Author Interview ~ Trish Perry

Award-winning novelist Trish Perry is the author of the chick lit books, The Guy I’m Not Dating (Harvest House 2006) and Too Good to Be True (Harvest House 2007). She is the editor of Ink and the Spirit, the quarterly newsletter of the Capital Christian Writers organization in the Washington metropolitan area.

A summa cum laude graduate of George Mason University in Virginia, Perry holds a B.A. in Psychology. She was a stockbroker in the 1980s, and held positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission and in several Washington, D.C. law firms. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Capital Christian Writers organization, and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers group.

Perry lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, son, and a menagerie of ridiculous critters.

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

My March release, Too Good to Be True, is a romantic comedy—chick lit—about Rennie Young, a twenty-something elementary schoolteacher whose husband left and divorced her a year ago. On this—the anniversary of her divorce—she learns that the adoption she and her ex began has also fallen through. And the child they planned to adopt is one of her students, whom she loves dearly and sees daily. The upshot of all of this stress? Ren faints, face first, in the boys’ department at her local Wal-Mart.

Truman Sayers, a handsome labor-and-delivery nurse, comes to her rescue, and the romance is on. Or is it?

Tru seems perfect, but both he and Ren bring their share of baggage on this trip down lovers’ lane, not the least of which is each of their meddlesome mothers. Add numerous siblings, well-meaning friends, old hurts and new insecurities, and Ren wonders if she isn’t hoping for something that’s too good to be true.

The novel stands alone, but it’s also a follow-up to The Guy I’m Not Dating, featuring many of the same characters.

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 started writing my first novel back in 1994. It was a spiritual warfare novel. I tried to find an agent to represent it, but it’s a bit edgy for a first-time Christian novel.

The entire time I worked on the book, I felt a stirring to write humor. Actually, this second release, Too Good to Be True, was the first humor novel I wrote. I belong to Capital Christian Writers (CCW), a local group, and when CCW had a novel-writing contest, I entered my humor novel. My future agent, Tamela Hancock Murray, was the judge. She contacted the contest organizers and said, “I need to speak to this author. This is exactly the kind of stuff I represent.” Tamela showed the novel to a number of houses, and Harvest House was the first to make a firm offer, asking for Too Good to Be True and what I thought would be the follow-up, The Guy I’m Not Dating. Harvest House decided to flip the sequence of the books. I only had eight chapters of The Guy written, so I had to hustle!

Tamela actually sent me an email before the offer was final. I happened to be on the phone with a girlfriend, and I had just told her that I had prayed that morning and felt totally comfortable with God’s will about whether or not I ever got a book contract. I logged into my email as I told my friend about this awesome peace, and there was Tamela’s email about Harvest House and their just needing to ask me a couple of questions before they sent me the contract! Are there any sweeter words for an author to read?

I did the laughing/crying thing while I read the email out loud to my friend. And I chuckled to think that the Lord might have kept Harvest House’s publication committee meeting, week after week, until I finally reached that point where I surrendered to His will regarding my book contracts.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Daily. I really don’t know how authors work without crit partners. I know I can write, in general. And I know I can write well enough to publish novels. But that doesn’t mean everything that flows from my fingertips onto the keys is golden. Prayer for His guidance is the first priority, so you can be confident in knowing you’re following His will. After that, your crit partners need to be on the journey with you, saying, “I like this road you’re taking here,” or “Where in the world are you going with this?”

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

I think the biggest mistake I made was in waiting until I published my first novel before I joined the American Christian Fiction Writers group. Honestly. I didn’t know much about ACFW before I joined. I was fascinated by how many members weren’t yet published—I could have been learning so much about writing and the writing business the entire time I worked on my novels. All members, whether published or not, are able to make phenomenal contacts with writers of significant experience and success. And members have mind-picking access to some of the best minds in the industry. And even though I’m now a big shot, published author of unparalleled worldwide fame, I still learn so much from other members, whether they’re published or not. Seriously, though, I recommend ACFW to anyone interested in writing Christian fiction.

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

I know this sounds trite, but here goes: write daily.

I’d like to say I accomplish that, but I tend to be deadline driven. The writing is so much easier, though, when I’m in a daily-writing groove. When you know you’re going to write every day, the inconsequential matters get pushed aside, where they belong. Who needs matching socks and home-cooked meals? Not my family, I can assure you. Plus, when you write every day, you just observe the world in an entirely different way. Strangers passing by might spout off the perfect opening line for a scene. Something you smell takes on poetic description, versus a simple “P.U. what’s that?” When you experience everyday circumstances or humorous comments, they often become printed pages in your mind, rather than just wasted moments disappearing in a vapor. Life is bigger when you write every day.

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

When I first worked on my spiritual warfare novel, I was so green, especially about the Christian publishing business. My heroine was a loose-living unsaved young woman. I started that baby out with my heroine waking up after a one-night stand, and she wasn’t alone. Nothing sexual happened in the chapter, but clearly something had happened earlier. I showed the chapter to a successful Christian author who shall remain nameless. I asked her if the Christian publishing industry would have any problem with the circumstances of the book’s opening scene. I was one of many fledgling authors to meet with her that day, and she was probably eager to move along. “Naw, this scene is fine, as long as you don’t actually have them do anything sexual.” I’m here to tell you, that was bad advice. Especially for a brand new, never-been-published author with no fan base, other than family, friends, and household pets.

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

The first draft does not have to be perfect. Even after you go back, ad nauseam, to the beginning of chapter one before moving on to chapter two, even after you tune and hone your opening in an effort to bring it to final form, it won’t be in final form. Get the first draft of the entire manuscript written—that’s a huge, uplifting accomplishment, even when you know full well you’re going to have to rewrite just about everything in it.

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

I’m poison to computers. You know how some people can’t wear self-winding watches without messing them up with their body’s magnetic rhythm or whatever that is? Apparently, that’s how I am when I sit near computers. One particular mess was beyond anything I could figure out, and I was on a frighteningly tight deadline. So I hired Geeks on Call. Many of the files on the hard drive were my only copies (don’t bother to say it—I was stupid), and I couldn’t get to them. So I cautioned the nice young geek to save whatever he could.

“No problem.” He easily saved every file to my finger drive before wiping my hard drive clean and restoring it.

After he left, I realized he had saved an old version of my deadline-driven manuscript on top of a newer version, wiping out sixteen new chapters, the hard copies of which had been carted off by the trash man the day before (yes, more stupid stuff on my part).

While I writhed on the floor, weeping and rending my garment, my husband called all four of my crit partners, who managed to put together a chapter here, a chapter there, and they produced all but two of my chapters for me.

So much of that “difficult set back” was due to my own failure to save, save, save.

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

That’s a toughie. I love reading so much, I’m a bit like a shark—just consuming and moving forward, consuming more. Unless I come across a real stinker or one which is simply too offensive to finish, I enjoy every book fully while I’m reading it. No favorites. But I can tell you the Christian authors I’ve enjoyed during the past year: Lisa Samson, Christy Barritt, Mary DeMuth, Barbara Warren, Rachel Hauck.

And I read plenty of secular fiction, some of which might offend the more delicate readers. This year’s reading has included Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai (had nothing to do with Tom Cruise’s movie; much more interesting), Michael Chabon’s The Wonder Boys, a few of Sophie Kinsella’s, Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, a few P.G. Woodhouse novels. Wide range.

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

I wrote a short vignette, which I’ve never included in anything before, and I won’t include it, as long as my dad is alive. I wrote the piece after he shared a painful childhood memory with me. He had never told the story to anyone before, and I was so honored and moved by his gesture. So I wrote about the moment, and I guess you could say I was proud of how well the piece captured what he and I experienced together at that moment. And I thought the reader would empathize strongly with what Dad probably felt as a child.

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

As a fairly new author, the itty bitty amount of shelf space allowed for new authors (and in many stores, Christian authors in general) makes me nuts! When I walk through a chain bookstore and see a computer-manual section the size of your average living room, and the “religious” section looks like a small walk-in closet tucked back by the bathroom, I heave a covetous sigh. So, I suppose my pet peeve is with imbalanced bookstore shelving.

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

I often warm up by answering emails which have piled up overnight. Then I take my break with the Lord—about ten minutes of quiet time, followed by that day’s Bible study. After that I feel like He’s going to guide my writing, so I have at it. I’ll usually alternate between the chapter I’m writing and a marketing-related project, and I allow email to distract me far too often. I break for lunch, during which I get some quick reading done. Then back to work until my son is home from school, close to the dinner hour.

Some days I throw a measly workout in there—my favorite workout is a walk on the treadmill, while reading for fun or while reading a writing mag. If I’m under a deadline, I’ll come back to work after dinner.

Now, that’s a typical writing day, but life does interfere, far more often than I should let it, which segues nicely into the next question.

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

Colleen Coble recently mentioned that she writes a chapter a day. I would love to mirror her self-discipline and organizational talents.

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

I would love to become established enough that I could eventually write beyond chick lit and still provide successful novels for my publisher(s). I’m not talking extreme branching—I’ve never been drawn to fantasy or suspense writing, for example. But I think God has some more serious stories for me to write at some point in the future, so I’d like to serve Him and touch readers for Him. I’m not in a hurry for that to happen, though. I’m thoroughly enjoying chick lit, and plenty of readers are touched by the subtle seriousness possible through chick lit, as well.

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

Very early on, I had significant doubts for a week or two. I just wasn’t sure if I was truly following God’s will with the writing, because I had been successfully working toward becoming a Christian therapist when the writing bug became too hard to ignore. Then, in a single day, the Lord blessed me with two separate bylines, and I felt like He had reached down and given me a pat on the back with regard to writing. I haven’t considered quitting since then.

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

My favorite part is how fulfilling the job is. I mean, look at how many of us are out there, slugging away, with so little in the way of financial remuneration. Why do we do it? I think we’re driven by the joy in putting words together well, being able to evoke a laugh in someone on the other side of the world. Or to bring to tears someone who knows exactly what your character is feeling. Or to frustrate like crazy the reader who wishes you’d just leave your poor characters alone and stop throwing all those problems at them. To know you gave a reader the thrill of not being able to put your book down at the end of a chapter. Wow.

Least favorite part? See the next question.

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

Ugh, I hate marketing. I don’t do enough of it, I avoid it like the dentist, yet I know it must be done. I’m the last person to give marketing advice, at least at this stage of my career. I don’t market well enough to give advice. I read the other day about Janet Langhart Cohen (who co-authored a book with her senator husband) walking up to the front desk at a bookstore to say she wrote a book which she didn’t see on their shelves. When told that 20 copies were ordered and on their way, she said something like, “Since you don’t have any copies on the shelves at all yet, maybe you should order 20 more.” What chutzpah! That ain’t me, honey.

Parting words?

Thank you, Jesus.

Oh, and thanks so much for having me on Novel Journey!