Tricia Goyer’s Website makes a
bold statement: “Tricia believes ordinary women can accomplish
extraordinary things with God’s help.” After reading many of Tricia’s
books, and talking with her, I’ve discovered that the Lord has indeed
impassioned Tricia with a message that saturates every aspect of her
life.
Tricia’s experiences that have
solidified her faith so that she effectively reaches out to others with
God’s hope-filled promises. She encourages everyone to find out what
God means for them to do with the opportunities, both positive and
negative, they have been given.
As
the mom of four, a home school teacher, and the author of more than
twenty-five books and hundreds of articles, Tricia’s life is rich in
blessings, which she shares through speaking engagements, radio
interviews, and writing.
Choices you
made in your early teen years ended your high school career rather
abruptly. How did you discover your love and talent for writing in
spite of all that was taking place in your life?
I grew up a reader, and even
though I made many, many mistakes in high school (especially in
relationships with boys), I was a good student. When I got pregnant at
seventeen, I dropped out of high school. Thankfully, I was able to
finish my high school credits a home. I even took a year’s worth of
college classes the next year, but my education ended as I got married
and had more kids right away.
Spiritually and emotionally, my
lowest point was when I was pregnant at seventeen. I was depressed and
thought my life was over. Thankfully, God got a hold of me during that
time and I dedicated my life to Him. Slowly, as I grew closer to God, I
felt Him healing me from the pain and shame of my past. When I was
twenty-two years old, I was pregnant with my third baby, and my friend
from church told me she was working on a novel. When she said that an
excited feeling bubbled up in me. In that instant, I knew it was
something I wanted to do, even though I hadn’t written a word.
How have your
early life experiences impacted your writing?
Good question! There are many
things in my growing up years that weren’t
picture-perfect. I didn’t
know my biological dad, so I had a lot of questions and feelings of
loss. I felt disconnected from my stepdad, and then I experienced the
pain of dating relationships and teen pregnancy. On the flip side of
that, I had a very godly and loving example in my mom and grandparents.
All of this, of course, comes out in my novels. In From Dust
and Ashes Helene was an abandoned and pregnant Nazi officer’s
wife. In Arms of Deliverance Mary is trying to gain
the approval of her father that she didn’t know while growing up, and
she gets herself into dangerous situations. I also talked about how the
growing up years of Gen Xers impacted our relationships in Generation
NeXt Parenting and Generation NeXt Marriage.
So really, all these things come out in my writing. Sometimes not
intentionally, and sometimes intentionally. There are times when I tap
into those emotions, pull them back out, and use them in my characters.
Also, since I had a dark time in my past, I feel I can connect with
readers who may not have the picture-perfect life.
Do you
encourage other women who are struggling through difficult situations
to use writing/journaling as a tool? Why or why not?
Oh, definitely! My writing as
been therapy for me. I keep a journal that I write in many times a
week. All my thoughts and emotions go in there. I’m actually sort of
scared what my kids are going to think when they read them someday!
Writing for publication isn’t
any different. As I work on a piece I have to really think through my
emotions and what I want to say. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m
feeling until I get the words on the page. I’ve had my husband read my
work and say, “So that's how you feel?” I smile and say, “Yeah.”
Have you
always had a passion for historical research? Where do you get your
ideas for your historical fiction stories?
My first ideas for historical
fiction came from an unexpected meeting with a historian near
Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. She told me amazing stories
about the liberation of the camp by twenty-three recon soldiers from
the 11th Armored Division. In writing From Dust and Ashes,
I interviewed many of those men and their fellow soldiers. This
launched my love of interviewing people who lived through the events.
In researching Songbird
under a German Moon, I interviewed a veteran who was part of
the occupation forces in Germany at the end of WWII and other veterans
who were in Bayreuth near the end of the war. For Love Finds
You in Victory Heights, Washington, my newest novel cowritten
with Ocieanna Fleiss, Ocieanna and I interviewed former “Rosies” who
worked in the B-17 bomber plants in WWII. The women gave us an insight
of what it was like to work in the plant. They were amazing! We even
got “close” when we were researching for Love Finds You in
Lonesome Prairie, Montana, set in 1889. Ocieanna and I
interviewed a ninety-three-year-old man whose parents were some of the
first settlers in Lonesome Prairie. He grew up there. How cool is that?
Do you have a
favorite era that you like to visit fictionally? What is it? Why is it
your favorite?
My favorite era is WWII, perhaps
because I’ve interviewed so many WWII veterans. Their heroism and
stories transport me back to that time. Also, my favorite place in the
world is Prague, Czech Republic. There are many places there where I go
that I can “feel” like I’m back in the 1940s. Sometimes I feel I’ve
lived in that time … maybe because I have through the pages of my
novel.
|
You
have chosen to homeschool your children. How does that work out with
your writing schedule and speaking engagements?
When I first started speaking. I
was getting a lot of requests, and I was gone two to four times a
month. We discovered very quickly that wasn’t going to work for our
family, and I’ve cut back on my speaking. I speak no more than once a
month. This has worked better with our family and this season of
life—especially since we adopted a new baby girl in March!
As for my writing schedule, I
have to be flexible. When the kids were young I homeschooled in the
morning and wrote in the afternoon. When my kids got older, I worked on
my writing as the kids did their homeschool work. We were all in the
same room, and I was there to teach and help as needed. When my kids
got to their junior year, I enrolled them in Junior college. My two
oldest have graduated from that. Now I’m just homeschooling my
sixteen-year-old. Poor kid, I’m trying to fill in his homeschooling
schedule with everything I wanted to do with the other two kids but
never got around to.
Do your
children share your love for writing? Have you been able to use writing
as a teaching tool?
All three of my children are
great writers, but only my boys enjoy it. Both of them have novels they
are working on. I keep encouraging them to finish! In our
homeschooling, I was a strong teacher in language arts and … well,
weaker in science and math. Poor kids! But they can give a good
critique on a novel or movie!
With more than
twenty-five books in print, and with numerous awards credited to your
writing skills, do you have a story that is your favorite? If so, why?
My favorite novel I’ve written
is Night Song. It’s set in Czechoslovakia, need I
say more?
Were your
speaking engagements/workshops born out of your writing career? Or was
that something that developed separately? Do the two compliment each
other?
I’m a writer who speaks. I never
thought of speaking until I started getting asked. It’s been a learning
curve for sure. It’s a different art form that has its own skill set. I
do think writing and speaking compliment each other because both are
about story and about meeting the needs of an audience.
You really
seem to have a heart for women and the problems/stresses that are
unique to our gender. Is there a “most frequent” stumbling block in
women’s lives that you have observed? Have you ever addressed that in
fiction?
I think the most frequent
stumbling block is that women fill their lives with so many things and
we don’t take time to dream, to develop our talents and passions. We
are too busy to experience God daily … and follow His lead in amazing
ways. I’ve talked about this in my nonfiction books, but I haven’t
explored it in fiction yet. Hmmm … something to consider!
You recently
wrote a nonfiction book about a young girl named Kristen Anderson. How
did you come to know this young lady? What did you learn from writing
her story?
I was at a publisher’s breakfast
when I sat next to this wonderful woman named Margaret McSweeny. I was
telling Margaret by my passions and writing when she stopped me. “I
think you need to write a book about a young woman named Kristen
Anderson.” I get that often—people telling me books I should write—so I
didn’t think much about it. Then Margaret set up a time for Kristen and
me to talk. When I talked to Kristen and heard her story the first
time, I knew I did have to write it. It’s a story
about miracles and God’s transformation of lives.
As for writing the story, it was
one of the hardest I’ve ever written. I worked hard to make it as
true-to-life as possible. It was like peeling away layers as I wrote.
Kristen did an amazing job, allowing me into her life and heart. And I
discovered that some stories take time, but are worth it.
What current
project are you working on? Can you share a sneak peek?
I’m currently working on a three
book Amish series for B&H. This series is about a young Amish
woman whose family moves from Indiana to Montana. Like all of my
novels, it was inspired by true events. The first novel will be out in
April.
Here’s a link:http://bit.ly/aaVAcV
What exciting
things is God doing you your life right now?
There are three exciting things.
First, I’m enjoying our new baby girl. She’s four months old and a
great joy! Second, I’m getting settled into Little Rock, Arkansas. We
moved here in April when my husband got a job for Family Life. It’s an
amazing organization. I’ve started blogging for them, on their MomLife
Today blog (http://www.momlifetoday.com), and more things are in the
works. Finally, I’ve launched into radio. I’ve enjoyed interviewing
amazing guests on my show Living Inspired. I invite
you to listen. Past guests include Robin Jones Gunn, Liz Curtis Higgs,
Kim Woodhouse and more! (Visit
http://www.toginet.com/shows/livinginspired.)
Any closing
words you’d like to share with your readers?
Remember that God has good plans
for you. I’m so thrilled that God has connected my passions and talents
with work that can glorify Him. Ask God to show you
what His plans are for you … and be willing to follow!
Kim
Ford has been a resident of
Alabama for more than ten years. Originally from Georgia, she holds a
Bachelor’s degree in English from Brenau Women’s College. She has spent
the past 9 years in sales and marketing and has been an avid reader of
Christian Fiction for more than 20 years.
A mother of two teen sons and married to a technical writer and Army
veteran, Kim’s life is full and blessed. She and her husband also
volunteer as teachers for a resident rehab program for women with
life-controlling issues. She uses her fiction to encourage the ladies
she teaches. She blogs at: Window
To My World
|
