Author Interview ~ Annette Smith

Annette Smith lives in East Texas with Randy, her husband of 28 years. She began writing in 1997, and has authored twelve books. Annette's first release, The Whispers of Angels, has sold over 110,000 copies. Her novel credits include the Coming Home to Ruby Prairie trilogy and two books in the Eden Plain series. When she's not writing, Annette serves as a full time hospice nurse.

Plug time. What new book or project do you have coming out?

I’m currently enjoying readers’ responses to A Bigger Life, which released a few months ago.

Coming up is my next project, A Crooked Path, which releases in September. This book chronicles the story of Mexican immigrant Manny Ortega and his relationship with chronically ill ranch owner Owen Green. Manny’s story, told in first person, deals with racism, class issues, and the power of unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness.

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

I’ve been writing for ten years. A Bigger Life is my eleventh book, my fourth novel. Writing is difficult for me. I generally struggle and fret my way through. Not so with A Bigger Life. The way this book came to me feels like a gift.

Two and a half years ago, at my young adult daughter’s insistence that I do something about my hair, I visited a new salon. That day marked the beginning of an unusual relationship between me, a middle-aged, church-going wife and mom, and Paul C., a 27-year-old hair stylist sporting a shaved head and multiple tattoos. As he cut and colored my hair, Paul shared with me snippets of his poignant story..

As I listened to him talk, I was moved by the way Paul spoke from a place of such brokenness and grief. He was the single dad of a three-year-old little boy whose mother had died two months before. Devoid of self-pity, his words stunned me with their transparency and truth.

Paul’s voice resonated so strongly with me, I could not wait to get him on paper. As soon as I arrived home from the salon, I began writing the first chapter of A Bigger Life. While in no way a factual account of his life, Paul’s spirit and voice are on every page. Since that first meeting, he and I have become friends. Coming from such different places we learn so much from each other. My life is richer because of him.

A Bigger Life is told in the first person male voice. How did you manage to pull that off?

I love it when people tell me they can’t believe the book was written by a woman. I never thought about writing in the male voice, but this one (as well as my next book) came to me in that way.

I seem to have a knack for hearing the way people talk. I’m a terrible eavesdropper. There’s not much I enjoy more than listening in on people’s public conversations. I also am intrigued by the world of men, how they think and reason, how they view women and relationships.

As I was writing this book, I would imagine my friend Paul saying the words of my main character. It was as if he was sitting next to me talking. And so I wrote as I heard.

I also had two good male friends, as well as my husband, read my manuscript. Their comments and input helped so much. I was blessed to have Jeff Gerke edit this project. He’s the one who pointed out that a man would be unlikely to take notice of a beautiful woman’s shoes.

NJ: To read a review of A Bigger Life, click here.

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?

My journey is not typical. Though I’d always loved to read and had excelled in writing papers and such in school, I never thought about becoming a writer. To me that would be akin to having aspirations of modeling or singing in a famous rock band. Impossible!

However, in 1996, I began to dabble a bit, writing short stories and essays. I showed my work, about fifteen pages total, to a writer friend and she showed it to an editor at Harvest House. That editor happened to be Chip Macgregor. He liked my work enough to contract my first and best-selling book to date, The Whispers of Angels. Chip became a real supporter of my work, eventually serving as my agent for a time. I consider him a good friend.

I’ll never forget the thrill of the arrival of that first case of books. I knelt on my kitchen floor and sliced through the packing tape with a butter knife. I couldn’t believe someone had actually published my book. I still can’t.

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

The best cure for writer’s block is a contract. The pressure of knowing I’ve committed myself is usually enough to keep my seat in my seat. On days when it’s really difficult, I may spend time editing the previous days’ work rather than producing new pages.

What is the most difficult part of writing for you (or was when you first started on your writing journey), i.e. plot, POV, characterization, etc?

Plot is most difficult for me. Characters, voice, and dialogue are easy. It’s figuring out what these interesting folks are going to do that’s a challenge.

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

I have a sunny room at the back of my house that I use for my office. It’s actually a converted carport, a bit hot in the summer and chilly in the winter, but with windows on three sides, the view of my tree-filled back yard is gorgeous.

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

When I begin a new project, I divide my word count by the number of weeks I have available to work. Then I break that down further to get the number of words I need to write each day. I’m forever getting behind which means that several times during the process, I end up redoing the math and upping my needed word count. Ideally, I can do about four pages a day.

I wish I could write for long stretches of time but I can’t. I may work for thirty-minutes to an hour, then I’m up doing something in the house for awhile before coming back to my computer.

What does a typical day look like for you?

In addition to writing, I work as a hospice nurse. I must fit my writing around my nursing schedule. So I’m very flexible. I wedge writing time in where I can. Every day is different. I’m most creative in the early mornings, but when I work a late night shift, my early mornings are spent under the covers. A girl’s got to sleep.

It helps that my children are grown and away from home and I have the world’s most low-maintenance husband. He’s supportive of my work and loves Sonic burgers. Am I blessed or what?

Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.

I don’t write right. I’m an intuitive, seat-of-the pants writer. No outlining. No plotting. I simply sit down and begin, editing as I go. Once my story is finished, I’ll read through and edit as many times as needed to smooth the rough edges. I strive to turn in as clean a manuscript as possible.

What are some of your favorite books (not written by you)?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter
Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons
Never Change, by Elizabeth Berg

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

Don’t compare yourself to others. There are many definitions of success. There is no one right career path. Write only those stories you are passionate to tell.

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?

I wish I’d studied the craft of novel writing before I landed my first novel contract. My first novel has lots of flaws. If I’d put in my time studying technique, it would have been a much better book.

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

Not enough. Marketing is extremely difficult for me. I loathe self promotion. I have a website and I blog, but not nearly as faithfully as I should. I do speak to library and reading groups. I’m available by phone for book clubs.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Be a listener. Focus on being interested rather than interesting. People have amazing stories to tell. Consider yourself the recipient of a precious gift when someone blesses you with theirs.