Renovating Becky Miller

Becky Miller believes in fixing things: children, friends, mother-in-law, sister, church . . . and her husband. So renovating a run-down farmhouse is right up her alley–the perfect antidote for the pressures of modern life.

But Becky’s pursuit of the simple life is soon threatened. Her mother-in-law moves in, her son finds trouble at school, her sister arrives for a visit, her best friend is acting weird, all while work stresses mount. Worst of all, her marriage is in need of some major remodeling of its own.

Cinematic daydreams provide Becky with heroic drama. Maybe that’s why she escapes into the scenes so often. In real life, everything is a muddled mess.

Who knew one old house could lead them to the brink of bankruptcy? Or that Becky’s physical handicap could threaten to steal their dream?

Can Becky stop fixing everyone else and let God renovate her heart so she can find her own happy ending?

Interview with Sharon Hinck

Sharon, tell me a little about your family and your call to write.

Married 27 years to Ted. I’ve told aspiring writers that the secret to success is to marry Ted. His support and patience and encouragement (and huge amount of help with household things) made my writing possible. Four children – 23, 21, 16, 14. I’ve been writing as part of my work in the arts all my adult life, but began to publish in magazines when I was in grad school (pregnant with baby number two). Then got busy raising children and working as an artistic director of an arts ministry. A little over four years ago, as I was seeking God for some new direction, He whispered “write,” and gradually steered me toward writing novels.

How did you get your first “writing break?”

I showed the opening chapter of The Secret Life of Becky Miller to an editor from Bethany House at a small local writer’s conference. He read it and said, “Have your agent send it.” Their editorial team looked at it, requested a few changes which I gave them, it went to committee and I got the contract offer just before Thanksgiving, 2004. It released June of 2006.

What do you write and why this genre?

I write about the adventure and challenges of women’s lives as they seek to follow God (the theme of “Stories for the hero in all of us”) but approach that from different directions.

Do you have any recent contracts and up coming releases?

My first two books The Secret Life of Becky Miller (6/2006) and Renovating Becky Miller (2/2007) are mom-lit with a twist of adventure/fantasy. Beginning in May, my three book fantasy series about a soccer mom pulled into an alternate world will release from NavPress (May, September and December of 2007). Then I have two more stand-alone novels – The Key of Mom and Penny’s Project releasing from Bethany House in 2008.

What do you hope to accomplish through your novels?

Bring joy to God’s heart.

I fellowship with Him over the keyboard as I write. I ask Him often if our time there brings Him joy. If it does, then it’s something I want to do.

I also hope the stories will share encouragement and humor with readers, as the prose draws from my own frailties and struggles. I’ve been awed and humbled by the letters from readers who were deeply affected by The Secret Life of Becky Miller. The temptation toward drivenness, the desire for meaning and purpose, the challenge of zillions of decisions in our modern culture—all hit a universe chord. When writing is painful (and it often is) those letters motivate me.

And now for the tough questions…

How do you balance being a mom, wife, and writer?

Badly. It’s not like there are compartments of my day during which I’m only one or the other. I’m always all of them. That’s the great challenge. A friend drew a picture of balance for my blog – http://sharonswriting.blogspot.com/2007/01/balance-in-writing-life.html

Life feels the most balanced at places where the various roles intersect naturally. But sadly, I find myself self-absorbed and preoccupied far too often. I’ve tried to “turn off” my writing brain to be more fully present during times when family is around, but I can’t find the switch. On the other hand, there are issues of marriage and parenting that I’m able to wrestle with while writing. My characters teach me things I can bring back into my growth as a wife and mom.

Do you think it’s possible to give yourself fully to raising children, writing, working full time, and keeping in shape?

I’m supposed to be doing that?

Eeek!

No. I don’t think it’s possible to give myself fully to all of that all the time. But I can meet each new day and ask the owner of the vineyard, “Where do you want me today?” The hard part is waiting and listening instead of charging off to prune or pick or weed the things that I notice need work. But when I wait for direction, each day gives an opportunity to listen to a young heart battered by school, or pray with a man frustrated with work challenges, or write a few pages for characters waiting for help with the problems, or email a friend to encourage her. I want to use the time and energy I have to work at the spot in the vineyard where I’m needed most. Sometimes that means surrendering my agendas. Sometimes that means believing that small acts of love have great value when my grandiose dreams tell me my efforts fall far short.

When do you find the time to write, and do you ever feel like you’re neglecting your children when you write?

If someone loves to read, they make time to read. They read the back of the cereal box. They read on the city bus. They read late at night when they should be sleeping. When I began to feel the stirring to write, I wrote in the family room surrounded by kids doing homework and watching musicals. I wrote in a pew at the back of the church during the quiet twenty minutes before church started. I even (but this was bad of me) jotted a few notes for a scene during my kids’ piano recitals.

The neglect part happens when my kids send out the signals that they need me, and I refuse to close my laptop. “Just one more paragraph” is a dangerous mantra when loved ones are waiting for you to notice them. It gets worse when you’re published and have interviews, marketing work, and reader mail to answer. Last night my husband came into the office at ten and said, “are you EVER going to stop working?”

I bristled, but then took a deep breath and listened.

How do you handle interruptions in your writing life?

With great crankiness.

How do you get back into the flow of writing after you’ve been interrupted?

Sometimes I need to “mull.” I’ll fold laundry, take a short walk, work in the garden. It’s that invisible part of the writing job that is so crucial. Sitting and staring at a computer screen can be counter-productive. Once I’m pulled out, I spend a little time mulling – and then go back to engage the pages with fresh ideas.

What do you do to encourage yourself during those stormy days every writing mom has?

I’ve learned I’m no good at encouraging myself. Lately I’ve begun to tell Jesus when I’m discouraged, and ask Him to send something to help. I was astounded at the very specific and timely ways He chose to answer that last week. I blogged about three particularly areas of struggle and discouragement and the very specific and tender answer He sent at

http://sharonswriting.blogspot.com/2007/01/collected-blessings.html

How do you position yourself to HEAR God’s voice when all the noises of life are swirling around you?

1. Bible study (my weekly small group I’ve been a part of for years – we’ve done Beth Moore studies, and other great Christian books, a mid-week study at my church which includes reading the Bible through in a year.

2. Worship (at church, and also alone at the piano singing my heart out, or on my face in prayer….which I admit works better now that I DON’T have very young children in the house 24-7. J

3. Accountability – to my husband, kids, mom, friends. They are good at pulling a flag on the play when they notice I’m listening to lies

If you do feel your priorities slipping, what do you do to get back on track?

I’ve tried all kinds of things, but keep coming up against deep heart changes that I’m incapable of correcting in my own power. So I go into God’s presence and unwrap the ugly stuff I’m carrying around and say, “please do something. I don’t know how to fix this. Don’t just tidy it up. Put it to death.” I guess the word is repentance.

Has there ever been a time God told you to set aside your writing to focus on other areas of your life? If so, how did you handle that?

All of my life until recently! I’ve loved writing since I was about seven years old, yet the paths God led me into meant that writing was peripheral to other work: Sporadic, small bits and pieces, or to support work in theatre, dance, or music. I always had a sense that one day I’d focus on writing – but wasn’t really pining for it (too much). Then about ten years ago He began to stir that ember to life, but DIDN’T provide clear direction or opportunity. That was the most painful time. Then four and a half years ago, He finally opened the gate like the bars in front of thoroughbred race-horse, and I charged forward. I wrote full time with the pent-up passion of a lifetime.

Did you ever feel like you’ve “missed” God in regards to writing, that maybe you should be doing something else?

I ask Him about this a lot. I’m trusting Him to tell me when I need to stop, walk away, do something else. He’s pretty good at getting my attention. Meantime, if this is what He’s asking of me, it’s where I’ll be (albeit with a lot of grumbling, whining, and fearful sniveling most days).

What advice would you give to writing moms who are have their hearts set on publication?

If it’s part of God’s plan for you, it absolutely can happen. It does feel validating and exciting to see an article or book in print – especially when snatching time away to write is such a challenge. But relying on acceptance (by a publisher or a reader) to fill an empty place is a huge danger.

When my kids were very young, I wrote snatches of things in journals, devotional articles, patron letters and press releases, poems and short scripts. I couldn’t have written a novel then. Yet I know some amazing moms of young children who can. Your calling is unique, your family is unique, and what God calls you to do is unique. You don’t need to fear seeking publication as if it is an evil lure that will steal you from your children. But you also don’t need to seek publication like a Holy Grail. It won’t answer all the questions or imbue your life with meaning. Only God can do that – and He does. Step by step. Day by day. As you serve the little faces right in front of your nose.