What do you write?
It’s a question every writer gets, as soon as the word “writer” is mentioned. I try to answer as succinctly as possible. My experience is that they want to make sure to validate my choices without opening up Pandora’s box. Writers can get chatty. I explain that I write in multiple genres, including children’s fiction, historical Christian Fiction, and light suspense espionage. That is usually enough to satisfy any curiosity the casual inquirer may have.
And what are you working on now?
I tell them I’m on book three of my spy series. I offer my “elevator pitch” that the series is a sort of “If Audrey Hepburn was James Bond.” That usually gets the main theme across. If they ask for more, I tell them my main character is a fashion model-turned-spy who is hunting a villain (or two) who is trying to manipulate world currencies for power.
But what type of story is it?
That’s an interesting question to me because now they’re asking to find out if it would be something they would read. The reason I suggest Audrey Hepburn as my heroine-type is because I write “clean” novels. I don’t use R-rated language, explicit sex, or graphic violence in my books. Bad things happen; don’t get me wrong. My villains are plenty mad, perverted, sickening, and evil. Some of my heroes are a little off-kilter, too. (Aren’t we all?) But mostly, my style is much more Mary Higgins Clark than Nora Roberts.
Usually, people respond kindly, though I have had a few who have told me to give them a call when I do include more explicit sex. I don’t have plans for that, by the way.
Why don’t you focus solely on historical Christian fiction?
I do love it. And I may write more in the future. But I am a sci-fi geek-loving, technology-wielding Texas gal, and none of that fits into stories set in 30-54 AD very well. So for now, I’ll work on my spy stories. I’m not suggesting that there aren’t great spy novels out there right now, but I struggle with reading books that bombard me with vulgar language, sickeningly dark plots, and endings without hope. I figure that if I need a respite from that, others do as well.
