interview with author tricia goyer.. :)

I recently had the opportunity to ask a Tricia Goyer, a favorite writer of mine, some questions about her life and her work as a part of her blog tour...

Tara: How did you get started as a writer?

Tricia: I sold an article to Light and Life Magazine at the very first writer’s conference I attended. I didn’t sell another one for two years. I think that first article was God’s encouragement that I was on the right track.

Tara: Which of your books has been your favorite to write so far? Why?

Tricia: Wow, that is a HARD question, but I'd have to say my favorite to write so far is my next novel to be released this fall A Shadow of Treason. That book was fun because I was able to continue on with the characters from A Valley of Betrayal. A first for me! It was fun because a minor character--someone I'd least expected ended up becoming a MAJOR character and deepening the plot in an exciting way. It was also fun because there is a mystery involved that totally was a blast to research and figure out. I was able to take a true part of history and create intrigue around it. Fun!

Tara: You have worked a lot with MOPS, right? If you could give young mothers some encouragement and/or advice, what would you tell them?

Tricia: I would tell moms not to get too overwhelmed with trying to do everything right ... according to what the world thinks is best, but instead to turn to God and seek His opinion. So many times we want to do everything/be everything for our kids and this is impossible. Yet, when I get away, pray for my kids, bring them before God, and seek His wisdom I'm amazed how he simplifies things and reminds me the heart is the most important part.

Tara: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Tricia: I like to hang out with my family. We travel A LOT during high school basketball season--on the road nearly every weekend from November to Feb. We watch TV shows together, watch movies, play board games, and DDR (Dance, dance revolution). In between books I try to get up house organized and catch up on what fell behind during deadline, but it doesn't work too well because I get a lot of new ideas when I'm cleaning and organizing, and I end up back at the keyboard! I also go to lunch with friends and take my grandma shopping, which she loves.

Tara: Who or what inspired you new book, A Valley of Betrayal?

Tricia: When I was researching for my novel, Arms of Deliverance, one of the autobiographies I read was from a man who was a B-17 bomber pilot over Europe --but before that he was an American volunteer for The Spanish Civil War. I had never heard of this war before, which happened right before WWII in Spain . I started researching and I was soon fascinated. Some people call it "the first battle of WWII" because it's where that Nazis first tried their hand at modern warfare.

Tara: Do you have anything in particular you'd like to mention about A Valley of Betrayal?

Tricia: This book was very challenging because I knew nothing about The Spanish Civil War before I started. Yet, I felt sure that God was leading me to write these books, and God (again) taught me to trust Him. When He gives me an idea for a novel it is so BIG. I mean there is so much to pull together. Yet, God has shown me time and time again that He is faithful. He gives me ideas, leads me to the right research books, and even brings people into my life to help me!

One example with this book is that God brought someone also to help. A man named Norm Goyer contacted me because his was working on his family tree and he wanted to know if we were related. We weren’t related, but Norm ended up being a airplane expert and consultant for movies. Norm ended up helping me with research on my German pilot in Spain . I think it was an awesome gift from God!

This again shows me that what ever God brings before me, He also has the power to help me succeed.

Tara: What is a Bible verse that means a lot to you? What is special about it in your life?

Tricia:I LOVE Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV):
"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."'
It says SOOO much in so little. God is with me. He saves me from the troubles of life (in addition to saving my soul!). He quiets me when I get stressed out ... and He delights and me and rejoices over me with singing. That just does something for my heart. As someone who always notices my weakness I'm reminded that I'm a delight to God!

Tara: What made you get involved with speaking in addition to writing?

Tricia: I think that people assume you speak when you're a writer. You have a platform with your books, and they like to hear the message spoken too. Personally, I'm FAR more comfortable sharing my heart via my keyboard than speaking, but I LOVE connecting with people. I love hearing their feedback and seeing how my words encourage or inspire them.

Tara: Anything else you'd like to add?

Tricia: My next novel, A Shadow of Treason, picks off where A Valley of Betrayal leaves off. It starts THE DAY the first book ends. It continues on in Spain in the lives of these characters, and ... well, soon they discover that more is at stake than what any of them originally thought. It's also published by Moody and it will hit store shelves September 1, 2007.
Generation NeXt Marriage will be released in January of 2008 and My Life unScripted, a teen devotional for girls, this summer. And, of course, I've got several other projects in the works, including A Whisper of Freedom, which is the next novel I have to write.
Thank you so much for having me. God Bless!

Thank you, Tricia!!

Be sure to visit Tricia's blog at It's Real Life..