Interview with Kelly Irvin
Hello Kelly and welcome. Congratulations on another book release. I look forward to learning from such a prolific author as yourself.
What do you absolutely love about being a fiction author?
Spending everyday living my dream of writing fiction full-time. I get to write everyday, and my head is filled with characters who chat with me. I’m an organic writer so I don’t outline my stories. They come to me as I write. When a character does something totally unexpected, or the plot takes a leap in a new direction it’s like magic. It’s so much fun. I love it when that happens.
How do you discipline your time to write (schedule, etc.)?
I try to be at my desk by 8:30 every morning. I write until lunch time, come back, and do social media/marketing tasks, then finish up writing by 4 or 4:30 p.m. so I can exercise before supper. I have a lot of doctor’s appointments, so if I spend a half day or day dealing with medical stuff, I’ll write on Saturday. I try not to write on Sundays, but sometimes a development is banging around in my head, so I grab a couple of hours in the afternoon.
Do you have any quirky habits or special snacks that help you focus?
I don’t know if this is quirky, but I like silence for writing—and solitude. No music, no playlists, no nothing. I never write in coffee shops or in groups. I’m too much of a people watcher, and I’m an introvert. Coffee (decaf) in the morning & tea in the afternoon. Occasionally hard cinnamon candies.
When did you know that you wanted to write fiction?
In grade school. I wrote poems and short plays by junior high and short stories in high school. I always knew I wanted to write fiction, but I didn’t write my first novel until I was 45, but that’s a long story. lol
What life experiences have gone into your research?
So much. I spent a year and half in Costa Rica as an exchange student in college where I learned Spanish. Most of my journalism career as a reporter/editor was in Laredo and El Paso where I learned about border issues. What I learned over the years became fodder for my romantic suspense novels set in San Antonio. I also had a sideline proofreading district court trial transcripts that was perfect research for those books. More recently, I’ve lived with ovarian cancer for the last nine years. That experience resulted in my first women’s fiction novel, The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos, which was released in December 2023. Everything I’ve experienced as a patient dealing with a life-threatening disease poured into that story.
How have you discovered your story ideas and characters?
Much of it comes from being an avid reader of newspapers and other media. For my Amish romances, I subscribed to The Budget newspaper for years. It features blurbs by Amish scribes from almost every Amish district in the U.S. and a few abroad. It’s a goldmine of story ideas. The blogs Amish America and Amish360 also provide great story ideas. My romantic suspense novels are frequently ripped from the headlines of the San Antonio newspaper. The characters seem to come from somewhere in my head and my heart. I discover who they are as I write their stories. Some in bits and pieces, and some who stroll on to the stage fully formed.
How do you come up with the traits that make your characters interesting or unique?
I don’t know, truly. They are who they are. As I said in the previous question, I discover them as I write. Which is the very best part of the creative process for me.
Is there a writing tool that has been especially useful to you?
Just plain old Microsoft Word. Lol. I’m old enough to remember writing stories on a typewriter (yes, I’m that old), so I still appreciate being able to cut and paste text, to move chunks around, to correct errors easily. Crazy, I know. Search engines are also an incredible gift when it comes to research. Just about any question I have—from how foals are born to digging a well to crime scene investigations to raising goats—can be found on the Internet. When I was a reporter, I had to go all over town to dig out information I needed for stories—city hall, courthouse, library, subject experts. Now most of that information is on-line.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your writing or publication journey?
God. That sounds cheesy, but I waited until I was 45 to finally use the gift He gave me to write these stories. It took three years to get an agent and another four to get a contract. I had a full-time job (more than full-time) and two kids in middle school when I wrote my first novel. It was a constant, exhausting struggle, and I almost gave up more than once. But God answered my prayers. When I asked him point-blank to give me a sign, two days later my agent called me with a contract offer. Since then I’ve published more than 30 books and a half dozen novellas with more to come. He’s awesome.
What hobbies do you have besides writing?
Reading. I love reading books across almost all genres. Recently I got involved in two book clubs. When I’m not reading books, I love talking about them and posting reviews.
Finish this sentence: “Every author should know, or do....."
Every author should grow a thick skin. Learn to accept constructive feedback on her work. Learn to ignore critical reviews. Learn to work with editors as a team to make her writing the best it can be so her stories can touch readers in ways she can’t even imagine before she reaches that wonderful stage in her writing career in which she becomes a published author.
What do you hope readers take away from With All Her Heart?
Elijah is a shy man who doesn’t want to follow the family tradition of being an auctioneer for their family business, but he doesn’t know how to convince his family that he’s better suited to be a craftsman. Bonnie has a disability that doesn’t stand in the way of her running her own business, but she’s scared she won’t be able to do everything an Amish woman is expected to do as a wife and mother. Through their story, I hope readers who have similar feelings and challenges will recognize that it’s not only okay to be who you are, but also what God wants for you. He made you in his image. He loves you for who you are. It often takes time to figure out who we are. Sometimes people we love have expectations for who we’re supposed to be. It’s hard to disappoint them. Learning to handle those situations with diplomacy is hard. But necessary. It’s my hope that readers will cheer on Elijah and Bonnie while learning something about themselves in the process.
Sounds like a great lesson for any reader. Thank you so much, Kelly, for sharing about your life and writing process with us. We pray for God’s presence and intervention in every part of your life and health.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Terri Thompson is an author, foodie, nature lover and philanthropist. She loves walks along the beach at sunset, dancing in the living room with her grandchildren, the beauty of flavors expertly combined, and the joy of words creatively knit together to bring truth to life. She blogs about writing, life and inspiration at www.terrilynnthompson.com To learn about the non-profits supported by the H. G. Clay Foundation go to https://www.hgclayfoundation.org.
What do you absolutely love about being a fiction author?
Spending everyday living my dream of writing fiction full-time. I get to write everyday, and my head is filled with characters who chat with me. I’m an organic writer so I don’t outline my stories. They come to me as I write. When a character does something totally unexpected, or the plot takes a leap in a new direction it’s like magic. It’s so much fun. I love it when that happens.
How do you discipline your time to write (schedule, etc.)?
I try to be at my desk by 8:30 every morning. I write until lunch time, come back, and do social media/marketing tasks, then finish up writing by 4 or 4:30 p.m. so I can exercise before supper. I have a lot of doctor’s appointments, so if I spend a half day or day dealing with medical stuff, I’ll write on Saturday. I try not to write on Sundays, but sometimes a development is banging around in my head, so I grab a couple of hours in the afternoon.
Do you have any quirky habits or special snacks that help you focus?
I don’t know if this is quirky, but I like silence for writing—and solitude. No music, no playlists, no nothing. I never write in coffee shops or in groups. I’m too much of a people watcher, and I’m an introvert. Coffee (decaf) in the morning & tea in the afternoon. Occasionally hard cinnamon candies.
When did you know that you wanted to write fiction?
In grade school. I wrote poems and short plays by junior high and short stories in high school. I always knew I wanted to write fiction, but I didn’t write my first novel until I was 45, but that’s a long story. lol
What life experiences have gone into your research?
So much. I spent a year and half in Costa Rica as an exchange student in college where I learned Spanish. Most of my journalism career as a reporter/editor was in Laredo and El Paso where I learned about border issues. What I learned over the years became fodder for my romantic suspense novels set in San Antonio. I also had a sideline proofreading district court trial transcripts that was perfect research for those books. More recently, I’ve lived with ovarian cancer for the last nine years. That experience resulted in my first women’s fiction novel, The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos, which was released in December 2023. Everything I’ve experienced as a patient dealing with a life-threatening disease poured into that story.
How have you discovered your story ideas and characters?
Much of it comes from being an avid reader of newspapers and other media. For my Amish romances, I subscribed to The Budget newspaper for years. It features blurbs by Amish scribes from almost every Amish district in the U.S. and a few abroad. It’s a goldmine of story ideas. The blogs Amish America and Amish360 also provide great story ideas. My romantic suspense novels are frequently ripped from the headlines of the San Antonio newspaper. The characters seem to come from somewhere in my head and my heart. I discover who they are as I write their stories. Some in bits and pieces, and some who stroll on to the stage fully formed.
How do you come up with the traits that make your characters interesting or unique?
I don’t know, truly. They are who they are. As I said in the previous question, I discover them as I write. Which is the very best part of the creative process for me.
Is there a writing tool that has been especially useful to you?
Just plain old Microsoft Word. Lol. I’m old enough to remember writing stories on a typewriter (yes, I’m that old), so I still appreciate being able to cut and paste text, to move chunks around, to correct errors easily. Crazy, I know. Search engines are also an incredible gift when it comes to research. Just about any question I have—from how foals are born to digging a well to crime scene investigations to raising goats—can be found on the Internet. When I was a reporter, I had to go all over town to dig out information I needed for stories—city hall, courthouse, library, subject experts. Now most of that information is on-line.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your writing or publication journey?
God. That sounds cheesy, but I waited until I was 45 to finally use the gift He gave me to write these stories. It took three years to get an agent and another four to get a contract. I had a full-time job (more than full-time) and two kids in middle school when I wrote my first novel. It was a constant, exhausting struggle, and I almost gave up more than once. But God answered my prayers. When I asked him point-blank to give me a sign, two days later my agent called me with a contract offer. Since then I’ve published more than 30 books and a half dozen novellas with more to come. He’s awesome.
What hobbies do you have besides writing?
Reading. I love reading books across almost all genres. Recently I got involved in two book clubs. When I’m not reading books, I love talking about them and posting reviews.
Finish this sentence: “Every author should know, or do....."
Every author should grow a thick skin. Learn to accept constructive feedback on her work. Learn to ignore critical reviews. Learn to work with editors as a team to make her writing the best it can be so her stories can touch readers in ways she can’t even imagine before she reaches that wonderful stage in her writing career in which she becomes a published author.
What do you hope readers take away from With All Her Heart?
Elijah is a shy man who doesn’t want to follow the family tradition of being an auctioneer for their family business, but he doesn’t know how to convince his family that he’s better suited to be a craftsman. Bonnie has a disability that doesn’t stand in the way of her running her own business, but she’s scared she won’t be able to do everything an Amish woman is expected to do as a wife and mother. Through their story, I hope readers who have similar feelings and challenges will recognize that it’s not only okay to be who you are, but also what God wants for you. He made you in his image. He loves you for who you are. It often takes time to figure out who we are. Sometimes people we love have expectations for who we’re supposed to be. It’s hard to disappoint them. Learning to handle those situations with diplomacy is hard. But necessary. It’s my hope that readers will cheer on Elijah and Bonnie while learning something about themselves in the process.
Sounds like a great lesson for any reader. Thank you so much, Kelly, for sharing about your life and writing process with us. We pray for God’s presence and intervention in every part of your life and health.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Terri Thompson is an author, foodie, nature lover and philanthropist. She loves walks along the beach at sunset, dancing in the living room with her grandchildren, the beauty of flavors expertly combined, and the joy of words creatively knit together to bring truth to life. She blogs about writing, life and inspiration at www.terrilynnthompson.com To learn about the non-profits supported by the H. G. Clay Foundation go to https://www.hgclayfoundation.org.
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