Tawni asked: How do you go about getting your story noticed by a publisher? My daughter is 15 and loves to write.
Getting noticed in today’s market – whether you’re published, or not, it always a challenge. There is always another great book out there, always a story that is similar to your own.
My husband hates his birthday. Okay, hates is a strong word, but let’s just say that he’s not into presents and making a big fuss. In fact, that’s his entire personality. We once had a big discussion about what “LATE” means. I think it means being about 15 minutes behind schedule. He thinks it’s coming in right when the event is supposed to start.
I love it when I see my friends’ books hit the shelves – especially when I’ve brainstormed with them, and prayed with them in the writing process. I think this is some of Chris’s best work – and just in time for Christmas! I know you’ll love it!
After two broken engagements,
Sarah asked: The one author who has impacted me the most?
I know I’ve answered my favorite writers, (Dee Henderson, my buddy Rachel Hauck, and many others) but as for the one that impacted me the most, it must have been Francine Rivers. When I read her Mark of the Lion series,
Denise asked: Did you base your coffee/bookstore/reading room in Happily Ever After on a real coffee/bookstore/reading room in MN or somwhere else? Your description of this place – you can almost smell the coffee brewing and imagine what book you could be reading while sipping your favorite coffee.
The Footstep of Heaven Bookstore and Coffee Shop lived in my imagination long long before it ever made it onto the pages of Happily Ever After.
Writers can’t live in a vacuum. Those stories of people who are hermits that live in seclusion and write these amazing literary novels? Okay, Really? Because I only have a select amount of ideas in my brain, and after I use those up, I gotta go somewhere for inspiration. Somewhere besides my messy office, or living room sofa.
Jackie W asked: How do you decide on what names to give your characters? And has any of your characters names turned out to cause problems for you afterwards?
A: I love naming my characters! It’s like having a child again, except I get to see what they’re like fully grown.
Crystal asked: Do your children ever give you ideas for story lines?
A: Oh, all the time! We are watching something together and they might ask a question – mom, what would happen if….and there I go with a story idea from the scenario they’ve asked. Not only that,
Susanna W asked: What made you become a writer?
A: I think a true writer can’t stop writing. They love words, and stories, and the way they sing together. I have been a story teller since my early days (just as my mother!) and have always loved a great tale.
