What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? As a child I painted a
cat, but we won’t mention that bad moment.
One year
we had a family calendar on our kitchen wall where we wrote everyone’s
schedules down. Each month had a picture of a baby or another scene at the top
with the dates at the bottom. One year my son thought the picture on his birth
month was horrible, so he took a marker and scribbled all over it. He later
ripped it down and threw it in the trash after the month was complete. After he
left the room, I pulled the crumpled page out of the trash can. I decided to
keep the picture, and it showed up in his Christmas gifts. Years later the picture
lives on. It is hidden in another unsuspecting person’s gift at Christmas. This
tradition has been going on for over twenty years.
When did you first discover that you were a
writer? Frequently,
people ask if I grew up wanting to be a writer. Not exactly. As a young girl,
it was quite common to find me in my bedroom reading the latest Nancy Drew or
Trixie Belden books. Years down the road while rocking my baby girl to sleep,
she asked to hear stories about a picture hanging on the wall or about her
toys. She desired new fairytales each time we sat in the rocker for a nap.
Actually, I believe it was her stall method. However, not until my daughter was
in college did I consider penning my first novel. After she read several
unexciting books, my daughter said, “Mom, you could write better than this.”
Challenge
accepted! I was 52 years old. You’re never too old to learn a new craft. My
passion for writing Christian fiction sprouted from her challenge.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy
reading. My
favorite books to read are historical fiction. I love reading about places and
times that I can only imagine about. Castles and historical homes are a
fascination for me as well as the period clothing and challenges of that day. Who
doesn’t love chivalry or a good western? I also enjoy an enticing mystery or a suspense
book that keeps me reading late into the night and makes my heart race. I’m a
big scaredy cat, so I can only handle a few of these each year.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run
world? Putting
Christ first in my life by reading my Bible, attending church and not stressing
over things out of my control keeps me sane. I stopped watching the news long
ago. When my sphere of the world throws ugly things at me, I pray to my God who
is in control of this wacky world. I also try to limit my schedule by not
always saying “yes” to requests—choose wisely! I’ve come to realize it’s OK for
me to take time for myself and not work every second of the day. God never
intended for us to stay busy all the time.
How do you choose your characters’ names? I look up names for the
time period I’m writing and jot down male and female names along with the
correct spelling. Spellings have evolved through the years. I already know my
characters attributes, so I look for a name that “feels” right for their
personality. It’s not a scientific way, just my personal choice. It’s funny
because sometimes a name reminds me of someone from my school days I did or
didn’t like. That plays a part in the selection as well. If we didn’t like each
other, their name might be my villain. Haha.
I’ve used that villain tactic in my writing,
too. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Aside from being a wife
and mother, I’d say one of my favorite accomplishments was when I became a
writer. In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing or where to turn, but
I persevered to write and publish my first book, Heaven Help Us! This first
book took me five years to complete but I never thought to give up. I joined a
writer’s group and watched webinars on writing to better learn the craft. After
accomplishing the initial book, I write and publish one book a year while
holding down the job of wife, Mimi, and working a secular job. I found where
there is a passion, I make time to pursue that passion.
If you were an animal, which one would you be,
and why? I
would be a white, house cat with blue eyes. I’d relax during the day enjoying
the adoration from those who love me, pounce on people when they don’t expect
it, and then when everyone is gone, I’d do what I wanted. Run. Scatter stuff.
Play with things off limits. Nap wherever I felt like it. Chase birds if I’m
outside. Basically, have fun and lay around looking gorgeous!
What is
your favorite food? Are peanut butter and chocolate food? Haha. If not, I love
food with tomato sauce like lasagna, spaghetti, or pizza and I’m not even
Italian.
Yes, they are food and part of my diet as well. What
is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you
overcome it? Keeping
my notes organized was my greatest roadblock with my writing journey. I’d look
up information and jot it down on a sticky note, or a napkin, or a sheet of
loose paper, or in a notebook. My research was scattered. When it was time to
write about a certain character, talk about horseback riding or using a sword,
etc. I’d have to stop my writing to locate my notes that might be in my purse,
wallet, car, desk, or on the kitchen table. One year for Christmas my daughter
got me a Character Development Journal. It’s been a life saver for me. All of
my research about the place, people, foods, weather, etc., is now in one place.
This is a fabulous resource when I’m writing the next book in the series. I’m
able to go back to previous characters without trouble finding my notes.
In book 2,
3, and 4 I’ve chosen a family member to continue the series.
Please give us the first page of the book.
August 5, 1611
There ...
angry voices. Poppa argued with another man! Bam ... bam. She bolted upright at
the sound. Frantically trying to untangle herself from the bedlinens, she heard
a scream. Was someone hurting her grandparents?
In haste,
she grabbed the sword she kept under the bed and stumbled toward the door. She
rushed down the hallway toward the back stairway. She tiptoed halfway down and
paused, listening. Hearing a door slam, she hurried on toward the kitchen.
Hoping to
catch the predator unaware and knock him in the head with the hilt, she snuck
up to the doorway and peeked around the edge. The kitchen stood empty. With the
sword held at ready, she moved farther into the room. Her gaze darted around.
The kitchen stool overturned. Blood dripped from the table and pooled on the
floor. Fear choked her.
With heart
pounding, she followed blood drops toward the kitchen door. Emerging into the
yard, the raging storm slapped her in the face. Rain came down in torrents.
Lightning struck. Where were Nana and Poppa?
She
screamed, “Nana! Poppa!”
In a
matter of seconds her drenched hair blocked her view. She raked her left hand
through the matted mess and saw the barn engulfed in flames!
Oh no,
Cinnamon! She dashed toward the barn to save her horse. She came to an abrupt
halt when Sir Arthur emerged from the door holding a loaded crossbow. He yanked
on the horse’s halter.
He’s
trying to escape on Cinnamon!
Arthur
looked up when the horse twisted in a circle. His eyes connected with hers, her
body an easy target standing in the middle of the yard. With the cottage too
far for
His evil
laughter floated on the wind. “You cannot escape!”
She barely
heard him over the fierce storm. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed, but
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website
is www.teresasmyser.com
Thank you, Teresa, for allowing me to introduce
my blog readers to your book. I’m eager to read it.
Readers, here are links
to the book.
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