Author Interview: Jill Stengl

Jill Stengl lives in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with her husband, Dean, a former military pilot. Only two of their children are still living at home. Tom is currently a senior cadet at the Air Force Academy, Anne Elisabeth is a sophomore at Grace College, Jim is a junior in high school, and Peter is Jill’s last home school student. The family also has three very spoiled cats.

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

Masquerade, a Barbour novella anthology, comes out in December 06. My story, “Liberty, Fidelity, Eternity,” is set in Paris in the early days of the French Revolution. It’s suspenseful and romantic, with lots of ambience.

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.

I started writing in 1991, and my first attempt turned into a monstrous 150K tome that has never been published and probably never will be. But the first publisher I queried about it requested the full, which was very encouraging for a rank beginner! After that I tried writing a Heartsong. I wrote the full manuscript and submitted it in July of 1994. One year later I received an acceptance letter in the mail—and of course I was thrilled! One year after that I got the contract, and in fall of 1996 it was published as Eagle Pilot.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Only on a daily basis.

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

“Write your passion!” Meaning, write the books I would like to read.

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

“Write what you know.” This is true only up to a point. I took it to mean “Write what I already know,” and since that isn’t much, I would never have dared to write historicals! Research is a beautiful remedial therapy for ignorant would-be writers.

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

How to plot a story in advance. I wrote strictly SOTP (seat of the pants)for many years—which is one reason I could produce only about one book or story a year.

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

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

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

I can’t think of anything particularly difficult, although I’ve had dry spells and writer’s block many times.

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

The Lord of the Rings by Tolkein, Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Beauty by Robin McKinley, and the Harry Potter books. All of these are books I read, or will read, over and over again and never tire of them. They have tremendous themes and memorable characters.

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

That’s a no-brainer—ooh, bad pun! Definitely the Scarecrow. I often think how much I could get written if I only had a brain. I did have one around the house once, but she left for college, and now I’m bereft.
See? I’m boasting about my weakness. Seriously, I do believe the Lord made me absent-minded and tongue-tied for good reason: I humiliate myself frequently. Anything I accomplish is obviously through Christ’s power, not through my innate brilliance and finesse. Wish I had some of those last, but God knew better.

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

I’m proud of Faithful Traitor. I decided to use a classic storyline (I won’t divulge which one—got to read it and see!) in an unexpected setting—New York City during the American Revolution. It was fun to write, and I learned some fascinating American history while researching for it.

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

Not really.

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

Some days I’ll sit down and write a chapter or two, but then days will pass when I do nothing worth mentioning. However, on days like that I often research material for upcoming chapters and think a lot about how to improve the plot or deepen a character. Because I also home school our youngest child, my writing times have to be flexible.

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

I admire Kim Vogel Sawyer’s ability to write with incredible speed and still produce quality stories and characters.

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

I would love to write a Victorian gothic novel with a fantasy feel and a Christian theme. It’s in my head and heart, but I don’t yet have the ability to write it the way it should be written. Someday!

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

The summer of 2004 I seriously wondered if I still wanted to write, but selling the Masquerade story resuscitated my interest. Sometimes I play around with other genres for variety.

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

My favorite part is writing a story I love and seeing it flow from my heart onto the screen. My least favorite part is trying to write a story I love and having it come out all wrong.

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

I’m trying to learn marketing skills. Now that most of my kids are out of the house, I’m trying to write more regularly and do book signings. This year I also entered some books in two contests and won three awards. Faithful Traitor won first place in its category in both contests. That was very exciting, and hopefully more people will remember my name because of those awards. I attended my first-ever writers’ conference this year—the ACFW conference—and it was well worth the time and the money.

Parting words?

I would advise aspiring authors to write their passion, but also to constantly work hard to improve their craft. There is always more to learn. Study the greats for their big themes, and study modern writers for modern writing styles.

Don’t labor to put God into your work. If your life is truly His, He will shine through everything you do without conscious effort on your part.
Happy writing!