Nancy Mehl Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?

A:  I started writing seventeen years ago. Boy, it doesn’t seem like that long. LOL! Before and during part of my writing career, I also worked in social services. My main interest was dealing with the elderly. I loved that job. Before that, I worked at a bank for three years. One interesting thing about my time with the bank: On the day we found out the bank had been sold and a lot of people were losing their jobs, we also heard that the Federal Building in Oklahoma City had been bombed. Those two events will always be linked for me. Before the bank, I was an underwriting director for a Christian radio station. That job was great fun. Besides looking for funding, I also got to set up concerts and special events. It was a blast! However, my favorite job is the one that came before the radio station. I was a full time mommy! Best job ever!

Q: Do you write in only one genre and if so which one and why? If not, which ones and why?

A: I started out writing mystery then specifically cozy mystery. Thanks to Guideposts, I’ve been able to continue with cozy mystery. I love writing it. But I also write romantic suspense. This wasn’t a genre I purposely sought after. My editor at Barbour, Rebecca Germany, asked me to give it a try. I’ve grown to love it. I really like to address important issues in my books, and cozy mystery just isn’t the place for serious topics. Thankfully, suspense gives me the chance to tackle the “tough stuff.” There are a lot of hurting people with events in their pasts that haunt them. Hopefully, I can reach out and touch them with God’s love and healing power.

Q: How does your faith play into your writing?

A:   It’s everything. If I couldn’t talk about God’s love through my books, I wouldn’t want to write. I pray before every book and ask God to use it to touch hurting people. Next to loving my family and friends, I believe it’s my highest calling.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?

A:  I started out writing about Kansas since I lived in Kansas. Now that we’ve moved to Missouri, I’ve written about Missouri. I have a new series coming up about the U.S. Marshals. My publisher has asked me to pick different cities as settings for the stories. The first book is set in St. Louis. I haven’t picked the other locations yet. It might depend on my sources. Setting a story in a place I’ve never been would be difficult. One of my sources for the first book is a retired U.S. Marshal who lives in Massachusetts. So maybe that will be my next setting!

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?

A: A combination of both. I like to understand my characters so of course, some of my own personality traits bleed through from time to time.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Rising Darkness?

A: Here’s a blurb about Rising Darkness: Sophie Wittenbauer left her strict Mennonite hometown under a cloud of shame and regret. After a rough childhood, her teenage poor choices harmed others, leaving her with no choice but to change her life. Her entry-level writing job at a newspaper puts her in the right place at the right time to overhear office gossip about a prisoner who has information on a decades-old unsolved crime. While the other reporters write off the tip as the ravings of an angry criminal, Sophie can’t ignore it because she knows the name of this prisoner from her old life.

Upon learning from the man that one of the other suspects is hiding out in the Missouri town of Sanctuary, she takes on a false identity to investigate and meets the young pastor of a local church–the very man she’d loved as a troubled teenager. As she gets closer to finding the suspect, will the truth of her own past come out before she discovers the identity of the criminal–or the very person she’s seeking puts a fatal stop to her investigation?

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

A: I looked up famous crimes committed in St. Louis and found a story about thieves who robbed an armored car company. I had my crime, but I needed my characters. Although I wasn’t sure she’d go for it, I asked my editor if I could actually bring back two characters from another series. I felt their stories had been left unfinished. My wonderful editor said yes, so I put Sophie Wittenbauer and Jonathon Wiese from my Road to Kingdom series in Sanctuary, Missouri! It was so much fun. This book is very special to me.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: That no matter what mistakes you’ve made, God can turn your life around. He gives us beauty for ashes.

Q: Tell us what you like about the main characters of this book.

A: Sophie is stubborn and determined. But yet under her hard shell there is a tender heart. I love how human she is.

Jonathon Wiese is a man who tries his best to serve God, but he struggles with what that looks like. He is an honest man doing the best he can. I like that.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A:  As I mentioned earlier, it’s a brand new series based on the U.S. Marshals. I love law enforcement so this is a dream come true!

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?

A:  Easy. My dream is to take an Alaskan cruise. I’d love to see whales and the Northern Lights.

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?

A:   Oh, boy. That’s a long list. One time I saw a raccoon peering out of a storm drain as I was driving down the street. I got out of my car and headed toward him (or her) with my hand out, saying, “Hi, sweetie!” (I guess I thought he’d let me pet him.) Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a policeman appeared, asking me what I was doing. I realized my actions were pretty stupid since wild raccoons aren’t known for their friendly attitudes. I apologized and went back to my car. To this day, I’m convinced the “policeman” was an angel. God watches over me even when I don’t deserve it, I guess. LOL!

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

A:   Being an author is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Trusting God in an industry that can be crazy sometimes takes faith and perseverance. Authors fight discouragement, jealousy, and mean-spirited reviews. It can be tough, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A:  My website is: www.nancymehl.com. I’m also on the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com. And of course, I’m on Facebook!

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A:  Yes. Take a minute to tell your favorite authors how much you appreciate them. The letters and emails I get from readers, telling me what my books mean to them, are so precious to me. I’d rather hear I’ve touched someone’s life than win an award. Readers are special to us!