"Recently I caught up with Robert Elmer. His latest book is called "The Celebrity" and he's currently reading "Club Sandwich" by Lisa Samson" - DiAnn

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Q: How long have you been involved in your particular career?

Q: What prompted your decision to become a writer?

I was a voracious reader when I was little and I've always loved writing. As a curious eight-year-old I started playing with words, writing essays, making stories. I knew there was a mysterious Beverly Cleary out there somewhere, so I figured that there were people like that, but I didn't really imagine too many people could make a living writing stories. I wrote a family newspaper when I was little, and in high school I was always writing, doing essays on my own, and thinking of writing. I took every English literature and every writing class I could, but I was still terribly intimidated by the whole process. I thought maybe I'd be some kind of a writer, but I didn't know really what. Either that, or I'd join the Coast Guard. My first break in writing was right out of college, when a man from our church hired me to help him re-write technical manuals for a state agency. After that I worked as a freelance and newspaper writer, and wrote my first novel on a bus, commuting to my job as an advertising writer.

Q: How has your line of work changed during the past ten years?

I have basically gone from writing fiction in my home part-time while holding down a full-time copy writing job to being at home full-time writing and speaking. It was my goal to be able to work out of my home and support my family and God has graciously allowed me to do that for now.

Q: What aspects of your work do you enjoy the most?

Probably the creative part. Coming up with a plot and characters that make a story believable.

Q: What are the most challenging problems for writers?

My biggest challenge has always been balancing the driving need to write and the constant need to support my family. Balancing the business and creative aspects of this profession is a constant challenge. A lot of times I just have to put my head down, plow ahead, and remember that people (editors) are waiting for me on the other end of the next deadline. It's a lesson I learned early, working for newspapers.

Q: What motivates you?

Food on the table and a roof over my head. No seriously, I love what I do. It is a joy to wake up every morning and look forward to the day. It's a ministry, as well.

Q: How did you get your first big break into the writing business?

I'd been writing for over 10 years in my various jobs. I wrote newspaper articles, which finally got to be not so intimidating anymore. After a time, I thought, "Well, look at this. I wrote a hundred articles, what if I put those all together, would that be a book?" As my own kids went into the first, second and third grades, I began thinking, "Maybe I could write something similar to what the kids are bringing home and what they're reading." Basically what pushed me into it was having my own kids and feeling like maybe I could do something for them at least. I really had no expectations - I wasn't expecting anything big to happen. I just thought, "Ok, I'll write a book." I was inspired by the stories my folks had told me - they had grown up in Denmark during World War II, so I thought that was a good place to start. I decided to write a story based on real history, while adding some pretend characters. If nothing else, my own kids would have a typed, photocopied book that they could pull off a shelf and say, "This is grandpa's story," or "This is grandma's story," and that would be well enough. That was my first goal, but then as I got into it, I figured maybe it was a book. So I sent off a sample chapter, my cover letter, and my outline to a bunch of Christian publishers I thought would be interested. Bethany House was the first to respond a few weeks after I'd sent it in. They wanted to know about the possibility of a series, and what appeal it had for boys. It kind of blew me away! I wasn't quite expecting that, but that's the way it turned out!

Q: For what achievement would you like to be remembered?

The nicest thing ever was from a little girl in South Carolina. She wrote me a letter saying that before she read one of my books, she wasn't a Christian. But after reading one of my historical fiction adventures, in which the lead character comes to know the Lord, she believed, too, and prayed with her mother. As a writer I can be paid no higher compliment.

Q: Are there things you haven't accomplished yet that you still would like to accomplish?

Secretly, I think every author would like to see something of theirs on the bestseller list. That would be icing on the cake but not something I strive for. I would be tickled to be able to keep writing for years and years. That would be an accomplishment, I suppose.

Q: If you were not involved in your present work, what would you most likely be doing?

Working at a marina somewhere, working on boats.

Q: How keen is competition in your field?

I am not aware so much of the competition. Of course, there are a lot of Christian fiction books out there but they each fill a niche. Not everyone has the same reading tastes so there is a lot of room for variety in the market. God really blessed me to be able to get my "foot in the door" when the YA market was booming in the early '90s. The explosion of Christian fiction into the marketplace since then as only helped me, as more readers become aware of it.

Q: What is the secret to having satisfied readers in your business?

A good story with believable characters that evoke emotion in the reader.

Q: What trends are currently developing in your profession?

When I first started writing most authors in the CBA didn't need an agent. Now, it is almost impossible to get published without one. I just got an agent about three years ago. YA fiction is also a tricky market these days, and sometimes it's difficult to spot the trends. For that matter, it's a delicate balance between writing what's on your heart and writing what will communicate best to the market. It's great if the two coincide.

Q: What is an average workday like for you?

That's one of the fun parts of my job-no day is really "typical." Today I'm working on some youth curriculum for Christian Writer's Guild. The other day I was discussing ideas for a new novel proposal with my agent and writing my latest youth novel. Last week I was in Sacramento and Seattle, leading young writers workshops at Christian elementary schools. In a few weeks I'll dive into serious research on life in Chicago for my next novel, and then I'll be glued to the word processor for weeks on end. So my schedule is always changing, always new. Can you tell I love this job?

Q: What kinds of projects are you currently involved?

My latest full-length novel just released with WaterBrook called The Celebrity. Right now I'm working on a YA historical fiction series set in Berlin during the Cold War, called THE WALL, with Zonderkidz. I also co-edited an exciting compilation project of YA science fiction short stories from Christian authors called EAT MY MARTIAN DUST (Baker). That releases (or has released, depending on when you read this) in February '05! And NavPress just released a new non-fiction classic I've updated called PRACTICING GOD'S PRESENCE. For the coming year, I have plenty of work to do. I will be working on two more novels for WaterBrook and another non-fiction project for NavPress. Oh! I am also writing youth curriculum (40 lessons) for the Christian Writer's Guild. That has been an exciting, ongoing project.

Q: How do you get your characters?

All sorts of ways. Joan Horton in THE DUET is one of my favorite characters. She's a sophisticated piano teacher who takes a one-year sabbatical to visit her daughter in a small rural town. She goes way out of her comfort zone, especially when she is attracted to a local farmer who is in most respects her opposite. I came up with her character by digging into my own past (having moved a lot as a child), adding a lot of insecurities common to us all, and then simply making her the opposite of the lead farmer character. But good characters are usually cut-and-paste collections of many different people.

Q: Do people in your line of work have much time for families?

I can't speak for others but I feel like I do! Of course it is always a balancing act. Working at home allows me to have a schedule that is flexible for family. My family is/was my priority-especially when the kids were younger. My responsibility as a Christian, father and husband is my first calling; writing comes after that.

Q: Do you travel much?

My wife and I like to travel together, usually during the school year when I speak and lead writing workshops at Christian schools or go to the booksellers' convention each summer. We try to make the trip fun and see interesting sites along the way. She doesn't always get to go with me but it makes traveling so much nicer when she is along! Speaking is a great chance to get out and meet and interact with my readers so I enjoy that aspect of my work. We also like to take road trips on the weekends to explore hidden places in the Pacific Northwest.

Q: Does your work put pressure on you?

Deadlines are always looming. On the other hand, deadlines are a concrete reminder that God has blessed us with work to do. So repeat after me: "Deadlines are good. Deadlines are our friend." Besides, as a former news editor/reporter I was trained to meet deadlines, to deal with it. I almost write better and faster with a deadline marching my way. The pressure comes when I've committed myself to too many projects, but I'm learning!

Q: How did you prepare yourself for your career?

I'll repeat my self here, but I was a voracious reader when I was little and I've always loved writing. I was always playing with words, writing essays, making stories. I wrote a family newspaper when I was little, and in high school I was always writing, doing essays on my own, and thinking of writing. I took every English literature and every writing class I could and majored in Communications and Bible in college. Journalism is great preparation for most novelists, too. To be a writer you have to write at every opportunity and be well-read.

Q: What type of reading do you like?

A variety, depends on my mood. I love to read the novels by my fellow Christian authors. Fiction by writers like Deb Raney, Angela Hunt, Bill Myers, Al Gansky. It's fun to see their personalities shine through their writing.

Q: In regard to your profession as a whole, of what are you most critical?

That's a tough one. I'm critical of whining and complaining, I guess, so I'll try not to.

Q: What do you do when you need to get away from it all?

Go work on my sailboat. That is my escape.

Q: Are there any professional associations that you belong?

I belong to a group of published Christian writers called ChiLibris. We encourage each other daily on email and meet together once a year for a retreat. I also belong to American Christian Fiction Writers, an online group, and I'm a member of Writer's Information Network.

Q: What are your short and long range career goals?

My career goals have been basically to write the stories that God gives me the opportunity to write. I would love to be able to write until I'm 90 years old! Other than that, I want my readers to look beyond, to put themselves in the shoes of people who are not like them. That's why the main characters in my books, for example, usually present such clear contrasts. Because people who are different from us can challenge us to examine and defend our deepest-held beliefs, as well as our faith-or lack of it. I hope that comes out in my writing, in my stories.

Q: What sort of educational background do you have?

I graduated from Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, California in 1976 before earning my BA in Communications and Bible from Simpson College (San Francisco) in 1980. I took journalism courses at U.C. Berkeley Extension and later completed a post-graduate program in Elementary Education at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California.

Q: How do you spend your weekends and off-duty hours?

Since we live near a large, mountain lake, I love to get out on the water, to sail and canoe, that sort of thing. I also love to get out with my wife, exploring, or just everyday stuff.