Author Interview: Colleen Coble

Best-selling writer Colleen Coble has garnered a strong following in the Christian marketplace and appears frequently on the CBA Bestseller List. Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com.
Colleen has eighteen romance books out before she switched to writing romantic suspense. Her first romantic suspense, WITHOUT A TRACE, was a 2004 RITA finalist. The Aloha Reef series with WestBow debuted in May 2005.

Plug time. What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

BLACK SANDS is now shipping to stores. It’s a favorite of mine. Annie Tagama is a volcanologist on the Big Island, and I just love her. I had fun researching at the Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

Seven years. God’s number. At least that’s what I tell myself. When I finally got the call, I ran around the house screaming at the top of my lungs. The cat hid under the bed and wouldn’t come out for hours!

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Self-doubt is a constant plague for most writers. With any book I write I think it totally stinks when I’m in the middle of it. Luckily, I have critique partners who assure me it can be fixed.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

Read, read, read. Read extensively in the genre you want to write. You pick up the subtle nuances of writing that kind of story almost by osmosis.

What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

Try to write everything. You need to focus on ONE thing. Brand yourself so your readers know what to expect. If you pick up a Stephen King novel, you know what to expect. Or Tom Clancy or Dean Koontz. You’ll never be more than a mid-list author if you don’t brand yourself.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

I spent way too many years re-editing my first book. When it was rejected, I’d edit it some more and send it out. I should have moved on to something else much faster and it wouldn’t have taken 7 years to get a contract.

Do you have a scripture or quote that has been speaking to you lately?

Romans 8:28 is my life verse. I try to illustrate it in my fiction—that no matter how dark the valley, God is there with us and is working it out for good in our lives.


Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

The closest I ever came to giving up was when an editor told me he wanted to buy my first book, but his house had been bought by Thomas Nelson. When the book went to committee at TN, it was turned down. All that up and down gets wearying. But something inside wouldn’t let me quit and I kept pressing on. It’s so cool now to see that it’s all come full circle, and Thomas Nelson is my publishing home!

What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)

The Stand by Stephen King is my all time favorite. I’ve read it at least 30 times.

If your authorial self was a character from The Wizard of Oz, which one would you be and why?

I would be Dorothy. Her eternal optimism matches mine.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?


Black Sands, my current release, is a book I really related to. The characters are as real to me as any of my friends, and I really liked taking my characters to a place where they had overcome their weaknesses

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

Writers who don’t read. If you want to write, you must read the genre you are writing in!

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I’m generally at my computer by 8:30 and I write all day until about 4, 5 days a week. Okay, I admit I play around too much on email. I try to write a chapter a day when I’m in the middle of my first rough draft. Then every 2-4 weeks I take a day off of writing and go brainstorm with my friends, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter at Denise’s house. Diann and I are physically present with Denise, but Kristin calls in from California and we put her on speakerphone.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

Stephen King’s awesome way of putting a reader inside the head of his characters.

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

I want to never become satisfied with my writing. I strive to become better with each book.

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

Yes, see answer above to question about a particularly difficult time.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

I like it all! I know that’s not the answer most writers give, but I truly do love it all. From the rough draft to the promotion. If I had to pick one favorite part, it would be the editing process when I get back my substantive edits from my two editors and get to tweak and make the manuscript better.

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

I do quite a lot of marketing, actually. I love meeting new friends and talking about my passion of writing. I have a website, and I answer all my email personally. I also send out a snail mail newsletter a couple times a year and an email newsletter every other month or so. I have bookmarks made up and pass them out to anyone who likes to read. I like to speak and to teach about writing too.

Parting words?

Remember that writing is a BUSINESS. That means you treat it seriously, you study books on writing, you attend conferences, find a critique partner and WORK at it. There is much about writing that improves with practice.