Author of Day At Gramma’s and other books
by Trisha Bleau Smith
T4JYM: Where did the idea come from?
MCO: The idea came in the middle of the night. I had been praying and searching for something that would assuage this nagging feeling I carried with me for years, that there was something “out there” I was supposed to be doing. I tried volunteer work and joined organizations but I didn’t get any relief.
The voice that awakened me at 2:00 a.m. said “write a children’s book”, and I said “but what about?” and the immediate reply came saying, “write about what you know”.
I lay there the rest of the night pondering what was said. I had only one grandchild at that time and as I thought about the days he came to visit and the fun we had gardening and talking together, a story began to develop. By morning I had a general outline for a story… Isaiah 50:4… He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth my ear to hear.
Although it took me 4 years to do the illustrations, I loved every minute of it and that awful nagging emptiness left as well.
T4JYM: Who were the biggest influences in your life generally speaking, and who were the biggest influences since you decided to write?
MCO: This is a hard question… Let me start with general influences. I had an “old maid” aunt who invited me over for occasional weekends. She let me cook, sew on her prized Singer sewing machine and roll her hair into pincurls. The next morning she actually let me brush and style her hair for church… she never changed one strand… which I find amazing since I was all of 6 years old. She was a devout Catholic and her love of the Lord instilled in me a great sense of respect for spiritual things. I am no longer catholic and the early respect I had for the spiritual has now evolved into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Another influence was an elderly neighbor who lived down the street from us. She was an artist named Marcia Warren and had given several private exhibitions… there are three of her paintings in our family one of which is mine.
My name is actually Martha but my mother changed my name to Marcia in her honor. She had a tree in her yard which I loved. You could press the leaves and they would close right before your eyes. On occasion, when we were invited for tea, we played “hide the thimble” and quite often the shirley temple curls I wore provided a perfect hiding place. It was her “ever so proper decorum” and picture perfect little house that made a lasting impression on me.
The other person with a big influence in my life would be my older sister Phoebe… she hated her name and decided one day her name was “Jo” and indeed it was Jo from then on. I had to room with her since there were 6 children beside my mother and dad. Jo was very disciplined and was a harsh taskmaster as well. Because of her ,however, I learned not to wear pink socks with a red dress… I learned to always hold my stomach in… not to smack gum… and to get on my knees every night and say my prayers.
The other part of question 2… who has influenced me most since I began writing?… I would have to say Steve Barclift, Managing Editor at Kregel. He showed me how to tighten up a story and how to say something in a more effective way. He actually showed me how to take my original manuscript and make two stories out of it… in the original it was too long and non-focused. I couldn’t have asked for a more gentle and professional mentor.
T4JYM: How has this book been received?
MCO: The book has been out a little over 4 months and as far as I know, very well. The publisher seems to be pleased with the number sold… but, of course, I won’t be jumping up and down until it sells one million and we’re not there yet.
Bookstores in Chattanooga have been supportive and I have had 7 book signings. I have spoken to several schools and civic groups and have been invited to be a guest on two different television shows. The newspapers have also been very generous to give coverage.
T4J: What are your next plans for writing?
MCO: I had 12 illustrations left over from my first book so all I have to do is find a little 2-year old blond boy to pose as Forrest (who is now 11 yrs. old), so I can add another 12 or so illustrations. I do have a theme for another book if I go this route.
I have a secret ambition to write a novel but I would have to take many courses on the subject before I would even know how to get started.
T4JYM: What is your target audience?
MCO: In the case of this, my first book, the direction I got from the Lord was to write about “what I know”. I knew lots about being a grandmother and I knew lots about the Lord. So, in my book, I wrote a story that would keep the interest of young children between the ages of 2 and 8 years old, and included thoughts and prayers for the adult who would be reading the story to consider.
I have also written articles for the newspaper, if I get riled enough about an issue… it is a good way to vent. In this case, I am targeting an adult audience and putting forth an argument in a rational and logical way which comes easy for me.
T4JYM: What training do you have in writing?
MCO: I have had no training in writing. If I am ever to write a novel I am going to have to work very hard attending classes.
T4JYM: When did you start writing?
MCO: I started writing when the Lord awakened me and told me to write a children’s book. He also told me to write about what I knew… being a grandmother.
It was very expensive to have color copies made of my illustrations and to have the text included on each page with a spiral binder. The cost for each manuscript was about $130.00, therefore, I only had 5 made. The publisher keeps the manuscript about 3 months before they send it back with a form letter of rejection… “Thank you for your interest but we unfortunately are not able to use your book as it does not fit in with our publishing needs at this time, etc.” With only 5 manuscripts to send out and the three month turn around to get them back, I was unable to do a mass mailing. I am guessing now, but I think I sent the manuscript to about one dozen publishers and was rejected by them all. I never got any feedback.
T4JYM: What advice would you give to someone interested in getting their work published?
MCO: My suggestion would be to e-mail The Writer’s Edge.
This is a service linking writers and Christian publishers and is the way I got published. My comments are posted on their website and may be of interest to someone.
T4JYM: What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in writing?
MCO: My advice to someone interested in pursuing writing as a career would be to first get a job that will pay the bills and put food on the table, then write on days off or at night.
Take vacation time to attend classes or workshops on writing. Keep writing until you have something to submit then have a person at the local university or other qualified person to edit your work. Buy a book on publishing with the view of finding out if there are any particular number of pages to a chapter and number of chapters that would be a criterion.
Dont send a manuscript that is not perfectly ready for the publisher to send to the printer… as perfect as you know how to make it… there will still be a need for the editor to make changes but he will know that he is dealing with a “pro” and will take your work more seriously.
As you begin to get your work published and money begins to come in, you will know at what point you can risk quitting your job to pursue writing as a fulltime career… I think you will still need to have savings as a cushion from which to draw in case your next book doesn’t sell.
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