Urcelia Teixeira Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, where I also met and married my Portuguese husband. We have three boys, two of whom are teens, so they keep us young! In 2018 we took the plunge and emigrated to the south of Portugal—partly to give our kids an opportunity to travel and experience the rest of the world, but mostly because of the volatile conditions in South Africa. We spent thirteen glorious months soaking up the sea and sun before my husband’s career moved us to England. We plan on retiring in Portugal once the boys leave home.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. As a child I kept journals, wrote poems and devoured books, but I never once thought of writing a book. It was an unattainable honor reserved for the literary greats. In South Africa, we didn’t even know eBooks existed until about 2014, and even then it was a foreign concept. A friend introduced me to self-publishing for the first time back in 2017. She’d already published several books and was doing very well. The notion of writing and publishing a book intrigued me, so I naively added it to my bucket list. I dipped my toes in the water with two short stories, both hopelessly terrible, but the writing bug bit. I wrote my first novel, The Rhapta Key, at night, after work—I was a real estate agent—and once the kids were in bed. A few weeks after it released in December 2017, I got a message from a complete stranger via Facebook asking when the second book in the series was out. I had no intention of writing another book, let alone a series! But I am a bit of a people pleaser, and when a week later two more readers sent me the same request, I threw my hands in the air and obliged. Three years on, I’ve added nine more books to my catalogue and can’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. Many years ago God gave me a prophetic scripture through which He named me Hephzibah (meaning ‘My delight is in her’). Some time after that, life happened and for a long time I felt unworthy of that name. But God showed me grace in this area, for the nearly ten years that followed. While writing my fifth book in my Alex Hunt adventure thriller series, I felt the Spirit nudging me, directing me on an alternative path. I obeyed and wrote my redemption book, The Caiaphas Code, before switching to writing Christian mystery and suspense instead. The day I finished the last sentence of Every Good Gift, book 1 in this new genre, I heard the Lord whisper in my ear, Hephzibah, Hephzibah, over and over. That has been the most noteworthy highlight of my short career so far, knowing I have pleased God.
As for my writing break, that hasn’t happened yet! The closest I’ve come to feeling like I was getting somewhere in my career was when the same book recently won a silver medal for Christian fiction in the 2021 Illumination Awards.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Every Good Gift?
A: As mentioned in the previous question, this is the first book in my three-book Adam Cross Christian Suspense series. I loved writing this book! It’s a poignant but suspenseful tale about a young pastor who had lost both his parents in a car accident as a child, then faces adversity for the second time when a horrific accident claims the lives of his wife and daughter. As he clings to his faith, searching for answers, he discovers his parents’ accident wasn’t an accident after all. The more he digs for the truth, the more secrets he uncovers and the more he learns of his past, gifting, and God’s grace. There are lots of twists and turns and a few tears along the way as the mysteries unfold. This book won the silver medal for Christian Fiction in the 2021 Illumination Awards. The third and final book in this series is scheduled to release April 30, 2021.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Every Good Gift?
A: The idea came to me while I meditated on John1:16 that says:
“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” As I began studying what grace truly meant, it sparked an idea for a story. I am not one to plot out my books beforehand, I write as the Spirit directs me, so I can honestly say every word was God-breathed.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: Often life knocks you, sometimes to the point where you think you can’t go on, but God’s grace is sufficient for us. And if we trust in that and allow Him to guide us through these hardships, we will not only grow closer to Him but also discover new and exciting things God has prepared for us.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. Knowing that I am serving others, living out that which God has called me to do.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. With my Adam Cross Suspense series now complete, production on a brand new series is underway. If all goes well, the first book should be out this coming September.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. We have a lot of walking paths and woodlands where we live, so I love to take daily walks. These are what I call my contemplation walks—a time I talk with God, build characters and create plot twists! I also read a lot, albeit lately more self-study books on sharpening my craft, but I’m trying to read at least one fiction book a month. When I need mindless escapism, you’ll find me binge-browsing and splurging on all things stationery online!