1. How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?
I’ve been writing all my life (seriously, some of my earliest memories in first grade!) but began working on novels 4.5 years ago. The Secret Life of Becky Miller (which released in June, 2006) was offered a contract Thanksgiving of 2004.
2. How do you handle rejections?
Weeping, wailing, chocolate, kick-boxing my punching bag, and the compassion of friends. Then I come back to the truth that I’m writing for an audience of One. And He is not disappointed in me.
3. What would you be doing with your free time if you weren’t writing?
I have a fantasy of becoming a Doula…the woman who serves a mother during childbirth (coaching, rubbing her back, etc.). There would still be a new creation coming into the world, but someone else would be screaming in pain. 🙂
4. What are you working on right now?
Just turned in my fourth novel, Penny’s Project, for Bethany house, the line-edits on The Restorer’s Son (book two in a series for NavPress) and am doing revisions on The Restorer’s Journey (book three – manuscript due in a few weeks). But mostly the last few weeks have been full of speaking, signing, and interviewing to help spread the word about Renovating Becky Miller.
5. You enjoy writing mom-lit. Why? How did you get into writing these type of books?
When I read Alison Pearson’s amazing mom-lit “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” I was captivated by the authenticity of a struggle that I could relate to. I began to grab every mom-lit I could find at the time. Most ABA mom-lit I found was British, focused on a plot thread of an affair or failing marriage, and didn’t delve much into a spiritual journey. I wondered if I could use the genre to explore a faith struggle of a North American mom, with something other than infidelity as the central conflict.
6. Tell us about the book you have out right now.
Becky Miller believes in fixing things: children, friends, mother-in-law, sister, church . . . and her husband. So renovating a run-down farmhouse is right up her alley–the perfect antidote for the pressures of modern life.
But Becky’s pursuit of the simple life is soon threatened. Her mother-in-law moves in, her son finds trouble at school, her sister arrives for a visit, her best friend is acting weird, all while work stresses mount. Worst of all, her marriage is in need of some major remodeling of its own.
Cinematic daydreams provide Becky with heroic drama. Maybe that’s why she escapes into the scenes so often. In real life, everything is a muddled mess.
Who knew one old house could lead them to the brink of bankruptcy? Or that Becky’s physical handicap could threaten to steal their dream?
Can Becky stop fixing everyone else and let God renovate her heart so she can find her own happy ending?
7. I love your opening scenes in your chapters. What made you decide to start your chapters out with a daydream sequence? By the way you could write suspense well after that scene at the first of your book. It got my heart pumping.
LOL! Thank you. Part of the reason I used those daydream sequences was because I enjoy writing so many different genres. My bookshelf holds a confusing blend of mystery, suspense, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, women’s fiction, historicals, classics, etc. The vignettes in both Becky Miller books gave me a chance to play with some of the fun options. I also thought it was a fun device for revealing the way women sometimes see themselves – racing through carpool (like a character from Bourne Identity), or spying on our kids like a secret agent, or flirting with our husband (ala Scarlett and Rhett).
*Readers, look for her great list of movies at the end. I love it! Also, don’t forget to enter the contest for an autographed copy of Renovating Becky Miller. Send me an email at Mdaley50@aol.com or leave a comment with your email addy in it. Visit Sharon’s web site to learn more about her. Margaret
Thanks for mentioning that, Margaret! I love having that interactive element to the book. Folks can try to guess what movie inspired Becky’s daydreams. There is also a great book-group discussion guide, because I’ve found that books on these themes are TERRIFIC for women’s reading groups, MOPS groups, neighborhood book clubs, etc. I’ve had a great time visiting some of the book clubs that chose The Secret Life of Becky Miller as their selection for the month, and it was a blast hearing which things rang true for them and what they took away from the story.
Thanks again for inviting me to visit! I’ll pop by later to answer comments or questions from your visitors!
Hugs, Sharon
