Author Interview with Karen Witemeyer

All right, I admit it. I'm one of those weird writers who actually prefers to write with her internal editor turned on. Most authors believe the editing side of their brain impedes their creativity, but not me. Editing is actually my strength. Without it, I flounder. I don't write multiple drafts of my novels. I edit as I go, polishing each chapter before moving on to the next, and when I get to "The End," it's actually the end.

Knowing this about me, you'll understand why my writing pace is slow. My perfectionistic tendencies will not be ignored. I might work for an hour just to craft the perfect analogy to describe how my hero crosses the street. I might re-write a sentence a dozen times to smooth out the flow or search four different thesauruses/dictionaries to uncover the perfect verb to use in portraying my heroine's emotions. The right word can make all the difference.

Words not only reflect the action, but the personalities of the characters. For example, in Stealing the Preacher, Crockett Archer is a minister. The heroine calls him Brother Archer. Respectful, polite, proper. Her ex-outlaw father, however, calls him a sermonizer. Can't you hear the disdain dripping from that word? It paints a completely different picture.

While I believe selecting strong words helps an author create vivid images in her fiction, I also think we have to be careful not to take our words too seriously. This was brought home to me a few weeks ago when I was sitting in church with my kids. I usually sit between my two boys (ages 11 and 13), and we all sing together. My older children sing with enthusiasm, while my youngest is much more timid. This particular day, however, Peter was eagerly getting involved in the singing. Not so much with his voice, but with his hands. You see, he was acting out the words as he sang them. His hands were close to his lap, so I did nothing to stop him. In fact, I was thrilled that he was paying close enough attention to the words to be able to pantomime them.

We sing classic hymns at our church, and on this day we were singing Victory in Jesus.

I heard an old, old story, (Peter held his hands together like an open book.)

How a Savior came from glory (Peter pointed a finger up toward heaven.)

How he gave his life on Calvary (He shaped his fingers into a cross.)

To save a wretch like me (Peter pointed to himself.) 

The pattern continued through the rest of the verse and on to the chorus. Like the proud mother I was, I smiled at him and sang out strong. "Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever, He sought me and bo't me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew him, and all my love is due him, He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood."

I glanced over to Peter as we neared the end of the chorus, and I saw this thoughtful look come over his face followed by a click of satisfaction as an idea formed. Have you guessed it? Oh, yes, he did. When we sang about how Jesus plunged us to victory, my son pantomimed a toilet plunger. With gusto.

Oh, my word. I was horrified and yet found it so hilarious I burst into quiet laughter while grabbing his hands at the same time to get him to quit. I tried to explain to him later that there were different meaning for the word plunge and this one had nothing to do with plumbing, but he was so proud of getting me to laugh, that I don't think he cared about the semantics.

This episode served to remind me that in my search for the perfect word, I should never take myself so seriously that I forget to have a good time. Authors get paid to play with words, after all, and the results should be fun for everyone. 

Come back Friday for a chance to win a copy of Karen's newest book, "Stealing the Preacher."

Two-time RITA® Finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion and ACFW Carol Award, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House, believing that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com. 

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Behind the Scenes with Becky Wade

Romance author Becky Wade has agreed to take a few minutes from her busy schedule and talk with The Borrowed Book about her writing life. We invite you to listen in...

Have you ever had a funny experience connected with being an author?

Back in the fall of 2000, when I was eight months pregnant with my first child, I attended my one and only Romantic Times convention. At the time I was writing historical romances for the general market and I went to meet readers and to spend time with fellow authors. At some point during the conference I found myself sitting in the audience of a male cover model fashion show. In very serious and dramatic fashion, the cover models of the day strutted up and down and catwalk dressed as romance novel heroes. I recall a pirate, a Regency-era Lord, an astronaut, a cowboy. Many of the female audience members hooted and hollered their approval. On the other hand, perhaps in part due to my pregnancy hormones, I spent the show laughing so hard that tears ran down my face.

Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a combination?

I'm a combination! I begin a novel by thinking through a list of questions about each of my characters. (I call my list a 'character interview'. If you're interested in the technique, you can check out the interview I use.)

Once I have my hero and heroine's goals, conflict, and backstories firm in my mind, I jot down a rough draft of every major plot point I envision for the novel.

Typically, my finished books stick fairly closely to those original plot points. As I'm writing the rough draft, the smaller connecting scenes occur to me. I always have epiphanies during the process, times when God surprises me, moments when I suddenly understand a dimension of my hero or heroine that I hadn't before. If I come up with a better way to orchestrate an element of the plot while I'm working on the manuscript, I go with my new idea.

Do you write full time, or do you work it in alongside a full-time job?

For the past twelve years, I've been a full-time stay at home mom. I work in the writing alongside

taking care of my family and home.

What do your kids think about your being a writer?

They seem bemused by it. In their eyes my identity begins and ends with 'mom'. Even though they regularly see me hunched over my computer working, the fact that I'm suddenly (almost magically, from their point of view) the author of published novels has struck them as a bit of mystery.

How do you get your best ideas?

If an author's eyes are open to inspiration, then ideas are everywhere! Ideas are in books, stories friends tells us, movies, family history, and in the real world all around us. I'll meet someone new and think, "He would make a great secondary character!"

I base my books on ideas that both capture my imagination and stir my emotions. For example, My Stubborn Heart began with my desire to write about a former NHL hockey player who'd been devastated by the death of his wife.

Once I have the initial idea, I set it in my mind and begin to think and dream over it on and off all day long. I ask myself lots of 'what if?' questions about the inspiration. Steadily, my creativity will begin to simmer. My conscious and sub-conscious will start go to work.

Oddly, I've discovered that my most effective brainstorms occur to me in either the shower or the car. So get showering. Get driving!

What do you do to get past writer’s block?

If writing isn't happening for me on a given work day, then I try not to force it. (For me, forcing it begins to make the writing feel like homework. Since I've graduated from college already I'm not interested in doing any more homework!). Instead, I'll use my allotted work hours to catch up on marketing. Or I'll pull up a section of the manuscript that I wrote months prior and spend time editing that. It's still forward progress!

More likely than not, when I show up for work on the next workday, my creativity will be ready to roll.

What’s your favorite method for keeping a story’s middle from sagging?

I think it's critical for the conflict between the hero and heroine to change over the course of the story. If your hero is thinking on page 5, "I can't date this woman because my brother is in love with her," and on page 205 he's still thinking, "I can't date this woman because my brother's in love with her," then there's a problem. The middle of this novel will sag because nothing has evolved.

Other techniques that correct sagging middles: 1) good, fast pacing and 2) a plot that's clicking along and keeping the reader guessing.

Do you write every day? What does your typical writing day look like?

I write three days a week. On a typical writing day, I get my three kids squared away at school and pre-school, then I race home to clean the house and take a shower. Once I'm at my desk, I check email and social media, have a quiet time with the Lord, and then write! I eat lunch (usually a sandwich) while I'm

working and then treat myself to an afternoon dose of caffeine and dessert.

Even after my kids return home from school, I tend to revisit the story several more times so that I can add in extra tidbits. At the left, you'll see a pic of my desk at home.

Do you like to listen to music when you write?

Nope! Once I begin working, I can't have any noise except the white-noise from the dishwasher or washing machine.

Do you have any rituals you like to go through before you start writing?

I always make time to read scripture and pray before I write. Most days, I also sing along (badly but enthusiastically) to a worship song.

Writing is a sedentary occupation. What do you do for exercise?

I chase kids and clean house daily! In addition to that I exercise at least four times a week. I do gym work-outs with weights and cardio. I play tennis at least once a week. And I enjoy mixing in an occasional yoga or step class. The gym I attend has childcare - so working out often feels like a vacation.

Do you have any pets? Do you own them, or they you?

I have a Cavalier King Charles spaniel! I'm the Alpha dog in this house. But he owns my heart.

More About Becky Wade

Becky Wade is a graduate of Baylor University. As a newlywed, she lived for three years in a home overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, as well as in Australia, before returning to the States. A mom of three young children, Becky and her family now live in Dallas, Texas. Visit her website at http://beckywade.com.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for a chance to win Becky's newest release, Undeniably Yours!

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The Challenging Thing Called Faith by Author Becky Wade

"Take on something so big that you'll fail unless God is in it," my former pastor, Dr. Jim Denison, used to say.  What a wonderful idea, I'd think.  Yes!  Heartily yes!  

And then God called me to write a novel.

When I heard His call I was the mother of two children, ages seven and four, and I was expecting my third baby.  The only hours I had to myself all week were the few hours when my four year old was in pre-school.  To be honest, I really enjoyed using that time to do things like attend MOPS meetings, straighten my house, shower, grocery shop.  

Nonetheless, God called me to write a novel.

I'd once published historical romances for the general market, but I'd abandoned my career seven years before when God had issued a clear 'no' to the kind of books I'd been writing.  In all seven years I had not expected to return to it.  Ever.

Nonetheless, God called me to write a novel.

Suddenly, "Attempt something so big that you'll fail unless God is in it," applied to me and my life in a very personal way.  If I was going to respond to God's call, if I was going to write a novel for the Christian market, I could no longer simply approve of the idea in theory.  I was going to have to put my faith into action.

Since I'd published books in the past, I had an accurate sense of how hard it would be.  The only thing that kept me from burying my head in the sand and pretending I hadn't understood God's will?  My belief that if God was the One who'd asked me to write, then God was the One who'd equip me to write.

I rolled up my sleeves.  I determined that during the hours when my son was at pre-school, I'd plant myself at my desk and work.

Before each writing session I hit my knees and prayed.  I confessed to God that yes, I was going to fail unless He was in it.  I begged him to help me.  I prayed, "May you become greater, I may I become less," John 3:30.  

Occasionally.... okay, almost daily, doubt and anxiety would sneak in.  I'd feel overwhelmed by the size of the task before me.  I'd start to worry that the book would never sell, that it wasn't any good, that I was inferior to other writers.  I'd angst over the idea of sinking a year into the writing of a novel that might go nowhere.

In those moments, I would hear God reassure me.  He reminded me over and over that my job was simply to write it.  He would handle the rest. 

Striving to trust His will for me and my novel -- even if His will didn't include publication -- I pressed on. 

It's hard, isn't it?  Writing without guarantees?  Investing our heart, our time, and often our dollars into something without knowing where it will lead?  Authors seeking publication have no guarantee of publication.  Published authors have no guarantee that anyone will like their finished work.

But that's faith.  Isn't it?  Acting in obedience, uncertain of what God has in store?  Trusting in His character.  Surrendering our will to His will.

2 Corinthians 4:18 says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 

Because of God's grace, I was eventually able to finish my novel.  He sustained me and equipped me and despite having my third baby (just a few chapters shy of finishing the book) I did manage to complete the work He'd called me to do.  I did not manage to do it in my own strength.  Only His.

If you're working toward the goal of completing a novel or if you've already finished your (fifth, tenth, twentieth?) novel, then press on!  I wholeheartedly believe that the One who "gives generously to all without finding fault," (James 1:5) will continue to faithfully meet and empower you.   

Come on back Friday for a chance to win Becky's newest release, Undeniably Yours.

Becky Wade is a graduate of Baylor University. As a newlywed, she lived for three years in a home overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, as well as in Australia, before returning to the States. A mom of three young children, Becky and her family now live in Dallas, Texas. Visit her website at www.beckywade.com.

Find out more about Becky at http://beckywade.com.

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The Myth of Writer's Block by Author S. Dionne Moore

        I hate to say this, but writer’s block might just be another way of saying “undisciplined.” It’s hard to write when the words aren’t flowing. I’ve been to that store and shopped in their gift store. Those days feel like walking through heavy, wet snow, at least 12” inches deep in the blowing, frigid wind, with a wind chill factor of 0 degrees. Getting the picture?             
       The point is no one likes hard days. We want everyday to be a 2500 word count goal accomplished-within-3-hours type of day. But life just doesn’t work like that, and as creatures prone to emotion, we often find ourselves unproductive not because we can’t be productive, but because it’s easier not to be. 

Ask anyone who writes for a living, with multiple deadlines, and they will tell you that they don’t have time for writer’s block. These are the people who will be productive and make progress consistently. They are also those who new or young writers will hold in awe. “You do 2500 words a day? I wish I could do that.” Well, you can. There is no secret to breaking through writer’s block except just doing it. Sitting your soft spot in a chair, focusing on your story, and tapping out the words, one sentence at a time. 

The process of writing a marketable product doesn’t come magically but only with experience. The more you write and participate in classes on writing--absorbing the subject as a whole--the more honed your storytelling will become. You begin to understand the connection between backstory and characterization, as well as the power of defining goal, motivation and conflict before you start. Does this do away with seat-of-the-pants writing? No, absolutely not, but it is much easier to stay within the parameters of your story when you have built the framework for the character’s journey ahead of time.

Many times a writer becomes discouraged one-third of the way into writing the story and claims writer’s block, but those are the times your subconscious is probably turning you back toward your GMC and synopsis. Exploring these outlines often hold the key to the reason why the story has become derailed. This is why you need this backbone--a synopsis--pounded out before you begin writing. It will save you from deleting a lot of words. And it will become the map you use to write your story and avoid becoming mired in the myth that is writer’s block.

Moore enjoys life in the historically rich Cumberland Valley where traffic jams are a thing of the past and there are only two stoplights in the whole town. 

A three time Carol Award finalist, Moore is celebrating the release of her tenth historical romance, A Heartbeat Away, part of the Quilts of Love series by Abingdon Press. Visit her at her site: http://www.sdionnemoore.com

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Author Interview with Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt

With nearly four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the bestselling author of more than one hundred books, including The Tale of
Three Trees, Don't Bet Against Me, and The Nativity Story. Her biggest bestseller, The Note, sold over 141,000 copies. 

Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, including the RITA, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the Holt Medallion. She often travels to teach writing workshops

at schools and writers' conferences, and she served as the keynote speaker at the 2008 American Christian Fiction Writers' national conference. She and her husband make their home in Florida with mastiffs. 

In 2001, one of her dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest dog in America.

Learn more about Angela at http://www.angelahuntbooks.com 


Borrowed Book readers, come back on Friday for a chance to win a copy of The Offering, Angie's newest book. And now, the interview. . .


Welcome, Angie. Writers often complain about writer's block. What do you do to get past writer’s block?

Writers’ block cannot co-exist alongside a responsibility to pay the mortgage. 

Have you always wanted to be an author? If not, what made you decide to write, and how long have you been at it?

I never dreamed of being a writer. Never fantasized about writing the Great American Novel; never dreamed of living in a garret and suffering for the sake of my Art. I’m a practical person, more focused on the nuts and bolts of things than the whys and wherefores.
But apparently I’ve always had a natural aptitude for words and I’ve always been a reader. So when a friend suggested that I change my college major from music to English, the idea of working with words appealed more than singing on the road for the rest of my life. I’d been doing that, you see, and my voice was tired and my suitcase worn out. Duct tape could only patch things up for so long . . .

So I graduated from college with a degree in English Lit, taught high school English for a year, then worked at a large church writing curriculum. I kept telling myself that when the time was right, I’d quit my job and actually become a writer.

I finally decided that the time would be right when I plunged ahead and did it.

I quit the day job (and I’m NOT recommending you do this!) and had stationary and business cards printed up–freelance writer for hire. I mailed those cards and a brief letter to every advertising agency and magazine in my mid-sized town, then I was amazed at the responses. A great many business people, apparently, were happy to hire someone else to write their letters, brochures, advertising copy, etc. I bought and studied books on how to write effective letters, brochures, advertising copy, etc., and set about establishing a reputation for being fast and dependable. I figured I might not be the most talented fish in the sea, but at least I could be prompt, professional, and diligent. And I learned . . . from my employers and from my mistakes. 

For five years I worked for magazines and businesses, and I learned as I went along. I read and relentlessly studied books on the craft of writing. I rewrote and polished and rewrote again.
In 1988, an artist friend and I entered a contest for unpublished children’s book authors. I wrote a manuscript after studying a book on how to write children’s picture books (what else?) and then forgot about it. A few months later, I learned that out of 500 entries, our manuscript won first place–and first prize was publication. If I Had Long, Long Hair was therefore my first book. At the same time, I was writing about my family’s experience with adoption and sold a nonfiction manuscript to a book publisher. Those first books gradually moved me out of periodical work and into the publishing field–after years of learning and writing and reading and studying.  I am still learning and reading and studying, for each genre requires that a writer master certain requirements.

So when aspiring writers ask me for advice, I tell them to go to the library and find a copy of Writer’s Market. Study the periodicals market; study book publishers. Find out what they want to buy and concentrate on writing that–if you want to sell your writing. If you want to write for yourself or for your loved ones, go ahead, write what is on your heart. But if you want to write to sell, you have to learn how to write and behave professionally. Another wonderful place to learn is at a writer’s conference. There are many wonderful conferences around the country and throughout the year. Find one, go, and learn before you try to submit something to a publisher.

My philosophy is that a writer is like a builder–if you know how to use the construction tools and if you are familiar with the blueprints for various jobs/genres, you can master the work. But it requires study and basic know-how.

As to how long I’ve been doing this, I hung out my shingle in 1983. You can do the math. 

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Writing Comedic Characters by Authors of Cedar Creek Seasons

We four authors—Eileen Key, Becky Melby, Rachael Phillips, and Cynthia Ruchti—worked together on a previous release—A Door County Christmas novella collection (Barbour)—in 2010 and were thrilled to join forces again on novellas that highlight another Wisconsin location—Cedarburg, the scene of all four seasons of life and love in Cedar Creek Seasons, which released in September (Barbour).

When we were invited to participate in The Borrowed Book blog, one of the first thoughts that piqued our own curiosity was how each of us might answer this question: 

How do you write comedic characters without their becoming caricatures instead? 

BECKY MELBY (author of “A Contest of Wills”): The most effective (and fun) tool I've found for creating realistic comedic characters is eavesdropping. My husband routinely has to wait for the glazed-over look to leave my eyes while we're having dinner in a crowded restaurant. It's so hard to concentrate on the conversation at my own table when there is raucous laughter at the one behind us! I love tuning in to everyday banter and picking up bits of wit and the rhythm of timing that make people laugh. While it's okay to populate a story with a few over-the-top quirky secondary characters, if you give your main characters too many extreme eccentricities or put them in too many banana-peel-slip situations, they can come across as cartoon characters rather than real people. It's the subtle little sarcastic observations of your hero or the way your heroine looks at the world through chartreuse-colored glasses that make readers smile. In Contest of Wills, much of the humor comes simply from the contrast in the way Willow and Wilson approach life. Combining a cautious introvert with a live-out-loud extrovert created the perfect set-up for comedic conflict.

www.beckymelby.com, http://www.facebook.com/becky.f.melby, Twitter: @BeckyMelby. I’m also a contributor on www.novelPASTimesand www.thebarndoor.net.

RACHAEL PHILLIPS (author of “In Tune with You”): Romance offers the perfect opportunity to use a classic duo set-up: a normal character versus a comedic character who thumbs his nose at the rules. In my story In Tune with You, Chesca, the quintessential classical church choir director, clashes with Seth, a football coach and the pastor’s choice for church drama director. Seth sings “Jingle Bells” in February. Off-key, which amounts to mortal sin in Chesca’s eyes—er, ears.  

One method I use to avoid caricaturizing characters is to model them after real people. Seth shares several traits with my father, the world’s quirkiest pastor. Like Seth, Dad adores eating at truck stops and singing Christmas carols at unexpected times (he often led our congregation in “O Come O Ye Faithful” in August). Seth, like Dad, infuriates traditionalists like Chesca, yet harbors a passion for God and deep concern for unchurched friends, both adults and children. 

Layering spiritual strengths between flaws and weirdness usually creates a likable, believable, yet complex character—one who could show up at your church, singing “Jingle Bells” in February!       

Website: www.rachaelwrites.com, Facebook/Twitter.com/rachaelmphillips

EILEEN KEY (author of “Silvery Summer”): In the seventh grade I was voted Wittiest Classmate. It’s a title I’ve worked hard to maintain for many years. I believe life without a great sense of humor would be. . .unimaginable! So it is with the characters in my story. Claire finds herself in situations where she has to come up with an answer on the fly. She can’t let Eli know he’s “getting” to her. Eli doesn’t realize he’s keeping her off balance by his very presence in Cedarburg. The conflict begins. How do you develop this kind of character? Look around. I try to write real life types who experience real life situations and have them deal with the outcomes in an unusual manner. God’s gifted each of us with special personalities and quirks, so springboard your writing from the knowledge you have within. Add a little twist and voila you’ll have your reader laughing.

www.Eileenkey.com

CYNTHIA RUCHTI (author of “Maybe Us”): Snicker. Chuckle. Laugh. Guffaw. Smile. In a world that doesn’t seem to get enough laughter to counteract its stressors, it’s a joy to tell stories that not only warm hearts but tickle funny bones, too. In writers’ workshops, I’m sometimes asked how to write humor. I cringe, because if humor doesn’t come naturally, it will either lie flat on the page or jump out obnoxiously like a pop-up clown. Life is full of funny moments. Not everyone can write about them in a humorous way. What results from a trying-too-hard attempt is a caricature—a character with every feature of face and personality exaggerated. But as the others have said, when real life reactions take an interesting twist, or a quirk or curiosity shows up at an inopportune time, comedy is more natural. In Maybe Us, Derek’s long, lean frame is accompanied by bowling ball klutziness. Play-by-the-rules Beth has hair the color of a toasted marshmallow. So does Derek’s dog. Those little curiosities set the stage for scenes that evoke a smile. In life, our family adopted the philosophy, “If we think we’ll probably laugh about this calamity later, why don’t we go ahead and laugh about it now?”

www.cynthiaruchti.com, www.hopethatglowsinthedark.com (I write stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark), www.facebook.com/cynthiaruchtireaderpage, or www.twitter.com/cynthiaruchti. 

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