Author Interview: Jill Nelson

About Jill Nelson: Children have been the focus of Jill Nelson's ministry for twenty years. She and her husband have four--two boys, two girls--all teenagers. (Prayers, please.) Jill supervises the children's ministry at her local church and delights in writing her own material. Her heart is to glorify God by guiding children into a powerful personal relationship with Him.

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

THE RELUCTANT BURGLAR, the first novel in my romantic suspense series, is slated to release in August of 2006 from Multnomah Publishers. THE RELUCTANT RUNAWAY and THE RELUCTANT SMUGGLER will follow in six-month increments.

If anyone enjoys Elizabeth Peters’ historical novels, my books are something of a modern version of the adventures of Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. The unifying thread is the art and antiquities world.

My female protagonist is the head of a museum security corporation. She’s a highly trained “thief” in order to STOP theft. (Think the recent movie “Entrapment,” only the heroine doesn’t go bad.) The male protag is a martial arts champion FBI agent.

The Lord has fulfilled the desire of my heart in hooking me up with Multnomah. Since 2001, when I read their release of Francine Rivers’ REDEEMING LOVE, it has been my dream some day to publish with them. I had no inkling this would happen with the very first contract!

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.

When my agent called to give me the news about a three-book contract offer, my first response was, “Really? Are you sure?” That’s kind of like questioning the doctor when he announces the sex of your newborn. My next reaction was: “Wow, God! This is so far beyond anything I could even ask or think!”

Ironically, I got the call during the awards banquet of the Christian Writers Group conference themed, “Answer the Call.” Everyone there got a kick out of the God-incidence. Most precious to me were the testimonies of those who were encouraged by my experience to think that one day they too might get “the call.”

I’ve been seriously working toward publication for four years. One of the speakers at the conference, Randy Ingermanson, has a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior theory about writer progress. (For details, see his web site at www.rsingermanson.com.) He proclaimed me his poster child.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Immediately after getting the offer, every writerly insecurity I’d ever experienced hammered at my door. I hear that’s normal, but it’s still daunting. My salvation is in the knowledge that I don’t walk through this new “published author” world alone, any more than I navigated through my “pre-pubbed” world alone.

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

Pay careful attention to writer’s guidelines before submitting work. Don’t think you’re going to be the “magical” exception to what a publisher wants.

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

Christian fiction is nothing but preachy schlock. Don’t bother writing or reading that stuff. Talk about counter-productive! For the past three years, I’ve been the Senior Inspirational Reviewer for Romantic Times BOOKClub Magazine (secular periodical). After reading and reviewing 12 – 15 Christian novels per month for 36 months, I can testify this complaint is sooooo out of date.

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

Realistic word counts for novels. My first attempt was off-the-charts long.

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

This is the Scripture from my e-mail signature lines. I try to let this command be the driving force in all that I do, not just writing.

Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season...fulfill your ministry. II Timothy 4: 2 a and 5 b.

What could be more vital than carrying out the purpose for which we are place on earth?

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

Back to my first novel attempt in 2001, it was quite a blow to discover I had a monstrosity instead of a gem on my hands. I still love that book, and it’s undergone several revisions. Maybe someday it’ll be presentable.

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

THE HOBBIT by J. R. R. Tolkein (I love the humor and the endearingly flawed hero Bilbo.)
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS by C. S. Lewis (Hah! Take that, Mr. Devil!)
THE BROTHER’S KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Seriously! This book had a major impact on me when I was in my 20s. I wouldn’t read it again, though. Talk about looong!)
REDEEMING LOVE by Francine Rivers
COLOR THE SIDEWALK FOR ME by Brandilyn Collins (The best women’s fiction I’ve ever read.)


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

Toto—that faithful fur-ball took daring chances and never gave up, despite the odds. Also, he caught on to the fake wizard before anyone else had a clue. Smart pooch on the cutting edge! I aspire to be like him.

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

Not so much a single piece of writing, but my whole reviewing gig with Romantic Times. The Lord opened an awesome door for me to toot the horn for good, clean novels in a magazine that reviews all sorts of fiction, including erotica. Also, my 2003 article on positive peer pressure in Children’s Ministry Magazine. It’s hard to break into that publication.

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

All the hurry up and wait. But I don’t guess that’s going to change, so I’ve figured out that I’d best buckle in for the ride and let things take their course.

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

Since I work a full time day job, head up the children’s ministry at my church, and have an active family, I write in scraps of time when I can find them. Evenings work better than mornings. This is a daily discipline, however. Not some once in a while thing. Now that I have a fresh novel due every six months, I need to increase my output. I’ve figured out how many words I need to average per day, and I think it’ll be doable.

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

One writer? Get outta here!

Let’s see now . . . For the entrée, I need Brandilyn Collins’ mastery of characterization and story structure. I’ll also take generous sides of Randy Ingermanson’s plotting skills, as well as Cec Murphey’s experience and common sense. Oh, and I’ve got to have a heapin’ helpin’ of Frank Peretti’s twisted imagination, garnished by Francine Rivers’ deft hand with disturbing topics. Then round the banquet off with Karen Kingsbury’s emotional knockout punch. Greedy li’l thing, ain’t I?

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

Some day I want to write a book that goes over as big with nonbelievers as believers. I want to touch people with God’s grace who would rather suck an egg than enter a Christian bookstore.

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

I have felt the call to be a writer since the 6th grade, and there have been periods of some success with short pieces. However, the dream pretty much went dormant while I raised four children. Now that they are all nearly grown, I’ve been able to “answer the call” again. Evidently, this was God’s time for me, because He has already blessed abundantly, and I have every anticipation of more to come.

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

Favorite = writing the story
Least favorite = writing the story

I love research. I can piddle around for hours finding things on the Internet. And who wouldn’t love traveling to the places where your novel is set? But actually writing the story and wrestling those words into shape is both the joy and the pain of being a writer. No wonder we often compare the work to birthing a baby.

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

I’m just starting out with this, so I’m looking for advice rather than dispensing it.

Parting words?

Be like the graphic of the frog stuck in the pelican’s mouth with his little forefeet squeezing the bird’s throat so he can’t be swallowed: Never EVER give up!