Author Interview ~ Ginny Aiken

Former newspaper reporter Ginny Aiken discovered books at a very early age, writing her first novel at age fifteen. She is the author of Light of My Heart, Song of My Soul, and Spring of My Love, as well as Design on a Crime and Decorating Schemes. A frequent speaker at women's events and writers' conferences, Ginny lives with her husband and four sons in Columbia, Pennsylvania.



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

I’m especially excited about my latest series, the Deadly Décor mysteries from Revell. They feature Haley Farrell, an interior designer with a difficult past who stumbles into trouble each time she accepts a job. That trouble, among other things, includes a murder or two.

Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract?

I’ve been writing since I figured out that if I put together a couple of words I could draw a word picture. By the time I was fifteen, I’d written a teenaged, angst-filled tear-jerker. Luckily for everyone, by my sixteenth birthday, I wisely turned it into a pile of ashes. Then came college, marriage, an eclectic bunch of jobs, motherhood, and housekeeping—ugh, to the latter.

I began to work on a novel in 1989, and that manuscript remains unlamented and unsold. My first sale came in 1992, by which time I had four sons ages 12 to eighteen months. Oh! And may I mention my husband had just accepted a new job in another state? And that by the evening of the day he left to start that job all four boys had broken out with chicken pox? Ah…the glamorous life of an author.

How did you find out and what went through your mind?

I got ‘the call’ while at a Holiday Inn, waiting for my husband to get back from work at his new job so we could get back to house-hunting. As soon as the editor said she wanted to buy my book, I screamed. Yes, into the phone—poor woman. Then, in quick succession, I silently thanked God, my still-itchy eighteen-month-old got cranky—again—and I asked that same, wonderful God what I’d gotten myself into.

You see, I’d made my fist sale on only a proposal, just a synopsis and three chapters. I had schools to find, the old house to sell, a new one to buy, a family to pack, move and unpack, and now, a book to write. By the grace of God, all that got done, but certainly not on my impatient schedule. Needless to say, I learned a lot during those days.

Do you still have self-doubts about your writing?

Always. As soon as I’m offered a contract, I question my sanity: what on earth made me think I could write that book? Why would I put myself and my family through the stress of telling the story the Lord put in my head and heart? Then, when I hit the middle, I look at my characters and realize they’re the dumbest bunch of oddballs or the dullest stumps anyone ever conceived. How could I have thought them interesting? How did the synopsis ever persuade anyone this would be readable?

And that’s right about the time when that still, silent voice nudges toward trust again. I remember I’m not in this alone, and that my Father in heaven will see me through it all. Yup. Bashing my head against a brick wall would be easier. Didn’t I tell you a writer’s life is rife with glamour?

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

Every time the going gets rough with a manuscript. But there have been a couple of times when I deliberately gave it all back to the Lord. I started out in the secular market in a very naïve frame of mind. I thought I’d be salt and light in a dark market. Trust me. That’s not the way it happened.

After a number of insane, frustrating years, I came to a point where I told the Lord that although I knew He’d called me to write, it just wasn’t working. I was giving it all back to Him, and thanks, but no thanks. It wasn’t for me. I did, though, tell Him that if He really wanted me to continue writing, He’d have to show me the way. Soon after that, I got a call from a CBA publisher who invited me to submit material for a new women’s fiction program. I did just that, and as the saying goes, I never looked back. All the glory is the Lord’s.

What mistakes did you make while seeking a publisher or agent?

My greatest mistake I happened early in my career. I didn’t use the best judgment when I hired my first few agents. In some ways, those mistakes still impact my career. It bears repeating for the sake of aspiring authors: a bad agent is a million times worse than no agent at all.

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

Trust God when He gives you a story, and then put your butt in the chair, and just plain old write. Write, write, re-write, and then write some more.

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

Write publishing industry trends. It doesn’t matter how successful Susie Q Author is with her heart-rending, soulful family sagas if God wants you to write uplifting, lighthearted romances or deep, dark psychological thrillers or speculative fiction with an allegorical bent. Listen to that deep, silent voice that speaks to your spirit, trust in Lord, and walk the path He sets out for you.

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

Oh, yeah. I wish I had a penny for everyone who assumes writers’ earnings register on the John Grisham scale. Oh! And another one for everyone who’s asked me to share the secret to getting published. Secret? What secret? If someone out there has one, please tell me. All I know is to work long, hard hours, do my homework (aka research, editing, clean-up, polish, reading, etc.), and pray a whole lot! True, it’s the most satisfying work I’ve done, besides raising my precious sons, but there’s no secret. Really, there isn’t. I’m sorry to disappoint.

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?

During those rotten days toward the end of my time in the secular market, I wish I’d known that one day I’d be where I am now, writing the stories the Lord gives me, the way He gives them to me, and for the precise readers He wants me to reach. But He doesn’t work that way; it’s that faith and trust thing, you know?

Was there ever a difficult set back that you went through in your writing career?

There are always setbacks in a writer’s career, too may in my case to go through that laundry list. As I said before, there’ve been times when I dumped the writing gig at the foot of the Lord’s Cross, and told Him He could have it again, I’d had enough. So far, He has plopped it back in my lap every time.

What are a few of your favorite books?

I’ve always loved Catherine Marshall’s Christy. I read it at least once a year. I also love Jane Austen, and Earlene Fowler’s mysteries—she’s a Christian who writes for the secular market.

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

What? You want me to choose a favorite child?? It’s impossible to choose, because everything I write is special for one reason or another. Sometimes, the lesson the Lord taught me while I wrote a particular character’s faith journey (isn’t He clever to use that kind of lesson plan?) holds special meaning. Other times, a memory from my own life inspires something in a story. And then there’s always the special focus I have on my latest work. It’s fresh in my mind, and I miss the time I spent with the characters whose lives I told.

Do you have a scripture or quote that has spoken to you lately in regards to your writing?

Lately, I’ve been consuming the Psalms with a hunger like never before. The one that’s spoken the most about my work is one that also speaks to me about my daily life. Psalm 71:14-16 speaks of hope in the Lord, of praising Him, of telling of His righteousness, even when I can’t even imagine the magnitude of His greatness. But because He loves me and I love Him, I will always praise Him, especially in the work He has me do.

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

Do writers have typical days? Because I’m very much married and still have a teenager at home, my days are all over the place. A lot depends on the men in my life. What my ideal day would look like is something else altogether. Ideally, I would send my husband and son off, finish my coffee, feed the dogs and the bird (Don’t ask. Your no-longer-at-home son’s parrot and your writing career don’t always agree on what you should do next), and then settle in to write until the teenager’s sports schedule rears up its head again. But something always comes up. And only Mom (or Honey, as per my husband) can take care of…whatever.

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

Trust me. You don’t want to know the exact figure, but yes, I do have a daily quota. If I didn’t, deadlines would really strike fear in this heart.

Are you an SOTP (seat of the pants) writer or a plotter?

I’m a hybrid—did you know we existed? After I write the synopsis, I come up with a rough outline on index cards, and by rough, I mean only a few key words to remind me of those elements that must go in a particular chapter. From those random words, I SOTP the rest.

What author do you especially admire and why?

Wow! Do we have all day? I’ll only mention one. Maybe two. Francine Rivers opened the way for many of us who now write Christian women’s fiction. Her talent, her faith, and her obedience to the Lord’s call speak to me. I also admire Robin Lee Hatcher’s courage. While still writing for the secular market, she took on a business challenge few others would have done. She succeeded, and then went on to write stories of faith that touch readers in a special way.

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

My favorite part of being a writer is developing the first flash of idea that eventually becomes a manuscript. My least favorite part of being a writer is the business end. That’s where all the struggle and stress lie.

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

Over the years, I’ve developed a mailing list of readers and friendly bookstores. I add to that constantly, and always stay in contact, informing them of upcoming works, and asking them to encourage friends to try my books, to let me know how they, in turn, like them. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. I also do book-signings, not as many as I did when I first started, otherwise, I’d never find the time to write. My favorite part of marketing is contact with the readers. It’s an indescribable honor to know someone picked up a book I wrote, that they read it, and took the time to write or come to a signing. I’m humbled by and grateful for that.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Read. Read, read, read, especially material that leads you back to the heart of God. You will never be disappointed.