Thursday 21 March 2019

CWD Member Interview - Meredith Resce







Each Thursday we will be interviewing one of the members of Christian Writers Downunder – to find out a little bit more about them and their writing/editing goals.


Today’s  interview is with Meredith Resce

 www.meredithresce.com

Question 1: Tells us three things about who you are and where you come from. 


Hello. Well I am one of those country girls who has lived in the city since I got married 35 years ago. But you know what they say: you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. My place of origin, where I always drift back to, is Melrose, Southern Flinders Ranges South Australia. My parents still live on the farm there, so that is the place I still call home. However, I have not lived there since 1983. I’ve lived in Adelaide for 22 years in stints broken up by 6 years in Geelong, Victoria, 1 year in Bristol UK and 6 years in Melbourne, Victoria. Though I hate moving and hate being away from family, those years spent in other states and overseas has served to broaden my horizon, and I’ve found lots of places to connect with new story ideas. 

I’ve been married since 1983, have three children and two grandchildren. My husband and I have served in Christian ministry for the majority of those 36 years. My focus in ministry has been music, drama, writing and sharing the gospel through teaching and preaching—and most importantly, I have loved connecting with and encouraging people.

Personally, I love sport – playing and watching (though I stopped playing Basket Ball last year as I was getting too slow). But I’m a football (Adelaide Crows AFL) and cricket (Adelaide Strikers and Australian Cricket Team) fan. I hate shopping unless it is a bookshop, stationary shop or kitchenware’s shop. Clothes shopping makes me break out in hives (metaphorically speaking).

Question 2: Tell us about your writing.  What do you write and why?


I prefer to write fiction. I’ve tried a number of genres. The most successful has been the historical romance Christian Fiction I originally published. I’ve also tried fantasy allegory, murder mystery, crime drama thriller, contemporary romance, and a couple of non-fiction titles. The market has changed dramatically in the twenty years since I was first published, and currently, I am writing contemporary romance for the Christian Fiction market, and am hoping to break into a new market in the US.

Question 3: Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it?

 

Over the years I’ve had people of all sorts of shapes and sizes who have become fans, particularly of my ‘Heart of Green Valley’ series.   I still get requests for the one book in the series that is out of print, as folks are still discovering them and enjoying the stories.
I’ve had readers from all age groups – teens through to ninety plus. That series has been my best selling series by far.
With my change in direction, I would like to broaden my reading audience. So far it has been mainly Australian, New Zealand and English readers. However, I am aware that if I am able to gain access to the American audience, I have to change from Australian spelling and language to US spelling and language, and that is a scary prospect.


Question 4: Tell us something about your process. What challenges do you face? What helps you the most?


Getting ideas is the easiest part of the process. Turning the ideas tap off would be helpful if I knew how, so as a result, I have more story ideas than I can manage to develop. Writing is a fun process. It used to absorb and drive me twenty years ago. Now I need to be disciplined about making time to write, but I always enjoy the way the story develops, and particularly like reading it after I finished. 

My main challenges are finding time, and working against the injuries that develop from a static lifestyle. I have to get more active as writing is hurting me. Doing the recommended stretches is great, when I remember.

Question 5: What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why? 


Can’t say I have one, though recently I was recommended:



They provided some help on some recurring writing faults.

Question 6: If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer, editor or illustrator – who would they be?


Editor – Iola Goulton (I never feel totally settled until Iola has cast her discerning eye over a manuscript. She’s brutal, but the product is always so much better for her honest edits.)

Writers – Paula Vince (my first Australian Christian Fiction writing buddy); Amanda Deed and Rose Dee (we collaborated on a title ‘TheGreenfield Legacy’, which I believe is an excellent piece of writing); AndreaGrigg, Narelle Atkins (we contributed to a Christmas Book set that turned out to be a lot of fun)


Question 7: What are your writing goals for 2019? How will you achieve them?


I am planning to finish the ‘Luella Linely: License to Meddle’ series. This trilogy is based on popular Regency Author, Luella Linley and her busy attempts to match make her adult children. Her novel characters are much easier to manipulate.
Ideally I would like to find a US publisher to take this series, and so I will need to think American, which may prove a challenge, given I am very Australian, and quite proud of it.

Question 8: How does your faith impact and shape your writing?


My faith underpins my writing in the sense that I believe God has given me the ability to communicate through writing, particularly through writing fiction. I love sharing about God, faith, hope, healing, salvation and deliverance, but I do not like to have my characters behaving in an odd way, so they don’t usually express any religious ideals unless the situation calls for it.  Much like the way I move through life. I am open to God at all times, but I don’t go all super-spiritual, religious jargon in everyday situations. Neither do my characters. My motto for my writing has long been: to encourage and inspire.

8 comments:

  1. Lovely to get to know more about you and your writing, Meredith. I can identify with your comment that living in different places helps to broaden our horizons. Even a visit can help us gain insights into a different environment. I was able to spend a short week in Adelaide a few years ago whilst completing a Modern Poetry intensive at Tabor. Having studied online, it made such a difference being able to picture Adelaide people within their environment, and to experience the atmosphere, the 'vibe' - both spiritual and cultural - of the place (felt good). So far Adelaide hasn't made it into my writing yet, but a few other places have and I find that personal sense of place is so helpful. So, my question is ... have you visited the US? Or do you plan to, in order to soak up the US vibe? We're a bit spoilt for choice her in Aus as so many of our TV programs and movies are set in the US, but I wonder how 'real' they feel.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Mazzy, I haven’t visited the US, though I have had it on my mind that it is something I should do eventually. I keep thinking I must go, and then I find all sorts of reasons why I haven’t got time to go. But perhaps you are right I need to go and soak up the vibe. I watch a lot of American television and have done over the years, so I’m familiar with a lot of their jargon and cultural ways but I’m sure it would feel differently actually being there than it does just watching. Thanks for your comments

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for a great interview, Meredith. I found Rayne Hall's Word Loss Diet very practical and helpful, so great recommendation. I've read and enjoyed a few of your books, though I think For All Time is my favourite. The premise for your new series sounds like a lot of potential for hilarious situations (Emma but with the added literary twist). All the best for this new venture.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Jeanette. As you are a science fiction sort of person, I imagine For All Time would suit your taste best. Did you ever read 'How Sweet the Sound'? That is fantasy allegory. My first and only attempt in that genre. I enjoyed it, but contemporary or historical romance is easier to write.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Meredith, I love to remember those good old days way back in the nineties when we made tracks in the Aussie Christian fiction industry together. Such a lot of water under the bridge since then, and as you say, the writing takes its toll on the body over time. The body and the eyes do deteriorate a bit :) Your new series sounds great, and I can't ever imagine you losing your Australian voice completely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those were good times, and even though neither of us understood all the POV rules and speech attributions and show don't tell, and all that, back then, I loved your first two novels as they were when I first read them. I wonder how we would feel about them now that we have all these new rules to contend with. Hope to see something new from you soon.

      Delete
  6. Hi Meredith. Enjoyed reading all about your life and love it that home for you is South Australia. I was wondering when you lived in Bristol UK? I lived in Bath, UK from 1989-1991 and worked at Unilever in Bristol for 1 1/2 years. Loved Bath. I do know how broadening it is to travel and see places and enjoy experiencing new cultures.

    Well done on all your writing successes Meredith. May you continue to change the world through your words.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Anusha, We were in Bristol for only 13 months in 2008-9. I loved visiting Bath, so famous for Jane Austen references and all.

    ReplyDelete