Author Interview ~ Nancy Mehl

Nancy Mehl’s novels are all set in her home state of Kansas. “Although some people think of Kansas as nothing more than flat land and cattle, we really are quite interesting!” she says. She is a mystery buff who loves the genre and is excited to share her passion with readers who also love mysteries.

Nancy oversees a HUD program for the city of Wichita, Kansas and runs a volunteer organization that assists the elderly. She lives in Wichita with her husband of thirty-five years, Norman. They have one son, Danny, who is a graphic designer for a successful advertising company. Nancy and Norman attend Word of Life Church. Her website is: http://www.nancymehl.com/ and her blog is: http://www.nancymehl.blogspot.com/.

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

I am very excited about my new series through Barbour Publishing’s debut mystery book club, HEARTSONG PRESENTS: MYSTERIES! It’s the Ivy Towers Mystery Series. At this moment, there are four books in the series. In the Dead of Winter is first. It is part of Barbour’s Premier selections. That means whenever anyone joins the club, they will get my book, along with three others, as a free gift. That story is followed by Bye, Bye Bertie, For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls, and a Christmas novel tentatively titled, There Goes Santa Claus. Also in December, a compilation book will hit the bookstores that will include the first three novels. It will be titled The Bygone Bookstore Mysteries. So, I actually have five books coming out this year! I’m not quite sure how that happened, but I am very excited.

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

Well, actually it’s quite interesting. I’d had three other mysteries published. Two were straight mystery and one was a supernatural mystery. My actual “what if” moment had more to do with my relationship to God than anything else. I had a passion to write, and I loved the mystery genre, but things weren’t moving the way I wanted them to. It was a struggle. I finally came to the realization that I’d been trying to do this by myself, and I began to wonder what would happen if I put my career on the altar and gave it completely to God. Now I know as writers we sometimes say we’ve done this, but in reality, it is usually nothing more than words. I truly released my writing to God that day. I abandoned all of my ideas and waited for His. He had already confirmed to me that I was to write, but I’d held on to a part of His calling without realizing it. I know now that when we follow our own ideas, we risk getting off the path He has for us. It may have only been a couple of weeks later that during a conversation with my agent, she brought up Barbour’s new mystery line. She explained to me that these were cozy mysteries and that Barbour was looking for proposals. I had never written a cozy mystery and I’d never written a proposal, so it seemed like a long shot. I had an idea what cozies were from my years of writing book reviews, but I brushed up on the qualities that cozies should have, and my agent gave me advice about how to write a proposal.

Back to your question about how I came up with the first story...it was one of those “God” moments. I sat down at the computer and the story just came. I created a town called Winter Break, Kansas where it snows more than any other place in the state. You see, I love snow – so I created my perfect town. The characters almost came without thinking, and within two week of turning in my proposal, my agent called to tell my that Barbour had accepted my novel.

How is writing a mystery different from other genres? Do you find it more difficult?

So far, everything I’ve written is mystery. I do have a proposal with my agent that I am gearing more toward suspense, but in fact, the lines between suspense and mystery are rather thin. I find there is more of an immediate physical threat in suspense – and it doesn’t rely as much on clues and red herrings. It still has the element of hidden danger and the revelation of knowledge that might be kept from the reader until the end.

To me, the mystery genre isn’t difficult; it’s fun. But you must carefully track your clues and pick each one up before the end. Readers want everything to fit together like a puzzle. And you must be honest with them. In other words, in a Christian mystery, your protagonist may have a “feeling” about something, but you can’t just say “God told me who the killer is.” Even though that may happen in real life, mystery buffs don’t want that kind of solution. They want to play along. With every mystery I’ve written, the first thing people want to tell me is whether or not they figured out who the bad guy was before the end. When you do it right, they will be fooled!

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?

Actually, my first contract came not long after I started writing. It was with a small publisher, but they had a good reputation. However, things didn’t work out there. I learned a lot from that situation. It was one of two very negative situations I’ve had with publishers. Fortunately, I was able to get out of that contract. The next publisher was a large one, but my experience there was also very negative. It turned out to be more of an author mill than anything else. However, I made some good friends through that ordeal. Even though it wasn’t a good publishing experience, I’m not sorry it happened because I value my friends very highly. God can use all things for our good. As I look back on these unpleasant situations, I am grateful for them now. If I hadn’t had to break my relationship with the first publisher, I might still be with them, and I might not have found my way to Barbour. What seemed like a curse to me back then turned out to be one of my greatest blessings! My experiences with two smaller publishers after that were very positive. Although I’ve had to break my relationship with one of them because of some choices they’ve made concerning their future direction, I still have great respect for their editor. I have one other book still available through Treble Heart books titled, Sinner’s Song. Treble Heart is a terrific small publisher, and I’m happy to still be connected to them.

Of course, my biggest thrill so far has been with Barbour. When my agent called to tell me they’d accepted my proposal for In the Dead of Winter, I whooped and hollered and jumped around my house like a crazy person. I was thrilled! When I received that contract, I’d been writing seriously for ten years, although the first couple of years were spent learning how to write something someone might want to publish. Of course, along the way you find out that education never ends. I am still learning.

The funny thing is, after my extremely emotional reaction to my first Barbour contract, all the future contract offers haven’t evoked the same response. I began to realize that this was God answering my prayer for direction. It stopped being about “me” and became all about “Him.” Now I expect things to happen because God has a plan, and all I have to do is follow Him. I liken it to a train. God’s the engineer. I’m just along for the ride. I’m determined to go wherever He’s leading.

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

I’ve never experienced writer’s block. The truth is, I have loads of ideas. Besides, I don’t worry about that part of it. If I truly believe that God is in control, I have to also believe that He will give me all the inspiration I need. I hope that doesn’t sound flip. I don’t mean it to.

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?

I understood POV almost from the beginning. I think that being a book reviewer helped me to see the mistakes some writers make by jumping from head to head. My biggest challenge is passivity in my writing. I still struggle with it some. Although “Sinner’s Song” is written in third person, everything else I’ve written is in first person. This helps me to stay more active, although even in first person passivity can sneak in.

Sometimes plot is challenging. I think that’s true for every writer. You may be comfortable with your main plotline, but bringing it together with various subplots can be difficult sometimes when we attempt to make them all work together. In one of the books for my new series, I made two mistakes. I didn’t take the time to officially put that book in God’s hands. I think it has to be a deliberate act, not just mental assent. And even though I “thought” everything worked, I had an unlikely plotline about a missing boy. Thankfully, my two wonderful Barbour editors caught it. It was easy to fix, but I would have been horrified if it had gone out the way I had it. Now, I make certain to give each novel to God and ask for His direction. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I will always be tuned in perfectly. That’s what my editors are for. I have to say that I have incredible editors. I am very thankful for them.

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

Yes. I have a small room upstairs, with windows on three sides. I am able to look down into my back yard and watch the birds and squirrels that visit to eat the food we put out for them. Unfortunately, recent foot surgery has put me downstairs in a corner of my dining room. I look forward to going back to my office in the next few weeks. I think writers need their own space.

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

Right now, I have a goal of 5,000 words each week. I always figure out how much I need to write each week to make my deadline. And I always allow two weeks for editing before I turn it in. Right now, I’m turning out a book every three months. That’s really astounding considering I used to take a year to write a novel! I haven’t made my goal this week, so that means that I will be sitting at the computer over the weekend. I will have to reach my goal before Monday morning. Sometimes, like right now, I have to print out everything I’ve written so far and read it through. Although I don’t usually have a firm written plot from the beginning, once I’ve written about three or four chapters, I have to start making chapter outlines so I know where I’m heading. I’m at that point now.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I get up at 6:00 a.m. After a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee, I get my “job” done first. As it says in my bio, I run a HUD program for the city of Wichita. I am blessed to work out of my home. I do that until 11:30. I take a break from 11:30 to 1:30. This is the time I have lunch and spend time with the Lord. Then at 1:30 I start writing and keep at it until my husband comes home. It might be 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. depending on his schedule. Evenings are for whatever else I need to do, whether it’s paying bills, spending time with my family, going out, or falling asleep in my recliner! Saturdays I try to do housework – but sometimes, like right now, I may have to catch up on my writing goals or work on an interview. Sundays, after church and visiting my mother-in-law, I try to make it a rule to relax. I think a day of rest is very important to everyone, especially writers. We need to give our brains some time out!

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

Yikes! I think it begins with a concept. Then it goes to a brief outline – just enough so that I know where I’m headed. I also have many “Eureka!” moments when ideas come to me in the shower or after I’ve crawled into bed. I keep a notepad nearby so I can jot those random ideas down. Working out plot in your head is great unless you fall asleep and can’t remember it the next day! As I said before, after getting through a few chapters, I have a clearer idea of where I’m headed. That’s when I begin to write my outlines, although I have never actually followed one to the letter. If my plot or my characters begin to take me another way (or if I feel God is leading my in a different direction), I go with that. Then I will rewrite my outline. And I always leave time for editing and revision. I briefly edit every chapter, but I try to keep the majority of the editing for the end.

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

The Joe Box series by John Robinson. The Grass Dance by Laurel Johnson. Anything by Agatha Christie. The Father Brown stories by G.K. Chesterton. I am also an Mary Higgins Clark fan. All of the Sherlock Holmes stories – I am a Holmes fanatic! Also, Bye, Bye Bertie by Rick Dewhurst. If you haven’t read this, please get it. It’s hysterical! (Yes, it has the same title as one of mine, but Rick gave me permission to use it!) I love Susan Vreeland, especially Girl in Hyacinth Blue. I am also a huge Charles Dickens fan. He had a way of bringing characters to life that is absolutely incredible.

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

It came from a friend of mine, Marshall Thomas. Marshall writes Sci-fi. It’s simple, but I have to justify it by saying that as a Christian, you must make certain you are really supposed to be a writer. Marshall’s mantra was always “Don’t give up!” He wrote for twenty years before he was finally published. That man wouldn’t quit – no matter what. I’ve seen quite a few very talented writers go by the wayside because they couldn’t take rejection or tough times. I’m convinced they had what it takes to make it – but they haven’t gone anywhere because they gave up when things got bumpy. You don’t have enough space for me to tell you everything that went badly for me since I started, but each disappointment turned out to be a bend in the road toward my goal. I didn’t know that at the time, but I can see it now.

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?

As far as writing, I can’t think of anything. I did everything I could think of to learn the craft of writing. I read, studied, critiqued, and took any advice I thought might be helpful. It’s important to listen to criticism. It will help you to grow. It’s the constructive criticism that has helped me more than the praise.

As far as publishing, there was one piece of advice I never followed. I understand now how important it was. Would it have made a difference in my path? I don’t know. I think I had to go a certain way to get to where I am now, but it might have saved me some time. The advice was to know what your target wants. I was told that if I wanted to sell to a certain publisher I should buy some of their books and learn exactly what they were looking for. I didn’t do that. I would highly encourage writers to follow that advice. I can think of a couple of excellent writers who could easily sell their work if they would take the time to learn the market they want to be involved in. Also, I’d like to mention that changing to accommodate a publisher isn’t “selling out.” There are people out there who would be published today if they would just be a little more pliable. If you have a desire to write speculative fiction, try getting published first. Publishers are more willing to take a chance on a new concept if you’ve already sold something. Especially if you have good sales. Now if you’re certain you’re hearing from God and know exactly what He wants you to write – go for it! But otherwise get some success under your belt before you try something “daring!”

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

As little as possible! Seriously, marketing isn’t my favorite thing. I’ve done book signings, joined Internet groups to get my name out there, done interviews (like this), and I reviewed books for eight years. I reviewed for Internet sites and for a large newspaper. To be honest with you, as far as helping to sell books, it didn’t do much. I think working with a publisher who is experienced in marketing is the key. I do believe you need to cooperate with your publisher. For instance, if they tell you to do book signings, do book signings. But I believe the best thing an author can do to market their book is to write a great book! That’s the foundation that builds sales. Without it, everything else is meaningless. One other thing: I believe reviews through large book review sites help. The more popular the review site or publication, the better. I sold quite a few books to libraries through a positive review in Library Journal.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has a plan for your life. Find out what it is. Surrender everything you are to Christ. If the desire of your heart is to be an author, chances are God put that desire there. But ask. Remember that every calling is important. The ministry of helps is just as important as a prophetic ministry if that is what God has called you to do. If you believe God’s plan for you is to write, put Him in charge of every aspect of your writing career. Also learn everything you can about your craft – that’s your responsibility. Be teachable. Be humble. And DON’T GIVE UP! No matter what. Ever. God bless you.