Author Interview ~ Lauraine Snelling

Lauraine Snelling is known for writing about real issues within a compelling story, addressing topics such as forgiveness, loss, domestic violence, and cancer. She has published more than fifty books, including The Healing Quilt, The Way of Women, and Saturday Morning. The recipient of the Silver Angel Award and a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart, Snelling teaches at writers’ conferences across the country and at her home in California’s Tehachapi Mountains. She and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons and a beloved Basset hound named Chewy.









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

The Brushstroke Legacy is a new venture for me in that it combines my two loves of writing both contemporary and historical. With three generations of women, the earliest in 1906, with great grandmother Nilda, an adult woman of today, Ragni and teen Erika, all are artists in hiding, I covered the gamut. I absolutely love this book.








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 attended a writer’s conference in 1980, writing had been a dream of mine since high school, and that propelled me into learning how to write for publication. For a change I did as I was taught and started out with query letters all over the place. My first contract was for an article, not a phone call but a letter, and I was ecstatic. I thought, this is it, I’m on my way. I followed the process with my first novel proposal too, again a dream of writing horse books for young girls. Baker Book House bought it. I sent it to them on the recommendation of my teacher, Colleen Reece, again starting with query, then proposal and finally the entire manuscript. It worked! They bought it. I wish all submissions had been as easy. Persistence is a necessary trait for writers to develop.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Every time I finish a book, I’m sure it is the worst I’ve ever written. I’ve learned that by the time I complete the rewrites, I have no sense of good or bad. I’m tired, tired of the book and so thankful I work with wonderful editors who not only help me see what works and what doesn’t, but remember to tell me that the book is good. We all need encouragement, no matter what stage we are in our writing career.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

Not being consistent enough. Getting a good idea and not acting on it at the time. Then when I see someone else had the same idea published, even in the same magazine I’d thought about, I really wanted to kick myself. I think God has a big shaker of ideas, He sprinkles them out over the world and anyone can take one that comes to them and go with it. The smart ones do, the rest of us kick ourselves.

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

Hang in there. Too many people give up too soon. Do your homework re improving your craft and your marketing. I lived by “sell it before you write it.” I still do, although now I write mostly novels, they are still sold before I write them.


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

You have to get up early and write first thing in the morning. I am a swing shift person, more an owl than an early bird. When our children were still at home, I did most of my writing after ten at night. People are different and you need to learn what works best for you. The trick is to experiment until you figure it out. I’ve also learned that as the years go by, things can change and you need to adapt to that.


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

I am not by nature an organized person. Discipline has always been a four letter word to me. I have had to learn both. Or rather am still learning both. I had never worked in an office so all those skills needed to be instilled in my brain. I am so grateful for friends and teachers who have helped me on this track. I read articles and books on organization, on building good habits, on systems that can help me. There have been helpful speakers on the same topics. Sheer desperation is a good motivator. Imagine my shock when I learned the people alphabetize their spices. Never entered my mind.

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

The hardest set back was when our daughter died of cancer at age twenty-one. I didn’t write for three years, other than for the job I had. Finally at the insistence of the counselor I was working with, I wrote Marie a letter. Then I wrote God a letter and after that a small article called, “Gifts for the Griever.” Within six months I was aching to write full time again and left my job to be able to do so. By the end of the six months I gave myself to see if I could get going, I had one non fiction book contract and a three book contract for a series of horse books for young girls. Live gets in the way of our dreams at times and there are things we have no control over. A major lesson for me.

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

Peace like a River by Leif Enger, The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, The Power of One, don’t remember the author. Soundings by Hank Searles, My Sister’s Keeper by Jody Piccoult, Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancey, Five Smooth Stones by Grown, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Crosswicks Journals and Walking on Water by Madelyne L’Engle, The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, I could go on and on.


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

This is a hard question to answer because I have written sixty books, plenty of articles, plays, some poetry, lessons and I’m proud of it all. That’s quite a piece of work. Writing is not an easy thing, especially a book, any book. What comes to mind is that I finished them. I am an excellent starter but I can look at all this and say, I finished each one of those pieces. Are they all the best that I can do? Perhaps not, but they were the best I could do at the time and within the time. My goal is for each book to always be better than the last.

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

That those of us who write commercial fiction are looked down on by those who write literary, and that many of the reviewers prefer the literary and take pot shots at the rest of us. However, there is justice. We sell a whole lot more copies of our books. Both romance writers and those who write for children are frequently asked, “And when will you write a “real” book?” argggg.

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

That all depends on how close to deadline I am. I like writing about ten pages a day and if I would do that every day, I’d not hit the dreadful deadline despair days. Sometimes I have to run away from home to get the writing done, too many distractions here. My best days are when I get up, go for a walk and stretch, do my devotions, eat breakfast, write from ten until two, work on promo stuff, read, knit or cross stitch, fit email in around things, write a couple of hours in the evening, read, and turn out the light about 10:30. Hard for me to believe that routine is actually helpful.

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

That I could write faster. I have so many stories I want to tell. Karen Kingsbury is my hero in this regard.

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

Two dreams: hitting the New York Times best seller list. Have one of my books made into a movie. I don’t ask for much.

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

Every time the writing isn’t going well, meaning fighting for every word, I threaten to go flip hamburgers at MacDonald’s. The thought of that usually gets me back on track. When the story is flowing, I could not be happier.

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

Favorite: hearing that people enjoy my books and that reading my books can make a difference in someone’s life. How awesome is that? Also the euphoria when the story takes hold so that I lose track of time. I love “having written.”

Least favorite: being behind on deadlines.

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

I do a lot of marketing and publicity because I enjoy it. I am an idea person and love having other people do the work on it. What I find is that it takes a tremendous amount of time and energy that draws against my writing. My best advice: if you don’t like doing it, hire an expert; if you do like doing it but are short of time, hire an expert.
There are also a lot of good books out there and sites online to learn from. But instead of getting overwhelmed by it all, pick a couple of things and do them well.

Parting words?

I thank all the people who read and enjoy my books. Without faithful readers I would not be able to keep on writing. When people ask me what are my dreams, I tell them, I am living my dream. I am doing what I most love to do and I am making a living at it. What a privilege and delight. Thanks is such a small word but I want to always live a life of love and gratitude. God is so gracious and faithful.