Interview with Miralee Ferrell

Joining us for a brief interview today is Miralee Ferrell. Her debut novel, The Other Daughter released just a couple of weeks ago.

The Other Daughter is a book about secrets and forgiveness. What inspired you to write this particular story?

Miralee: Great question and one has a very personal answer. I was brainstorming with a friend who suggested I use an experience from my life as the basis or theme for my first novel. I ran through several scenarios in my head, as we've had many interesting things happen in our marriage...some great, some not. This personal incident did indeed capture the essence of secrets, forgiveness and healing...not as much in my life as in our marriage and the life of an 18 yr old girl.

About 17 yrs ago my husband received a letter stating a young woman believed him to be her biological father she'd never met. We agreed to meet and hear her story, and after some investigation came to believe he probably was her dad. The episode was similar to that of David in the book...a one night stand prior to his becoming a Christian, but that's where the similarity stops. He was not dating me at the time, and I had a strong relationship with the Lord and didn't have a problem accepting Trish into our lives.

Do you ever struggle with writer's block? How do you get past it?

Miralee: Yes, in the final ¼ of my second book, Past Shadows, I stared at a blank screen more than once when I sat down to write. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I skip ahead and start writing what I DO know, then I’ll come back and link the old and new together. I’ve found that if I can just get writing again, even if it’s several chapters ahead, the rest will come in time. Sometimes I simply need to step away for awhile and not push too hard. Prayer is also a key…ask the Lord to unlock the block and stir up a new creativity in your heart and mind.

How long did it take you to write the book, from idea to delivering the manuscript to a publisher?

Miralee: The rough draft flew out of my head and onto my computer....5 weeks from the first word to the last, of an almost 100,000 word document. It was one year later that I submitted to several houses for consideration, and part of that time was spent hunting an agent and sending it out to a couple of houses on my own, prior to signing with Hartline Agency.

Five weeks for 100k…that’s fast. My readers know I set a daily word count goal to finish a skeleton rough draft in two months. Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

Miralee: I’m afraid I’m not that organized. I have to work my writing into my very busy life, and often find myself writing late at night. If I’m behind schedule, I’ll push myself to stay put till I’ve written a few thousand words to catch up on a couple of lost days, but it’s rare that I get to write every day. Since my first book is nearing release, I’m also spending quite a bit of time on marketing, and of course, just got all the edits, revisions and proofreading behind me.

Any advice for those of us who have yet to land that first sale?

Miralee: I know what I wish I would’ve had, when I started out. Critique partners…they are invaluable. I didn’t belong to a group until well into the writing of the second book in my series. Through ACFW I was able to get connected and our small group of four is a perfect fit for each of us. Don’t be too shy to ask for help and don’t be too proud to take constructive criticism of your work, when it’s offered.

You’re singing my song.

Miralee: You don’t have to change everything that’s suggested, but if more than one person points out something wrong, take it seriously and be willing to learn. And most of all, don’t give up. If you believe that God has given you the gift or desire to write, then be obedient, even if it’s never published. When I started out, I thought the best I’d attain would be publication in magazines….having a book published didn’t seem possible. The Lord gave me this story and it needed to be written, and the rest was up to Him. My responsibility was to write it, then keep moving forward in whatever direction He pointed out.

Good advice. Thanks, Miralee. I think we focus too much on getting published when we start out. But there’s incredible freedom in this time before publication. It can be a time to explore what God wants us to do—without a deadline.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of The other Daughter.

Miralee’s tour continues through November 16. Comment here, and on any of her other stops. For each blog you comment on, you will receive one entry in the drawing. So get out there and rack up entries.

The next several stops:

4th Teresa Slack---ShoutLife Blog
http://www.shoutlife.com/teresaslack
http://www.teresaslack.blogspot.com

5th Pam Meyers---A Writer’s Journey
http://pammeyerswrites.blogspot.com/

6th Betsy St. Amant---Betsy Ann's Blog
www.betsy-ann.blogspot.com

7th Megan DiMaria---A Prisoner of Hope
www.megandimaria.blogspot.com

8th Christa Allan---CBAllan WordPress
www.cballan.wordpress.com

View the complete list here.