Interview with co-authors Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery by Susan Sleeman
Janelle: I grew up a country girl in Minnesota, the seventh of eight kids, and moved to Houston, TX after I graduated. Eight years later I met my husband and became a country girl again, thank goodness. I started writing in 2001 and signed my first contract in 2006. Writing is almost as much a part of me as breathing and loving my family.
Elizabeth: Well, let's see…I graduated from a tiny little high school in Michigan in 1985. I received a scholarship to Michigan State University in 1986 and went on to study English and
Journalism. I love music and theater arts, and I've performed in numerous community projects. I also teach Sunday School and sing on the praise team at my church, where I serve as part-time youth minister.
In 2001, I joined the American Christian Fiction Writers and started attending their annual conference. I also joined a critique group which helped hone my writing skills. In my spare time (grins) I contribute to the popular blog Novel Journey, recently named one of Writer's Digest 101 most useful websites for writers.
Currently, my husband and I live in Texas with our two children.
Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break and how you heard about the sale of your first book?
Janelle: My first writing break. Wow. Every time I look back, I see the incredible work of the Lord. I met my editor at a writer's conference in Houston when I had her do a paid critique. At the time, Susan Downs was copy editor for Barbour. She was fantastic. I think she was the highlight of that conference. The following year, I had her do another critique. She saw enough of my writing to trust that I could write a mystery for her when she became Barbour's editor for their new mystery line. Lisa and I decided to co-author a mystery. We wrote the first three chapters and submitted the proposal. When Susan called to say she wanted to contract our story, my heart has never beat in a normal rhythm again. I called Lisa and we squealed together for a while before we called all our loved ones. God has given me a wonderful and memorable ride.
Elizabeth: Writing break…it really wasn't one big break, it was a series of little breaks-things like editors requesting full manuscripts, agents calling me at home to talk about my work, that kind of thing. I knew I was getting closer simply because I wasn't getting the standard rejection letters anymore. After that, it's kind of funny. My "call" didn't come from my editor, it came from my co-author, Janelle. She knew I was at work, so she contacted me at the office to tell me she'd just gotten off the phone with Susan Downs. For several seconds, I wasn't sure I'd heard her right. Once the realization sunk in, I really did squeal-so loudly, in fact, that my coworkers came running. I was crying, laughing, jumping up and down…I didn't even have to say it. They all knew by my reaction I'd sold my book.
Q: Would you tell us about your current book release, Where the Truth Lies?
Janelle: Where the Truth Lies is about a young woman, Casey Alexander, who refuses to believe her aunt committed suicide, so she starts investigating on her own to learn the truth and finds more than she bargained for. As she unearths secrets, she discovers love and trust, two things she fears, can actually be attained. This is the first of what we hope will be a three book series. Our second book, Died in the Wool, is set for release in spring 2009.
Elizabeth: Like Janelle said, we hope to turn this into a three book series. The third book hasn't been contracted yet. In fact, we have just now started brainstorming ideas for it. All three books are set in Massachusetts and feature a young web designer and a librarian.
The idea for these books started with a conversation I was having with my brother-in-law. We were discussing Jacob and Esau and their difficult, often turbulent relationship. Later that evening, I couldn't get their story out of my head. I called Janelle, and we started brainstorming possibilities for turning this into a mystery. While it isn't exactly like the biblical account, it is loosely based on scripture.
Q: If your readers could take away only one message from Where the Truth Lies, what would that be?
Janelle: Trust God. Trusting is something we all struggle with at one time or another. But God is so good and loves us so much. His way is always best.
Elizabeth: I agree with Janelle. Trust God-at least that's the message I hope reader's get from this story. Trust Him isn't always easy, especially during the difficult times in life's journey, but I've learned that He is always present, even in the darkest days. Casey Alexander, the main character in Where the Truth Lies, walks that same road to discovering a deeper understanding of what it means to trust in God.
Q: The plot for Where the Truth Lies is filled with great twists, turns and surprises. How did you go about plotting this story?
Janelle: Through hours of brainstorming. Literally. We started out with the basic premise of the twins, Jacob and Esau, and their struggle, and we built the story from there. We'd come up with one plot idea or twist and see how we could put some kind of spin on it to throw the readers but always make it somehow turn back to the main plot.
Elizabeth: That's right, but let me add, turning it back to the main plot wasn't always easy. Janelle and I wrote a detailed timeline BEFORE we even started chapter one. We knew exactly where the story was going to go from start to finish. We had all the clues and red herrings, a list of suspects, and character sketches handy. We even (shudder) wrote our synopsis before we started the actual story. That way, we were able to spot any potential plot problems before they get too far out of hand.
Q: Where do you find inspirations for your plots?
Janelle: Oh, wow. Inspirations can come from anywhere. They can come from TV shows, Bible stories, watching people. When you let your creativity run amok, plots can form from even simple tasks such as shopping. Everyday life is filled with ideas, if you're looking for them. Just add a twist and you have the makings of a great plot.
Elizabeth: I agree. Plots come from pretty much anywhere! LOL! There have been times a name struck me, and I started twisting stories together based on the lead character's name. Other times, it was a title, or newspaper article, or even (laughing) my family, though I'd never tell them that.
Q: Would you name three great fiction books you read in 2007 and tell us why you think they were great?
Janelle: Goodness. Let's see. Take your pick of any of the Brandilyn Collins books. She writes a great suspense. I enjoyed reading Petticoat Ranch because it let me know I was on the right track of adding humor to my historicals. I also reread Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love so I could examine it deeper to learn how to weave together a really good story.
Elizabeth: I just finished Allie Pleiter's book, The Perfect Blend. I loved it because she did such a good job of weaving in humor. I was entertained from start to finish, and I still walked away with a great lesson about relying upon God. Stefanie Meyers also wrote a great series called Twilight. This is not your typical Christian fiction, so be warned, it may not be for everybody. Still, she did a fantastic job of creating tension and moving the story forward.
Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?
Janelle: I think I assumed that once you've become published, everything about the business would be easier. More contracts would be easy to attain, that I would have to spend less time trying to get publishers to offer contracts, I would have more time on my hands to just write. LOL. Yep, that was like a pie in the face. I use that description because while I get to enjoy the taste of that yummy pie, I still have to wipe up the entrails that missed the target. I may have broken the tape in my race, but I realize now that receiving a reward doesn't mean I can stop running if I'd like to receive another one. And one other thing, marketing takes time. So any thoughts I had of having more time to just write flew out the window faster than the speed of sound.
Elizabeth: It's hard work!! LOL! Truly, though, there is way more marketing involved than I expected. It's not easy finding time to do all the things necessary to get my name 'out there,' but I know it's a must if I want my book to be successful. That's why I try to update my website and blog regularly. I also contract as many speaking engagements as I can manage, and I schedule blog tours, interviews, and appearances whenever possible. I've created a book trailer to help generate excitement for my upcoming release, and I mailed out postcards, bookmarks, and newsletters informing people how they can get their hands on my book. It's definitely work, but let's face it, writing is a business. To make it successful, I have to invest a certain amount of time getting it off the ground.
Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
Janelle: Lisa and I are working on our second contracted mystery, Died in the Wool. I'm also editing one of my historicals and working on a Christmas anthology while I wait to see if it's been accepted. And when I have time, I work on a suspense I've plotted titled In Dark Places.
Elizabeth: On top of working on Died in the Wool, I'm waiting to hear back on a cozy I wrote on my own called The Trouble With Mary. My current wip, however, has nothing whatsoever to do with mysteries. It's a contemporary romance I'm considering pitching to Heartsong that I've tentatively titled Missing Abby. It's kind of fun to be writing something a little different than what I've been doing over the past two years. Keeps it all fresh.
Q: What advice do you have for an unpublished writer?
Janelle: While you continue polishing your writing, get to a conference and network. The contacts you make at conferences could very well put you on the right track to your first contract.
Elizabeth: Take the time to learn the craft before you start submitting. Rejections are hard, and they hurt! I learned so much more from entering contests and getting feedback than I ever did from a form letter rejection. If you're going to spend your money, use it for contest entry fees instead of postage. You'll get a much higher return.
Q: I can't imagine writing a book with another person. What kind of process did you use to co-write a book?
Janelle: After we completely plotted the story, Lisa chose one main character to write and I wrote the other. Characters should sound different, have their own personalities, so we figured this would be the best method. And although we had a detailed timeline to follow, we still allowed each other our own creative way to bring about the plot points.
Elizabeth: Janelle and I have been critique partners for a long time. On top of that, we've become close friends over the years. I think both are requirements to anyone considering co-authoring. You have to know the person you are writing with pretty well in order to overcome the obstacles you encounter along the way, and you have to be able to converse honestly with one another if you want to make it past chapter one. If you can't squabble with the person you're considering co-authoring with, don't even attempt it. Your friendship will never survive. Luckily, Janelle is more like a sister to me than a critique partner, so I can pretty much tell her anything.
Q: What challenges and advantages are there in co-writing?
Janelle: I think the biggest challenge for us was blending our preparation styles…what all needs to take place before chapter one can begin. Another challenge is editing, which takes a bit more time. But it can also be a blessing because if one doesn't have the time to work on them, the other usually does. We trust each other enough to allow one another to make editing decisions.
The advantages are numerous. You don't run into writer's block when you have someone to run to for brainstorming. And just the brainstorming itself, bouncing ideas back and forth until the story is completely plotted, is great. If we run into any snags in the story, we each know the story thoroughly enough to smooth any bumps.
Elizabeth: Working with Janelle has really spoiled me! I LOVED having somebody to brainstorm with 100 percent of the time. Any time I got stuck, I dialed her number and vice versa. Because she knew the story as intimately as I did, there was never any question about whether or not something would work or if a character would behave a certain way.
We are also very careful when making changes to run the edits past one another first. This really stretches the time involved in editing, but it's a choice I think made us both happy. Of course, as we neared the end of line edits, content edits, and galleys, that became almost impossible because of time constraints. When you trust your co-author, however, that really isn't a problem. I knew if something needed to be changed, I could trust her to do it, and vice versa.
Q: Anything else you'd like to tell or share with us?
Janelle: Don't forget to take some time to look back on the journey you've taken as you seek or enjoy publication. You'll be blessed. Writing is tough, but if you're writing in God's will, for His honor and glory, the rewards are incredible.
Elizabeth: "Don't be so focused on the goal that you miss the journey." (Paraphrased)
I heard these words at a conference I attended. Suddenly, I realized that was exactly what I'd been doing. My goal was publication. Only that. Not the knowledge to be gained along the way, or the friendships forged in adversity. I missed the fleeting opportunities God had prepared to comfort me, and for me to give comfort. Like a darkened landscape exposed by a shaft of lightening, my life suddenly became visible, and I became determined to ENJOY the writing journey God had set me on.
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Romantic suspense author Susan Sleeman's books include High-Stakes Inheritance, a romantic suspense novel to be released in 2010 by Love Inspired Suspense an imprint of Steeple Hill Publishers and Nipped in the Bud, a cozy mystery coming soon from Barbour Publishing. Read more about Susan Sleeman |
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Susan Sleeman
is passionate about Christian Suspense as both a reader and a writer. She is the author of High-Stakes Inheritance, a romantic suspense novel to be released in September by Love Inspired Suspense an imprint of Steeple Hill Publishers and Nipped in the Bud, a cozy mystery in October from Barbour Publishing.
Read more about Susan's. . .
Christian Suspense
To Die For
©2006-10
Susan Sleeman
Susan Sleeman
