Q & A Time Again – What do Readers Say and Ask

Practice being curious; want to know things; ask questions. ~Anders Holm

Not long ago I invited any of you who wanted to do so, to ask me a question. A few of you took me up on that and today I’m answering those questions. Some of them I get asked often when I give a book talk, but I never mind answering the same questions over. Sometimes my answer might be exactly the same, but other times hearing a question more than once can open up the mind to new ways to answer, to things you hadn’t thought about, and to different ways to understand the question and what the person asking really would like to know. So here goes with a few questions and answers. As I’ve said before,  Q & A times are my favorite part of any book talk.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

This first question is a basic one and so I posted a picture here for an answer. I was about this age, maybe a little younger, when I first picked up pen to write a story. I was probably around ten and in the fifth grade when I caught the writing bug.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I jumped right into book writing with that first wire-bound notebook and ink pen when was ten. I was ready to write a mystery like those Hardy Boy mysteries I’d started reading. But I’m not sure I can claim that as my first book since I never got to the end of that story. I did have a hundred or so pages though, but some stories just never end. I wrote my first real book in the early 1970’s when I was in my twenties. Then I wrote another book and then another one. That third book, A Forbidden Yearning, was published in 1978 when I was thirty-one. A lot of words on paper since that time.

Have you thought about writing a book about the pioneers of Kentucky?

Janice asked this question and it fits nicely here after the last question. That very first published book was a story set in pioneer days in Kentucky. It’s been long out of print, but used copies still float around on the internet. My heroine, Sarah, came with her family across the mountains from Virginia to Fort Logan in Kentucky and then to Bryan’s Station near Lexington. I do think about writing another story set during that time period and have suggested an idea to my publishers, but so far they haven’t been onboard with the idea. I do like researching those frontier days and reading other stories set in the early days of Kentucky. So maybe someday. If I was a faster writer, I might get all those ideas I’ve had fleshed out into stories. But it takes me a while to research an idea and then to get a story written and edited.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

This is a question I am asked often. I may have even previously answered it here on my blog. Or not answered it since I don’t have a good answer for either of these questions. First, I have no idea how many books I have written. That’s because I’ve written some stories that never found a publisher and ended up on my reject shelf. I guess if I had kept proper records of what I’ve written, I’d be able to count them up. The fact is, I often have to count up how many books I’ve actually had published almost every time I’m asked that question. You’d think I could remember that. I think when Along a Storied Trail is published on June 1, that will make thirty-six published books. That sounds like a lot to me, but I know other authors who have published sixty, seventy, eighty books or more. I’ll never catch up with them, but I’m very pleased that many of my stories have been published for readers.

As to a favorite, that’s a really hard question to answer too. I do often answer that in book talks by saying Angel Sister since that book has so many of my mother’s memories of growing up during the Great Depression threaded throughout the story. But I also have to love Scent of Lilacs, my first Hollyhill book that found me a spot in the Christian publishing world. Plus, I loved writing about Jocie and her family and all the small town characters in Hollyhill. This slides right into Hope’s question.

Have you thought about writing another Hollyhill book?

I have thought about writing one more Hollyhill book. Perhaps wait a few years in story time and then go back to Hollyhill when Jocie is an older teen or young adult. She could have a romance. We could catch up on everybody else in the town and find out what new was happening. But so far, that hasn’t happened. That doesn’t mean the idea doesn’t wiggle around in my head at times. I do still let Jocie write blog posts now and again on her Heart of Hollyhill blog, but she hasn’t written too often lately. Too busy at high school, I suppose. 🙂

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I do hear from my readers some, but would love to hear from them more. I like getting to know my readers and always enjoy when I send out a newsletter and some of those readers share a little about their lives with me. I love hearing from you readers here when you leave a comment or join in a conversation on my blog posts.

Readers say all sorts of things, mostly nice things, but occasionally I’ll get a messages where a reader wasn’t happy with something I wrote or he or she wanted to make me aware of something I wasn’t doing all that well in my writing. I just have to admit to them that nobody is perfect and certainly not me. But the vast majority of readers I hear from do say good things like they love my stories. Or they stayed up too late finishing this or that book. Or they want to know when my next book is coming out. Or have I ever thought of writing about something they think would make a good story. Some tell me they pray for me and what a blessing that is. To pray for someone you’ve never met except through story. I do very much appreciate that.

Others tell me why a particular story touched them in a special way. Once, years ago, someone wrote me to say that while reading my book, Orchard of Hope, they recommitted their life to the Lord. Another person once told me they were able to finally come to terms with a sad happening in her life after they read about my character in Love Comes Home going through a similar hard time.

So the things readers write to me or sometimes tell me in person when I’m at book events are as varied as the people who read my stories or those I meet out on the book trails.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Q & A time. I still have a couple more questions waiting for answers. One is not exactly about writing but about living life. I’ll share that one soon and hope for your input.

Have you ever written to an author or someone else you meet through story or the internet? What did you ask them and did you get an answer?