Interview with Colleen Coble!

Captain’s Log, Stardate 04.15.2006

Blog Book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is AND BABY MAKES FIVE by Debra Clopton.
You can still enter. Just post a comment on that blog post.
On Monday, I’ll have another giveaway. On Thursday I'll draw the winner for AND BABY MAKES FIVE and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

Interview!

I’ll continue my Mount Hermon recap on Tuesday. Today I have an interview with Colleen Coble! Her latest romantic suspense, ALASKA TWILIGHT, is a Women of Faith novel.

I’m giving away an autographed copy of ALASKA TWILIGHT for my monthly website contest. Go to Camy’s contest page to enter. Also, subscribers to my newsletter YahooGroup “Camy’s Loft” get a chance for two extra entries in the contest. Information is on this post.

Make way for Colleen!

You've written several romances and historicals. How did you get into suspense writing?

I've always wanted to write suspense. In fact, if you look at some of my earlier romance elements, people usually got killed. LOL Suspense is what I read, but it took a while to develop the skills to write it. It's a HARD genre. There are so many threads you have to keep intertwined without dropping one. I got a great agent who helped me hone that first proposal, Without a Trace, then I met Ami McConnell at Mt Hermon Christian Writer's Conference in 2002 and pitched it to her. It was already in her To Be Read pile, and she went right back and pulled it out. It was a happy day when I got the call that WestBow was buying it. Ami and my freelance editor Erin Healy have really helped me hone my mystery and characterization skills.

What's your average body count in a book? And does it increase when your children are exceptionally exasperating?

My kids are grown so I can't blame my murderous instincts on them. LOL I'd guess I kill maybe two people a book. Sometimes only one.

What's your favorite way of offing your characters? Have you ever been tempted to use it on Robin Miller when she does that thing where she can guess your book's killer by chapter 7?

Robin's good, isn't she? If she guesses my killer, I have to go back and fix it. LOL I like to come up with new ways to killl by characters. It's generally not something as mundane as a shooting. I like explosions and volcanoes. LOL

You've won the ACFW Mentor of the Year award twice. What advice can you give to writers who'd like to have a mentor but don't feel up to stalking authors until they give in and agree to help them?

What goes around comes around. Reach out to those around you and help them. Don't be looking at who can help you. Be yourself and be a friend and the relationship you crave will happen. What happens a lot of the time is that we published authors are asked for help before we even develop any kind of relationship. The relationship needs to come first. Be a friend.

Did you have a mentor when you first started writing?

I didn't even KNOW any other writers! That's why I have such a heart for struggling writers. There was no one I could ask when I had questions.

Several of your books have scuba diving. Do you dive?

I don't dive but my kids do. The thought of me in a wetsuit is too hideous to contemplate! We've been going to Hawaii to research my Aloha Reef series and the kids go diving every day. I pester them with questions. I go snorkeling though. LOVE IT!

Who are your favorite authors (not counting your critique group, because we already know they're fabulous)?

Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson. Lots of ACFW writers too but I won't mention them in case I leave out someone.

If you could turn back time, what would you do over again?

I'd start sooner. I didn't start writing until I was nearly forty. I'd also join some groups sooner.

What is your favorite ethnic food?

Mexican! Love it, love it!

What is the weirdest thing Robin Miller has ever done/said to you (assuming you can repeat it)? (She's probably going to kill me when she sees these questions, so I have to get my kicks in before my demise)

That she hates feet. I just found this out recently. LOL

Thanks for the interview! Any parting words?

Read, read, read in the genre you want to write. Don't think you can write everything. Figure out where your strengths are and write to them.

Thanks for having me. Great questions!