Author Interview~Curtiss Ann Matlock

Curtiss Ann Matlock’s stories are tender, funny, and filled with her heritage from a long line of vibrant and unique Southern men and women. With over 7 million copies of her books in print in seven languages worldwide, she has earned rave reviews and spots on the USA TODAY bestseller list. She has thrice been nominated for the prestigious RITA Award, and received two Readers’ Choice Awards. She is the author of the currently popular series of books set in the beloved fictional town of Valentine. The first of this series—Lost Highways—is now available in trade paperback. Her novella, Miracle On I-40, was released as a hardback gift book for the 2005 Christmas season.

What new book or project is would you like to tell us about?

My Valentine series. Each story stands alone with changing main characters, but the setting is the fictional town of Valentine, with returning regulars. The books are rather like Mayberry meets the Twilight Zone. While the Twilight Zone stories included magical aspects, they really were very much about ordinary everyday people dealing with fundamental questions of living. Recently I was given a high complement from a reader who re-reads the books. She said, “I feel comfortable when reading them. The people are nice.” This is basically the reason that I re-read my favorite books, too.

I’m very excited that the next Valentine book, Chin Up, Honey, will be my first retail hardcover (June 2007). Chin Up, Honey turned out to be perhaps the biggest stretch for me. I dealt with issues in it of middle-aged sex and racial prejudice and religious differences, not to mention the profound question: should pantyhose be worn with or without panties? My stories are on the humorous side. I always see the humor of human nature. And the heroism of daily living.

Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

The first thing I wrote was a tiny piece about a lesson in God’s love. I sent it to Baptist Sunday School Board. Back in the mail came $15! (That right there should have shown me my bent for inspirational, but I didn’t get it.) Next I wrote an essay about my love for my wood stove. I sent it to Farm Wife News. Back in the mail came $85! (Another lesson—nothing ever sold in a desk drawer.) I was ecstatic, and my hubby said, “If you can keep multiplying the money like that, we’re gonna be rich.” I set out to write a book, which was the only thing I had ever really wanted to do, besides have children. I did not know anyone writing. I did not know anything about writing groups, and even if I had, I would have been too shy to go to one. I learned the craft from years of reading and studying The Writer.

It took me over a year to write the first book. In that time I did attend my first writer’s conference, where I met a ‘real’ writer, who encouraged me to finish my book. I also went on in the fall to take a writing course at University of Oklahoma from the mystery writer Carolyn Hart, who kindly read my manuscript. I still remember how she put her hand on it and said: “This is a saleable book. Send it in.” So I sent it, without agent and simply following the guidelines from The Writer, to Silhouette Books. A year later Silhouette Books bought the book. That is a whole story in itself for another time.

That first book, A Time and a Season, has been published world-wide and reprinted a number of times, yet again just a couple of months ago. I have continued under contract for books since that time, publishing 37 novels now.

You ended up in the ABA as an inspirational writer. It amazes me they didn't ask you to write God out. Tell us about that.

There are and always have always been a lot of inspirational novels in ABA. I’ve been re-reading some early Agatha Christie, and she put forth a solid Christian-based faith. Some prominent ones today—Jan Karon’s Mitford Series, with Father Tim, Ann B. Ross’s Miss Julia books. The central character in Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies Detective Agency books, Precious Ramotswe, speaks and demonstrates wisdom and faith. I just read Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, which is both a literary and commercial success—one of my friends called the entire novel a sermon.

So, I don’t think being in the ABA is amazing. Perhaps it is a little amazing that my publisher, Mira Books, has not only let me write as I wish, but encouraged me to do so. The only one who has held me back at any time is myself. I think that is the truth for all of us. Even so, God puts each one of us where we need to be at any point in time.

Do you still have self-doubts about your writing?

Oh, honey! Does the sun rise each morning? I was for so many years a very timid soul, filled with negativity and totally without a lick confidence. I would not tell anyone I was writing a book with the first one. I was afraid of ridicule, which I knew would sink me. The good news is that God doesn’t give us a job and not equip us for it. I’ve been surrounded by help in many forms. My husband and friends always supported my endeavors. I never had to hear that I couldn’t do it—again, except from myself. And on occasion from people who insisted one could or could not do something in a novel. Uncountable times I would go to God and ask: Is this really what I am to do? It is so hard. (Writing seems so easy for many, but for me it is work as hard as digging ditches!) Without exception, I would quickly receive some sort of encouragement. Ask and you shall receive.

I still deal daily with an insistent inner critic. I like to pass along that encouragement. If I can manage to write 38 books scared, so can you. In fact, it is in the writing—publishing helps, but it is in the actual writing—that you grow and learn just who you are. You find yourself on the page. I can look back and see where I was when I started, and see myself today. The difference is amazing. We don’t start out full-formed. We don’t write a perfect book the first time. We learn with each one. I have learned some things: Self-doubt is fear, and that is not from God. We do what is put in front of us to do for that one day, and leave the results to God. I write affirmations and Bible verses and put them around my computer—Joshua 1:8, 2 Timothy 1:7, Phil. 4:13—to remind me of Truth. It’s like taking a remedy.

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

Yesterday. No wait. I didn’t write yesterday. I’m getting ready to sit down to write on my current project, so just now. I thought about quitting just now.

What mistakes did you make while seeking an editor or agent?

Before selling the first book, I had sent out inquiries to agents but had been rejected. One agent had replied: "If you sell, do contact me." I consider such an attitude rude. Of course I wouldn’t contact her. With the first book, I asked the editor to recommend an agent. She was most kind to give me the names of three agents she thought were highly reputable. I then prayed over the list and asked God, and called the name that came to my mind. That first agent took me on and was a wonderful agent for me for about ten years, until she quit the business. But we remain good friends after all these years. We have so much in common. I don’t believe anything happens by accident, but by divine design. When it was time for her to quit the business, it was also time for me to go on and learn some lessons about standing on my own feet.

The next two agents I chose did not work out so well. I did pray for each of those, too. I don’t think the choices were so much mistakes as learning lessons. I had to learn not to follow what everyone says and be frantic to get an agent. Sometimes it is best to be without one, until you can get one that is just right for you—don’t ‘settle’ for someone who will take you on. What writers need to keep in mind is that the agent works for them. When I was ready to really look at myself and my needs, I decided that I wanted and needed someone who would work to advance my career in the direction I wanted to go, who would be a good guide to help me expand, and who was savvy in business, and pretty tough-minded. These are attributes which I do not have. Again I prayed and this time I waited. It took longer than I had imagined, but the agent I have now is a wonderful match. A writer needs an agent who is honorable and untiring in the pursuit of bettering the author’s career. After all, what is best for the author is best for the agent and the publishing house.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

That nothing ever sold in a desk drawer—this from Marjorie Holmes. And that a writer writes, doesn’t just think about writing.

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

Write for the market. I think this works for many, but it never worked for me.

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

Entertaining pet peeves uses up the energy that can better be spent in writing and living. I don’t worry about anything I cannot change.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

That we all think our careers are up to doing everything right, to having a goal and pressing on, or up to the publishers, or the agents, but in fact, we are not in control, as we would like to think. Yes, we must do the work, but the results are in God’s hands. Focus on what is our part, which is listening to our inspiration and writing. Do this to the very best of our ability, and leave the results in God’s hands. The thing truly is the journey, not the arrival. I can get caught up with it all and forget this, still.
Was there ever a difficult set back that you went through in your writing career?

There have been some business glitches with the agents who did not work out. I’ve gone through a number of times of depression, as well as a lengthy bout of undiagnosed illness. This always affects the writing, of course. Looking back, though, I see these times were actually blessings. Each time I learned more about myself and about living. You know, smooth sailing does not make one stronger—muscle growth comes from rowing through rough water.

What are a few of your favorite books?

Oh, my goodness, too many to name-- Jan Karon’s Mitford books; Walking Across Egypt, by Clyde Edgerton, it’s a hoot; all of Fannie Flagg’s books; Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns. So many others. When it comes to books about writing, I still re-read some old ones: If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland; Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande. A new one I’ve found invigorating is The Renegade Writer, by Formichelli and Burrell. It is about article writing, however, I’ve always found such advice helpful to being a novelist.

What work have you done that you’re especially proud of and why?

I’m proud of every one of the books I’ve written. Each one was a best effort and was where I was at the time—just as God looks at me and loves me where I am. I am particularly grateful for Recipes for Easy Living, because it received recommending reviews from Booklist for both adults and young adults. And for Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel, because it was nominated for the 2005 Oklahoma Book Award.

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

Today— “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Found in Nehemiah 8:10. There’s so much about joy in the Bible.

Can you give us a look into a typical day for you?

I’m an early riser, up by 6:30, but even better if before 6:00. Then I have an hour or so of Bible and other reading and prayer and meditation. I really have to go slow in the mornings—I’m a thinker. I have to watch it, because I could just sit around and think for hours. I have a proper breakfast and maybe get a load of wash started, get the dog outside and feed the cats. Then it is finally to the computer with a small pot of tea, around 9:00. I had to cut myself off from e-mail—I’m addicted. I work on my book and usually some other writing until around 2:00. I’ll have breaks in between, about every 30 – 40 minutes, maybe to cut roses or vacuum. If I’m stuck and get up and vacuum, I’ll usually have some sort of inspiration. I do this six days a week. I attempt to schedule all appointments, business matters, walking, and everything else for late afternoons and evenings. My life is really pretty mundane. As my mother says: “Give me my rut, and I’m happy.”

Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

I did have in the past, but that doesn’t seem to work for me anymore. Today I stick with keeping myself focused during those work hours. They are sacrosanct. If I stay focused I will produce anywhere from three to six pages, plus revisions. I revise a lot as I go. I don’t recommend this, but it is the way I work. When I get finished with a book, there is very little that needs to be done to it.

Are you an SOTP writer or a plotter?

A SOTP. I have very little plot. I’m a character writer first to last. I do make a loose outline. With my current wip, I’ve found that I naturally fell into making a traditional outline. I have never before done that. I’m thrilled. I revise the outline as I go along. A trick I will use when I’ve got the book fully underway is to write the scenes I can see in my mind onto small Post-it notes. These I place in rows on a sheet of paper. Sometimes I can’t figure out where a certain scene will go, so I have it off to the side, until where the scene goes becomes clear to me. What is wonderful about the Post-its is that they can be moved easily. It is like a puzzle.

What author do you especially admire and why?

I thought of a number of names, but realized that there are so many, I cannot pick only one. I can say that I admire women who write. It is doubly hard for a woman, if she has a family. I remember reading years ago of a woman author who got up at 5AM each morning to write before her five children got up. I can’t imagine that—few things get me out of bed. Men writers almost always have a woman behind them to do the day to day living chores; women do not. A woman writer really needs a wife.

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

My favorite part is working with words and ideas all the time. I adore words, the sound of them all strung together. I like to examine ideas and opinions. I also like that being a writer allows me to buy books all the time without feeling guilty. I have a compulsion for books and paper. What is very annoying for me is the amount of time it takes me to get the words in order to express what I want to say.

How much marketing do you do? What's your favorite part of marketing?

I do very little marketing. I’m a drop-out as a self-promoter. I tried and found that I cannot both do business and be a writer. I’d be great at marketing, if that was all I did. The most I do is my website, an e-newsletter, and occasional speaking engagements. Speaking to readers is my very favorite thing to do.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Take time to listen carefully to the still small voice inside. Follow that.