Interview with award winning author Ruth Logan Herne!

I’ve been sooo looking forward to this week! Why, you ask? Because I’m hosting the amazing and, oh so talented, Ruth Logan Herne! I had a chance to chat with Ruthy at the ACFW conference and she is SUCH a sweet lady! I loved meeting her! And I LOVED hosting this interview and I’m sure you’ll love reading it! So with no further ado, I’ll hand it over to our lovely guest today, Ruth Logan Herne!!!

1)What made you want to become a writer? Was there a particular person, event, or novel that particularly inspired you?

Amanda, like you, I was born a writer. I think I was born loving books, story-telling, make-believe. I was born into very rough circumstances. My parents were older, I was the seventh child, and both had become alcoholics. Stories and make-believe became my escape. The library became my home away from home. And the librarians were so nice to me… long before I was supposed to, they would let me bring home a stack of books. Which I would read and then return mid-week to get another stack, LOL! Losing myself in the ‘normal’ lives of people in stories gave me hope that normal exists. LOL! My life now PROVES that normal exists, from the puppy kennel and the litter box to scrubbing bathrooms! J And I wouldn’t change any of it except, maybe the scrubbing bathrooms part. But they do look nice when they’re clean, don’t they??? (Not enough to enjoy doing it, though!)

2) What do you like most about being a writer?
EVERYTHING. I love creating, I love starting projects, I love the satisfaction that comes from finishing projects, I love editing, revising, meeting new people.
Want some chocolate???? I’ve got a huge Symphony bar right here, the kind with almonds and brickle…. So good!
　
3) What do you like least about being a writer?
That one’s easy-peasy. I still work full-time so I have to mete out writing hours. I’m up at 4:00 AM to write. Then my day job with little children starts around 6:45…. And lasts all day, so I can’t write/edit/create until night-time again. GRRRRR….. But I love me some babies, Amanda, and I’m so blessed by what I do. So eventually the dream is to write full-time and have my daughter help with the daycare. A shared job, so to speak. And that would loosen me up a few hours/day. But that’s in the future, and I’m loving the Here-and-Now.

4) What would you say is the biggest mistake beginning writers make? Did you find yourself making this mistake early in your career?
Well, this is a GREAT question. There are several, but the very stupid one I made stands out in my head. Being new to computers and “loops” I said some things on a public loop wondering OUT LOUD why a certain publisher did things the way they did. I don’t know what I was thinking. That I was in someone’s living room, maybe??? What a dork. But eventually it all worked out because I learned how to be funny in e-mails and online (a timing and formatting trick, for sure, because otherwise you just sound like a jerk… And I don’t want people to think I’m a jerk. Bossy, yes. Intimidating? Sure. Stubborn???? Absotively-lutely. But not a jerk. 

5) Do you have a particular place or setting in which you do your writing? Maybe an area that fuels your creativity?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. Right now I’m at the kitchen table ignoring last night’s dishes. Crazy busy weekend, new baby grandson, granddaughter’s baptism, toddler grandsons and granddaughter staying overnight on Saturday…  So I write wherever I’m at. “Bloom where you’re planted”… THAT IS A VERY SMART SAYING. Really. Truly.

6) Is there a particular book on writing that you return to again and again?
I never read writing books. I write. And write. And write. Then I write some more. That doesn’t mean I don’t respect writing books, and the people who write them. Read them. The human mind is so diverse that every author should find his/her own BEST path and work it. Own it. Travel it. (I only said all that to keep myself out of trouble for dissing writing books. I’m a Nike girl: JUST DO IT.)

7) Is there a scripture verse that has inspired you in your writing?
Oh, yes. Even this old snark thinks that God’s pretty smart. Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” LOVE IT. My Aunt Isabelle (a tough old gal, hard working, industrious, frugal and very kind to me) used to say, “And this too shall pass”. Again, a great saying because the good and the bad comes and goes. Trust. Trust in God, in his way, his will, his timing. And trust when it’s especially hard to trust.

8) What three tips do you have for beginning writers?
I quote Winston Churchill, even though some say the quote is too cryptic and not exact. It works. “Nevah, nevah, nevah give up.” Write. Write. Write.

9) Share with us a little about your writing journey. How long did it take you to get published? Also, tell us about Seekerville and how that got started.
I started intently writing for publication about ten years ago. So that makes it about eight years and a lot of simple mistakes. But I learned from them. When we formed the Seekers
(www.seekerville.net) we were fifteen unpublished writers determined to pray one another into publication. And we did that just this past spring when Pam Hillman got picked up by Tyndale Publishing. SUH-WEEET! But a few years ago we decided to start a communal blog to HELP OTHER WRITERS. We’d all made so many of the same mistakes and we thought if we just get out there (even though half of us were still unpublished) and help others avoid those pitfalls, then we’ve begun paying back God’s grace to us. Sharing it. What’s the first thing we teach little kids, those pesky one-year-olds that grab, grab, grab??? To share. So that’s what Seekerville is all about. Sharing. Helping. Laughing. Eating. And we don’t mind selling a few books now and again, I’ll be honest, because that keeps the publishers happy. We LOVE happy publishers. But I’m a firm believer in the give-back theory. Always, always, always.

RUTHS BOOKS

Author of the successful "North Country" series (Steeple Hill, 2010), Ruthy is delighted to be releasing her 2011 series with the great crew of Love Inspired. Married for thirty-six years to a very patient man, she's taken the characters living in her head and given them homes on paper, much to everyone's relief! Using her strong belief in God's redeeming love, she's unafraid to tackle tough subjects with humor, pathos, grace and remorse. And chocolate, of course.


GIVEAWAY!!!

I am ever so excited to be able to give away ALL SIX of Ruth’s books to six of you blessed readers. Please leave a comment with your email and we will draw six winners and give away the books at random. These would make great gifts or a treat for yourself. So leave your comments and you will win

one of the following titles:

1-"Mended Hearts"

2- "Small Town Hearts"

3- "Reunited Hearts"

4- "Made to Order Family"

5- "Waiting out the Storm"

6- "Winter's End"

Look for Ruth’s newest book Yuletide Hearts – releasing November!!! We will be giving this away as part of our Countdown to Christmas Giveaway.

***THANK YOU RUTH!
Thanks for coming and visting us this week Ruthy and may God continue to bless you on your writing journey!!



UPCOMING EVENTS
Readers, we are going to be doing a COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS BOOK GIVEAWAY!

In the following weeks we will be giving away a book a week leading up to Christmas.
Among the titles you could win are:
1)House of Secrets – Tracie Peterson’s newest book- released October 2011
2) A Sound Among the Trees – by Susan Meissner- Advanced Readers Copy- released October 2011
3) Smitten –by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, & Denise Hunter- Advanced Readers Copy – book releases in December 2011
4) Yuletide Hearts – by Ruth Logan Herne – releases November 2011
5) Where the Lilacs Still Bloom- by Jane Kirkpatrick – Advanced Readers Copy – releases April 2012

Plus several more titles! So check back weekly for more great blogs, pre- Christmas giveaways, and another great interview all coming in the weeks ahead!

Happy Writing-
Amanda