Interview with Award-Winning Author Susan Campbell

Can you share a little about your recent book?

My mom always called the period of time when people are becoming friends the “Ddo you like peas?” stage. This is when you are learning about each other’s likes, dislikes, and backgrounds.

Do You Like Peas? is a story about Olive and Marie, two friends whose friendship began with this simple question. As their friendship blooms, they discover a new friend who is actually everyone’s friend — including yours!

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

Since my writing is faith-based, my goal is to equip women with tools to do life as Jesus would. My writing theme focuses on living a wild and wonderful life. I believe a wild life does not have to be defined only by hard, crazy and difficult circumstances. A wild life can also describe the exciting and passionate times too. I’ve discovered that often wildly hard and wildly good happen at the same time. No matter what, though, Jesus promises to join us right where we are, and that makes life wonderful.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing on and off for twenty-five years. But serious book writing for seven.

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?

Both of my books (A Wild & Wonderful Life and Do You Like Peas?) are self-published. However, I utilized a professional book designer and professional editor to assist me in the book writing process and development.

Which of your books is your favorite?

I’ve written two books for two distinct audiences, so I can’t say I have a favorite. A Wild & Wonderful Life is written (primarily) for women who desire to live out their “immeasurably more” Jesus story while Do You Like Peas? was created for children. However, I might add that the Do You Like Peas? story line is based entirely on Chapter 1 of A Wild & Wonderful Life.

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

I’ll tell you a secret. Do You Like Peas? is based on the true story of me and my best friend. So yes, I do have a favorite character; it’s Marie, who is my best friend in real life.

Tell us about an award you won that was particularly meaningful.

The Illumination Book Awards are designed to honor the year’s best new titles written and published with a Christian worldview. Illumination Book Awards honored Do You Like Peas? with a silver medal. For me, this was meaningful because it recognized my book as exemplary among many new children’s books released in 2019.

How long does it take you to write a book?

That is a difficult question to answer. My first book took seven years from start to finish. I took a leave of absence from it for about five years. My second book, a children’s book, was completed in a year with the actual writing encompassing about 3 months and the remainder of time dedicated to editing and illustration work.

What’s your writing work schedule like?

Sporadic. I am not a disciplined every-day writer. Yet, when committed to a project, I am usually writing most days.

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

I’m not sure if I have a quirk per se, but I seem to be able to write best after “chores” are done. This means I cannot have any distractions around me. If something is fun or inviting, I’m in trouble.

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

Perhaps my greatest joy comes when a reader says they had an “aha” moment. Knowing that something I’ve written has had an impact on someone’s life is huge.

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

I had just completed the rough draft of my first book, but couldn’t seem to move on to the editing stage. During a late-night conversation with my grown son, he asked me why I was unable to finish the book. I answered him by saying, “Honestly, Satan is sitting on my shoulder and he’s telling me that I am not a good writer and that no one will read my book.” In response, my son asked me the most life-changing author question, “Mom, let’s say you finished and published your book, and yet, only one person read it. However, because that one person read your book, their life was transformed in a dramatic way or they met Jesus because of your writing, would you still finish your book?” I knew at that moment I had to complete my book and make my simple message available. A year later, the book was released.

How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?

I have been rejected too many times to count! Rejection can be a good thing if it helps you re-evaluate. Perhaps the topic isn’t perceived as relevant or meaningful. Perhaps it’s not the right time to share a particular message. Maybe an idea needs to be polished, clarified, or re-worded. These are all potential reasons for rejections. It is important to be able to share clearly what you are trying to say, how it’s being said, and managed in a timely fashion. If you feel like you have addressed potential reasons for rejection and still feel confident about your writing and message, don’t give up!

Where do you get your ideas?

My ideas come from life experiences and Scripture. I keep a file of stories and ideas so I can refer back to them when I need an example or inspiration.

Who is your favorite author to read?

I can’t say that I have a favorite author. I enjoy reading historical fiction and any fiction with a good story-line and interesting characters. I read a lot of non-fiction Christian and faith-based books and enjoy the ones that expand on Scripture in new and interesting ways. Irwin McManus is an author who I think does this.

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

I was given the advice to hire a professional editor. Quality sentence structure, proper grammar and good writing flow are musts in writing. A good editor will help you with these things.

What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make?

Some common mistakes I see are lack of good editing and authors who wish their books would sell rather than working to sell their books.

Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?

Writing your book is only the beginning of the book process. Unless you are satisfied with a limited amount of book sales, your time and commitment must be built into your book release. Utilize friends, family and other relationships to help tell your book story. This is a nice start to building your author platform, which is one of the most important aspects of marketing your book (other than good writing!).

Bio

Susan Campbell is the author of two books, A Wild & Wonderful Life and Do You Like Peas?  Founder of More Than You Imagine Ministries, Susan loves Jesus and loves the hearts of women. She has trained thousands of women on the Bible, leadership, volunteerism and program development during her twenty-some years of serving and hanging out with women. Her desire is to equip women with tools that help them live a wild and wonderful life. Learn more about Susan at morethanyouimagine.org.
Susan’s books are available at Morethanyouimagine.org, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.