Author Interview ~ Marta Perry

A Christian Education Director prior to retiring to concentrate full-time on her writing, Marta Perry fills her days with family, especially her five beautiful grandchildren, writing, church activities, and travel. She and her husband live on a small farm in Pennsylvania. A Rita finalist and winner of the Holt Medallion, Rising Star, and Reviewer's Choice awards, she is a member of RWA, FHL, and ACFW and involved in several on-line Plug time.








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



I’m very excited about my current release, IN THE ENEMY’S SIGHTS, from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense, because it’s my first inspirational romantic suspense. I’ve loved romantic suspense since junior high school, when I discovered Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt—wow, those ladies could write! And this book was especially enjoyable because it’s part of a multi-author series, Faith at the Crossroads. Each book stands on its own, but we used the same settings, background story, minor characters, and overarching suspense theme. Working with five authors I admire was a treat! I was able to work in some neat background about Zuni Indian culture, as my heroine, Julianna Red Feather, is a Zuni Pueblo and is also a search and rescue dog trainer. As for the hero—Ken is an injured Air Force pilot, and I fell in love with him right along with Julianna.

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.

My journey is probably different from that of many romance writers, because I wrote in other fields before trying my first romance. I started writing fiction for children’s church school materials while I was a church education director, and I was just plain astonished when my first story sold for the magnificent sum of twelve dollars!

I wrote my way through religious magazines for all ages, confession magazines, and eventually broke into writing both romantic stories and short mysteries for Woman’s World magazine. I always had a sense, though, that God was preparing me for a door that would be opening, and that door really swung wide when I heard about Steeple Hill. My first submission to them was picked up in about three months, and I’ve really been blessed to be able to write the stories I love and express a spiritual theme in each one. I’ve had eighteen books published by Steeple Hill and another nine are coming out over the next two years.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Of course! Somewhere around chapter five, I’m likely to wonder if this story really works, and why I thought I wanted to write it to begin with! Because I outline in detail before I begin writing, I’m able to get through the doubts by concentrating on following the outline and trusting it.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

More than I care to count, but you know, I no longer see them as mistakes. Each time I missed out on an opportunity because I didn’t speak out or because I didn’t get the right manuscript to the right editor at the right time, I’ve found that God had something even better down the road for me.

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

The best advice I’ve received was to keep reaching beyond what’s comfortable. That advice was given to me by a short fiction writer I greatly admire at a time when I was hesitating to take the next step in my writing. I try to keep reminding myself of that whenever I get too comfortable.

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

I’ve heard too many people advise beginners to ignore the market and write what’s in their hearts. Of course, you have to care about what you’re writing, but a piece of writing won’t sell unless it’s about something that matters to other people, too. It also has to be the right manuscript on the right editor’s desk at the right time, but that’s tougher to pull off!

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

I wish I’d trusted my own instincts more in the beginning—and all along the way, for that matter. It’s easy to be swayed by what someone else thinks you should be doing, especially if that someone is an editor or an agent, but in the final analysis, you have to be happy with the direction of your career.

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

Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” That was the theme of a story I wrote some time ago, but lately it’s been coming into my mind again. I believe that in these current trying days, when there seems to be so much hatred and violence in the world, I’m experiencing a need to be reassured that those who trust in the Lord will find themselves at peace with His plan for them.

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

How much time do you have? Seriously, I’ve been writing for over twenty years, counting the magazine writing, and just about every difficulty that could happen in this business has happened to me. I’ve seen lines disappear beneath me just when my future seemed assured. I’ve had editors who loved my work leave to have babies or take different jobs and be replaced by editors who thought my work was dreck.

I have a collection of rejections I’ll stack up against anyone’s. It occurs to me that a person with any sense would have found another job years ago, but I never even considered giving up. I cried and ranted a lot, but I didn’t think about giving up. It just wasn’t an option, because God wouldn’t have given me the fierce desire to do this thing if it wasn’t in His plan. Maybe you just have to wade through all the bad stuff before you get to the good.

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

I love Louisa May Alcott, and have started re-reading her books. I love Mary Stewart’s “Madam, Will You Talk” and “Wildfire at Midnight.” I was recently introduced to the Alexander Smith McCall books set in Africa, and they entrance me with their view of a very different culture. I love everything C.S. Lewis ever wrote, and my bedside table book right now is “Mere Christianity.”

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

“Land’s End,” the inspirational romantic suspense novel that’s coming out in June from Love Inspired Suspense, was a story that had hung around in the back of my mind for a long time. The suspense plot is rather complicated, and I had doubts when I started it that I could pull off the suspense and still keep the romance and the spiritual element strong. My editor thinks I did—we’ll have to wait and see what readers think!

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

I don’t at the moment because I’m blessed with a wonderful editor who knows exactly what to say to make me a better writer. That doesn’t mean I don’t ever complain, but if the editor-writer relationship is good, that makes everything else get in line.

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

I’m fortunate enough to be able to write full-time, instead of trying to fit writing in around another job, which I used to do. I generally get up around seven, catch the morning news while I have breakfast, do some stretches, and head for the computer. I try to do my creative work first thing in the morning, while the mind is still close to the dreaming state. I save other things, like edits, newsletters, etc., for the afternoon. Sometimes, once I’ve done my pages, I’ll go off and play! And when my grandchildren come, writing definitely takes a backseat to whatever they want to do!

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

I really admire Robin Lee Hatcher for her emotional insight, which I think is the heart of all good writing.

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

I love what I’m doing right now, and my dream is to create a body of work that people will enjoy and from which they’ll take comfort. I want to be someone’s favorite author, the one whose books she re-reads when she’s feeling low.

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

The writing, when it’s going well. The writing, when it’s going badly.

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

I have a website, www.martaperry.com, and I answer every fan letter with a newsletter and a signed bookmark. I’ve also started an e-mail list to send book announcements. I have been sending postcards to my mailing list for each book, but this year I have four books coming out, and that’s becoming impossible. I’ll have to find an alternative. My advice is to do only what you’re comfortable with and can afford, and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing.

Parting words?

It’s been a pleasure, and I thank you for the opportunity to visit here. If you’d like to know more about my work, stop by my website, and if you’d like to get in touch or receive a bookmark, e-mail me at marta@martaperry.com
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