Author Interview ~ Janet Lee Barton

Janet Lee Barton has written ten novels and four novellas for Heartsong Presents and Barbour Publishing. Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Janet has lived all over the South--Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas--but with her husband’s recent retirement, she and Dan have recently moved back to Oklahoma to be closer to family. Janet loves being a wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt, and she feels blessed to be able to share her faith through her writing.




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


I’ve been very blessed this year. My first 3 in 1, New Mexico, has come out and is in stores now. It’s a historical series that takes place in Roswell in the late 1800’s. And this fall, I have a Christmas novella coming out in a 2 in 1 called, Mountains, Memories and Mistletoe, and a novella in the anthology, Bayou Brides, all from Barbour Publishing. I also have the second book in my Mississippi series coming out for Heartsong Presents this fall. It’s called To Love Again.

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?

I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was twelve. I’d been writing off and on for a long time, but had only completed one novel and one children’s story. In the late 80’s, the stories weren’t as sweet as they were when I began writing, I knew that there were things the Lord and I didn’t want me writing.

So I quit writing for about ten years, thinking that maybe I wasn’t meant to write romances. Then, around 1998 my brother brought me in a CBD catalogue and I was amazed at the amount of Christian fiction out there. It was through that catalogue that I became aware of Heartsong Presents Romances. It was as if the Lord was telling me I could write the stories I wanted to—I just needed to do it for Him. That’s all I needed to get going again.

I received several rejections before I made my first sale in 2000. A call had gone out over one of the writing lists I was on that Barbour was looking for novellas that had to do with harvest time. It happened that I’d been working on a historical that could easily be changed to that time of year. I revised it and sent my proposal in. In a few weeks, I received an email from Becky Germany saying that my story was in the running, but that they needed to see the complete manuscript. Needless to say I sent it in right away. It wasn’t long after that I received another email from Becky telling me that they wanted Harvest of Love for their Harvest Home collection.

I was just overwhelmed with excitement and thankfulness that the Lord had shown me the way to writing for Him. That novella produced three novels which have become the 3 in 1- New Mexico that is out now.

Do you still have self-doubts about your writing?

Oh, yes—sometimes I still feel like pinching myself to see if it’s all real. I still can’t quite believe that I’ve written ten novels and four novellas. But then I remind myself of how it all got started and Who is helping me with it all. Only then do I not doubt what I’m doing.

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

There have been a few times, but I think that’s the enemy trying to attack. So I have to remind myself of Who gave me the desire to write and showed me way to do it for Him. And I finally gave my writing over to the Lord. Now, I send proposals out and leave them in His hands. I’ve come to realize that He’s the one in control and when He decides it’s time for me to quit, He’ll let me know.

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

I’m only now starting to think about trying to acquire an agent. And I pray I haven’t made any mistakes with my editors. But I do know that at first I was very intimidated by all editors and agents. It took a while before I realized they are just truly wonderful people out there wanting to help us produce the best books we can.

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

To go back and reread and edit what I wrote the day before. It gives me that first edit and really gets me back into the story for that days writing.

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

With groups like ACFW and writing friends and great editors, I don’t think I’ve received much bad advice.

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

That it is harder to read for the pure enjoyment of reading than it was before I started writing. I truly love it when an author can draw me into a book and I can forget about the writing and just get lost in the story.

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?

As I started writing back before the internet was available, I am just thrilled that there is so much contact and support from groups like ACFW for writers at all levels. These groups, and being able to be connected by the internet, are some of the greatest advantages for writers today.

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

There have been difficult times, but I don’t know if you’d say there have been setbacks. This past year has been a huge growing time for me and my faith. After Katrina, what could have been a set back, turned into the busiest year of my writing life. The Lord blessed me with contracts this past year. And after Katrina, through my husband’s retirement and a major move to Oklahoma, and then through my sister’s death three weeks after we got to Oklahoma, the Lord has shown me that with His help, (and I believe only with His help) I can write through all kinds of difficult situations.

What are a few of your favorite books?

Who doesn’t love Gone with the Wind? And my favorite series growing up was the Betsy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. But there are so many ‘keepers’ I’ve read through the years, it’s hard to single just a few out.

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

I love the New Mexico series that takes place in my home town in the late 1800’s.
It was so much fun to research the town I grew up in and to try to feel what it must have been like back then. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from those stories and they will always mean a lot to me. While I like them all, A Place Called Home is probably my favorite.

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

1 Thess 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
NKJV

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

I’ve always been a morning person and thought I would be able to write first thing in the morning and be done for the day by mid or late afternoon…or maybe I just wished that. I have found that I do most of my writing from mid-afternoon on, unless I’m under a tight deadline and then I write all day and into the evening.

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

I like to write around 5 to 10 pages a day—if I go over that, it’s icing on the cake.

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

I’m a SOTP writer, turned plotter. Since being published, I’ve found editors what to know what they are buying. To sell on proposal I have to plot. And I’ve found that it keeps me on the right path while I’m writing. I don’t take off on a tangent with an outline. It’s become my friend through the years.

What author do you especially admire and why?

I admire so many, I truly would hate to hurt anyone’s feelings by leaving anyone out.

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

I love it when I remember to have fun with it.

My least favorite is when I forget to have fun with it.

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

I’ve done a radio show, some newspaper interviews and book signings. This year I’m starting to do more. My favorite part of it all is just talking to the people who buy my books.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Don’t give up. Always be open to keep learning and growing as a writer. Enjoy what you are doing and most important, pray over your writing always!

And I'm sponsoring a contest on my updated website. You can read more at www.janetleebarton.com