Lisa T. Bergren

I've enjoyed Lisa's books for many years. This new series is a real departure for her. One I think you'll like.

Lisa, tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

What I am experiencing, learning, struggling with, battling, appreciating, loving—pretty much any verb you can think of—always ends up in my characters’ lives. I’m usually pretty heavily invested in the main character, living her feelings and experiences. Not to say that I’ve done everything they’ve done, by any means. I get to fall short and sin and adventure outward and find out the repercussions through my fiction—exploration without the real-life pain! So I’m in there, but in bits and pieces.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Asked a man in a parking garage in Avignon, France, if he would show me how to put my rental car in reverse. (Okay, quit laughing. It was hard. There was an extra button.) I was sure I’d end up on a one-way street in this medieval city, going the wrong way, with a bunch of people yelling at me in French when I couldn’t turn around!

That does sound like a dilemma. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I won a poetry contest as a third-grader.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Spiritual memoirs, biographies, history books, fast-paced literary fiction, fast-paced mindless fiction. I used to read cereal boxes as a kid. Now every book I read has to be worth the time I put into it—so I allow myself to set aside a book I don’t like within 50 pages.

That sounds like a good plan. What other books have you written, whether published or not?

I began with contemporary romances (Refuge, Torchlight, Treasure, Chosen, Pathways, Firestorm); moved on to historical women’s fiction (Captain’s Bride, Deep Harbor, Midnight Sun); moved on to general contemporary fiction (The Bridge, Christmas Every Morning); moved on to medieval spiritual suspense (The Begotten, The Betrayed, and the upcoming The Blessed). I’ve also written children’s books (God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Two, God Gave Us Christmas and the upcoming How Big is God?), a women’s book/Bible study (What Women Want) a devotional (The Busy Mom’s Devotional), a creative prayer book called God Encounter and a couple of gift books and novellas.

I hope you'll come back for an interview when The Blessed releases. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I don’t, always. I wish I did. Some days are just survival days. But I’m endeavoring to have fewer of those by saying no to the extraneous and yes to the more meaningful—time with family, good friends, and God.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

A baby name book with boys and girls names from around the world, including meanings. I have to be able to pronounce them in my head and like the way they sound/feel and what it says about my character. It’s a big thing for me!

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Can I give you four?

Of course you can.

Solid marriage to my best friend; great family/kids; growing discipleship; 28 books with my name on the cover—cool, on all 4 counts!

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Bald eagle. Strong birds no one messes with, the job perk of getting to soar over mountains, lakes and streams, and they get to eat salmon, which I might even like raw. I think. You know, if I was an eagle…

What is your favorite food?

Salmon, halibut, steak. A better question for me is what I don’t like—eggplant, zucchini, or any other jiggly veggie.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Getting my rear-end in the chair to just get the writing done. Only deadlines and the need for a paycheck seems to motivate me past this dilemma.


What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Get thee to the nearest writer’s conference, subscribe to Writer’s Digest and read like crazy in the genre you wish to write.

Lisa, how can readers find you on the Internet?

www.LisaTawnBergren.com - You can sign up for a free monthly newsletter, which includes a devotional, there too!

Lisa, thank you for the wonderful interview. These books are near the top of my to-be-read pile. I can hardly wait.

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