Susan May Warren

This summer, for my book giveaway contest, I’ve opened the floor to my readers to “Ask an Author Anything!*” (That * is a “Keep it-G-rated” disclaimer!)

This question comes from Jane S:

How did you decide that writing was what you wanted to do? How did you finally start? Did you take courses or learn on your own? Was it hard home schooling your children?

You know, I think writing is something that came from the inside. I love stories, and I also love words. I was one of those kids who lost herself in books (I still do!). I remember the librarian shooing me out at closing hours, and sometimes I’d just plunk right down in the aisle, sit and read for hours. I’m a book addict!

However, I never gave being an author a serious thought until I was in Russia. I had already had four kids, and was working with my husband as a missionary. He was gone a lot, and I had read every book in the house 3-4 times, and thought…hey, I’ll write my own!

I liked letting my imagination out to plat and it started a passion for me. I began to devour every book I could on writing, and writing stories that apparently had been incubating in my heart for years. I wrote four books within three years, although I didn’t submit any of them (due to the whole, I-was-in-Siberia thing!). Mostly, what I did was read the books of my favorite authors, and then dissect WHY I loved them. And then I wrote, a lot, and dissected that writing to discover how to get better.

As for homeschooling — I gave my children my best hours, from 9-3, and then from 3-6 I went to my room and wrote. The secret: by that time, my kids were SICK of me! And I’m a believer of mutual respect – I respected their time, and asked them to respect mine. And that’s what they did. I made a point to include them in celebrations, like finishing a book, or even a chapter. We still have rootbeer floats when I finish a book! Most of all, I asked God to redeem my time – if I was thinking of a storyline or some exceptionally good dialogue right in the middle of math, I jotted down memory triggers, and asked God to help me remember it later! (and he did. *g*)

Thank you, Jane, for asking! And if YOU want to enter the contest, check it out HERE.

1. I have conversations with people who don’t look at me strangely when I say things like, “I don’t like the way I killed my villain. I think I need to do it over.” 2. I get an opportunity to wear real clothing (and get out of my sweatpants).
3. I eat three meals/day. Good, balanced meals. With dessert, even. (in other words, I go four entire days without ONE packet of Ramen Noodles!)
4. I get to sleep through the night without a child patting me on the face saying, Mommy, I can’t sleep/need a drink/had a nightmare.
5. I learn that I’m not alone – there ARE others who talk to imaginary people as if they’re really there. (Which they are!)
6. I get to meet the people who have let me into their brain and allowed me to enjoy their imagination (ie, Robin Lee Hatcher, Colleen Coble, Kristen Billerbeck etc.)
7. I get to wear a fancy dress and feel like a movie star (Yeah, awards night!)
8. For four days, I invest in my dream.
9. I get to worship God will fellow dreamers.
10. I always come away inspired, energized, enlightened, and amazed that God has allowed me to do what I love for the ONE I love.

Hope to see you in Dallas! For more info, check out: www.americanfictionchristianwriters.com

I admit it – it’s rare for me to read a book for fun. Often, I find myself reworking paragraphs, or even thinking through sentence structure. So, when I find a book I can immerse myself in, it’s a treat.

I was completely swept away by Rachel Hauck’s newest book, Diva NashVegas. I fell in love with Aubrey and Scott, and their story, filled with southern charm, completely wooed me. But Diva has more than charm, it had authenticity and grace. So well researched was this book that at times I wondered if Rachel had actually BEEN a Diva. She knew insider secrets and educated me about the Country Music world. (A world I’ve always wanted to live in!). But the best thing about this book was the gentle way Rachel wrote about grace and truth. She didn’t bang me over the head with theology, but let it sift into my spirit like a…hmmm…song. And she taught me something – less IS more. Instead of telling me what to think, she let me sort out the story for myself. She resisted the urge to explain every action, and let me enjoy the characters as they went about their lives. It’s probably Rachel’s best book yet.

Here are some of my favorite parts:
“Peter’s voice clung to my heart most of yesterday afternoon, but by this morning, I’d shaken the impact of his call and resealed his emotions.” I love this line because she doesn’t go into a long dissertation of how devastating the phone call was (and you’ll have to read the book to understand). But the word “reseal” gives such a vivid image of how emotions splatter out all over, messy and sometimes out of control. She doesn’t have to say this, however…we get it through the word resealed. Nice!

This is a great use of metaphor to enhance mood – Aubrey is at an event, and everything inside her is slowly dying…only Rachel doesn’t say that…she says this instead. “Alone in the middle of the room, I cup my pink drink. The melting ice forms tears on the outside of the carved glass.” It’s powerful, and says more than any inner thought ever would.

Here’s another sentence that so captures the essence of fracture relationships without having to explain… “We’ve been saying words to each other but not talking.” So true, huh?

One of Rachel’s best moves in the book is to use a metaphorical “God” figure in the background that gives a richness to the spiritual threads woven through the book. His name is Juan, and he’s the gardener… “I peer out the window at the maple’s red and gold leaves clapping in the wind. Juan is steering a wheelbarrow across the lawn toward the gazebo. He stops and lifts out flower boxes of marigolds. How beautiful. Juan. He never leaves my garden unattended.” See, you don’t need any exposition about what is happening in Aubrey’s soul. Perfect.

Pick up Diva. Enjoy it. Learn from it. I know I did.