Setting Your Priorities: Author Interview with Jan Thompson

You are a well-established author with 5 series that encompass 26 books released as single titles. When did you decide you wanted to write books? Was it always in the back of your mind or a second career?
A long time ago, while working as a computer programmer, I was praying to God about my career. I asked myself a question: “What is the one thing you’ve always loved to do since you were in elementary school, that you can only do on the side right now, but that you’d love to do for the rest of your life?”

I knew the answer right away: write!

I felt that if God had given me the ability to write, then He would make the way for me to get there. Twenty-five years later, here I am.

From what I can see your first publication was in 2014. Are you writing 4 books a year (not counting the compilations with others)?
Even though I publish about four to six books a year across three different genres (Christian beach romance, romantic suspense, and techno-thrillers), I usually write more books in the background. In my home office are manuscripts at various stages of completion. I’ve outlined some books, drafted some, revised some, and I’m rewriting some. Not all my books are started and finished in the same year. Some of them are multi-year projects.

How do those compilations with others come about?
While being an author is a lonely job, communities of indie authors are vital to this industry as we share publishing and marketing tips, watch book industry trends, and keep up with technology and tools. In the course of friendship and indie shoptalk, indie authors sometimes get together and collaborate on anthologies, more commonly known as MABS (multi-author boxed sets).

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
I would say that the hardest part of writing is putting down the first words of the first paragraph of the first chapter. Once I have that down, the rest of the entire novel starts to unfold.

On the other hand, the most time-consuming part for me to write is the outline. I sometimes take months to outline a novel. I mull over my story idea for as long as it takes until the entire story pulls together in my head and on paper.

I write my first drafts on paper, but I revise and edit on my computer.

What does your editor remind you to do most often?
As an indie author, I set my own editorial deadlines. However, once I book my editor, it becomes her due date as well. I am thankful to God that my editor reminds me when the deadlines are coming on my calendar. Without the reminder, I would gladly take years to write my books.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
When one of my novels published, I wasn’t sure if it would resonate with anyone except myself. A few years later, a reader told me that in the midst of a difficult time in her life, she picked up my novel, read it, and was encouraged by God through a particular verse in that novel. Well, that verse (Proverbs 3:5-6) was the theme I had placed in the book more than a decade before that! I was reminded once again that God’s Word never returns void. I keep writing because I never know when someone will be encouraged, even if it’s years from now.

We have all experienced rejection. How have you learned to write past it.
As I mentioned, I write in multiple genres, one of which is science fiction. Even though my techno-thrillers are science fiction, they are mostly based on earth. Once upon a time, I wrote two clean but secular short stories set in a galaxy far, far away. I thought they were pretty good, so I sent them to a science fiction magazine. Both short stories were promptly rejected without a comment.

Having a computer science background, I began to analyze the situation in a logical fashion five ways to Christmas. However, as a Christian, I knew that Romans 8:28 ruled. I realized that it wasn’t timing but content. Sure enough, I discovered that I’d rather write Christian fiction than restrain myself from talking about God, except allegorically, just to get published in a magazine.

In essence, if I am to advise anyone about handling rejection letters, it is to keep writing more books and write the books you love and want to read. As the hymn says, “God will make a way.”

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing?
I suppose a surprise I have is that, after all these decades, I still love to write and have so many more stories I want to tell. I wish I had kept my childhood handwritten story books to remind myself how far I have come. However, rather than dwelling on what I have done, I would rather focus on what God has written. The more I want to write my own books, the more I need to prioritize reading my Bible daily as a reminder to put God first, above all.

What has frustrated you the most?
To me, frustrations are challenges to take to God in prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17) and opportunities for me to be an overcomer (Romans 8:37-39). My current challenge is to find more time to write more books for my readers who are eagerly waiting for my next book in their favorite series to be published. Yes, there is a time for everything under the sun, even “a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7).

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner?
I wish that I had completed one series at a time rather than rotate writing among five series in several genres. Even though all my books are standalone stories and have their own conclusions and happy endings—and they all exist in the same story world such that characters crisscross series—it takes more time for me to return to a series and resume where I left off than if I had written all the way through to the last book. I am thankful to God that I do have patient readers!

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
I have seen a lot of writing advice over the years from many authors ahead of me. All of them said that writers have to get the words written and the books done. Most assuredly, I cannot market a book I do not have. Thus, writing itself is key. It is much easier to start a book than to complete a book—that is, to finish well.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
The Bible verse for my publishing imprint says, “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Thy wondrous works” (Psalm 26:7, KJV). I remind myself that ultimately, I have to answer to God for what I write and do not write. Let it be that when I write, I do so “with the voice of thanksgiving,” giving glory to God and Him alone.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
My next Christian romantic suspense novel is Once a Spy, book 3 in my Protector Sweethearts series, in which the heroes and heroines pair up on adventures to recover lost treasures and rescue lost people. Here is a description of this novel, which is currently on preorder on Amazon.

Hired to protect a treasure-hunting billionaire she doesn’t even like, former CIA agent Raynelle Dryden gets too personal with her client and inadvertently introduces him to a past enemy who wants her dead in this enemies-to-lovers Christian romantic suspense.

Under the cover of assumed aliases, billionaire treasure hunter Benjamin Glynn satisfies his urge to find treasures in dangerous places while protecting his real identity. His latest obsession is to find the lost treasures of the pirate Blackbeard, and thereby solve the centuries-old mystery.

Afraid that Benjamin is too reckless, his sister hires former CIA agent Raynelle Dryden to tag along on his escapades. Raynelle dislikes Benjamin for disrespecting her profession, but she needs the money to fund a secret project she hasn’t told anyone about.

As they get closer to unearthing the truth about where Blackbeard hid his treasures that no one has yet discovered, Raynelle and Benjamin find themselves walking into the crosshairs of an enemy from Raynelle’s past, who is determined to destroy her and anyone close to her.

Protector Sweethearts: JanThompson.com/protector

That's all for today's interview. I hope it inspires you to start reading her books. After reading one of her books, I knew I wanted to share her writing with others. I'm now on a second book and look forward to reading this upcoming release as well as others. Here's how you can pick up her books and start reading.

Newsletter: JanThompson.com/newsletter
Amazon: JanThompson.com/amazon
BookBub: JanThompson.com/bookbub
Facebook: JanThompson.com/facebook
Instagram: JanThompson.com/instagram

The Importance of the Learning Experience: Author Interview with Melissa Koslin

When I did a search for your books by your name, I only found a single title with that name and a co-author book, but that’s not all you’ve written.
Correct. Never Miss is my first book under the pen name Melissa Koslin. I helped Mike Nappa finish A Dream Within a Dream under the name Melissa Kosci (and I write mainstream fiction under another name). Confusing, I know. 😊

Mike Nappa wrote Annabel Lee and The Raven on his own, and when he was about 20k words into A Dream Within a Dream, a huge personal loss made finishing it impossible for him. He had been my agent for a while, and he likes my writing style, which isn’t dissimilar from his, so he reached out to me to help him finish the book.

I read the first two books and the 20k he had done so far, he told me the direction he’d planned to go (not an outline, but some ideas), I wrote a few chapters to make sure he was happy with the voice and characters, and he let me loose to finish the last 70k words.

Mike bringing me in to finish that book and basically vouching for my ability and attitude is what got me in the door with Revell (a division of Baker Publishing Group), and they signed me to do Never Miss, as well as another Christian romantic suspense scheduled to come out Fall 2022. While he’s not my agent, Mike has been incredibly kind in helping answer questions and just being an encourager (and telling me the blunt truth when needed!). I owe him a lot.

When did you decide you wanted to write books?
I was actually not naturally talented in writing. I struggled with it in school. I could write research papers fine, but not creative writing. Then, in 2009, an idea for a story hit me. I had to write it down. I had NO IDEA what I was doing, but I kept writing. I loved the story enough to do the work of learning how to tell it correctly—I read lots and lots of books on writing fiction and wrote a ton. And then I fell in love with the process of creating intense and beautiful stories, and the rest is history.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Making characters who are very different from me. Bits of my personality often seep into them.

What does your editor remind you to do most often?
She catches my repeated words.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Someone of Mike Nappa’s caliber believing in me.

We have all experienced rejection. How have you learned to write past it?
I cannot count how many rejection letters I’ve gotten over the years. I look at them as one down, now I’m closer to a yes.

What has surprised or frustrated you the most in writing/publishing? 
I don’t know. Lots of stuff over the years. I’ve been really pleasantly surprised at how absolutely wonderful Revell is to work with. Not that I expected anything negative, of course, but they are truly the nicest people you could ever wish to work with.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
Nothing. I didn’t know what I was doing at first in a lot of ways, but the experience of learning was invaluable. If it’d been easy all along, I wouldn’t appreciate how far I’ve come.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Write what you love. Don’t write because you want to be able to say you wrote a book or to try to make money at it. Write beautiful, thrilling, wonderful tales for the simple love of the story. That will bring beauty into your life and into the world.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
Keep writing. Listen to critique but don’t internalize it. Learn to dismiss critique if you truly don’t agree with it but do make sure you pay attention when you hear the same critique multiple times from various sources. Learn how to write well—read about writing, really study it. Don’t be lazy—do it right. Always keep learning. Fall in love with your stories. If you’re not in love with what you’re writing, you’re doing it wrong.

Could you give me a short synopsis of your newest novel, Never Miss?
Never Miss… She saved his life. Now they're in a race to stop a deadly attack.

Former CIA sniper Kadance Tolle possesses a special set of skills and a rare pedigree. She comes from a family of assassins, and by saving Lyndon Vaile's life she risks being found by them. Despite the danger, Kadance feels compelled to help Lyndon discover who is after him and his incendiary research, which indicates that the Ebola virus is man-made and about to be weaponized.

With shadowy figures pursuing them and a mastermind watching their every move, Kadance and Lyndon scramble to stop an impending bio-attack at the State of the Union address. When their warnings fall on deaf ears, it becomes increasingly clear that there's no one they can trust--except perhaps each other.

Strap in for a breakneck story that will have you up all night, hurtling toward the last page as the clock ticks and time runs out.

That does sound intriguing. If you like to learn more about Melissa’s book, here are some links to get you started.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/080073839X
Christianbook.com: https://www.christianbook.com/never-m...
Website: www.MelissaKoslin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaKoslin/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissakoslin?lan...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_kos...

Don't Let Go of Your Dream: Author Interview with James L. Rubart

Today's interview is with a very talented author who dabbled in writing in his early twenties, but began a "real" career. But that love of writing didn't stay and he began writing again. He's now a bestselling author with numerous awards including Christy Hall of Fame, Carol, INSPY, and RT Book Reviews. Read on to learn more about his writing journey. 

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
Staying in one place. When I write I transcribe the movie I see playing my head and the scene rarely finishes! So I wind up with a collection of unfinished scenes which I have to go back to later and first organize, then fill out. I’m definitely a discovery writer.

What does your editor remind you to do most often?
To remember that dark chocolate is usually better than milk chocolate when it comes to stories. In other words, I’m always tempted to make things turn out perfect at the end of my stories, where that’s not real life. Semi-sweet is often a better choice. 

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
By a thousand miles it’s been my wife, Darci. She’s believed in me, encouraged me, challenged me, and talked me off the ledge so many times in the early days she set up a lawn chair out there. She’s the one that told me there’s only one person that could tell me I was a writer or not and that was myself.

What has surprised you the most in writing and publishing? 
Most surprising: that some of my closest friends would come out of the publishing world. And that I’d end up becoming friends with authors I’d admired for years as a reader. Such a delight.

What frustrated you the most?
Most frustrating: Often I’ll be at a gathering of writers—say a conference or an awards show—and there’s never enough time to connect with all my friends and new friends.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
That it’s not about the writing. It’s about who God is shaping you into through the process of writing. And about the people who I have the chance to encourage through my words. He could have (and would have) done the same thing if I’d pursued music or being a chef or being a travel guide. So the awards and numbers of books sold mean little compared to the people I’m able to reach through my stories and the man He’s helping me become.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
“Get a good pair of running shoes and sprint in the opposite direction from publishing as fast as you can.” I’m kidding, of course. Kind of. See, writing is a world full of rejection and it’s not easy. Most people end up giving up. But that’s good for the people who choose to persevere. Because most let go of their dream, it makes room for the people who simply won’t stop.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
Find a community. A group of other writers who can come alongside you and carry you when you need to be carried, and that you can carry when it’s your turn to shoulder the burden. This is a solitary endeavor most of the time, so we need others along for the journey.

Your books are thought provoking in a positive way and show a lot of soul searching for your characters. Where do you dig down to find that pathos?
Such a great question. I don’t really dig because I’m living the things I write about. They’re my own struggles, my own quest to know myself and know God and allow his grace and mercy and healing touch to set me free. A friend of mine told me years ago, “All my stories are just my private journals in publicly printed form.” I resonated deeply with that because it’s the same with me.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
I’m in the midst of releasing six books this year with a dear friend and co-author, Susie May Warren, called The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone. She, her son David, and I created the stories back in early 2017 and they’re finally coming out! The first book, Cast the First Stone released in February, the second book, No Unturned Stone released earlier this month and the next book in the series is called, Sticks and Stone and it releases in June.

The series is about a time traveling detective who goes back in time to solve a series of crimes and absolve his deepest regrets.

That's all for today's interview. I'm currently reading the first book in his new series and I highly recommend it. Here's the link to learn more: https://rembrandtstone.com/

Links for writers: Jim’s oldest son Taylor and he co-own The Rubart Writing Academy where they help writer’s dreams become reality. The Rubart Writing Academy.

If you want to learn more about Jim’s books, here's the link to his website: https://jameslrubart.com/