaching at conferences. In May she spoke at the Inland Empire Chapter of Romance Writers of America in Spokane, and in August she’ll teach the workshop, “The Devil’s in the Details,” at the 36th annual Willamette Writers’ Conference in Portland.

Although Arana began writing for publication at age 51, her love of poetry came early.

“I began writing poems at the age of 8, and it’s still my first love. But I never planned or dreamed of being an author. I was very business-oriented and focused on a career selling real estate, which I’ve done for the past 30 years. I have two full-time jobs I love,” says the dark-eyed Arana, of Greek descent.

Her daily schedule includes writing at her computer, from 4:30 to 10 a.m. After work, she’s at the computer writing again.

Arana’s road to publication began when her sons were grown, and she decided to take an online writing course, called “Writerrific.” The teacher, Eva Shaw, encouraged Arana to try publication.

So Arana bought some books on what publishers were buying. She took another online course, this time from the University of Washington. She sent out her homework, selling it in the United States and Canada.

Then she joined the Idaho Writers’ League, which has a local chapter in Coeur d’Alene. There she heard about a contest and submitted “Wrestling with the Wind.” She won second place

By then, Arana felt a calling.

“I felt inspired to write a novel, so I bought books on novel writing, sat down at my computer and started. In May of 2002, I became aware of a writers’ conference in Seattle that cost only $99, and I could drive there. I read the acquisitions editor for Tyndale, publishers of the “Left Behind” series, would be present and you could be part of a group interview with three minutes to pitch your book.”

And Arana had only three chapters of the book written, although she knew where the story was going. Unfamiliar with pitching a book, Arana’s father bought her “Publishing for Dummies,” and Arana learned to write a synopsis. At the conference she was prepared.

The editor liked Arana’s pitch and asked her to submit the first four chapters to Tyndale.

“So I went home, wrote the fourth chapter and did just that.”

Arana was led to longtime editor Karen Ball, who assisted her with revisions. Carol Craig, a concept editor, helped her structure the story into a salable book. After signing with Natasha Kern, her agent, Arana ultimately sold her book to Revell Books (after receiving two other offers), with a three-book contract.

Arana’s future includes more writing and she’d like to teach more workshops, especially in the area of inspirational fiction.

“I feel deeply about many spiritual and social issues,” she said. “All of my books present moral dilemmas that challenge the characters. As in real life, the characters find there aren’t always easy answers. It’s my hope that those who read my books will think about the issues that are presented, the choices the characters make and the overcoming faith that will always allow the human spirit to triumph.”