Author Interview With Rebecca Irvine Christian Family Author

Today, I'm delighted to welcome Rebecca Irvine, Christian Family Author.  Rebecca and I became acquainted when she won a copy of my Regency Romance Novel, A Very Merry Chase in a Giveaway early this year and then posted a lovely review.  When the link popped up on one of my Google alerts, I stopped by her blog for a visit and was delightfully surprised to discover that Rebecca was also an author--and an illustrator--and that her blog was filled with fun and fascinating articles and other items making it well worth the visit.  (Be sure to check out her hilarious comments on the weekly Police Beat items in her local newspaper--I laughed until I had tears in my eyes.)  I immediately invited Rebecca to interview here so my readers would have the opportunity to become acquainted with her and her marvelous books.  In honor of the occasion, Rebecca will be giving away a copy of her book, Family Home Evening Adventures to one lucky person leaving a comment here, and I have made one of my musical jigsaw puzzles featuring the cover as a Keepsake, just to thank everyone for stopping by to visit.  Q. Tell us a bit about Yourself:
 A. Here is my standard short bio: Rebecca Irvine is a graduate of Brigham Young University where she earned both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Communications. She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England.  In addition to a love of writing, Irvine followed in her father's footsteps and became a college professor. Rebecca is married and the mother of three fabulous kids. Works by Irvine include 'Adventures with the Word of God' (Horizon/CFI 2008) and 'Family Home Evening Adventures' (Horizon/CFI 2009).
Q. Tell us about your history as a writer:
 A. I have always loved to read and enjoyed books, but I kind of stumbled into being an author. My first book was a set of scripture study aides I had developed for use with my own children. Too often I had seen my kids' eyes gloss over during family scripture study. I wanted to help them be more interested. After developing a number of monthly themes that seemed to work well, I decided to make a book of them and see if I could get it published. After being turned down by one publisher, the manuscript was picked up by Horizon (CFI). My second book was intended to be a book of scripture study aides as well, but the publisher had me switch it to be FHE lessons.
Q. What was it about writing that captured your fancy?
 A. I wanted to be a writer from a very young age, but never really equated that thought with being an author. My father is a marketing professor, which beget in me a love of advertising from a very young age--I wanted to be a copywriter from about age 13 on. In college I majored in advertising communications; I loved it so much I never had to switch. Unfortunately, later I learned copywriters do not earn much money. I ended up in marketing research, which involves a lot of writing as well (just not as fun or creative).
Q. Do you have an all-time favorite novel and what elements make it your favorite?
 A. I do not have an all-time favorite, but some of my favorite classical authors include Jane Austen, Mark Twain, and Shakespeare. I love their use of language and humor. Additionally, I collect Emilie Loring novels, which are some favorites from my youth. As for authors currently living, I greatly admire Janette Rallison. Her work is laugh-out-loud funny, yet clean and uplifting.
 Q. How do you research your books?
 A. I turn to any resources I can, whether on the Internet, in books, or other publications. Currently, I am doing a bunch of research for a new manuscript and it involves pulling information from textbooks, magazines, encyclopedias, and other non-fiction books. I often find these resources by closely reviewing bibliographies of other reliable publications.
Q. Tell us about your favorite story that you have written, and why it's your favorite?
 A. I do not write much in the way of fiction; however, I really enjoyed writing a short story last winter based on an experience of my dad and grandfather. I think it meant a lot to me because of the heritage and family history involved. In fact, my grandfather has since passed away and I have been even more grateful I wrote it. And I am interested in writing a novel about his life.
On Writing:
Q. Is there anything you absolutely must have in order to write?
 A. I find it hard to write without my laptop. On occasion, in times of desperation, I have written on paper or on napkins. But I dislike having to type it all in later. I feel like it is doubling the work effort.

Q. What is the most difficult part of writing for you?
 A. Time! I often have a hard time keeping a regular schedule for writing what I want to write. In addition to being a mom of three (four if you count my dh ;-), I work two part-time jobs. So my schedule for writing is often here and there.
Q. What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write?
 A. When I am in a good groove I spend an hour a day, usually from 2 to 3 pm before the kids get home from school, with the goal to get about 1,000 words down. I usually work in my home office on my laptop; sometimes I sit on my bed with my laptop instead. I also do a lot of writing on the weekends (Friday nights work great for me).
Q. Tell us a little bit about your life online and any sites you maintain.
 A. My blog is the one big online presence I maintain rebeccairvine.blogspot.com. Originally it was called Scripture Mom, but my publisher wanted readers to be able to find me online more readily and requested I change it. In addition to my blog I try to be on facebook regularly, which is linked into Twitter. I also have an author page on Goodreads.
 Just For Fun:
 Q. What is your favorite quote?
 A.  One of my favorite quotes is “Truth well told,” which is the slogan for a famous advertising agency called McCann-Erickson. In college I was an intern in their New York office where I worked on the Ponds cold cream account. I think this quote is what I strive to achieve in my books.
Q. Where is your favorite place to read?
 A. In bed—sometimes in the afternoon I sneak a few minutes of reading in while my kids are busy with their after school antics. A large window by my bed provides plenty of natural light. And then sometimes I read an hour or so before going to sleep. I usually have at least three or four books stacked up on my bedside table.
 Q. If you were a supernatural or mythological entity, what, or who, would you be, and why?
 A. Hmmm… I am not a big sci-fi kind of person. My husband suggests I should be Mr. Predict-the-future-of-the-stock-market Guy. That may not be so bad. On the other hand, an angel would be something more up my line because I would enjoy helping others and being able to fly. And I love the scripture, “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart…”
Q. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you desperately want with you, and why?
 A. Practical me says, “Food, water, and a hand-crank radio to call my rescuers.”
The stressed-out, wants-to-run-away mom in me says, “A fully loaded/charged Nook, Thanksgiving dinner, and a Pottery Barn inspired cabana in which to relax.”
Rebecca's Blog
Rebecca on Twitter
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And that dear readers, is your introduction to the author Rebecca Irvine, I hope you have enjoyed meeting her as much as I did.  Now, before you run off, be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Rebecca's family friendly book, Family Home Evening Adventures, and don't forget to download your complimentary musical jigsaw puzzle of the cover to share with your family.

Smiles & Good Fortune,
Teresa
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It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Molly MacRae: Author of the Cozy Mystery Novel - Lawn Order

Today I'm especially delighted to welcome my long-time friend Molly MacRae.  Molly, and her family, lived in Johnson City for many years and our sons attended school together.  Molly and I were also founding members of a local writer's group known as Diversities. To celebrate her visit here at MyLadyWeb, Molly has generously offered a copy of her newest cozy mystery novel Lawn Order, and just to say thank you to everyone who visits, I've created a complimentary musical jigsaw puzzle of the cover.  I'm particularly excited about Molly's newest release because Lawn Order stars my favorite Molly characters, her delightfully eclectic, sisterly duo Margaret and Bitsy, whom many of you might recognize from a series of stories published over the years in Alfred Hitchcock magazine.
Q. Tell us a bit about Molly MacRae:
A. I grew up surrounded by all the classic elements of story, in a small town, in a large, loving, rambling family. I was born and raised in northern Illinois, spent my childhood summers on an island in Lake Michigan, lived for a year in Edinburgh, Scotland, for four in west Texas, and was blessed to live in upper east Tennessee for twenty. I’ve worked in a delicatessen, a towel factory, and a university dormitory kitchen cooking for 2,000. I’ve taught emotionally disturbed teenagers to use hand tools, I’ve been a museum director, a bookstore manager, and now I work in the children’s department of the public library. My husband I live in Champaign, Illinois. We have two grown sons and a grown cat. I’ve had incredible luck throughout my life.
Q. Tell us about your history as a writer:
A. My writing “career” is one of many disruptions. I knew I wanted to write from the time my brother Andy read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish to me. Dr. Seuss blew my little four or five-year-old mind away. Seuss put stars in my eyes and lead in my pencil. I wrote my first complete mystery series for a high school French class – in French. The stories starred François Spagatini, l’investigateur and involved an escaped circus lion, a red canoe, and an air mattress. But it turns out I’m easily distracted by things like having children, work, family. My first published short story appeared in the January 1990 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Over the years they’ve published seven more. My first novel, Wilder Rumors, came out in 2007. My second, Lawn Order, came out in December 2010.
Q. I know that you recently had some very exciting news. Could you share that with us?
A. I recently signed a three-book contract for a new light paranormal mystery series with Penguin. Woohoo! The series, tentatively called The Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, follows Kath Rutledge, a textile preservation specialist who inherits her grandmother’s wool shop and also ends up with a depressed ghost on her hands. I think of it as the series that puts the woo woo in wool.
Q. What was it about writing mysteries that captured your fancy?
A. I like reading mysteries so it seemed natural to try writing them. I like the structure of mysteries. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with the loose threads tied neatly. Wouldn’t it be great if life were like that?
Q. Do you have an all-time favorite novel and what elements make it your favorite?
A. No all-time favorite novel. I have many favorites for various reasons and different moods – an awful lot of it to do with humor. A few of those favorites: The Thin Woman by Dorothy Cannell; The Bilboa Looking Glass by Charlotte MacLeod; The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde; The Sot Weed Factor by John Barth; Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White; and even though they’re total fluff, I love the Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M.C. Beaton. They follow a predictable course and the characters never change but they’re completely charming. I do have a favorite author and that’s P.G. Wodehouse. I love his stuff for his characters, the intricacy of his plots, the escapism of his world, and above all for his humor.
Interviewer's Note: My youngest son and I spent last spring working our way through the entire Jeeves and Wooster DVD collection staring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry...which we borrowed from the Johnson City Public Library!  If you have not seen these video's, they are a delightful introduction to P.G. Wodehouse.
Q. How do you research your stories?
A. I started out the easy way by writing what I know. Doesn’t that sound better than saying I make it all up? Characters are easy – we’re surrounded by characters everyday and I just take notes. For the museum details in Wilder Rumors I drew on my own background in small museums. The bookstore details in the first several Margaret & Bitsy stories (the Hitchcock stories) were cadged and cobbled together from details of bookstores I liked. But then, in a strange twist of fate, my life started imitating my stories when I was offered the job as manager of an independent bookstore. So the rest of the Margaret & Bitsy stories, and their novel Lawn Order, draw from my own bookstore experience. The new series for Penguin will require more actual research, but there’s a great local group called the Champaign Urbana Spinners and Weavers Guild and the members have agreed to let me pester them with questions. And there’s a wonderful needlework shop, here, called Needleworks, which I plan to borrow from shamelessly. The Internet is a good resource, too, if used wisely. And there’s always the public library. Books – they’re full of good information.
Q. Tell us about your favorite story that you have written, and why it's your favorite.
A. I’ve never really wondered which is my favorite and don’t think I have one. Maybe I’ll say Lawn Order, though, for the simple reason it’s the most recent one to see the light of day.
On Writing:
Q. Is there anything you absolutely must have in order to write?
A. Like a good luck charm or a fetish? No. Or do you mean do I need a legal-sized pad of paper and a number two pencil because I always start a project in long hand? Or a quiet room? Or the right music? Or the right chair? No. I’m not particular. I write in my writing room upstairs and I stop and write on my walk to work (when it isn’t too cold to take my mittens off). I write on my computer and I write in notebooks. I also write on small pads of papers, on scraps, or on paper napkins. So I guess the answer is I need to have something to write on and something to write with, although I’ve also walked along repeating something over and over to myself until I can get somewhere and find something to write on or with. My brain. I guess I need my brain. (Interviewer's Note to Molly's family: Gift the darling girl with a micro digital recorder to carry in her pocket so she doesn't have to walk down the street talking to herself, or take off her mittens on those cold mornings.)
Q. What is the most difficult part of writing for you?
A. Sometimes it’s breaking the glare of that first, blank page. Sometimes it’s keeping the energy flowing through the sagging middle of a story. Sometimes it’s making sure I’ve reached the real end and not left the real conclusion and loose ends tangled in my head. Sometimes it’s turning off the inner editor who gets stuck like a broken record going over, and over, and over a paragraph or scene. Sometimes it’s reining in silliness that becomes ludicrous. Sometimes it’s not having a thick enough skin or not trusting myself. Shall I keep going and show you what a mass of insecurities I can be?
Q. What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write?
A. The common wisdom is that a writer should write every day. Although I believe that to be true, before the Penguin contract, I had the luxury of not writing every day if I felt more like trying a new recipe or having lunch with friends or cleaning the cat pan. But consistency is good and I do my best when I write every day. And now it’s necessary. My goal is to write 333 good words each day. I get up at 5:30 and write before breakfast. If I don’t reach the goal by the time I go to work, I write during my lunch hour, and then write some more after supper, if need be. It’s not much, 333 words, but working at that rate I can finish a novel in nine months and still have time to say hi to the family or clean the dratted cat pan.
Q. Tell us a little bit about your life online and any sites you maintain.
A. I have a website where people can find out what’s going on in my writing world. You can read the first chapters of Lawn Order and Wilder Rumors, there, and My Trouble, my first story published in Hitchcock and listen to a podcast of “Fandango by Flashlight,” one of my later Hitchcock stories. The website also has a page of links to other author sites and other interesting and entertaining websites, plus food blogs I like to drool over. I blog the first Monday of each month on Vintage Cookbooks & Crafts, a blog maintained by Amy Alessio. Amy is fascinated by food and craft fads from the 60s and 70s and it’s always interesting to see what triggers her gag reflex. I also contribute to The Mystery Cats – very haphazardly – a blog I maintain with mystery author Sarah Wisseman. I’m also on Facebook and Shelfari.
Just For Fun:
Q. What is your favorite quote?
A. No one favorite. But I keep some around that I like a lot. Here are five:
“I’ve tried to put in my films what Edgar Allan Poe put in his novels: a completely unbelievable story told to the readers with such spellbinding logic that you get the impression the same thing could happen to you tomorrow.” Alfred Hitchcock
“The tools I need for my work are paper, tobacco, food, and a little whiskey.” William Faulkner
“The bookstore is one of humanity’s great engines . . . one of the greatest instruments of civilization.” Christopher Morely
“Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend.” Agatha Christie
“No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!” Monty Python
Q. Where is your favorite place to read?
A. I can read anywhere. I’m hopeless at these favorite things, aren’t I?
Q. If you were a supernatural or mythological entity, what, or who, would you be, and why?A. I’d be a selkie, because it would be fun if they really existed, although weird.
Q. If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you desperately want with you, and why?
A. A very powerful, solar-powered communication device; a gel cap that, when dropped into a small container of water, expands into a one room shelter complete with preserved foodstuff and seeds and tools to grow more while waiting for rescuers to arrive in response to the very powerful, solar-powered communication device; a solar-powered e-reader loaded with every book in the Gutenberg Project.

Molly MacRae’s website: Molly MacRae.Com
Thanks to Molly for stopping by, and thanks to all our visitors too.  I hope you enjoyed the interview.   Please don't forget to download your complimentary musical jigsaw puzzle of the Lawn Order cover before you go, and be sure to leave a comment below to be entered to win you very own copy of Lawn Order.
Contest closes 11:59 PM, April 23, 2011.

Smiles & Good Fortune,
Teresa
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It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent.
W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915