Author Interview ~ Janet Tronstad

One of Janet Tronstad’s favorite childhood memories is of borrowing Zane Gray novels from her grandfather’s bookshelf. "I still remember what it felt like to start reading a new book. It’s the same excitement I feel today when I start writing a new book.” She likes to write books that show people struggling with issues in their life and in their faith. Janet holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin and was published in various national magazines before starting to write fiction.





What new book or project do you have coming out?

That would be “The Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches,” the first book in my new series just out from Steeple Hill. I’m really excited about this one – the characters in the book, four young women who survive cancer, form a knitting group because they can’t bear to think of joining a cancer support group. Even after they are classified as survivors, they still meet to knit and talk about their lives. It’s during this time that the book begins and shows them trying to take back their lives. For instance, Marilee, the heroine of the first book, stopped dating when she found out she had cancer and didn’t start again until the beginning of the first book.

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

I had a good friend die of cancer and the ‘what if’, of course, was to think how her life would have been changed even if she had survived. From that, I moved the age downward until I thought of teenagers whose lives would really be disrupted by a life-threatening disease.

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 had been writing magazine articles for a long time before I seriously started to work on a novel. I also spent several years doing freelance writing for an ad agency. Both of those experiences helped me when I started to write novels. Still, I wrote two full novels before I wrote the one, “An Angel for Dry Creek,” that first sold. I found out about the sale when I got ‘the call’ from an editor at Steeple Hill. I was overjoyed that they were taking the book.

Do you ever struggle with writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I’ve never really had writer’s block. I procrastinate, but that’s another story. Usually, if I sit down to write, I can put some words on the page. Some days those words aren’t worth much, but I tell myself that’s okay. I can re-write (which I do again and again anyway).

Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?

I have a big office desk in my third floor condo that looks out over an empty lot with lots of trees (a rarity in the middle of an urban area). I love to have the window open so I can hear the birds and the sounds of the squirrels running around the tree that is closest to my window.

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

I do have a mental expectation of how many pages make a good day and it varies depending on where I am in the book. In the beginning part of a book, I can only do three to five pages a day because I figure things out as I write the first part of the book. When I am in the middle of a book, I usually can do six to ten pages a day. When I get two-thirds through a book though I can generally write twenty pages a day.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I took a leap of faith and left my day job last year to focus on my writing so I am fortunate to have a fairly typical writing day. I spend the morning doing a few chores and my exercise routine. I generally start my writing time around noon. I take breaks every couple of hours and may do an errand or a load of laundry or something. I will write until dinner time and will take a longer break. I may go out to dinner with a friend or go to a church event or a meeting for my home owner’s association (I am on the Board of our association). If I have no other plans in the evening, I often write, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning.

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

I agree with the old adage that “there is only one rule in writing, unfortunately no one knows what it is.” The longer I write and the more I talk with other writers, the more I know that everyone does it differently. Related to that, the best advice would be to find out what works for you as a writer. I used to be intimidated by stories of writers who got up at four o’clock in the morning and wrote for four hours before they started their regular days. Now, I don’t worry about it. Those writers are in bed when I’m doing my best work so there’s really no difference.

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?

Something I learned when I was pitching to magazines, that I wish I’d known on day one of my writing, is that you can under-pitch yourself. In other words, don’t aim for the least of all your markets just because you don’t have the confidence to aim higher. While it is true that as a new writer you might not get the top market at first, there’s no reason you can’t get somewhere in the middle of your list.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

I have done very little marketing and should do more.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

If you’re a writer, enjoy your time writing. I believe all writing effort is rewarded, not necessarily with publication, but with something internal that happens with writers when they write. You know it when you feel it.