Award-Winning Author Interview with Maureen Miller

Can you share a little about your recent book?

Renewed Christmas Blessings, Compiled by Michele Rayburn. In this collaborative book, I have a short story, “Cradle Song,” which won a Selah award.

I finished my first novel, Gideon’s Book, and getting ready for a second round of edits. This story is about a man named Gideon, but it’s also symbolic of Gideon from the Bible, and to honor Gideons International.

Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?

God uses our past to mold our future. I’m a firm believer that God can take any situation—good, bad, or ugly—and use it for our good. I use memories and stories from my past or my family’s by weaving them into a story of truth that will help others and be used for God’s glory.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve loved writing since I was a little girl, but writing professionally for almost two decades.

And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract? Or are you published non-traditionally? How did that come about?

The idea for Gideon’s Book came to me in 2007. At a writing conference, that same year, a publisher was interested in my story but, unfortunately, life got in the way and I was unable to finish my novel. But, I continued to trust God’s timing. Then, in 2019, I went to the Write to Publish conference. I pitched this book and got a contract there.

Which of your books is your favorite?

I’m an introvert who loves people, which fits perfectly with collaborative writing. I love the collaborative work I’ve been a part of, but Gideon’s Book is special to me. I’m an introvert who loves people, which fits perfectly with collaborative writing.

Do you have a favorite character or scene in one of your books?

Yes. In Gideon’s Book, I love the character Jonah Forney. He’s the father of three children and husband to a woman named Georgia. This book is set in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 1969. I love writing the detail for his home. The kitchen and garage are my favorite places in their home. I think about a cast iron skillet on the stove frying fish, and the garage where they hung the fishing gear.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Writing Gideon’s Book took five years. As often happens, the finished, contracted project is quite different from my original idea back 2007.

What’s your writing work schedule like?

With one high school age child still at home, I mostly write during the school year. Each morning after dropping my daughter off at school, I have a quiet time with God, then settle in to write around 10:00 a.m. If there aren’t any demands on my afternoon, I’ll write for five or six hours.

Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?

I keep a lot of books spread around me, hoping to gain knowledge by osmosis from them, whether I’ve read them or not. Having books around me by other wonderful, gifted authors makes me feel happy and inspired.

I also like to have things in my space that remind me to persevere. A sign in my office, from the movie “Finding Nemo,” reminds me to, “Just keep swimming.” When I look up from my computer, I see that quote and it reminds me to keep going. I love it.

Another quirky thing is kind of a staged area in my office that has symbolic things, like a purple button and seashells, which are also symbolic in Gideon’s Book. This is a visual for me, like story boards are for other people.

What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?

 It’s a great joy for me to write. I believe sitting down to write is worship, because it’s God who gives me story ideas. Along with that is the relationships and friendships I’ve made along the way in this writing life. I feel so blessed.

Could you tell us about a dark moment in your writing career?

When I hit send in 2020 on the book I worked so hard on and then didn’t hear from the publisher in a timely manner. Then learned about changes in the publishing company I was with, including my content editor leaving. I had to look for a new editor. There were times I was very sad and sometimes defeated about all this.

One of the times I was discouraged about not hearing from the editor in so long. I remembered Cec Murphy’s words, “Hone your craft.”

Honing my craft at that time meant throwing myself into collaborative work. This worked for a while, until I got discouraged again, because I realized—after honing my craft—my hundred thousand plus word manuscript was poorly written. Discouragement and maybe even a bit of depression set in.

The task of completely rewriting this book was daunting and I didn’t even know where to begin. Thoughts of “you’re not good enough—you won’t ever finish,” fueled my discouragement. But during this time, God drew me closer to Himself. He used collaborative writing and the relationships gained there, to strengthen my writing and give me ideas on how to rewrite the book..

Who is your favorite author to read?

Nonfiction favorites from years gone by and currently are Elizabeth Elliot and Lori Roeleveld.

Fiction favorites from years gone by and currently are Lynn Austin, Cindy Sproles, and Liz Tolsma.

What advice can you give aspiring authors that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have heeded?

You have to be prepared for the rejections. Often, we think our words are precious, much like the ring in the movie “Lord of the Rings.” We want to hold tightly to our story, no matter the cost. If we hold on to our words and aren’t willing to submit to the guidelines given, we’re setting ourselves up for rejection.

We also need to understand that even in the rejections, God can still speak to us and birth something new when we get alone with Him. So, be prepared for rejections, but keep persevering.

What are common mistakes you see aspiring writers make?

1-Giving up because of discouragement.

2-Being discouraged because of rejection, including those where submission guidelines weren’t followed.

Maureen Miller is an award-winning author featured in more than twenty collaboratives. She writes for her local newspaper, is a contributing writer for Guideposts, and a featured blogger for several online devotional websites. She loves life in all its forms and enjoys it with her husband and their three children and grandchildren on Selah Farm in western North Carolina. She blogs at www.penningpansies.com, sharing God’s extraordinary character in the ordinary, and she’s finishing her first novel, Gideon’s Book.