Author Interview ~ Elizabeth Musser

Elizabeth Musser dreamed and prayer for 30 years before getting her first contract. Busy at work on her 6th novel, she and her husband, Paul, have been involved in mission work with International Teams. They presently live in Lyon, France and have two sons, Andrew and Christopher.

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

I just finished writing my new novel entitled Searching for Eternity. Here’s the hook: A French adolescent, newly arrived in America, searches for his missing father and discovers prejudice, espionage and eternity. The novel opens in Atlanta in 1964 and deals with culture shock, racial discrimination and social status. It also takes the reader back in time to the French Resistance during World War II and ends during the trial of Nazi Klaus Barbie in 1992. There’s mystery, betrayal, a love story and much more. It’s the story of what happens when a teenage boy goes ‘searching for eternity.’

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?

Well, I started writing when I was six years old and I always wanted to be an author. I wrote for family and friends and my journals are filled with this prayer: “Lord, if you’ve given me this gift of writing, please show me how to use it and please let me write a book and dedicate it to my grandmother while she’s still alive.”

When I became a missionary to France, at the age of 22, I decided to make my quarterly prayer letters sent out to many individuals the best writing I could do. People liked my letters so much that they encouraged me to write a book! That helped me keep my dream alive. So I kept praying.

I had my first article published in 1990 and spent a few years collecting rejection slips and writing other articles.

Then in the summer of 1994, when my family was home from France on furlough, I attended a Christian writers’ conference. I was able to have a 15 minute interview with an editor from a publishing house. It just so happened that this man had at one time been a missionary in France, and I had met him years before. When I explained to him that I was interested in writing a women’s devotional, he replied, ‘We don’t need that, but we do need a woman novelist!’ I felt the Lord had put me in the right place at the right time.

At the conference I learned how to write a professional book proposal. I already had an idea for a novel and had always wanted to write fiction. So I returned to France, worked very hard for 4 months and then sent this editor my proposal. He really liked it and called me to say he would be presenting it to the committee that decided on contracts. He explained they could either say ‘no thanks’, ‘great, write the book and we’ll decide’ or ‘hey, we want to offer you a contract.’

I was at a prayer meeting one night (we’re six hours ahead of the States) and when I returned, my husband said that the editor had called and would call back. I was so nervous waiting on that call. When it came, the editor said, “Elizabeth, would you like to write a book?” I was elated! I could not believe it. It sounds like a fairy tale, dream-come –true, which it was. But it was preceded by 30 years of writing and praying (remember, the dream was born when I was six!)

Do you still have self-doubts about your writing?

Oh, only about every other day! Even though I know the Lord has called me to write and I have had some success, there’s always the creative, sensitive side of me that can get down on myself and think—this is it! I’ll never write anything good again!

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

Yes. In fact, I did stop writing for six months. I went through a time of deep depression and I finally understood that the Lord was asking me to stop writing for a time and work on other issues that were surfacing. This was so hard because I didn’t know if I’d start writing again or not. But those months were life-changing and so very important.

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

Well, the first publisher just happened as I described, but soon after I got my contract, the publishing house was bought out and my book kind of fell through the cracks. Also, I was writing a trilogy, but I was querying for it one book at a time. The second book was picked up by the publisher, but it too got lost in the shuffle of some changeovers. In the end, the third book of the trilogy was never published by this house. An agent wanted to represent me and I hired her, but she was not able to sell the manuscript to any other house either (the novel was published in Germany, Holland and Norway). So my delight at getting published quickly turned into a big dose of reality when I realized getting the contract is just the very beginning of the uphill journey. Lots of excitement mixed with tears and disappointment. I had a lot to learn about the business of writing and of publishing.

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

I like to tell people that my formula for becoming a writer is: write, write, write and pray, pray, pray! The best advice? Hmm, well, I definitely agree with the adage that writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Also, I think it’s true that we novelists should be concerned with writing excellent fiction. Excellent fiction will get published and sell. Continue to improve your craft.

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

I didn’t receive it directly, but I read an interview where a very prolific author shared how she writes. She said she never edits anything. She just throws it on the paper, whatever comes to mind. I only read one of her books, but I thought it showed that she never edited. It was lousy! I believe an author must spend lots of time in first and second drafts, crafting and making his work excellent. It takes time.

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

Well, I really don’t like it when Christian novels are poorly written, with an emphasis on just preaching the message. No matter the genre, we must write excellent fiction. Many readers—not just Christians—are looking for quality fiction without the foul language and graphic sexuality. We Christian authors have a wonderful opportunity to reach beyond the church. I want to be committed to writing the best fiction I can. My goal is to write fiction that challenges and spurs on Christians and that can be handed to someone who is unchurched and used as a first peek into what Christianity is all about. Hopefully I can draw the reader in with a captivating story and realistic endearing characters and as she reads, she’ll be intrigued by the lives of a godly character.

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?

Living in France, for years I didn’t know anyone else doing what I was doing. I wish I could have been part of an authors’ exchange earlier on. I am now, and I find the input of other authors invaluable. I also think it would be time and money well spent to get to know the publishing house staff and get a feel for everything your book goes through before and after it hits the shelves in a bookstore.

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

One of the hardest was not having the third book of my trilogy published and trying for years to get it published by different publishers. I still get emails very regularly asking when the third book will be published. I tell them that it is doing very well in Holland, Norway and Germany, but most of my readers don’t read those languages! It’s hard to let a book go, but it can be very damaging for a writing career if the author keeps trying and trying to get one book published and never moves ahead in writing other things. I am still poking around for a publisher for that novel, but I’ve written three novels since. You have to be willing to move forward in the midst of disappointment.

What are a few of your favorite books?

As a child, I loved Burnett’s A Little Princess as well as the Nancy Drew mysteries and Black Stallion books. As a teen I enjoyed Mary Stewart’s mystery romances. As a young adult, I appreciated Catherine Marshall’s Christy, Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and BodieThoene’s Zion series. Now I enjoy reading a wide range of novels. Some recent favorites: The Kite Runner, Peace Like a River, Levi’s Will.

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

My fourth novel, The Swan House, is about the environment in which I grew up. Set in 1962, it’s the story of a teenager from a wealthy family who encounters tragedy. To help her get past her grief, the family maid takes her into the inner city and there, the young girl learns about a whole new world. The book starts with an actual event—a plane crash that claimed the lives of over 100 Atlantans. Although the story is set in the early 60s when I was just a toddler, much of the background and the characters are taken from my growing up days. I was terrified to see the book in print. I thought my milieu would hate me for writing some of the things I pointed out. But it was the truth as I felt it. And that book has done very well and especially been well received in my hometown of Atlanta.

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

In John chapter 3 verse 30, John the Baptist, speaking of the Lord Jesus, says, “He must increase and I must decrease.” I have been meditating on this verse. It applies to all of my life, of course, but I find it very important for my writing. I can get stressed out with deadlines and reviews and marketing plans and how many books are selling, and I easily feel overwhelmed. But when I go back and focus on Christ, reminding myself that I have given Him my words and my writing, peace follows. My job is to write the best literature I can and help—as I have time and opportunity—in the marketing of my books. But ultimately, I must leave the results up to the Lord.

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

I usually head to my ‘writing chalet’ (a tool shed in our yard) at about 9:30 a.m., after my sons are off to school and I’ve had my quiet time and breakfast. I try to write until around 3 pm (I eat lunch at my desk). The rest of my day is usually busy with ministry and business and family. I say I have two part time jobs—writing and ministry in France—and one full time job—to my family.

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

No, but once I’m actually writing my novel, I try to do a chapter a week—this means starting with a very rough draft and gradually perfecting it throughout the week. I am not a fast writer and I typically only devote about 15-20 hours a week to the whole business of writing.

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

I tend to have an idea of the beginning and end of the novel, and I do lots of research because my novels are recent historical fiction. I write my synopsis and little tidbits that will happen in each chapter. I also do character sketches and timelines. But there are always surprises when characters don’t do what you expect and a minor character decides to take on a bigger role. I find that fascinating and fun!

What author do you especially admire and why?

I admire Catherine Marshall—she wrote beautiful fiction and non fiction, sharing her faith without preaching, painting pictures through her stories.

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

My favorite part is once the story is started and the ideas are flowing. Each day in front of the computer feels like a hug from the Lord. I get to do what I love doing! My least favorite is all the business side of writing—the contracts, the marketing and publicity and the waiting for the book to come out, waiting for the reviews, waiting to see if people like the book…

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

I do lots of book signings and speaking when I am in the States. I pack in a lot during a couple of weeks. But I am limited with the distance. I am also trying to become more web savvy.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Write, write, write and pray, pray, pray!