http://www.LenaNelsonDooley.com
By Kelvin Oliver
T4JYM: How do you find time to write? Life is busy and time management is hard to do sometimes. When do you do your best writing and where?
LD: Up until about a year and a half ago, I worked full-time and wrote when I could find the time. Then at that time, God gave me favor with editors and agent at a national Christian writers conference. They were interested in five book proposals. God told me that He wanted me to trust Him to be in charge of my writing. I was offered a contract to write three leader’s manuals and a director’s manual for a curriculum company. They had to be finished in two months. To accept the contract, I had to quit my full-time job. After my husband and I prayed, we both knew that God wanted me to do this. Since that time, I write full-time at home. I have sold five books since then. I write about six hours a day at least four or five days a week.
T4JYM: What is generally your target audience? Do you write specifically to ministry workers or have you written other books targeted at other audiences? How do you decide on what audience to focus your writing on?
LD: I have written curriculum for public schools, private schools, alternative schools, Sunday school, Children’s Church, and one Bible memory course. At this time, most of my work is fiction, but I have a couple of non-fiction books on the back burner. That’s what the agent is interested in.
I write the books God puts on my heart. However, I do keep up with what is going on in publishing today. You have to write to the market, or you won’t get published. I stay connected to other Christian authors all over the world through the Internet, and I’m a member of American Christian Romance Writers.
Right now I have three books on the market from Heartsong Presents a part of Barbour Books, Inc. They are The Other Brother, His Brother’s Castoff, and Double Deception. They are a series, with the fourth volume Gerda’s Lawman to be released in November.
T4JYM: What are your next plans for writing? Do you plan to do any more books along the same lines as this book? Will you move on to new writing?
LD: Another book will be released in October. Mother’s Old Quilt is part of an anthology titled Scraps of Love. It will be available from the same site as well as http://www.christianbooks.com, http://www.amazon.com, and on my web site http://www.LenaNelsonDooley.com.
A novel that is not part of the series, Pirate’s Prize, will be released in July 2005. A screenwriter in California is interested in it already.
I have proposals at a couple of publishers right now. That is a writer’s life. You send proposals and wait for contracts or rejections. Hopefully, the contracts outnumber the rejections.
T4JYM: What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in writing and book publishing?
LD: Get connected with authors who are successful. There are many local organizations, national organizations, and Internet organizations. Listen to what is happening in publishing. It is a fluid market, constantly changing. Try to find a mentor and/or critique group who can help you hone your skills.
T4JYM: Who are some of the authors you read? Why do you like their works?
LD: To be a good author, you must be a reader. I read a lot of authors.
Some of my favorites are: Brandilyn Collins, who writes wonderful mysteries; Gail Sattler, who writes Christian romance; DiAnn Mills, who writes Christian romance; Susan May Warren, who writes both Christian romance and awesome Christian woman’s fiction; Pamela Griffin, who writes Christian romance; Lisa Harris, who writes both Christian romance and women’s fiction. My list could fill a couple of pages if I let it. These are people who know how to develop characters, use good pacing, and have a message.
T4JYM: What training do you have in writing? Did you take any writing courses in college to obtain the skills you have currently?
LD: Actually, my degree is in drama. I did take one creative writing course after I had become a professional writer, just to see how well it was taught at the local college. I had paid for one course and the minimum cost would cover two courses.
I believe that my talent is God-given. I was very good in English both in high school and college. But my ability to write and edit are more than what you can learn in school. I believe that it was God’s plan for me to be a writer, so He gave me the abilities I would need.
T4JYM: I know there are alot of books in the world,but do you think that your books would teach moral lessons?
LD: The most wonderful part of writing is receiving reader feedback.
Readers write to tell us what the books mean to them. When one tells me how it changed his or her life, it is all worthwhile. And I have received several that said that. One woman told me that she was ready to give up on everything. She picked up The Other Brother. She said that when she read it, not only did it encourage her, it also renewed her faith. Another reader told me that she didn’t agree with the message of the book at first. She had bitterness and unforgiveness in her heart. Then she told me the chapter, page, and paragraph that God used her to help her get rid of those things.
T4JYM: As a child, what was your childhood dream career?Is is coming to life?
LD: I wanted to be a teacher, and I was. Later, after I stayed home to raise my children, God told me to become a professional writer.
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