FA?s

1. Can you tell us a little about your family?

I’m one of those embarrassing moms. I just love to kiss on my kiddos—right in public. And the more they squirm…lol. No, I’m pretty much kidding. I’m kind of laid back and try to stay out of the way in public. In private though. . .I’m all up in their bidness.

My son Erik is 19, and he is off serving his country in the Air Force. Natalie is 13 and Emily is 10. We’re doing a neat book together called Girl Talk, based off an advice column we have on my blog. Readers write in, and my girls and I answer their questions. Next year, those questions and answers will come out in a book.

I also have a set of three-year-old triplets. Oh, my. . .those babies (and yes, they are still and will always be babies to me) are a piece of heaven right here on earth. Logan, Megan, and Ryleigh. Ahhh. You’re making me want to go wake them up for some cuddles. If you haven’t yet, check out the pictures at the bottom of this page. Oh, and if you sign up for the Choices! Ezine, you’ll get to hear a bit about the kids every month.

 

2. How long have you been writing? Please tell us a little about your writing journey, how you got started, what led to the sale of your first book, etc. (I get asked various versions of this question all the time so I’ll include links to some posts you can look through, too.)

I’ve been writing for publication since 2007. I began by submitting devotional readings to some books for women that Barbour Publishing compiled. I wound up contributing over 200 readings to seven books.

During that time, while I was also waiting for my triplets to come, I contracted and completed my first two YA books and haven’t stopped since.

Here is a bit more about my journey: OLD POST you may or may not want to check out.

 

3. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

Honestly, what comes to mind is the one thing I’m glad I didn’t know. I had no idea how difficult the process was supposed to be. I didn’t know about people enduring years of rejection letters. I didn’t know that many writers had unpublished manuscripts gathering dust in the corners of their offices. I hadn’t heard the stories of pitches and near misses. I just had some stuff to write. So I did.

I often wonder if the results—or even my efforts—would have been different if I’d known how rough it was supposed to be? I’m thankful I was protected from both the knowledge and the experience. But, looking back, I can see how a bit of rejection and a little longer learning period would have been helpful before my first books published. For whatever reason, though, God did it this way, and who am I to question Him?

 

4. How does your faith play into your writing?

Everything I write handles a faith-based issue—usually dealing with teens and peer pressure whether I’m writing for the teens or their parents. I believe it’s my calling, but, since it’s also my passion, I couldn’t do it any other way if I wanted to.

There’s a lot of talk about too much faith in a book or too little evidence of a Christian walk in a character. Some people want sermons in their books, others want mere hints at anything religious. The way I see it, books are going to be different because authors are different. I write what God puts on my heart, whatever that might be, to please HIM, not the reader–not because I don’t love my readers, but because I couldn’t possibly make everyone happy. With this mindset, though, someone will benefit from the words I write because they came from the heart of God.

 

6. Has God ever provided an unexpected “detour” in your life that turned out to be positive?

Remember those triplets we spoke about in the first question? LOL! I mean, really, I didn’t expect or plan to expel three human beings from my body at the same time. But, WOW, what a blessing!

Plus, six months of bed rest and six weeks of uninterrupted time in the hospital gave me a lot of time to think about what I needed to do. It was definitely a time of deep reflection and prayer that strengthened my faith as it destroyed my body.

Now, looking back, that time was such a huge blessing and those babies are three of God’s  seven greatest gifts in my life.

 

7. If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

12. What were your teen years like?

Have you read any of my books? They were like that. Lots of confusion, lots of doubt. Many, many mistakes. Each of my characters reveals a part of who I was as a teen. Now I’m not saying that everything they did or everything that happened to them existed in the same way in my life, but the fear and the identity struggles and battles between f faith and peer pressure were all very much the same.

 

13. What’s the number one issue you worry about when it comes to your own kids?

Totally honest? Pre-marital sex. I know I’m supposed to have some grand answer about their confidence or that they find happiness…but you asked for the truth. The number one thing I worry about in regard to their choices is that they’ll have sex as a teen. I couldn’t possibly convey to them or to you how damaging that choice is (not can be, IS) to future relationships, self-esteem, and a solid walk of faith. Unlike many choices, a sexual relationship is a decision that affects a person for the rest of his or her life. It can’t be undone.

 

Anything you’d like to ask? Feel free to email me. I’d love  to hear from you!