Author Interview and Giveaway: Paula Vince

Today I'd like to welcome award-winning Australian author, Paula Vince. Paula's latest book, Imogen's Chance, releases next week, and I'll be reviewing it later in April as part of the Australasian Christian Readers Blog Alliance blog tour (actually, I've already read it, but you're still going to have to wait for the review). 

Please tell us a little about yourself and your family.

I live in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, which is a really pretty corner of the world with four distinct seasons. We’re a homeschooling family comprised of my husband, myself, our three children and our nephew, who boards with us. I have only one daughter, so she gets lots of male company.

What is your favourite genre? Who are your favourite authors?

I like a strong thread of romance, whether this is found in contemporary, historical or fantasy stories. Today, I think my favourite authors are Lynn Austin and Julie Klassen for historical, Chris Coppernoll for contemporary, and James L. Rubart for the supernatural element. This is all subject to change though, so it may not be the same next month. Especially as there so many authors whose books I’ve yet to read.

Isn't that the truth!

What was the last book you read? Would you recommend it?

It was a non-fiction book called ‘Blink’ by Malcolm Gladwell. Some non-fiction authors stimulate my imagination to try to think of interesting and plausible fiction scenarios, and he’s one of them. He comes up with surprising hypotheses and then sets about convincing readers of his evidence for them. In this case, it’s that first impressions and gut instincts are often more reliable than what we come up with after doing loads of research and gleaning information.

I've read Blink - I'm not convinced by all his arguments, but it was certainly a thought-provoking read. 

What kind of books do you write? When and where are they set?

I’ve always called them contemporary romances with threads of mystery and suspense, for they don’t squeeze easily into the pure romance category. I’ve recently learned about the ‘new adult’ genre and decided my books fit that too. My main characters are usually in their early to mid-twenties and face thought-provoking and topical issues.

The books are set in my local environment. I think they are more authentic that way, as I’m so familiar with the setting, I don’t have to research it. I’ve taken Jane Austen’s advice to write about what you know, and it worked brilliantly for her.

Tell us about Imogen’s Chance. What’s it about?

My heroine feels guilty and partly responsible for a couple of horrible events which happened when she was younger. One day, during a vulnerable moment, she vows to return and fix things up if only she gets the chance. For Imogen, back-tracking means returning all the way from America to South Australia. She finds that one of her old friends, Asher, has a problem which seems impossible for her to help with. As he’s one of the people she felt most wary about facing again, she’s unsure how she should behave around him.

Where did the story and characters come from? What were your influences?

One of the themes of this book is divine healing. We’ve surely all heard stories of people who have defied grim medical diagnoses and lived to tell the tale. But is there actually some action required from the patient in their approach to God? What should our attitude be? These are questions I’ve pondered through observing others and reading non-fiction. I wanted to weave it all together into a novel.

Good questions, and I think this is one of the strengths of the novel. 

Who is your favourite character and why? Do you have anything in common with him?

That’s tricky, but I’ve decided to say Asher. He’s different from the male protagonists of my other novels. It dawned on me that I’ve had a tendency to choose the dark, quiet type of hero. I decided I wanted to break the mould, so Asher is blond and far more of a chatterbox. He doesn’t have all that much in common with me at all, which is partly why I’m proud of having created him. I pulled it off.

Yes, you did. I really liked Asher. 

What are you working on at the moment? What other books do you plan to write?

My dad researched his genealogy and asked me to type the notes for him. I learned a lot about my grandfather, who died before I was born. He was one of the ANZACs, serving in both world wars, and also the champion boxer for South Australia in his era. He had such an eventful and noteworthy life, with true stories too good to ignore. I’d love to write it out as an engaging biography, but it would mean writing about history authentically, something I’ve never attempted before. It would be a leap out of my comfort zone.

What is your opinion on the view that Christians should write non-fiction/truth as opposed to fiction/lies?

I’ve come across this view too, and it makes me sad. Perhaps people are missing the broader definition of the word ‘truth’, which I say is an accurate representation of life in all its beauty and messiness. I believe fiction is the perfect vehicle to portray this. It would seem Jesus did too, as the Bible tells us his favourite way of addressing crowds was with parables. Instead of being the visiting pastor or evangelist, as those who only read non-fiction may imagine him, he would have been more like the village storyteller. I’m sure fiction lovers completely get this.

What motivated you to start writing?

I always loved reading and writing stories since I was very small. My first novel was published in 2000, so that may be when I started seriously, although I always dreamed about doing it.

 What made you choose to write for the Christian market?

I remember as a High School student, first seeing Christian fiction. It was a spinning rack of Janette Oke novels in my city’s Christian bookstore, and the year was about 1985. The idea seemed completely unique and unconventional to me and I made up my mind that I wanted to do that too. The fact that we can express our Christian faith in stories struck me as a stroke of genius.

I think I've read every single Janette Oke book ever published. Wonderful stories, with a deep spiritual thread.

What do you see are the main differences between fiction written for the Christian compared to the general market?

I’d love it if such a dichotomy didn’t exist. Then Christian characters could express their faith in Jesus and readers would take it on face value without feeling preached at. Similarly, non-Christian characters could realistically indulge in their usual behaviour without shocking anyone or having the need to be toned down for decorum.

As the world isn’t like this, I think a main difference is that personal faith in Jesus and his love and care for us must be a significant part in the lives of one or more of the main characters of Christian fiction. Another difference is that Christian readers who get tired of not being able to relate to characters in secular novels may enjoy some reading material free of elements such as heavy swearing, one-night-stands or characters getting drunk and hung-over. And, of course, Christian fiction often challenges or strengthens the faith of the readers.

Having said all this, I can see how either ‘Christian’ or ‘secular’ fiction may be considered confrontational and in-your-face by those of opposing viewpoints. I aim to bridge these gaps with plots to interest everyone and characters whose attitudes, including their faith beliefs, are easy to understand and accept in the context of their lives.

Do your novels have an overt faith element?

I think, on the whole, they do. My Christian faith is a big part of my life, but it wasn’t always, so I’ve done a lot of studying and pondering about it. Now it just seems easier to have at least a few characters whose mindsets are similar to mine. I’m also a fan of the saying, “What you see is what you get.” I prefer to be straightforward and up-front without trying to eke it out secretly or symbolically. Some authors can write covert Christian fiction extremely skilfully, but I don’t think I could manage it.

Is writing for the Christian market harder or easier than writing for the general market? Why?

Honestly, I think it’s been easier in several ways. As I said above, it suits me to have characters who think similarly to how I do. Apart from that, the Christian fiction market in Australia has long been a small enough niche that we authors have mostly all heard of each other and can offer support and encouragement, and recommend each other. I once tried writing a more secular trilogy for young adults, and felt that it got swallowed up without much of a ripple. The general market is enormous and making a mark there must surely be far harder than getting known as a good Christian fiction writer in your own country.

What is the hardest part of getting a book written, edited and published?

Definitely the marketing. The end of the production part is the beginning of what I consider the hardest challenge. It can be difficult to achieve the sales results we hope for, even when we’re trying to do all the right things. I wouldn’t call it a competitive industry, as we are all friends willing to recommend each others’ books, but I know many people believe it is. And with a lot of Christian writers out there in the world, people who may well love our books may be hard to reach.

From what I've seen of the Christian fiction market, it's not so much that you are competing (after all, readers will buy and read more than one book a year), but getting the word out to people who might be interested. 

What kind of support from your publisher? What expected to do myself?

The support from my publisher is great. She’s almost single-handedly responsible for many great novels written by Australians and New Zealanders. She’s taken on a huge task and supports her authors with marketing help, distribution, informing us about contests and awards, all on top of producing the books. We are expected to be vigilant to look for opportunities to sell and speak too. After all, the publisher can’t do all this for every author as well as publish.

 What advice do you have for someone seeking to write and publish a novel?

Don’t get carried away with images of yourself getting rich or famous. There is no regular pay check in this business. Don’t expect to have an easy ride. Be prepared to re-write to the extent of slashing out entire scenes if need be, and don’t consider it wasted time. Be self-motivated, as you’ll need to spend lots of quiet time without others to spur you on. Don’t be surprised if you get no interest from those you’d expect to be supportive and great enthusiasm from others who take you completely off guard. If you have a story that’s burning in your heart, please don’t give up. The work will surely be longer and harder than you think, but it will be worth it.

Thanks so much for visiting, Paula! I hope Imogen's Chance does well. 

About the Book 

She has given herself a chance to fix her personal history. But will old mistakes bring up new emotions?
Imogen Browne longs to make up for past mistakes before she can move on. She quietly resolves to help the Dorazio family, whose lives she accidentally upset. Her biggest challenge is Asher, the one person who may never forgive her. And he is facing a crisis of his own. Imogen must tread very carefully, as trying to fix things may well make them shatter.

A sensitive story about misplaced loyalty, celebrating life and falling in love. Can family secrets concealed with the best intentions bear the light of day?

So where can you buy Imogen's Chance? The official release date is 1 April 2014, and it will be available at www.amazon.com from then. 

Paula has one copy of Imogen's Chance to give away today. Leave a comment to be in with a chance to win!
If you are based in Australia or New Zealand, you can also order from Light the Dark, or join the Australian Christian Book Club (as I'm informed Imogen's Chance will be the fiction selection for April). The Australian Christian Book Club gives you a book a month delivered to your home for AUD 5 per week—and if you sign up before 1 April 2014, you will get AUD 180 worth of books absolutely free!.

About Paula Vince

Award-winning author, Paula Vince loves to evoke tears and laughter through her novels. A wife and homeschooling mother of three, she resides in the beautiful Adelaide Hills of South Australia. Her youth was brightened by great fiction and she’s on a mission to pay it forward.

Her novel, Picking up the Pieces, won the religious fiction section of the 2011 International Book Awards. Her novel, Best Forgotten, was winner of the 2011 CALEB Award in the fiction category and also recognized as the best overall entry for the year, chosen over memoirs, devotionals and general non-fiction.

Paula’s books are a skilful blend of drama and romance tied together with elements of mystery and suspense. 

You can find Paula online at:

Amazon
Facebook
Twitter
Deeper Shopping

She also writes and contributes to several blogs:

It Just Occurred to Me ...
Vince Review
Australasian Christian Writers
Christian Writers Downunder
International Christian Fiction Writers