Tell us a little about your family and your call to write.

I’m married to Bob, a pastor, and we’re the parents of four wonderful people who range in age from 15 to 22. I’ve always had the itch to write; as far back as I can remember. But I didn’t do a whole lot with that itch until all my kids were in school. I put off for a long time writing anything I would call intensely creative because I was afraid I would end up writing it for no one. I didn’t dream very big back then. I dream bigger these days!

How did you get your first “writing break?”

I had been working as an editor at a small town newspaper and was as restless as all get out. I had a good job in the publishing industry, but I wasn’t writing fiction and that’s what I wanted to write more than anything. I quit that job in 2002, wrote my first book in 10 weeks and then started looking for a publisher. That took almost a year. I happened to post a proposal on Christian Manuscripts Submissions.com and someone from Harvest House Publishers happened to see it. They published that book, Why the Sky is Blue, in 2004.

Wow! That is a total dream come true!

What do you write and why this genre?

Fiction reveals so much about human character. Within the world of story you can ponder everything and anything; why we do what we do, what makes us weep, laugh, shudder, sing; what motivates us, inspires us, frightens us, tutors us. You can express the love of God and the power of that love in so many ways through story. I think that’s why Jesus often told parables.

Do you have any recent contracts and up coming releases?

I have a book coming out in February from Harvest House called Blue Heart Blessed and it is one of the more enjoyable projects I have worked on. I usually write about deep social issues but this one’s more chick lit than anything else. It’s about a hopeless romantic who gets stood up at the altar. To get her life back together she opens a second-had wedding dress boutique, fully intending to sell her custom-made dress that she never wore so that she can move on. But poor thing, every time someone wants to buy it she tells them it’s not for sale! She wants to let go of the past, but she doesn’t quite know how so I put her through 350 pages of learning how to do it!

My next book after that will release in the fall of 2008 with WaterBook-Multnomah. It’s about a young college lit major, a retired librarian, and the 400-year-old diary of an innocent woman accused of witchcraft in 1692 Salem. It’s called The Shape of Mercy.

That one sounds intriguing!

What do you hope to accomplish through your novels?

I want people to gain a better understanding of who they are and who God is.

And now for the tough questions…

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

Balance, to me, is actually a word for ballet dancers, trapeze artists and tire stores. I don’t know that I’ve figured out how to make everything stay still without wobbling. But I do know that everything I want to do well has a better chance of success if I nurture my relationship with God first. If I stay connected to the wellspring of life that is in Jesus, I have the stamina, creativity and grace to handle all those roles. Priorities always matter when you need to divvy up time. My family has to be number two after God. And the part-time job is a responsibility I’ve taken on with the full knowledge that it will take 20 to 25 of my best hours. But when I look at the hours I have left to write, there REALLY are quite a few left! TV, email, blogging, empty reading – all these things are time-stealers. I use them as rewards for having written my quota for the day. And actually, when I’ve given my family my best, they in turn cheer me on in my writing.

Do you think it’s possible to give yourself fully to raising children, writing, working, and keeping in shape? If not, which one for you has to take a back seat?

I’ve seen it done by other women. I know it can be done. But yikes. Keeping in shape just isn’t my favorite thing to do. I hate the hamster wheel. I don’t mind tasking my body physically but I hate repetitious exercise. Chasing a loose dog is purposeful exercise. So is weeding a garden or scrubbing a floor or playing tag on the beach with the kids. But jogging, crunches, leg lifts? Bleh.

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

Well, the thing is, I didn’t start writing in earnest until the kids started school. I still have one in high school and I do try to be done with writing (on the days I am home writing) by the time he gets home at 3. But I start when he leaves and I don’t do anything else until he gets home. I used to mope about that. But I’ve realized when he comes home and I start doing things around the house and around him (instead of being holed up in my little writing corner with the door shut) I can THINK about where I had to leave my characters when the clock struck three. I imagine the next scene, the next conversation. I think it through, mentally trying out different scenarios while I’m driving him to a practice or helping him with an art project or making dinner. That way, when I can get back to the manuscript, I’ve already decided what will work and what won’t. Down time is marinating time.

How do you handle interruptions in your writing life?

I think of them as marinating times! Or times when the yeast is rising. When you must walk away from the keyboard physically, just remember you don’t have to walk away from it mentally. Go to the next place in your head.

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

Okay. That can be tricky. I re-read where I left off. I close my eyes and see the scene in my mind. I smell it, taste it, feel it. You have to tell yourself it’s easy to climb back in. If you tell yourself it’s hard, by golly it will be.

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

You know that saying “This too will pass?” Don’t strangle the next person who says that to you. It’s true. Storms move on. Sunny days follow. You won’t always be standing in the rain with a broken umbrella. And you won’t always have little kids. They grow up. And you will suddenly have all kinds of time to write. You really will wonder how the heck did they grow so fast.

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

You have to place yourself in an environment where you are not distracted by all those other noises so that you can find your center and operate from there. For lots of us, that time is at dawn when you’d rather be sleeping. You can do it late at night, too. But when I save my quiet time for bedtime, I fall asleep in a lovely devoted fashion and remember nothing the next day. Not a very good way to hear the voice of God. Honestly, the best time for quiet listening to God is before the wee ones get up. That’s just the way it is. Get used to it. When they are older they will sleep longer. Teenagers are notoriously great sleepers. You won’t always have to get up with the roosters but right now you may have to. Hey, it will pass. . .

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

I have to just say “Halt!” and let everything just stand still for a second. Usually I am a little weepy at that point. Or grumpy. Or both. I have to get back to a place of calm assurance in my relationship to God. All the other priorities hinge on that one. If I can get that one back to where it belongs, the rest find their place. Amazing how that works. . .

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?

Not yet. I can see where someday He might. I think it’s a good idea for all writers to consider that a sabbatical has been planned for them sometime down the road so that when it falls upon you, you won’t resist it. Breaks from intense creativity can re-charge us, I think.

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

Sometimes I wonder if I am writing for the right audience but God hasn’t opened other doors, at least none that I can see. I am always on the lookout, though. Someday I’d like to write something for the general market that has the breath of God all over it.

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

Don’t set your heart on anything. If you are a believer, your heart isn’t yours. And the plain truth is, getting published is a very strange mix of unique talent and perfect timing. You can only control your own unique talent. You can’t control perfect timing. That’s up to providence and the quirks of the market. It’s okay, I think, to have big dreams. And I think it’s admirable to put your best effort into your writing endeavors and to pursue every lead and angle to get your work in print. But don’t put your heart there. It’s not where it belongs. Do what you can, do it well, leave the results to a God who loves you.

Thanks for letting me chat with you today! I had a blast.

Thanks for coming. You’ve been an inspiration!

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