CWD Member Interview – Jo-Anne Berthelsen

Each Thursday in 2018 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 Jo-Anne Berthelsen.

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

When asked who I am, I usually say I am a writer and speaker, but I have also been a high school teacher, a full-time mum, an editor, an office secretary and a pastor! I began writing in 2004 and my first novel was published when I was 59!

I live in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. I have been married to my husband Lionel, a retired pastor and college lecturer, for almost fifty years and we have three children and four grandchildren.

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

I write both fiction and non-fiction and enjoy doing both. I have had six novels published between 2007 and 2013—Heléna (general historical fiction); All the Days of My Life, Laura, Jenna and Heléna’s Legacy (all general fiction); and The Inheritance (romantic fiction). 

As for my non-fiction, Soul Friend: The story of a shared spiritual journey was published in 2012, while Becoming Me: Finding my true self in God was published in 2016. I have also made it a priority to continue writing a weekly blog which can be found at www.joanneberthelsen.wordpress.com. 

And why do I write what I do? Please see my responses below!

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

My six novels were aimed primarily at women aged thirty and above, but women—and men—of all ages have read them. Among these have been non-Christians, which I was delighted about, as I think novels can portray the love and grace of God in a wonderful, non-threatening way that can touch hearts and draw readers closer to God.

As for my memoir Soul Friend, this is aimed not only at Christians of all ages, in the hope that they will seek out a soul friend/mentor to encourage them in their own faith journey, but also at more mature Christians, in the hope that they might consider being a soul friend/mentor for those seeking to grow in their faith. Thankfully, a good number from both these groups of people have read it, as well as others who simply related to some of the challenges I faced in the period of my life covered in this memoir.

Finally, my most recent book , Becoming Me, is aimed at challenging younger women in particular to discover who God created them to be and to step into all God has for them in life. I included questions at the end of each chapter in the hope readers would reflect on their own journeys—and I know this has been helpful to quite a number.

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

My writing process falls somewhere between that of a plotter and a ‘panster’. I begin by planning out my chapters and writing a brief summary of what I hope to cover in each. Invariably, however, I find myself unable to stick to this outline and the number of chapters soon grows! When writing a novel, I also find it helpful to set up a file with notes about my main characters, including what they do at certain ages, when and how they connected with other characters and so on. This is particularly helpful if I have to put the novel aside for a period.

When I began writing in 2004, the only place I could find to write was at our kitchen table, in the midst of everyone and everything. It was a challenge to stay focussed, yet somehow, God enabled me to complete my first five novels at that table! Now, I have a quiet study in our new home where I can look out my window at the nearby trees and listen to the birds—bliss!  Also, with my earlier novels, I used to become so absorbed that I would write till all hours. But now I am a little older (!), I find I write best first thing in the morning.

Currently, my greatest writing challenge is lack of time, firstly because we mind our two youngest grandchildren a lot and secondly because of ministry commitments. Just this past week, we completed four months of supporting our church’s pastoral team while our senior pastors (husband and wife) have been on sabbatical leave. This was a great privilege, but meant that, to a large degree, I had to put my writing on hold. However, there’s always next year!

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

I must admit I prefer books that deal more with the writing life rather than specifically with the writing craft, helpful as they may be. For example, I love Bird by Bird: Some instructions on writing and life by Anne Lamott and Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle. When I first read this latter book in my early days of writing, I felt somehow vindicated in my whole approach, especially when I read how closely L'Engle linked writing with prayer, something which made complete sense to me. 

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

I think I’d like to go way back to the beginning of my writing journey and honour Mary Hawkins, who introduced me to Christian fiction writing circles and encouraged me in general. However, I am also indebted to Carol Preston for endorsing my non-fiction and supporting me in this practical way.  

Question 7: What are your writing goals for 2018? How will you achieve them?

My goal in what remains of 2018 is to revise my outline for my current historical novel, then pick up the threads of those early chapters I have written already. In the new year, our grandchild-minding commitments will lessen a little, so I plan to try to complete this manuscript by the end of 2019.

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

Each of my novels has centred on a major Christian theme such as holding onto our faith in God, whatever happens; accepting God’s love and grace; using our God-given gifts; forgiveness; and dealing with bitterness and resentment. So my main aim in writing my novels is to have good, believable storylines and authentic characters who come to grips with the challenges they face in a way that touches my readers, impacts their lives and draws them closer to God. After my very first novel Heléna was published, a reader contacted me and explained how she did not feel God had been there for her in the hard parts of her life. However, she then wrote, ‘But maybe I should try God again.’ I remember saying to my husband, ‘But it’s only a novel!’ Yet her response confirmed to me that God can use good stories to touch readers’ hearts in ways non-fiction cannot.

As for my non-fiction, with Soul Friend I want my readers to experience the healing and encouragement God brought to me via my lovely soul friend Joy and to offer that healing and encouragement to others in turn. And with Becoming Me, I so much want to encourage others to allow God to remove those layers of self-doubt, perfectionism and anything else that holds them back from being all God has created them to be and to stand tall, ready to make a difference in this world. So my faith is intrinsic to all the non-fiction I write, including my blogs.

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and two non-fiction works, ‘Soul Friend’ and ‘Becoming Me’. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.

This is fun!

This past week, I started sending out my Christmas cards. Yes, I do email a Christmas newsletter to many of our friends. But there are still those who prefer to receive that card containing a personal, handwritten note, along with a hard copy of our newsletter. As I began composing those little messages, I found myself thinking, ‘I’m enjoying this! I’m loving the feel of my hand moving across this card, filling up that white space and expressing what I want to say to these special friends. This is fun!’

Now why was this, I wondered. After all, it was no novelty for me to write something in longhand, because, for most of this year, I have kept a daily handwritten journal, as I have made my way through a particular book of reflections on Scripture. Besides, I scribble notes to myself all the time and leave them in strategic spots, so I won’t forget things!

In the end, I realised that, as I wrote those few personal greetings on each card, I was picturing those who would receive them and being extra careful about what I chose to write. My whole self was engaged in the task—body, mind, heart and spirit. My hand was moving across that white surface as I wrote. My mind was thinking of how best to express what I wanted to say. My heart was reaching out to these people, some of whom have undergone huge changes in their lives this year or are in difficult positions right now. And my spirit was searching and praying for the right words of comfort and hope from God for each one of them.

There is much debate on the internet about the benefits of writing by hand rather than using a computer. Some experts maintain that writing longhand employs a different set of skills from those used when typing and tends to activate that more creative side of our brain. Perhaps it is partly that the actual forming of those letters causes us to engage more with the words and concepts we write. Others highlight the many practical advantages in using a keyboard. Still others point out the distractions in doing so—that internet is never far away! But, in the end, is it obvious to those who read our books whether we have jotted down our initial thoughts on paper, perhaps even writing that whole first draft by hand, or whether we have headed straight for our keyboard?

Some years ago, I attended a week-long writing course where we were encouraged to write by hand. That week, my thoughts flowed ... and flowed ... and flowed. The whole experience was so fulfilling for me and the end result was several pages of handwritten story that eventually became the first chapter of my most recent novel, The Inheritance. However, I remember how others in that course were irked by the whole process and were not backward in criticising the presenter publicly.

We are all so different in how we approach our writing. What works for some might not work for others. But how about you? Have you found some benefit in hand writing those stories or poems you create first? Or does that feel like a waste of time to you?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.

Being a real author

I think I could write a book about my book promotion experiences over the past seven years. In this scintillating piece of literature, I would include some of the more startling and amusing conversations I have had at my book table, such as the following:

‘So what do you have here?

‘These are my six novels and this one, Soul Friend, is non-fiction.’

‘Oh ... what are they about?’

‘Well, I explore different faith themes in my novels such as understanding God’s love, forgiving others, using our gifts to serve God, overcoming rejection, holding onto our faith, and so on. My latest one here, The Inheritance, highlights the importance of dealing with anger and bitterness in our lives and learning to trust God. It has a strong male main character in it as well as a female one this time.’

‘Oh ... so you said they’re novels. Do you mean fiction?  I don’t usually read fiction.’

‘Yes, they’re fiction—but several of them were inspired by real people.’

‘Oh, okay. ... And what about this one here? Did you say it’s non-fiction?’

‘Yes. It’s the story of my own journey with my spiritual mentor Joy.’

‘Oh ... you mean you wrote it yourself? Wow!’

‘Yes. I wrote all these.’

‘You mean ... you mean you wrote all those as well?’

‘That's right.’

‘Wow! I’ve never met a real author before. That’s amazing!’

It’s a little strange how, even when I talk about ‘my’ books or ‘my’ writing in such settings, some people still think I must be selling someone else’s books. After all, their expression says, I couldn’t possibly be an author! Yet I can well understand where they might be coming from. You see, when I was a child, I always thought authors weren’t real people like the rest of us. I think I imagined them as a race apart—some sort of exotic beings from a realm far removed from us whom we could know only via their names on the covers of their books. They must be so clever, I used to think. Only super human beings could weave stories together like that. Imagine writing a whole book!

Now I know differently, of course. Now I myself have joined their ranks. And, as I usually assure those who have such conversations as the above with me, authors are quite normal people—well, sort of! We just happen to love writing, even when that involves many hours of hard work. And some of us also believe that’s how we can best serve God and others.

I never imagined I would be a ‘real author’. I can well remember the day I received the proposed cover of my first novel and how I felt when I saw my name in large letters at the top. My first thought was ‘What have I done?’ Now my work and many of my inner thoughts would be out there for all to see. But in the years since, I have discovered what a privilege it is to be a ‘real author’ and to take hold of every opportunity to honour God and bless others that comes my way as a result.

What are your thoughts about ‘real authors’ or your experiences of being one? Is this a term only published authors can use? Does it differ from the term ‘writer’, which I still prefer to put down as my occupation?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com or www.soulfriend.com.au.

Seizing the day

Years ago, I remember seeing the movie ‘Dead Poets’ Society’ and being very stirred by it. For a long time afterwards, those Latin words ‘carpe diem’ and their English translation ‘seize the day’ which actor Robin Williams so passionately uttered to his young student audience kept ringing in my head. And this month they have come back to me as my sixth novel, The Inheritance, has been released.

The reason they have, I imagine, is that they are a little reminder to me to ‘seize the day’ once again—to promote this new novel as best I can and to use the opportunity to be able to speak about the things God has put in my heart and mind to share with others. In one way, this is easy for me to do. Firstly, I love this novel of mine. I have become quite attached to the main characters in particular and still enjoy reflecting on how their journeys unfolded! You see, my hero Michael Trevelyan faces quite a struggle as he tries to come to grips with the past, be reconciled with himself, his family and ultimately God, and to face the future with courage and integrity. Meanwhile, my heroine Alexandra Hope has a different struggle on her hands—to stay true to her faith in God and pursue God’s purposes for her life.

Secondly, I love the main theme of The Inheritance. As a result of God’s prompting, I believe, and also as a result of many situations I have seen in ministry, I wanted to write a novel that shows how anger, bitterness, hypocrisy and pretence can have such an adverse effect in our own lives, as well as in the lives of others, and keep us from experiencing God’s amazing grace. As I wrote, the words of Hebrews 12:15 kept ringing in my ears: See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. So in promoting this novel, I have the great privilege of sharing more about God’s amazing grace and about walking into all the freedom God’s forgiveness has for us.

Finally, I think the gratitude I feel to God—and to my publisher, Even Before Publishing—that The Inheritance has actually been released also spurs me on to hop into promoting it with all my heart. Even now, I find it hard to believe that, under God’s hand, I have had six novels and one memoir, Soul Friend, published in the last seven years. So surely it is up to me to go for what God has given me to do at this stage of my life. I have loved all the other roles I have had in earlier years—high school teacher, full-time mum, editor, front desk person in a busy church/community environment, local church pastor. But I believe God has melded all that experience together now for a reason—and that is to go for it with my writing and speaking as best I can, to ‘seize the day’ while the opportunities are there.

May you all be encouraged, wherever you are at with your own writing, to listen with all your heart, to hear what God has for you at this stage of your journey and then to step out and ‘seize the day’ in God’s strength. God has good things for you to do, writing or otherwise!

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information or to purchase her books, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com or www.soulfriend.com.au.