Flashback Friday: Author Lisa Samson
Welcome to Flashback Fridays! For the summer and beyond, I’m going to run some nostalgic posts on parenting and writing from writing wannabes, newbies, and published authors. Many of these prepublished writing interviews are now published. So I encourage you to visit their sites and see what they’re up to today.
2007
The first Lisa Samson book I ever read was Club Sandwich, the story of an ordinary mom with real emotions struggling to care for her young children and aging parents. I was deeply moved by the richness and realness of the characters and story.
I first met Lisa Samson at ACFW Dallas 2006. I sat at her table, and she ended up sitting right next to me. She was as real and personable as her characters. Though a very busy mom and writer, she has taken time to answer my questions here at Writer…Interrupted. I know you will be blessed by what she has to say!
Lisa Samson is the author of sixteen published novels including “The Church Ladies” and “Straight Up”. She lives in Kentucky with her husband, writer Will Samson, and their three children aged 17, 12 and 9. She homeschools her youngest and loves having friends over for coffee. Visit her at http://lisasamson.typepad.com/.
Tell us a little about your family and how you balance being a mom, wife, and writer?
We don’t have what you’d call a typical family structure any more. Although I did write under those circumstances for years. My husband is a full-time PhD student so the household duties have been divided very differently. He cooks and cleans and I still do a lot of the running around, which thankfully isn’t like it used to be pre-school days. I write catch as catch can because we homeschool our youngest, but also, when I’m feeling the pressure, I buckle down and schedule writing time.
Do/did you ever feel like you’re neglecting your children when you write?
Sometimes. But I think we have this view of “Perfect Mom” who is always on the floor playing with the kids and does absolutely nothing but serve them, get them to just the right lessons, makes their favorite meals and on and on. Problem is, if that was being a perfect mom, we’d have children with no ability to entertain themselves or care for themselves. When I was a kid, I found my own activities and because of that, I’m a creative person today. It’s all about balance and figuring out what to feel guilty about and what not to feel guilty about. It’s the guilt that can kill you!
If you do feel your priorities slipping, what do you do to get back on track?
I schedule my day. Write down what I need to do and try and stick to it.
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?
Yep. I took a year sabbatical from May of 2004 to May of 2005. God was very clear in telling me to do this. It was a GREAT year! I homeschooled, hung out with the kids and friends, made jewelry. I loved it. If God told me not to write anymore, I don’t think I’d mind so much if it meant I could work more with my hands. I really miss drawing.
How do you handle interruptions in your writing life?
They happen so much I don’t even think about it. I’m always being interrupted whether it’s for a minute or a month. It’s the way the writing life is for me. I just roll with the punches.
What advice would you give to writing moms?
Your kids come first. If you need more time to write, find the real time-suckers in your life and pare down. TV, internet surfing, overcommitted at church, whatever. One thing my mother told me always rings true: People usually have enough time and money for the things they really want to do. It’s so true.
Thank you, Lisa. Your words are true and convicting! God bless you and your family as your write, raise your family and follow Him!
Want more from Lisa Samson, check out this interview.
