Interview With Author Beth Wiseman

Interview With Author Beth Wiseman

 I am just so thrilled to have Beth Wiseman with us today. We were both debut authors at Thomas Nelson Publishing at the same time, and quickly became fans of each other’s work. Her books took off quickly, and she is now a best-selling author.

Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address below and be entered to win a free copy of her latest release, The Promise! We will announce the winner next week. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. 

Hi Golden.  Thank you having me. I am a native Texan enjoying life in the country.  My husband and I are empty nesters raising three dogs, a cat, two potbellied pigs, and eight roosters (yes, it is a bit loud at my house in the morning, lol).  I’ve always had my hand in writing, beginning with stories to my grandparents when I was really young.  I’ve been a columnist and a newspaper reporter, but writing fiction full time was where I wanted to be.  That break didn’t happen until fairly late in life.  God cracked the door, I pushed it open, and He has been blessing me with stories to tell ever since then. 

Tell us about your latest book, and how it came about. 

The Promise is a step way out of the box for me.  My readers mostly know me for my Amish novels, and I’ve also written two Texas non-Amish contemporaries—Need You Now and The House that Love Built.  The Promise takes my character to a dangerous part of the world, to Peshawar Pakistan.  It was a tough book to write since it was inspired by a true story.  Someone dear to me traveled to Pakistan and was ultimately held captive there.  My friend (we are calling her Laurie) sent me a code word that we had established before she left via email.  I can still recall the panic I felt as I worked with the U.S. State Department, Consulate in Pakistan, and the Embassy in Islamabad to get her safely home.  She spent time in a British safe house, and needless to say, there was much to be told in this story about the dangers that Americans face when traveling somewhere with a much different culture than our own.  ‘Laurie’ is safe, and it was with her cooperation that I wrote The Promise.  As an author, I always hope to write and entertaining story, but with The Promise, it was incredibly personal, and with everything going on in the world, The Promise is a book for now.

This book sounds so exciting. I cannot wait to read it myself.

Share about your genre and why you write in this style. 

When I began writing, I told mostly sweet love stories, and most of those were Amish.  While I’m still writing plenty of Amish novels and novellas, I’m alternating between those and non-Amish contemporaries like The Promise.  It’s really the best of both worlds for me, like visiting old friends when I write my Amish stories, then making new friends when I leave Amish Country to venture out to new places and new genres.  As for my style, my editor said I’ve been like a butterfly in a box, my wings brushing against the edges as I outgrew my space.  My publisher was gracious enough to open the box so I could spread my wings.  Even from the beginning, I tackled tough subjects sometimes, but if a story is going to be real, then characters are flawed, make mistakes, and find themselves in bad situations.  The more layers a character has, the more the reader will identify with them.   

What inspires you?

Life inspires me.  And God, of course.  Looking back, I can see how God never wasted an experience in my life, the good and the not-so-good.  My life is reflected in everything I write.  I am my characters.

Tell us about your writing process. 

I usually put out two full-length novels and one or two novellas per year, so I’m always having projects overlap.  I am constantly prioritizing.  My first book was published in September 2008, and I’m on my 25th story.  Back then, I was always striving for balance.  And I still am.  Like so many authors, I trek along at a fairly steady pace, but as a deadline approaches, I turn into a machine that rarely leaves the house.  Over the years, I’ve had to learn when it was okay to say ‘no’ and when it was important to say ‘yes’ to invitations, lunches, etc.  As for the process itself, I could NEVER outline a book.  I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, and if I knew what was going to happen in my stories, I would get bored and never finish them.  I sit down and write with a two-paragraph synopsis in front of me, then see where the ride takes me and who shows up.

What are your writing goals?  

I want to tell the stories that God lays on my heart in ways that glorify Him, with hope and prayer that those who are in need of His wisdom find his or her way to my books. 

What do you wish someone had told you about writing?

That it’s the hardest job on the planet, but possibly the most rewarding.  I wasn’t prepared for the emails and letters that have often dropped me to my knees.  I tend to write about people on the fence when it comes to their faith, so if I receive a letter or email from someone in the same situation, it’s only through God’s grace that they found my book and jumped from the fence into the arms of God.

Those emails are humbling, aren’t they? But nothing more rewarding than hearing how God has touched someone through fiction.

Tell us something about yourself that nobody knows. 

I am one quirky, OCD individual, lol.  I’m told that I’m funny.  Although, sometimes I don’t mean to be, so I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.  I whistle ‘The Flintstones’ theme song when I’m alone in my house.  I talk to my pets way too much.  I wear my feelings on my sleeve, and I often speak without thinking, which has gotten me in a world of trouble.  When I do a radio interview, I have a sign in front of me that says THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK.  I’m incredibly honest, and I won’t lie about anything, even to spare feelings.  As for the OCD part, yep…I like everything organized and in its place at all times.  So when my office becomes a wreck, I have to take a writing break to clean it before I go on. 

What hobbies do you enjoy? 

I love to paint in oils and acrylics.  I don’t have any formal training, but I love being able to express myself in that way, and it’s one of the few times that I don’t hear voices in my head and plots building.

Where can your readers contact you? 

My website has tons of information.  www.bethwiseman.com.  You can read the first chapter of all of my books, a true ‘try before you buy’ system.  There is a place to sign up for my newsletter and a host of other information that I hope will be of interest to readers.  I hang out at ‘Fans of Beth Wiseman’ on Facebook, and I twitter as Beth Wiseman.  I gave up my blog along time ago because I was terrible at it.  So, I very much appreciate you having me here, Golden, and giving me an opportunity to chat. 

Thank you, Beth, for being with us today. It’s always fun learning about the writing process and lives of other authors.

Thank you so much for having me! 

Every reader who leaves a comment with their email address in the next 7 days (Dec 16 through Dec 22, 2014) will be entered to win a FREE copy of The Promise, courtesy of Beth. The winner will be announced next week. No international shipping please.

Biography:

Beth Wiseman is the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series.  Having sold over 1.3 million books, her novels have held spots on the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) Bestseller List and the CBA (Christian Book Association) Bestseller List.  She was the recipient of the prestigious Carol Award in 2011 and 2013.  She is a three-time winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and an INSPY Award winner.  In 2013 she took home the coveted Holt Medallion.  Her first book in the Land of Canaan series—Seek Me With All Your Heart—was selected as the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year.  Beth is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing into the year 2019.  She and her husband are empty nesters enjoying country life in South Central Texas.

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