***This contest is closed!! Winner was announced here.

***This contest is closed!! Winner was announced here.

***U.S. Residents only, please! To enter the giveaway, you MUST READ Beth’s interview. Refer to something specific in the interview when you leave your comment! YOU MUST leave your EMAIL address in the comment, too! I need your email address to contact you if you win! If you don’t follow the rules, you won’t be entered to win!!

I’m hosting Beth Wiseman on my blog today! I’m giving away a copy of her novel, Plain Peace! Beth has kindly answered these questions:

1.      What influenced you to write Amish fiction? For example, were you raised near an Amish community, or, do you have Amish friends? 

 When I started on this journey, I didn’t know much about being Amish.  But God didn’t just open a window, He flung open large doors…and in I went.  I think that when you are on the right path, things happen effortlessly, and that’s the way it was when I began learning about the Plain People.  I made friends easily, was invited into their homes, and six years later, I’m blessed to have some of the Amish folks on my team, helping me keep the books authentic. 

 2.      How long were you seeking publication before you landed your first book contract?

 I know that’s an easy question, but I have a complicated answer.  I thought myself to be a pretty good storyteller twenty years ago.  In between running a household, holding a full-time job, and raising children, I would jump on the “I want to be published” bandwagon and write.  But, I kept making the same mistake.  I wasn’t studying the craft of writing.  Just like a piano player must practice and learn, so must a writer.  I thought good stories would carry me on to publication.  In 2006, I started to really get serious about publication and began to study the craft.  Eventually, I snagged an agent.  My big break came when Thomas Nelson bought a three-book series from this unpublished author.  And I’ve been happily writing for Thomas Nelson (now under the umbrella of HarperCollins Christian Fiction) ever since.  I’m starting my twentieth book.

 3.      Do you have any advice for other writers who would like to get their novels published? 

 It’s so incredibly cliché, but never give up.  Those who stick it out and really learn the craft will get published.  I really believe that.   

 4.      Do you use critique partner(s)? If so, how long have you had the same critique partner(s)? 

I have never had a critique partner.  I tend to bounce ideas and brainstorm with a couple of non-writer friends, and that seems to work for me.  I’m a seat of the pants writer.  I don’t outline or even like to talk too much about my plots with anyone—until I get hung up on something.  Then I have those ‘go to’ people whom I trust.     

5.      I notice your last two releases, plus your current project, are set in small Texas towns. Why did you decide to set your most recent works in Texas?

I live in a small town in Texas, and it’s quiet and peaceful—most of the time, lol.  I have a sign in my kitchen that reads In a small town, there ain’t much to see, but what you hear sure makes up for it.  Everyone knows everyone in a small town.  And that often makes for a fun story. 

6.      What’s a typical writing day like for you? 

I know most authors would say that there is not a ‘typical’ day in this business.  But I’m structured enough that I like to think I have a typical day lined out, at least some of the time.  I like to get out of bed around 6:30.  Then I have to take care of all my animals.  I have a diabetic cat who needs an insulin shot, a dog with Lupus and she needs a pill, another dog with arthritis and he needs two pills.  Then there are the four goats and two pot-bellied pigs that have to be fed.  I am terrified of birds, so the feeding of the roosters falls on Hubby’s list.  I am keeping my son’s Boxer while he works in Singapore for a year, and Harley does not get along with my other dogs, so I have to move everyone around for her to go outside and potty.  Eventually, I get around to coffee.  Always two cups. 

 I have a lovely office that is my special space, and I usually check emails and try to take care of any administrative stuff before I dive into writing.  I write until about 11 a.m., then tend to break for an early lunch.  In the afternoons, I write from about 1 to 5 p.m.  Then I start dinner.  I try really hard not to work in the evenings but it happens.

And EVERYTHING I’ve mentioned above is subject to change because of a deadline, editor request, the publicist needs something, Agent calls, and so on…  But most days are great days no matter how they are laid out.  I’m super blessed.  

Thanks so much for being on my blog, Beth!

Please leave a comment for the giveaway – and remember the rules – refer to something specific in the interview so that I’ll know you’ve read it!