Author Interview ~ Elizabeth Goddard

Elizabeth Goddard obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from North Texas State University in Computer Science. After spending several years in high-level software sales, Beth retired to become a full-time mother. She has since discovered that her job as a home schooling mom of four is much more stressful than anything she encountered in the corporate world.
When she’s not writing or home schooling, she’s serving with her husband as he pastors a local church in Southern Oregon. She enjoys hiking in the Redwoods or camping on the Oregon coast with her family. Be sure to visit her website.

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

Seasons of Love will release with Heartsong Presents in December 07. Here’s the back cover copy:

Be still and know that I am God.

Riley O’Hare knows she needs to slow her life down, so when Grandpa Sanderford asks her to give up her climb on the corporate ladder, move cross country, and take over the family farm, she actually considers it. When her brother dies and she becomes the guardian for his child, her mind is made up. With hardly a backward glance, Riley packs up and moves to Massachusetts, hoping to find the peace and stillness she desires.

With the death of his business partner and computer programmer, Zane Baldwyn’s company has nowhere to go. As he looks to replacing John, strange things begin happening. Computers are stolen, someone follows him, and his offices are broken into. Zane begins to wonder if John’s death was really accidental.

Riley has a farm to save and Zane a mystery to solve. Somehow the two goals seem increasingly drawn together and soon Riley and Zane find themselves in danger. Can they find the key they need before disaster strikes?

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

I’ve always wanted to write a story set on a cranberry farm, and since this story was to be set in Massachusetts for the proposal, the opportunity finally arrived. The growing and harvesting of cranberries fascinates me and is a big part of the story.

Add that I can’t write a story without at least an element of suspense. With my computer science background, I’ve included the search for a clue to find the decryption key—a password to unlock hack-proof code—before it’s too late. Am I too cryptic? Of course, I don’t want to give too much away.

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?

Like many authors, I’ve had the writing urge for many years—at least thirty. Uh oh. Now I’m giving away my age. I took a Writer’s Digest course, but still didn't have any direction. I loved to read and wanted to write a novel, but fear kept me from pursuing that goal. I was afraid I’d waste time working on something that would never be published, and I really wasn’t sure that’s what God wanted for me. But God kept burning this desire into me until finally I worked through Marlene Bagnull’s Write His Answer: A Bible Study for Christians. I had to discover if God had truly called me to write.

It was during that time in 2001 that I attended my first writer’s conference and met DiAnn Mills. By the time I made the conference, I no longer had to question God’s call. She encouraged me to become a member of then American Christian Romance Writers (now ACFW). I joined one of their critique groups and began to realize my dream. Still, with very young children at home I had limited time. Many months would pass between spurts of serious attention to writing.

I haven’t been able to complete a novel without a manuscript request. It seems I need that pressure to work. Though I’d had several requests for full manuscripts and completed those, they’d all been rejected. The request for the full manuscript for Seasons of Love came from a synopsis only. I hadn’t even written three chapters. So, I wanted to kick myself. Instead I lived in my office, putting my life and family on hold until I finished. Then began the long months of waiting—eight months to be exact.

When I received the email from the editor I knew immediately that it was the usual rejection. Instead, congratulations filled the first line. I ran upstairs to tell my daughter the good news, but halfway up realized I hadn’t read any further than the first line. I ran downstairs then finished reading the email!

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

I have a funny form of writer’s block—I can’t decide which story to do first. With so many ideas swimming in my head, it’s difficult to focus on only one. Though this may not sound like writer’s block, I’ve found it can be just as debilitating, keeping me from moving forward with any one project. I’m still working to overcome it.

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? How did (or do) you overcome it?

The most difficult part of writing for me is getting that first chapter, that opening scene, right. I may rewrite the first few chapters several times and still not feel they’re good enough. It’s difficult to look at your first chapters and see them the way others see them. When I struggle with the opening scene for too long, I move to the next project (see above) and it’s at that point that I know what my opening scene needs to be. Probably, it’s a simple matter of stepping back from the story.

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

I love this question! Someone recently posted photos of various author’s offices on their blog. They all had something in common—an official office with a nice desk and chair, but they chose to write elsewhere. It’s the same with me. I have a separate office with a desk, but I choose to write on a comfy chair in a sitting room, or in my bed with the door locked—if I really need privacy. At times, I’ll sit in the living room on the sofa with my kids while they’re watching television. Though this isn’t preferred because one little distraction can disrupt my line of thinking forever, it’s important that I’m with my family.

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

Sure I have those goals. Ha! But I rarely achieve them. I found that once I start writing-whether the goal is five hundred or two thousand words, I can’t pull away from the story, so I end up writing all day when possible. What works best for me is to focus on a writing project for an entire day rather than breaking it into a certain amount of time or words every day. I’m not one who can easily switch gears. If I start my day doing housework or errands, it’s difficult to stop. It’s the same with writing.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I always start my day with coffee and news, after getting breakfast for the kids of course. It’s funny that I love novels and movies but rarely watch TV other than the news. Then I check email—a very bad habit and time consuming. Worse is Instant Message. I think I could have written volumes without these two vices.

I work best if I faithfully follow my to do list. That way I don’t go crazy thinking of everything I need to do, but rather just check things off the list. Unfortunately, I’m a big procrastinator so it might take me hours, or even days to get my head into a new project. Despite my answer to the previous question, regardless of how I start my day, I try hard to be working on a writing project by one o’clock if not earlier.

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

I’ve tried several methods to write a novel from the Snowflake Method—the ultimate analytical tool for heavy-duty outliners—to pure writing from the seat of your pants. Like many authors, I fall somewhere in between.

But first a concept has to be turned into a complete story idea—characters and plot. I love to watch the news or the Discovery or History channel to get ideas. Something will intrigue me such as Cranberry farming, which happened to catch my attention several years ago.

What works best for me is to have a chapter synopsis in place to help keep me focus. As I get deeper into the story I begin to see things that need changed or deepening of the plot or added subplots. Still I will refer back to the synopsis to stay on course. With so many interruptions and distractions—four children (not counting my husband) and a Jack Russell Terrier—I need that synopsis to keep me on track.

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

I love the Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers, and Song of Albion by Stephen Lawhead. I also love science and techno thrillers like Oxygen, the Fifth Man, and Double Vision by Randall Ingermanson, and John Olson’s soon to be released Fossil Hunter.

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

Never give up.

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 don’t think there is anything that could have saved me time or frustration. After all, it takes time to work on craft and learn to write—years even. I do, however, think that I wasted time during those years when I didn't pursue writing because I had no direction, nor was I sure of God’s call. I listened to my fears rather than stepping out in faith and taking a chance. After I finally began writing seriously, there were times I wanted to quit, but I refused to quit because if I did, then I would never know. . .

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

I spend time blogging, have a website and I’m on Shoutlife, but I won’t do major marketing until I have my book cover. I wish as writers, all we had to do was write. Unfortunately, we have to market ourselves as well. I’m hoping that my background in sales and marketing will help me with that.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Yes, don’t forget for Whom you’re writing.

Visit Beth's blog and visit her ShoutLife page