Laurie GermaineI have a tolerate-hate relationship with Twitter, but one shining positive on this forum is the #writingcommunity. No matter your published status, political bent, religious beliefs, etc., you are sure to find a niche in the Twitter writing community.
This is where I’ve discovered some fellow writers I wish lived closer to me so we could physically meet for coffee and while away the next hour laughing and swapping stories. One of these people is Kellie Parker-Vanhorn, whose novel, Fatal Flashback, released earlier this month with Love Inspired. Despite her busy schedule, she graciously agreed to an interview, so let’s get to it! (Links at the bottom; all bold font is my addition.)
Laurie: I believe Fatal Flashback is your debut novel, correct? I’ve seen some pics you’ve shared on Twitter of it displayed in brick-and-mortar bookstores—yay! And congratulations. 🙂 I imagine everything surrounding its release has been thrilling, scary, overwhelming, surreal—to name a few. Has any emotion caught you by surprise during the process of getting your book ready for the reading public?
Kellie: Yes, Fatal Flashback is my debut. Thank you, it’s so exciting! I think I’ve run through the entire gamut of emotions since I got “the call” back in February, even losing sleep as I imagined what it would be like to finally hold my book in my hands. (A moment that was not a letdown, I can assure you!) Honestly, though, the last few weeks have been so overwhelming between the book release, kids’ activities, and the upcoming holidays, this month has been a lot more stressful than I expected. I was also caught off guard by some anxiety over my book going public—I love my story and I’m proud of it, but this will be the first time many of my friends and acquaintances read anything I’ve written, and it’s surprisingly nerve-wracking talking to people about it!
Laurie: What kind of research did you do for Fatal Flashback and how long did you spend researching before you began writing? What aspect did you enjoy the most? What aspect did you enjoy the least?
Kellie: When I came up with the story idea, I didn’t know a whole lot about the FBI or the National Park Service beyond television shows and my own interactions with park rangers, so I had to spend a fair amount of time researching the different types of jobs and job qualifications to make my characters realistic. I had visited Big Bend National Park, the story’s setting, but I spent hours poring over maps of the area as I constructed the plot. Since the story has an amnesia angle, I had to read up on head injuries also.
I’m not sure how many hours of research went into the finished story, but it was all done over the course of several years and rewrites. I tend to start writing after doing only a minimal amount of research and then insert questions into my draft to look up later. That way I can focus my research time on the things that are most relevant to the story. Probably my favorite part was studying Big Bend itself, along with park ranger jobs. I’m part scholar (aka nerd) at heart, so I really enjoyed all the research, but if I couldn’t be a writer, I wouldn’t mind being a park ranger.
Laurie: What compelled you to write this story? Did it grow from a spontaneous idea? Was there a theme you wanted to flesh out and share? Were there times in the writing process when you wanted to give up? If so, how did you push through those times?
Kellie: My first inspiration for this story came out of a camping trip to Big Bend a very long time ago when I was in grad school. I didn’t have any spare time to start writing fiction back then, but the characters and the theme about trusting God slowly simmered in the back of my mind. My first attempt at a complete draft was pretty pathetic, but I revised it and managed to get the first few chapters in front of a couple of top Christian editors. This was nearly nine years ago now. When they both rejected it, I set the manuscript aside and focused on other things in life, like wrangling my three young children.
The funny thing about being a writer, though, is that in a way you can’t quit, even when you try. The characters come tapping on your shoulder, and then other stories and characters clamor for their turn. So, I wrote some other things and, about four years ago, reread my manuscript for Fatal Flashback. The light bulb came on and I realized how I could rewrite the entire plot to make it into something worth reading. From there it was a matter of honing my skills until the story was good enough to catch an editor’s attention.
Laurie: In an age and society when many people want things done yesterday and the ease of self-publishing has encouraged some writers to publish their work too soon (we all know the feeling of completing that first manuscript and yearning to share it with the world), I think it’s important to remember that one’s “overnight success” may have, in fact, taken years to see fruition. How long have you been on this writing journey? And how many unpublished or unfinished and/or rejected manuscripts did it take for you to get here? What is one lesson (I’m sure there are many!) you’ve learned during the journey that you keep close at hand?
Kellie: I love this question! You are absolutely right. When all we see is the book deal announcement or the book on the store shelf, it’s easy to think that that writer was one of the “lucky” ones. My experience has taught me the key to getting published isn’t luck—it’s perseverance and hard work. As I mentioned above, I started writing Fatal Flashback before I had any kids. My oldest is now thirteen, if that puts things in perspective. Even if we go back to the moment when I knew I could be a writer and decided to pursue publication seriously, that was still back in 2014. So while Fatal Flashback is technically a version of my first manuscript, only the character names and the setting stayed the same. Everything else was completely ripped apart and rewritten. I also write YA fantasy and have a completed manuscript which has received dozens of query rejections from agents, and now that I’ve signed with an agent, is in the process of receiving editor rejections while on submission.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned (and have to keep reminding myself) is that getting traditionally published requires rejection. It’s a hurdle we all have to overcome. Or survive, lol. For whatever reason, that’s the way the industry works. The silver lining is that all those rejections force us to become better writers. I’m so glad I didn’t self-publish that first awful version of Fatal Flashback.
Laurie: What writing advice did you scoff at or disagree with initially, but which you later came to appreciate and apply to your own writing? And/or, what writing advice would you have for both published and unpublished writers?
Kellie: I’m going with that classic piece of advice, “show don’t tell.” Coming from an academic writing background, when I first started writing fiction I couldn’t see any problem with using all the adverbs and adjectives I wanted. I confess, I still appreciate a well-chosen adverb and adjective here and there—our language is full of beautiful words—but now that I’ve been writing as long as I have, I can see how much stronger a story is when we show instead of tell.
As for a piece of advice, it’s the same thing I probably should paint on my wall above my writing desk: DON’T GIVE UP. It’s so tempting to throw in the towel and quit when you don’t make a contest final, or you get yet another rejection, or your critique partner comes back with disappointing feedback. Don’t do it, friends. Run the race with perseverance if you want the prize.
Laurie: What would you say are your writing strengths? What are your weaknesses, and how do you overcome them?
Kellie: I think my strengths lie in creating vivid descriptions, relatable characters, and keeping good tension on the page. My biggest weakness is plot. Plot all the way. I am such a pantser at heart that I really struggle to pull a whole story out of thin air. It’s like I have to get started on the journey with my characters and watch the story unfold as we travel along together. Fun? Yes. Efficient? No. *bangs head on computer during seventh rewrite*
To try and overcome that weakness, I’ve spent a lot of time studying K.M. Weiland’s series on story structure. Now I try to at least make up some major plot points as I’m creating my characters and thinking about their character arcs. Even if these end up changing while I’m drafting, it still gives me something to aim for as I’m writing.
Laurie: What were your favorite novels/authors growing up? What/who do you enjoy reading now as an adult?
Kellie: Maybe I’m dating myself here, but my first love, which turned me into a reader, was Nancy Drew. I also loved My Side of the Mountain, The Chronicles of Narnia, Tolkien, and Jim Kjelgaard’s books about dogs. As an adult, I still have fairly eclectic reading tastes and will pick up whatever seems to fit my mood, whether it’s Christian historical fiction, a Dani Pettrey romantic suspense, or a Sarah J. Maas Throne of Glass YA fantasy. My current read is a classic, Middlemarch, for my book club.
Laurie: This next question I borrowed from another writer, but I could relate to it and wondered how many other writers could, as well: Have you ever gotten reader’s block? In other words, have you ever had trouble finding good books to read or feeling like you didn’t want to read?
Kellie: What a great question! And yes, I have so had that feeling and never thought to call it reader’s block. I’m going to borrow that idea. 😉 For me, when every book sounds boring or I don’t feel like reading at all, it’s usually a symptom of exhaustion. The same thing happens when I spend twenty minutes flipping through Netflix and then give up because nothing sounds good. (TV viewer’s block?) The answer for me is usually a good night of sleep, or forcing myself to read something anyway—that’s where the book club comes in handy.
Laurie: As authors, we’re encouraged to “brand” ourselves, kind of like a company’s motto/logo. Do you have a “brand” for your writing? Or perhaps a better way of expressing this: do you have a particular theme or message you hope to implement in future books?
Kellie: Brand has always been very tricky for me because I write in two separate genres: Christian romantic suspense and mainstream YA fantasy. I currently have two author websites under two pen names, but I limit my social media to one account on Facebook and one on Twitter (links below—please connect with me!). I feel like the romantic suspense brand is fairly straightforward, with the stories being about danger, romance, and faith. My YA brand has been harder to nail down, but I think it’s best summarized by the three words on my website logo: wonder, courage, and hope. My stories have their share of dark, frightening moments, but I always want readers to see the light glimmering in the blackness.
Laurie: What are your writing goals going into the New Year? Going into the new decade?
Kellie: My first goal is to finish my NaNoWriMo project, which is a new romantic suspense I hope to submit to my publisher early next year. Another goal is to get more rejections, because that means people are looking at my work. My agent and I have a YA fantasy on sub, and I have another currently with a critique partner that I’ll be revising later.
I’m one of those hardworking, achievement-driven types, so I’m making it a goal in this coming year to make sure I schedule in down time to rest and read and dream. As I mentioned above, this fall has been crazy busy and after NaNo, I found myself entering December sick and exhausted. It’s hard to write or do anything well when you’re wiped out, so this year I want to be more attentive to my creative and physical limits.
Laurie: With Christmas almost upon us, what is one of your favorite family traditions for this holiday, either from childhood or now with your own family?
Kellie: I love Christmas; it’s one of my favorite times of the year. We’ve carried on a lot of my childhood traditions with our kids. On Christmas Eve, we attend church together and then come home to eat a light supper of appetizers and snacks. Some years we load everyone up in the car with hot chocolate to drive around and look at the lights, but since we have a little person (he’s two) with an early bedtime, this year we’ll settle in at home and watch “White Christmas.” It’s always a special time to be together.
Laurie: And I’m borrowing this last one from Amanda Wen, who once asked this of me and I absolutely loved it: How can we pray for you?
Kellie: Thank you for asking! I would covet your prayers for rest and rejuvenation over this holiday break. I’m eagerly looking forward to not having to drive kids around to their activities for a couple of weeks, and also spending time with family. I feel like my creative well has been drained a bit too much over the past few months, and I would dearly love to see it refilled so I can keep pouring out the stories God gives me.
Some fun Q&A’s:
- Coffee or Tea? Tea. Irish breakfast.
- Introvert or extrovert? Introvert all the way.
- Summer or winter? Summer!!!
- Lakefront or oceanfront property? That’s easy. Oceanfront.
- Mountain or city view? Mountains, hands down.
- Meat & potatoes, or veggies & tofu? I’m cheating – veggies and potatoes. 😉
- Paperback or ebook? Paperback.
- Favorite color? Blue.
- Favorite animal? Sea otter.
- Ideal vacation destination? Hawaii.
- Ideal home décor? Industrial farmhouse.
- Favorite hobby(ies)? Gardening, baking, camping, hiking.
- Favorite movie? Yikes, that’s tough! But I can always re-watch Star Wars: Episode IV.
- Favorite Saturday attire? Jeans and a sweatshirt.
- Favorite Christmas or birthday present to date? This is really dating myself, but the Christmas after I turned 12, there was this awesome, super-expensive new gaming system my younger brother and I were both dying to get. On Christmas morning, we each unwrapped our own brand-new Gameboy. That feeling of delight still sticks with me when I remember that moment, and as for that archaic Gameboy, my kids play with it now.
Kellie: Thank you so much for having me, Laurie! I’ve really enjoyed answering these questions.
Laurie: And I love your upbeat, optimistic attitude. The way you look at rejection is something I’m going to have to implement in my own writing life. 😉
If you want to connect with Kellie, you can find her at these links:
- www.kellievanhorn.com– romantic suspense
- www.kelliemichelleparker.com– YA
- Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/geOyZT
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/kelliemparker
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kelliemichelleparker
Book links:
Kristen Gwen
Michelle Kaderly Welsh
Great interview. I enjoyed getting to know Kellie.