Author Interview ~ Ginger Garrett

Ginger Garrett’s first biblical novel, Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther, established her within the niche of biblical fiction. Dark Hour, her second scriptural fiction account, is the first book of her SERPENT MOON trilogy. To learn more, visit www.gingergarrett.com.







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

This year, two new books:

Dark Hour: the true story of Jezebel’s daughter and her attempt to destroy the lineage of Jesus Christ

Queen Esther’s Secrets of Womanhood: a rite-of-passage for young girls, initiating them into being a woman by walking them through the story of Esther. It’s for moms to buy and read.

Tell us about the forthcoming books of the Serpent Moon Trilogy.

Each novel moves backwards in time. After Dark Hour and Jezebel’s daughter, we’ll move back and look at Jezebel herself in Midnight Throne. Then we’ll slink back again to the three women who tried to destroy Samson in Huntress Night.

What made you decide to write about the evil women of the Bible?

The stories are so juicy! And often when we hear them in church, they are told from a man’s perspective. I like writing about women, for women, because together we can get into the heart of the story, and of a woman’s experience.

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.

On New Year’s Day 2000, I made a resolution to learn everything I could about the publishing process. I read books, learned to write proposals, and visited bookstores. After I was confident that I knew publishing etiquette, I began contacting publishers and agents, hoping to get a book on infertility published. I had only been writing for a few months. By the end of the year, I had an agent, and after that, a small deal for a small book. But any opportunity is a good opportunity, and my agent helped me sell a nonfiction book to the same publisher right away. That book became the novel, Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther’s Secrets. It was unheard of to change a category like this when you’re in the middle of writing, but the story took over my best-laid plans.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Only every day. Other than that, never.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

I needed to relax and let the process work. It’s a very slow process, and you need to take up a hobby while you wait. Then once you have a contract, you need flaming-fast fingers and loads of caffeine. I think everyone who wants to publish needs to spend as much time as possible learning the art and science of good writing, especially if you’re talented. If you get a contract, you can get swept into the publishing machine so fast that there is no time for perfecting your art.

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

“Don’t save your best stuff.” If you have a great piece of dialogue, or description, don’t save it for the “perfect story.” Throw it in today, in case you get hit by a bus tomorrow.

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

“Have a glass of wine to loosen writer’s block.” If you do, you’ll wake up with a page full of nonsense and your face will have keypad marks on it.

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

You can’t give yourself the same amount of time to write your second book as you did your first. Every day, you need time to write, time to edit, time to run the business, time to market your last title, and time to research. The second book takes longer, because you are multi-tasking now.

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

I hated writing Dark Hour. It was my “first” novel, even though Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther has been nominated as the best novel of the year from the Christian publishing industry. It was hard writing in a new style, and the research was difficult. Then all hell broke loose.

I turned it in, only to be told on a Friday that I had to rewrite the whole book in another style, in two month’s time. The next morning I found out I was pregnant with my fourth baby. I threw up so much I burned the skin off my lips, but I kept working. I was having panic attacks, feeling a terrible dread sweep over me. It had never happened before, and I couldn’t explain it. My older daughter was hospitalized, and then I miscarried. It was a long winter.
But I am so proud of Dark Hour now. I fought for that book. And I appreciate hearing from readers who were moved by it.

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

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
The Call of the Wild (Jack London)
Frankenstein (Mary Percy Shelley)
Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe)
James Herriott’s Dog Stories

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

I was proud of both novels, for different reasons. Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther, is a balance between real-life events and fiction. Many readers still wonder what was fact and what was fiction. Dark Hour was trickier to write because the cast of characters was enormous, and I had to choose who got “stage time” and who didn’t. Ultimately, I created a timeline that was nearly as tall as I am. To write the book took a lot of critical thinking: what do the readers need to see? What is interesting, but not important?


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

You turn in a book and it enters “the black hole.” You don’t know where it is, who is looking at it, or when you’ll be asked to edit. It may mean a wait of a few days, or several months, but all you can do is wait.

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

Eat chocolate chip cookies and drink coffee, pack computer and head to a “safe room” which does not contain a phone, fridge, or internet connection. Lament my lonely, difficult job. Turn on computer and write for 4 hours. Turn off computer and feel great about my job and my life, because I actually accomplished something today. Return home to fridge, coffee, chocolate and internet, and spend rest of day answering emails.

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

Tolkien—his attention to detail and appetite for creating the “backstory” is legendary. If I get frustrated, I am likely to kill someone off. In the book, of course.

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

I would love for women everywhere to rediscover the ancient stories, to enjoy them as juicy pool-side reads and airplane entertainment. These stories are our heritage. The Old Testament can be an intimidating read for some of us, but I put the stories in their cultural setting, and include details that readers love to find. It’s always nice to “break the ice” with a new generation of readers, who then will go back and read the scriptures to read the biblical account of the same event.

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

When I had panic attacks, I would have bought every book back if I could have. I had never realized how much I enjoyed living a hermit’s life. Being published is a bit like parading around in your underwear. You do your best to put on a great show, but your flaws get a lot of attention.

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

Favorite: chatting with readers. Believing in the power of story.
Least favorite: turning a book in. It’s always a let-down. You simply press “send” on your email and it’s gone. (Until your editor reads it and gets her giant, ugly red pen out.)

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

I concentrate on bookstores and readers. Bookstore owners, who run independent stores, are a wonderful group of people who need our support. Finding your readers is trickier, but as you collect a database of friends and people of exceptional taste who love your writing J pay special attention to them.

The tide has turned for first-time writers. We can use the internet to find readers and outlets, and market effectively for little money. Don’t get discouraged when big publishers want big names, and not a new author. Remember, giants can’t run fast. Little guys can. You can get more marketing done, and done effectively, in the time it takes for a giant to finish one meeting.

Parting words?

When your first book is registered with the Library of Congress, you’ll receive a notice with your name and birth date. The date of death is left blank. Mine looks like:
Ginger Garrett
1968—
If that doesn’t inspire you to get your best stuff down fast, I don’t know what will!