Interview with Margaret Brownley

» Posted on Jun 9, 2011 in Blog | Comments Off on Interview with Margaret Brownley

This week I’m hosting Roxanne Rustand with Second Chance Dad, Margaret Brownley with A Vision of Lucy, and Carolyn Williford with Bridge to a Distant Star. If you want to enter the drawings, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (June 12th) evening.

More Love and Laughter in the Old West

From Bestselling Author Margaret Brownley

Sage Advice for Photographers from A VISION OF LUCY

  • When photographing stampeding cattle, charging bulls or blazing   shoot-outs, use a fast shutter speed.
  • Brides, take pity on your photographer.  Matthew S. Brady and his helpers were able to record the entire War Between the States with little more than 1100 photographs.  Half that number should satisfy most brides.
  • Doctors, do not look at the camera like it’s a patient needing help through death’s door.  Such a pose will speak ill of you, and it won’t do much for your practice, either.
  • A man imagines himself more handsome than his photograph; a woman believes herself more homely.
  • While posing for a photograph spinsters should avoid looking desperate or deprived.  A serene smile will show that your circumstances are by choice and not for lack of beauty or character.

What made you start writing?

First I want to thank you, Margaret, for letting me visit to day.  To answer your question,

my writing career began, and ended, early.  I wrote my first book in fifth grade—a mystery without an ending.  I was on a roll until I reached eighth grade.  Unimpressed with my essay on why I wanted to be a writer my English teacher not only flunked me but suggested I not even think about a career as a writer.

Dream squashed, I did little writing until I became editor of the church newsletter many years later.  After making a church picnic read like a Grisham novel, my then pastor took me aside and said, “Maybe God’s calling you to write fiction.”  So that’s what I did.

How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?

Does writing long funny notes to my kids’ teachers count as writing?   Professionally, I’ve been writing for…gulp…twenty-five years.

How do you handle rejections?

Some rejections can turn out to be blessings in disguise. One of my books was rejected thirteen times before it was picked up by a major publisher as a launch title for a new line. I’ve had other similar experiences. A rejection isn’t the end of story; sometimes it’s only the beginning.

Why do you write?

For me writing is a way to put order into a chaotic world.  My stories always have happy endings, justice is always served, good always prevails and faith is the driving force that changes lives.

What would you be doing with your free time if you weren’t writing?

I wouldn’t know what to do with myself—jump off a cliff?

What are you working on right now?

I just completed book one of my Last Chance Ranch series and am starting book two.

Do you put yourself into your books/characters?

My characters tend to put themselves in me.  They even wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me something I don’t need to know.

Tell us about the book you have out right now.

When Posing for Lucy anything can happen—and usually does.

Lucy Fairbanks dreams of working as a photographer at the Rocky Creek newspaper. If she can earn money making photographs, then maybe her father will see that what she does is worthy, more than just a distraction.

But trouble follows Lucy on every photo shoot: a mess of petticoats and ribbons, an accidental shooting, even a fire.

When Lucy meets David Wolf—a quiet, rustic man who lives on the outskirts of town—she thinks she can catch the attention of the editor with his photograph.

But instead of landing her a job Lucy’s photograph stirs up old resentments and hurts, forever changing the town, and revealing the truth about David’s past that left him deeply scarred.  The truth turns out to be more painful than the lies—especially when it keeps him from the woman he loves.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Published writers don’t need my advice.  My advice to aspiring writers is to enjoy the journey and celebrate every little bit of success.

How important is faith in your books?

One of my frustrations in writing for the secular market was the inability to explore a character’s faith.   A person’s belief system is such an intrinsic part of the whole that it’s impossible to fully develop a character without addressing his or her relationship to God.  The challenge is to create a believable spiritual arc that will encourage readers in their own faith.

What themes do you like to write about?

I love to write characters in a crisis of faith and how they find their way back to God.  I think my favorite theme is forgiveness because that’s the one I have personally struggled with the most.  It’s the one my current hero is struggling with at this very moment.

What is your favorite book you’ve written and why?

Oddly enough once a book is finished I tend to forget about it.  So my favorite book is always the one I’m working on.

What is your writing schedule like?

Right not it’s pretty hectic.  I’m an early riser so I’m at my desk at 4 a.m.  Mornings I write and afternoons I tend to the business of writing. Mornings are sacred which means no telephones, Internet or dental appointments (but of course that doesn’t rule out trips to the ‘fridge). Weekends are reserved for family.

Thank you all for making A Lady Like Sarah and A Suitor for Jenny such a great success.  I hope you like Lucy and enjoy getting to know her.

Before I ride off into the sunset I want to tell you that I’m looking for a reader’s dog to feature in one of my upcoming books.   The dog will belong to Lucy’s brother Caleb.  I liked him so much I decided to give him his very own book.  So if you think your dog has what it takes to be a furry sidekick for a doctor in the Old West Go to my website for details: www.margaretbrownley.com

Have a little faith!