Author of Divided Loyalties
by Trisha Bleau Smith
T4JYM: Where did the idea and the inspiration for the book come from? How has it been received by the public?
LKM: The story was actually suggested by a vivid dream. In the dream I saw a young woman standing on a rooftop in what looked like a Swiss town. A helicopter came toward her, with a rope dangling from it, and there was a man on the rope, reaching out to catch her up. Meanwhile on the ground, there were others trying to shoot at them. When I wrote the scene, the rest of the story suggested itself.
As for how it’s been received, the comments I’ve gotten from people have been very positive. Of course I doubt people with negative comments would actually tell me. But the reviews have also been really good, and that’s encouraging.
T4JYM: What are your next plans for writing?
LKM: Kregel has asked for a sequel to Divided Loyalties, and I’m working on ideas for that. I had kind of gotten out of the habit of writing, so it’s hard for me to go back to that level of discipline. Prayers on that front would be much appreciated!
T4JYM: What training do you have in writing? Do you consider yourself to be a good writer with a God given talent? Or did you have to work to get to where you are now, taking classes on writing and such?
LKM: Oh, hey, anything I have going for me is totally a God thing! I know my shortcomings far too well to think I deserve credit. But there was work involved too. I took courses at the local community college, I joined a writer’s workshop, I ran my book through the Writer’s Digest School. No matter how good you may be at something, you will always improve when you get feedback. And there are always people who are better at it, whose knowledge and experience can teach you if you are willing to listen.
T4JYM: How much time went into putting this book together? How much research did you have to do to write this book?
LKM I think I wrote the story initially in about a year, but that was about ten years ago. I shelved the book after that, and just came back to it every once in awhile when I thought of something I wanted to do with it. Research-wise, I’m sure I did a lot, but I’ve always been interested in other religions and cultures, so it wasn’t really work for me. I would read books about places like Saudi Arabia just for fun anyway.
T4JYM: Have you written any other books? Do you have any ideas for books you would like to write?
LKM: I wrote a number of things prior to Divided Loyalties. I published a feature article for the Rocky Mountain News in the early 80’s, and a short mystery with Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine a few years later. My first book was a pretty gruesome murder mystery, which I eventually threw out — it was written when I wasn’t walking with the Lord, and it was not glorifying to Him. There’s another one, more of a romance, that I was working on when the idea for Divided Loyalties came. I’d like to finish that and maybe publish it, but I’m finding it harder to work with. Part of the problem is that I find it harder to write in that style. It’s more sentimental, and I think it’s uncomfortable for me to expose that side of my personality, which you have to do if you’re going to write those emotions. I’m a pretty private person.
T4JYM: How did you get started in writing? How many times did you find your work was sent back to you before it was finally accepted by a publisher? Did they give you feedback when it came back to you?
LKM: I think I was blessed there. My first efforts at publishing were accepted — a good thing, too, because I doubt I’d have kept trying if I’d been rejected very many times to begin with. I read about other writers who got dozens of rejections before getting something accepted, and I really admire them. I did get a number of rejections AFTER publishing that first short story with EQMM, but at least I knew that I was capable of writing publishable material. And no, there was no personal feedback. Just the standard, “your work is not suitable for our publication at this time,” statement. I have a friend who wants to wallpaper her bathroom with those.
T4JYM: How do you go about editing your writing? Do you send it to people to read first, BEFORE you send it to publishers? How many times do you go in and change things?
LKM: I do believe in getting lots of feedback, as I’ve said before. So I have a little email-style writer’s workshop, which is a good way to get different viewpoints. And I do edit things pretty extensively. Too much, probably. I didn’t think Divided Loyalties was really ready to be published when I sent out the proposal. I figured if I got really lucky, some publisher would see some merit in it and be willing to work with me to get it in shape. Instead, Kregel printed it with only some minor editing.
T4JYM: Do you get a lot of feedback from the public? Do you respond to the people who contact you about your works?
LKM: I have gotten a few emails through Kregel from readers, and I do respond to those comments. There have been some really nice reader comments at places like Amazon.com, and I have wanted to thank those people, but that’s a bit tougher to do.
T4JYM: What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing writing as a career?
LKM: Plan to have a day job. Seriously, there is not a lot of money in this business unless you are on the bestseller list. And maybe that’s a good thing. I would really LOVE to be able to quit the day job and write for a living, but if I did, I’d probably have less exposure to people and events that inspire me. Also, it seems to me most artists do their best work when they’re at that “starving artist” stage, when they’re working out of their passion for the medium, rather than out of a need to get that next paycheck.
T4JYM: Do you do any other kinds of writing? For example, magazine writing, devotions, etc.
LKM: I do a lot of writing at my job, but that’s bureaucratic reports. By the end of the day these days, I’m a little tired of the keyboard. I do occasionally sit down and write little articles and vignettes, but that’s mostly just to get an idea down before I forget it. I haven’t tried to publish anything else since Divided Loyalties hit the shelves.
T4JYM: What kind of activities do you like to do in your spare time?
LKM: I really enjoy discussion forums dealing with the Bible and theology, and I like reading up on different religious groups and cults around the world. I also got involved in a mentoring program several years ago, and I still enjoy spending time with the young woman they paired me with. She’s in college now, and a beautiful young adult, so I can’t say I’m mentoring her anymore, at least not officially. But we still get together and do things.
I like to spend time with my family, too. It takes up about half of my weekends. Family is very important to me.
Be the first to comment