Ocieanna: This book wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Carlton Garborg. As much as I loved writing, I'd been pursuing publication for so long that I was getting discouraged from all the rejections.
Discouragement is a very real part of writing and creeps up in many different ways. So, I prayed a lot about it and even considered stopping writing. What I finally decided was that I wouldn't stop writing (how could I?), but I would stop pursuing publication. I would just write for God's glory and my own joy and let go of all the other stuff.
This decision created a huge amount of relief and revitalized my love for writing. I was very content ...
A few months later, out of the blue, I received a Facebook message from my friend Carlton asking if I wanted to write for his publishing company. I've known Carlton for years and knew he had recently started a new publishing company, but I thought it was only for non-fiction and I didn't know the name. Well, since I wasn't pursuing publication, I didn't respond! I was very impolite and didn't even return his message (shame on me!).
In the meantime, my critique friend told me about this new company called Summerside. She was all excited and said it had received lots of good reviews and was the newest "thing."
At this point, a friend told me God was opening a door and I'd better walk through. I was very happy to do so (although a bit scared, too.) So, I wrote up some synopses and they liked the idea that Tricia Goyer and I had come up with a few years before.
So you can see how vital Carlton was in this whole process!
Tricia: Yes, it was one of those “Surprise we love your idea” moments! Ocieanna and I had come up with an idea with Rosie the Riveters years ago. Summerside loved this idea, but after working through a release date challenge (I couldn't release two WWII books within the same season) Ocieanna and I came up with the idea for Lonesome Prairie, and we started with that one first.
There are other people who helped us too. One of them was Hank at the Fort Benton Historical society, who helped us with research. Hank also connected us with Keith Edwards who is 91-years-old and whose parents were some of the first settlers in Lonesome Prairie. Many of Keith's true stories made it in to the novel!
If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?
Tricia: I have some fun things coming up next year. First, I'll be speaking at two Hearts at Home Conferences. I'll also be teaching the Teen Track at the Mt. Hermon Christian Writer's Conference—two of my favorite audiences, moms and teens!
If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?
O: Super easy! Hawaii—Maui to be specific. I love it there. Sometimes the cloudy northwest gets a little depressing.
T: The Czech Republic! I've been there twice for mission trips and I love it there. We're going back in 2010, which excites me!
If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?
O: Rather than chasing after getting published, pursue excellence and hide in Christ, leaving the results to God.
T: Think about the “one story” you would want to tell before you die and tell that story. Don't worry if you think that story is “in” right now. If you write the story that God has placed on your heart there will be a place for it.
You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])
O: I like people who have lots of intellectual thoughts and ideas. So, I’d invite Newt Gingrich for his grasp of history, RC Sproul so we could talk theology, and U2 just because they’re cool.
T: Tom Hanks or Clint Eastwood, because they both have a passion for WWII like I do. Third Day, Hillsong United, Sara Groves, and Fernando Ortega … my favorite musicians!
New Yorker Julia Cavanaugh never meant to be a mail-order bride. When Julia finds herself stranded in Lonesome Prairie, Montana, unwittingly promised to an uncouth miner, she turns to a respected circuit preacher to protect her from the marriage.
Tricia: It's a fun, sweet, and heart-warming read.
Tricia and Ocieanna, thank you for spending this time with us.
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