Creating A Novel - Questions and Answers About My Journey
My three writing partners: Haley, Sable, and Midnight hard at work!
A Noble Calling is your first book. What led you to write a novel?
Writing a book had been one of my goals since grade school; I began that effort in the sixth grade with the help of Rita Roberts, one of my very best friends. We worked on an adventure novel during recess and lunch breaks and enlisted the help of our teacher, Mrs. Ford. Our hero was a girl our age who lived on a ranch. She rode horses, fought rustlers, and tried to be a good citizen. It was great fun and gave me the writer’s bug. I do wish I still had that old manuscript.
How long did the process of writing your first novel take?
I began A Noble Calling near the end of 2014 and typed “The End” on the first draft on June 24, 2016. I was working over sixty hours a week as a real estate appraiser during much of that time. My best friend, Suzie James, was hospitalized for eight months during that period and I sat at her bedside for days at a time and did very little actual writing. She was one of my most faithful encouragers and would ask me so often as I approached her bed, “Is it finished yet?” That was a tremendous motivator. After she passed away in April 2016, I finished the book and dedicated it to her. I sent the book out to five beta readers during the summer of 2016 and began making revisions. I began querying agents in late 2016. Since it is a lengthy book for the suspense/crime/thriller genre, most agents wanted it cut down considerably.
During 2018 and 2019, I had taken elements of A Noble Calling and written a completely different book. Very respected literary agents wanted me to make so many fundamental changes: remove the Christian elements, make Win a woman, have a more urban setting, remove the wildlife descriptions, and on and on and on. One of my wise friends finally counseled me, “You wrote your book. Everyone you’ve sent it to wants to make it something it is not—it needs to be your book.” How simple. So, the move to self-publish was on in 2020!
What part of the writing process was most gratifying?
Initially, I didn’t write with an outline or any structure to the story; I wrote in scenes that weren’t necessarily consecutive. As the book progressed, I loved it when those scenes seemed to flow together without any effort on my part. It is hard to describe, but it seemed that the characters were directing the plot of the book. It’s the “wow” part of writing a novel.
The many hours of research were also fascinating and lots of fun. Bill Temple, my husband, had a thirty-one year career in the FBI; he introduced me to colleagues and Bureau friends who answered my endless questions about life within the law enforcement community. I met some wonderful people who were willing to share their expertise with me. Those folks ranged from the man who compiled the history of Yellowstone National Park to the retired head of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, to the Deputy Chief Ranger at the park. Park Ranger Kevin Moses even took me along on cliff and white-water rescue training missions and read the draft manuscript! All those generous folks took the time to make sure I got things right in this book. Any mistakes in the book on those technical matters are mine alone, because I had some great advisers.
What setbacks or roadblocks did you run up against?
Well, life interferes when you’re trying to do more than one job at a time, and I never had the luxury of just sitting down for months at a time and writing. But my biggest frustration was dealing with literary agents who didn’t respond after I’d submitted manuscripts they’d requested or made changes they’d asked me to make. Months would pass with no word and every day seemed like a failure. Often, I didn’t even receive a reply that the requested material had been received, and they seemed perfectly okay doing business that way. I had several agents decline the query when it wasn’t their thing or whatever, and that was entirely reasonable, but to get a new writer’s hopes up and then dash those hopes with silence was not acceptable to me. I had come from a vocation where respect and plain old good manners were expected; I wasn’t really prepared for what I found in the world of traditional publishing. Thank goodness self-publishing is a viable option.
Any advice for new writers?
Keep at it! I heard the word “persistence” over and over in interviews of successful authors. It is so true. It’s an amazing feeling when you finally write “The End.” But that is only the beginning of the process. There will likely be revisions of your manuscript—maybe several of them. Enlist a group of dedicated beta readers who will go through your manuscript and give honest advice. Hear what they say. Enlist professional copyeditors and proofreaders––let them help you make your work better. Listen to criticisms, listen to critiques, but go with your heart. Remember it is your book!
I also attended four writers’ conferences before I decided to self-publish, and I would highly recommend new writers attend reputable conferences. The seminars I attended helped me improve my writing, and the encouragement I received from other writers kept me going during difficult times.
There are also consultants who will help with the process. Jane Friedman offers hourly videoconference advice on publishing. My online hour with her made a huge difference in the direction I chose in self-publishing. The team at Girl Friday Productions was consistently encouraging during my journey to get the book ready for its debut. They were thorough, professional, and cheerful. Believe me, cheerful goes a long way in the publishing industry. I’m very intimidated by technology, and I don’t think I could have done it without them!
What do you hope your readers take away from your books?
I want my readers to be entertained throughout the book, to learn some things they didn’t know, to think through some things that have deep meaning, and to sit back and smile when they read that last page. I want them to leave the book with a real desire to read more of Win Tyler’s stories. Even more importantly, I want them to have felt God’s gentle touch in those moments when Win struggles with his faith, and when his mother and other characters nudge him toward a life well lived. Long after they set the book aside, I hope readers will be reminded of God’s presence whenever they see a striking sunset or raging river. I’d love for the book to motivate readers to go looking for their life’s victories and find a little adventure along the way.