Hi, peeps. Today we take a peek into the writerly heart of author Fay Lamb. Isn't that a cool cover, by the way?
DK: When you’re not writing, what do you like most to read?
FL: I love to read romantic suspense, but any story with quirky characters is an invitation to get away. The novel BLISS, by Tracy Bowden and Jenness Walker, has been an absolutely favorite. I love to laugh, and I laughed from page one until the very last well-placed line of that book.
DK: I'll have to get that one! I love to laugh. And you--if you didn’t write in your chosen genre, which would you write? Why?
FL: I'd write contemporary romance, not necessarily formulaic. While I have written formula romance, I like to tell a story that goes so much deeper than the love of two people. I like to show relationships with issues, lots and lots of issues and conflicts to overcome.
DK: That’s the best kind of romance of all! Where do you see the fiction market going in the near-term?
FL: Since God spoke His creation into being, storytelling has been a part of mankind. God's Word is full of true-life stories. Jesus used fiction to speak into the needs of those who sought Him. While I believe the fiction market is going through some pains caused by fast-growing technology, I don't believe the desire for a good story will ever fade.
I'm going to get in trouble with my next statement, but here goes: I believe Christian fiction will suffer if the publishers do not begin to understand their market. I was appalled when I sat across from an editor from one of the larger Christian publishing houses, and I was told that my writing was too complex for Christian readers. I decided at that moment to seek a Christian publisher that had a better opinion of their readers and who realizes that secular publishers reach across the aisle to attract Christian readers. In the same way, with stories that do not compromise God's truths, Christian publishers need to reach across those aisles and touch secular readers with stories of light and life—stories with meaning, stories that have the Only Answer to every dilemma.
DK: There isn’t one little bit of your statement with which I disagree! C-fic has many different subsets of readers, and so must become more inclusive. What has been your biggest challenge since you decided to seek publication?
FL: As mentioned above, my biggest challenge was finding a publisher that looked beyond formula and taboo subjects and realized that BECAUSE OF ME is a book that speaks of God's love, and shows the truth behind Romans 8:28: No matter what we face, what we've gotten ourselves into, God proclaims, "…all things work together for good" to those who love Him. That's a hard Scripture to embrace when we're walking through the fire, but when we're on the other side, and refined through our heartache and pain, it's one of the most wonderful verses to cling to.
DK: True, and precious beyond words. What about your favorite authors? Care to give us a few names?.
FL: My all time favorite author is James A. Michener, but I add to that list: Margaret Daley, Karen Ball, Francine Rivers, Rachel Hauck, John Grisham and Sharyn McCrumb.
DK: Sharyn McCrumb is one of my all time faves. Those books are hoots! About you, now--care to share a writing habit you cannot do without?
FL: One of my habits is what I call "free writing." It's allowing myself time to play with story and character. If I'm working on a novel, inevitably, another story will call out to me. The characters want me to come and play. You never know when a character is going to step on stage and give you the story of a lifetime. So what I do is promise myself that if I get a certain amount of writing done on the current work in progress, I can go and play with characters from another neighborhood.
Fay, thanks for being on JTTS, and thanks for your candor.
FL: I love to read romantic suspense, but any story with quirky characters is an invitation to get away. The novel BLISS, by Tracy Bowden and Jenness Walker, has been an absolutely favorite. I love to laugh, and I laughed from page one until the very last well-placed line of that book.
DK: I'll have to get that one! I love to laugh. And you--if you didn’t write in your chosen genre, which would you write? Why?
FL: I'd write contemporary romance, not necessarily formulaic. While I have written formula romance, I like to tell a story that goes so much deeper than the love of two people. I like to show relationships with issues, lots and lots of issues and conflicts to overcome.
DK: That’s the best kind of romance of all! Where do you see the fiction market going in the near-term?
FL: Since God spoke His creation into being, storytelling has been a part of mankind. God's Word is full of true-life stories. Jesus used fiction to speak into the needs of those who sought Him. While I believe the fiction market is going through some pains caused by fast-growing technology, I don't believe the desire for a good story will ever fade.
I'm going to get in trouble with my next statement, but here goes: I believe Christian fiction will suffer if the publishers do not begin to understand their market. I was appalled when I sat across from an editor from one of the larger Christian publishing houses, and I was told that my writing was too complex for Christian readers. I decided at that moment to seek a Christian publisher that had a better opinion of their readers and who realizes that secular publishers reach across the aisle to attract Christian readers. In the same way, with stories that do not compromise God's truths, Christian publishers need to reach across those aisles and touch secular readers with stories of light and life—stories with meaning, stories that have the Only Answer to every dilemma.
DK: There isn’t one little bit of your statement with which I disagree! C-fic has many different subsets of readers, and so must become more inclusive. What has been your biggest challenge since you decided to seek publication?
FL: As mentioned above, my biggest challenge was finding a publisher that looked beyond formula and taboo subjects and realized that BECAUSE OF ME is a book that speaks of God's love, and shows the truth behind Romans 8:28: No matter what we face, what we've gotten ourselves into, God proclaims, "…all things work together for good" to those who love Him. That's a hard Scripture to embrace when we're walking through the fire, but when we're on the other side, and refined through our heartache and pain, it's one of the most wonderful verses to cling to.
DK: True, and precious beyond words. What about your favorite authors? Care to give us a few names?.
FL: My all time favorite author is James A. Michener, but I add to that list: Margaret Daley, Karen Ball, Francine Rivers, Rachel Hauck, John Grisham and Sharyn McCrumb.
DK: Sharyn McCrumb is one of my all time faves. Those books are hoots! About you, now--care to share a writing habit you cannot do without?
FL: One of my habits is what I call "free writing." It's allowing myself time to play with story and character. If I'm working on a novel, inevitably, another story will call out to me. The characters want me to come and play. You never know when a character is going to step on stage and give you the story of a lifetime. So what I do is promise myself that if I get a certain amount of writing done on the current work in progress, I can go and play with characters from another neighborhood.
Fay, thanks for being on JTTS, and thanks for your candor.
3 comments:
Great interview, ladies! Fay, I think you'll find that you're in no trouble at all for voicing an opinion about the need for Christian pubs to be more inclusive. I, for one, completely, whole-heartedly agreed!
I loved "Bliss" too. Great interview Fay...
Such a nice interview with Fay....I think she is a kind person who really goes the extra mile to help her fellow authors. It's great that she speaks up regarding the need for changes in the field of Christian publishing.
GO FAY~~ :)
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