Meet Our Members: Brian Maunder

Most Thursdays in 2019 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: Brian Maunder

Firstly, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share. I have been a part of the CWD online community for many years now, and it has been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration.

  

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

I was born and still live in Adelaide, South Australia.  I am just nigh over 50 winters of age, married with two children, and work on a casual basis for Torrens Transit Adelaide as a bus driver, sometimes driving the O-Bahn circuit. Most of my time is devoted to home-schooling my two children and to the myriad of tasks involved with family life. I am a keen musician and like to busk when I can (guitar and singing), though my main instrument is piano.  I had a conversion experience when I was about 20 years old and my early Christian years were within the Salvos. Sailing the turbulences of life, I was a pilgrim for a while, traversing various Pentecostal and Charismatic denominations.  I now call my local Anglican Church home, and have been a part of the community there for over ten years.  I also love to attend Catholic services whenever I get the chance. 

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

My journey into writing is all due to a painting, which I created abstractly about 12 years ago. At that time, after sploshing colours upon a canvas, then crazily attacking it with obscure brush mayhem, I created something that looked, to me, like large ocean waves. To stimulate surrealist ideals, I thought to paint an image in the sky. Initially, I intended to draw flowers, but then changed my mind and drew a kite instead. This was all done just prior to Easter.

True to the season, and with the thoughts of Christ’s Passion upon my mind, I noticed that the kite was essentially built upon the framework of a cross. Whilst I gazed at the painting, questions crossed paths with my imaginings and meditations. I asked myself: “What would it be like to fly over that turbulent sea? Who created the kite? Did the kite know it was held together by a cross?” Suddenly, an idea of a story popped into my mind, and believing it to be too important to ignore, I set to work. What resulted was a children’s picture book which was published seven years ago (2012).

During the crafting of that simple book, whilst contemplating the theology hidden within the narrative, I realised that there was far more to this story than most people would perceive at a quick first glance. At some point I thought: “Wouldn’t it be great to read this as a novel. Maybe I should try and write it out in words.” Crazy me then went ahead and tried to actually do this… and I am still at the plough.  Since then, this has been the sole aim of writing: to try and complete a novel based on my picture book. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.

3.      Who has read your work? Who would like to read it?

“Polly’s Little Kite” was distributed internationally from the US publishers, and it only takes five minutes to read, so I presume many people have read it. It has been used in church services, especially during Easter, as a way to teach the message of the cross. It is also available in many libraries across SA.

My new story, the one still being pummelled upon the anvil of intention, hasn’t been published yet, so no one, except my editor Nola Passmore, has read it. Who will read it when it is? Well, that’s something that still perplexes me. It’s not aimed at a genre, so I’m not actually sure. It is in fact three stories, layered one upon another. The first story, set in England 1919, involves a boy who, after making a tree-house with his dad, loses both his dad and family home to the war. The second story, involves an Australian father, who after losing his son in the same war, can’t make sense of life and faith. These two stories merge 20 years later when the Australian receives a letter from his deceased son, couriering knowledge of the English boy’s tree-house, and the special treasure within it. Woven through and around these two stories, intertwines the tale of the kite. All three stories combine and resolve at the end.

Though the narrative is for young readers, it isn’t really a book for children, as it is too complex. However, mature readers may not like the childish elements of the kite, and the innocence of the main characters.  So, it’s not for kids and not for adults… (sigh). I know my own children love the story, even though they don’t fully understand every nuance of language and idea within it. I suppose I live in hope that it will be prove to be accessible to young and old alike. When it is published I want to dedicate it to “Fathers and Sons”.

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

This book has mostly been written at 2am, as this is when I would wake up with that inspirational spark that just has to be fanned into written flame. I always write things with pen onto paper first, and those scribbles and scratches are then deciphered and typed onto the PC. 

My greatest challenge is that I am untrained and unskilled at writing. I would have the idea, and it would burst forth, but whilst inking down the words, I would fail to write in such a way as to incorporate the new idea into the larger narrative. This is one reason why editing has taken so painstakingly long. The story is complete, but it has been written with too many varying “points of view”.   Now, in this final drafting, all this editing seems to be taking the life out of the original manuscript. After all the efforts, I believe there is a danger it could become like an overworked mosaic of ideas. I’m hoping and praying this won’t be the case when viewed from fresh eyes.

The joy I have when I contemplate some of the ideas within the story, is one of my greatest motivations. I often look up at some grand old tree and imagine the climb to the top, (a critical element of the narrative) and sense again the freedoms and exhilarations of those wonderful experiences that I had when I was a boy, which included moments of fun activities like tree climbing and cubby-house making. This reliving and imagining is so refreshing it just keeps me alive to want to tell of it. Occasionally someone will ask how the writing is going, and that’s a real encouragement as well. What helps me the most, is that spiritual desire to “climb into that sanctuary” and experience that wonderful purity and freedom, that childhood innocence, to be myself as I spend “time with the Father” who loves me as far as the East is from the West, and farther than the heavens are above the Earth.

5.      What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and Why?

I have two books that I regularly refer to.

“Grammar Rules”, by Craig Shrives, actually makes learning and reading about Grammar enjoyable.  Written by a man with years of experience penning and compiling papers and reports for military use, this brilliant book is concise, easy to understand, thorough and full of witty and thoughtful quotes to keep you happy.

“Writing Tools”, by Roy Peter Clark, lists 55 strategies, or tools, to equip and assist writers. Just reading a chapter now and then, can help ignite inspiration, hone skills, cultivate motivations and spur you forward, not just in what you write, but as a person passionate about writing.  From developing “useful habits” to adding pizazz and special effects to your work, the book offers solid useful ideas, though it does sometimes take some mental effort to think through what is being discussed. 

6.      If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer,  editor or illustrator – who would that be and why.

There’s no doubt that Nola Passmore (through her business “The Write Flourish”) would be at the top of my “shout-out” list. She was willing to edit my first draft, green as I was, and helped me see things from her experienced and trained eyes. Her honest (and gracious) critique, though crushing at times, was exactly what I needed. She counselled me through the numerous things my first draft lacked (and there were many) whilst at the same time, encouraged and praised those things she deemed laudable. The main thing for me, was that she was not trying to tickle the truth. I needed thoughtful, honest and guiding feedback… and this is what she offered.

Consequently, when I approached her again with my second draft, I knew I was dealing with someone whose work had integrity. Her final evaluation rang as sweet music to my ears when she wrote, “I think you have a really good story now and I encourage you to pursue publication.”

Other “shout-outs” for CWD people who have helped and encouraged me include; Rhonda Pooley, Marilyn Simpson, Anusha Atukarola, Mazzy Adams, Morton Benning,  Paula Vince, Karina Hudson, Melinda Jensen, Rosanne Hawke and Lesley Turner.  Also Jo’Anne Griffiths, Jeanette O’Hagan and Adam Collins, who were also fellow Nano-Wrimo camp mates. 

7.      What are your writing goals for 2019/20. How will you achieve them?

Along with lighting a candle, kneeling and reading, writing has become a practice that accompanies my devotional times. It helps me focus and stops my mind from wandering. Often, I like to write a scripture or meditation, word-for-word verbatim, into my diary. Like music appearing upon a page, the letters curve and twist and camber into words and thoughts and themes, and as I watch my pen, and follow the flow of the ink, I slow down, and pause and pray. I listen. The act of writing becomes an act of worship. I am not skimming over things. I perceive and hear with greater clarity. So, with this in mind, my number one goal for writing is to make it help me pursue the Lord.

I do have ideas for other stories, but honestly, after the efforts required for “Little Kite and the Compass Tree”, I’m not sure if I have the resources to write another novel. I have too much happening within family life and work… and time is of the essence.  My writing goal for 2018 is to finish this penultimate draft and then send it for editing again. This process will probably happen a few times, as I will only commit to publishing until a number of people are happy. I will also send the manuscript to students and some church leaders, for their thoughts (and hopefully blessings) as well. Since the search for a publisher is, for me, a complete waste of time, and I am wearied of “knocking on doors” and “filling out forms”, I intend to publish this work myself. I don’t care about literary success. I just want to finish the job as best I can, so I can share the story with others.

8.      How does your faith impact and shape your writing.

To answer this question I will quote from Henri Nouwen’s classic book “The Return of the Prodigal Son”.  He writes: “I have a new vocation now. It is the vocation to speak and write from that place... I have to kneel before the Father, put my ear against his chest and listen, without interruption, to the heartbeat of God. Then, and only then, can I say carefully, and very gently what I hear.”

Probably, one reason why it has taken me so long to complete a written work, is that life gets so extremely busy for me. Chores and tasks, obligations and responsibilities can crowd in and seemingly take over. Consequently, to my shame, I can neglect the call to intimacy that God invites me to. Prayer and meditation is put on hold, and I cease to drink from those beautiful “streams of living water”. I literally cannot write, nor do I want to write, if my heart is far from the Lord. The first port of call for any creative manuscript, for me, is always prayer and confession, which then merges and moves into meditation and contemplation. When I feel that I can hear and sense the heartbeat of God, it is then that I want to pick up the pen.

Links
Nola Passmore’s website: http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au/
Blog detailing my conversion:  http://brianmaunder.blogspot.com/2015/01/

Exploring Genre: Christian Biography & History

by David Bennett

History is not boring

Many people think that history is boring. It is usually only boring if it is told badly.

Hudson Taylor went to China at the of 21 to take the gospel to the Chinese. He arrived in the middle of a war and his life there was in constant danger. I have written a book called Hudson Taylor and China (Rhiza Press). Is it boring? How could it be?  It is dramatic and at times exciting.

History is full of fascinating people, exciting events, disturbing incidents and great drama. I write church history and biography with a major focus on nineteenth century Britain and the missionaries sent from there.

Christian Biography and History

With some genres one can point to major authors who write in a particular field, but while this is possible with church history, it is harder with biography. With biographies one tends to look for a book about a particular person rather than who wrote it.

Two Australian examples of biographies where the subject is more famous than the author are Mr Eternity by Roy Williams and Elizabeth Meyers (Shortlisted for the 2018 Australian Christian Book of the Year Award), and The Man the Anzacs Revered by Daniel Reynaud. 

The first is about Arthur Stace, a Christian man, who became a legend by writing the word “Eternity” on Sydney’s footpaths over a period of many years. Stace was an ordinary man, but he did something that was extraordinary. 

The other book is about William “Fighting Mac” McKenzie, who was a Salvation Army chaplain in the First World War. He was a remarkable man who was famous between the two world wars, but is sadly les known today. If you want to read a good biography about a great Australian, read The Man the Anzacs Revered, for the Anzacs did not revere many outside their own. “Fighting Mac” was special.

Two of the best writers of modern church history are Mark Noll (America) and David Bebbington (Britain). Both are clearly excellent at research and write well. (I understand that Bebbington’s son was once asked what his father did, and the son said, “He writes about dead evangelicals.” I do the same as Bebbington senior.)

Research and Sources

Research is a vital aspect of writing history or biography. Research has never been easier and never harder than today. It is easier because there are lots of good modern books and articles available on most historical figures and events of interest, and the internet has opened up access to the text of many out of print books and given us access to many worthwhile articles. 

But this presents two areas of difficulty: firstly, there is a lot to wade through; secondly, as always with the internet, you have to be careful, for there is a lot of ill-informed rubbish out there. Check and recheck your sources.

David's Projects

One of my major projects has been the history of The Salvation Army and its founders, William and Catherine Booth. William Booth was originally a Methodist evangelist, who won thousands to faith in Christ Jesus. His preaching was dynamic and the results often dramatic. Catherine also became a Methodist preacher and was (no surprise) one of the early Christian feminists. They were very different from each other, but in their own ways colourful. As The Salvation Army came into being, they attracted around them a ragtag collection of odd people, male and female, who excite, intrigue, and, at times, make you laugh or cry.

Catherine was a difficult person to argue with. She was smart and always seemed to have her arguments ready. On one occasion she had just preached at the opening of a new Salvation Army mission hall. Afterwards a man cornered her and said, “Did you know, Mrs Booth, that the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that women should not speak in the church?” She responded, “Yes, but I am not a Corinthian and this is not a church.” Wow! I wouldn’t want to argue with her.

I have written two biographies of William Booth, a smallish one called William Booth and his Salvation Army (Even Before Publishing) and a two-volume book, The General: William Booth (Xulon Press). I have also edited, transcribed and published their letters to each other, Catherine’s diary, her reminiscences and her letters to her parents, which are all full of their love of Christ and their great desire to make Him known. 

I am now writing a two-volume biography of Catherine. The first volume, Catherine Booth: From Timidity to Boldness, has been accepted by Morning Star Publishing.

Making it Readable

I write two different kinds of biography. One I describe as dramatic. That is, whilst sticking to the main incidents of the subject’s life, I, in some cases, invent dialogue and assume people’s emotions, to make it read (hopefully) like fiction. The other type I write are more authentic, detailed and analytical, but still (I am told) very readable.

I think one of the tricks with non-fiction writing is to make it readable, which is easier than most people think. There are always plenty of exciting and dramatic events going on now and in the past. Write about them. What interests and excites you will almost certainly interest and excite others. And don’t use lots of long and complicated sentences. While some sentences should be long, keep most fairly short and some very short. Variety in sentence length is important in all forms of writing. 

Two people have told me that my PhD dissertation (The Origins of Left Behind Eschatology) was very readable. I confess that when I heard that, I thought, “It’s a PhD dissertation for goodness sake. It’s not meant to be readable.” You see, even some complicated subjects can be made readable.

David Malcolm Bennett has written over 20 Christian books, mainly biographies and church history. His book “From Ashes to Glory” was a joint winner in the CALEB AWARDS, biography section, and his “William Booth and his Salvation Army” was a finalist in CALEB. That book about William Booth has sold over 25,000 copies in its three editions, English, American and Australian. His latest book “Hudson Taylor and China” is a finalist in this year’s CALEB.

CWD Member Interview – Ben Morton AKA Morton Benning

Most Thursdays in 2019 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: Ben Morton AKA Morton Benning

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

I grew up in Whyalla SA, which is essentially a hot and dry city masquerading as a country town, where my friends and I camped out as teenagers to be the first three customers of the newly opening Hungry Jacks.

I first left home when I was nineteen to live over 300km from a free dinner at mum’s because I wanted to study ministry, preaching and theology and become a youth pastor, but I had to work as a t-shirt artist to pay back my fee debts.

I met my wife while studying and then teaching drama and creative writing at Tabor Adelaide and we spent a year teaching English in Japan together before settling back in Adelaide and having two girls (one more baby on the way as I write this).

Question 2: Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc). What do you write and why?

I mostly write and teach speculative fiction because I find the fantastical environments to be a more interesting place to tell stories and explore ideas. I enjoy writing poetry from time to time as well, and I like to write a good mix of adventure and humour. I also use my writing, editing, typesetting, illustration and design skills to run a small business that makes use of modern publishing methods to turn unpublished writers into published authors. I call what I do assisted publication because it has many of the benefits of self publishing and also of what used to be called vanity publishing, but avoids most of the drawbacks of both. I am excited to give writers the opportunity to see their hard work become available to their audience without having to impose the barrier of a great deal of financial expense (which, let’s face it, writers mostly don’t have a lot of money).

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

I wrote a Y/A speculative fiction novel entitled Playing God and an anthology of fantasy poems and stories called The Tale of Alathimble Spaide and Other Such Nonsense, both with Stone Table Books, which have gained a little traction in local geek culture. Most of my published works are collected in nearly every edition of the Tabor Adelaide anthologies entitled Tales from the Upper Room or the two anthologies published by my writer’s group Literati, If They Could Talk and Something in the Blood. Those have mostly gone out to people connected in some way to family and friends of Tabor, Adelaide. I have published Morton’s Anglish Fictionary (with my own label, Immortalise) which has a small local following in and around Adelaide. I really intend for my books to be read by people who love the sorts of things I love, fantasy, sci fi, language play, adventure and a good laugh.

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

I haven’t got a solidly laid out process. I mostly start with an idea I want to explore and create characters, conflict and an environment to fit it. I only ever plan fairly loosely, but I usually have a pretty good idea where I think a story needs to end, even if I am not sure about all the steps to get there. I like watching my characters figure out how to achieve their goals. I find that I enjoy creating characters a little too much and often want to add too many of them and give them too much attention. I also like them too much to let them struggle at times. I discovered in the process of my novel that the advice I had been given about skipping a bit and telling a chapter a bit further on in the story was really good advice that I should have paid attention to earlier. Skipping ahead to a part of the story that is beyond where you’re stuck and then backfilling later is a good way to get past a blockage.

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

I haven’t read a lot of writing craft books, and it’s hard to pick just one of the ones I have, so I’m going to cheat a bit and choose two I haven’t read. A favourite youtuber of mine has recently published a book based on the writing tips from his channel “Hello Future Me.” On Writing and Worldbuilding by Timothy Hickson is high on my agenda to read next. His tips are always well thought through and have solid and well analysed examples from quality media. I love watching his videos and always benefit from re-watching them. I also recently did typesetting for Rosanne Hawke’s Riding the Wind, which I haven't read properly yet, but I have a very good idea of the content from working on it. Rosanne has so much practical experience and such a lovely and humble way of sharing the things she has learned. She was a great teacher in person, and I value her advice a great deal.

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

There are so many folks in CWD who are friends and have been at some time a student or a mentor to be, and it’s hard to pick one person, but I know that Wendy Noble has a third book in her wonderful Beast Speaker trilogy coming out soon. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two, and I hear Dragon Home is going to be a good ending for the set.

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

I am currently working on a series of spec-fic dungeonpunk-esque novellas in which a group of solo characters each go on a similar mission in the same place at the same time but with little or no actual contact with each other. I want to create the stories so each solo mission stands alone, but their plot events interact so that they each enhance the others. I am in the process of applying to Flinders to undertake a cross-discipline PhD in creative writing and theology, partly because I am fascinated by the ideas I’m exploring, but also so that I can incorporate the creation of these books into my study and unapologetically spend whole days working on them.

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

There are two answers to that. The first is essentially monkey-see, monkey-do. God has created me to be creative. He is a world-builder, and so am I. I am fascinated by the complexity and simplicity and interconnectedness of everything God has created, and I try in my much oversimplified way to explore what he does by doing it too. The other is that I have been created to be a communicator. I discovered fairly early in my spiritual journey that Jesus has placed in me a deep passion for that moment of realisation and understanding. I love to see it in myself, but I love even more to be the one who helps someone else to reach it. I can tell someone some truth I have learned, and it becomes knowledge they retain or forget, but if I can, through my creative work, help someone to discover a deep truth for themselves then they own it. It grows in them and forms part of who they are. That makes my heart sing.

Draft2Digital Offers Print on Demand Alternative

There have been a few shake-ups with the print-on-demand industry lately. The big changes happened around a year ago. First, GST changes prompted KDP to stop sending author copies to Australia. A little over a month later, Amazon closed Createspace and folded it into KDP Print. The conversion of titles caused a few headaches for some authors with large backlists.

As a result of these changes, a lot of Australian indie authors turned to Ingram Spark, who can not only get your book listed on Amazon, but also in the Ingram catalogue that bookstores order from. In addition, Ingram offer the option for hardcovers. And they have a factory in Australia where books can be printed locally if you want that proof copy, or a little inventory to hand sell. The main disadvantage of Ingram Spark is that they charge a fee for each manuscript upload.

A new player is arriving on the scene, which will provide a third option for consideration. I have been accepted into the BETA program for Draft2Digital’s new POD service. I’d yet to dip my toe into the world of print books, so this seemed the perfect opportunity to get started.

Draft2Digital’s print service has some good things going for it. First of all, they can distribute to the Ingram Catalogue, but they don’t charge a fee for upload. Of course, getting your book onto the catalogue is no guarantee your books will end up on the shelves of any store. But it does mean that if you approach a bookstore, you can tell them that the book is available in their usual catalogue, should they be willing to order it.

One feature I really like is the cover converter. Many cost-conscious indie authors elect to buy an ebook cover. This is a single rectangular image that represents the front cover. But print books also have a spine and a back cover. Does this mean that when you want to make a print version of your book you must go back and pay for a full print cover design? Draft2Digital have an alternative. They take your existing ebook cover and generate an appropriate spine and back to match. Clearly this won't have a fancy picture that continues from the front to the back. They’ll use a solid colour that goes with your cover artwork, add the blurb, author bio, author photo, and a place for the barcode. I think the results look great.

Draft2Digital’s print service has a wide array of options. You can choose trim size, paper colour, cover finish, all the standard settings you’d expect. You can provide your own ISBN, or Draft2Digital will provide one for free. You can also customise the orphan and widow control (how many orphaned words on the next page will cause the entire sentence to move the next page). You can elect to have all chapters start on the right-hand side, or not. You can allow the software to automatically generate the cover and the inside content, based on your eBook, or you can provide your own cover or PDF interior.

Here's a tip I've learned. If your eBook has hyperlinks in it, the automatic print conversion will add the URLs as footnotes. This makes sense. You can't click hyperlinks on a print book. But there may be times you don't want this behaviour. For example, you might have spelled out the full URL in the link text. To prevent the software from adding the footnote, you need to ensure that the URL contains the protocol identifier (http://).

I found that I had all the options I Would need, but it wasn’t immediately obvious where to find those options. The user interface wasn’t entirely intuitive to me. This is to be expected in a BETA. The process will no doubt be smoothed a little when it goes public. My biggest issue was that I was too nervous to proceed past a certain point while I was just experimenting, in case my experiment ended up published. Fortunately, Draft2Digital provide excellent support. I sent in a bunch of questions and they responded with very detailed answers, which got me back on track.

Draft2Digital give you the option to receive a proof copy to review prior to authorising the release of the book. You can also purchase author copies.

All in all, I’m quite happy with the experience of creating my first print book through Draft2Digital. Once it goes live it will provide a viable alternative to KDP Print and Ingram Spark, and will probably be my default go-to service for future projects.

You can learn more about Draft2Digital's POD service at draft2digital.com/printbeta.

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Adam David Collins is a speculative fiction author from Tasmania, Australia. He draws inspiration for his stories from his over-active imagination, his life experiences and his faith. Adam is a great lover of stories, enjoying them in books, movies, scripted TV and computer games. Adam discusses these, along with his monthly Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Bulletin on his youTube channel. You can find him at AdamDavidCollings.com

Meet Our Members: Helen Brown

Most Thursdays in 2019 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 Helen Brown

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

My parents were Salvation Army Officers until I was 10 years old. My dad then returned to his first employment love, farming. Moving around as many times as we did, means that I don’t really feel like I came from anywhere in particular. I was born in Mt Isa, North Queensland but I always felt that my roots were in Inverell, New South Wales, because both my parents spent a good part of their childhood there. This is where my parents met and fell in love. My dad’s parents lived there all their lives. Having such a rich spiritual background means that I have always known the love of God in my life and my relationship with Him as developed slowly over the years from birth to now.

Question 2: Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc).  What do you write and why?

My writing career started almost accidently, except that God doesn’t do anything by accident. I started out doing the occasional Newssheet article for our Church bulletin at the request of our minister. After about a year I realised that I could turn it into a book, that was my first book, Turning Water into Wine. These articles are where God has challenged me with something ordinary that has a spiritual lesson for me, and through my six books, others as well.

Over the last couple of years, I have been writing my first novel, but I have to say I’m not sure what God wants to do with that. It may be that it’s just a stepping stone to another venture. I have discovered that my sister is a very talented fiction writer and we, my daughter, Wendy Wood, and I are planning on releasing that one of her books on September 4^th. This date is significant as it’s the anniversary of our Mother’s arrival in Heaven and it’s a way to acknowledge the importance that she had to both of us.

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

I know very few people who have read my work by name; however, I know one gentleman found that one of my stories about looking up in Turning Water into Wine, helped him while he was changing a light bulb. It doesn’t seem like a great big spiritual thing but even such small things are important to God and He can use whatever He likes for whatever purpose He deems necessary. It seems it was important enough for this man to mention it to my mother.

Who would I like to read my work, Oh, my goodness that is such a loaded question? My articles were, initially designed to encourage Christians each Sunday, and that is the main purpose of my work but it would also be great if God enabled those outside the church to at least start asking questions about their relationship with God through my books.

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

The process of writing for me is usually when I am inspired by some small incident, comment, question or when the devil has a real go at me over something I’m struggling with. So, there is usually quite a lot of prayer before and during the thinking stage. The biggest challenge I face is finding the time to write. Like most people in regional Australia we are in the middle of the biggest drought this country has seen since records started and as we live on a farm that means that I have to be a hands-on partner. The work is never ending, thankless and discouraging. You could say that most of what I write is messages to myself, reminding me of the faithfulness of God when everything looks dire.

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

I don’t have one, sorry.

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

Jo’Anne Griffiths, I had the real privilege of meeting Jo some years ago while I was at a church conference in Sydney and we have been trying to make it an annual event. Sadly, neither of us could make it happen this year but we will try again next year. Jo has been a great encourager for me and edited by latest book, Still More Water into Wine. She did an amazing job and is currently looking at the first part of my novel. I’m am so grateful that God bought this wonderful woman into my circle of friends. 

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

This year I am trying to get my novel finished, as previously stated its been in the pipeline for a couple of years now, however, I’m not sure where God wants to take it yet. With the grace of God, I pray that I will be able to publish more of my sister’s stories but the year is so close to the end that I’m think we will run out of time. Yes, just blink and Christmas will be here.

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

My writing would not have even started without my faith, so it goes hand in hand. The challenge for me is to make sure that I am writing for the right reasons, not personal or financial. This last motivation is very difficult for me as having a second income that is not animal or drought affected is very important for us at present. There are no other jobs going around in the bush now.

Born in Mount Isa, the eldest of five children of Salvation Army officers, Helen Brown lived an almost nomadic life until she was fifteen years of age. However, she discovered books as a preteen and read a lot, well into the night and occasionally all night. Two stories that captured her imagination were “Anne of Green Gables” and Little Women”. Just like the heroines in these stories she wanted to write. A learning disability, which was not corrected until she was in her thirties, meant that schooling was a real struggle. It also meant that her dream seemed to be a distant mirage. The struggles of raising five children and being a wife to a shearer/farmer in a small town taught her a lot about life and the grace of God. During this time, she also completed her teaching degree and worked many casual jobs in order to ensure that the farm was viable. Today, she still lives on the farm in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.

The Hub at the 2019 Omega Writers Conference

By Penny Reeve, HUB Coordinator

If you’re planning to attend this year’s Omega Writers’ Conference don’t forget to make the most of the opportunities available. Not only are there going to be some fantastic Keynote Talks, Workshops and a Bookstall but there is also an incredible chance to get some professional input on your writing at The Hub!

‘What is The Hub?’ I hear you ask.

The Hub is your chance to book an appointment with a publisher, editor or other industry expert to gain feedback, suggestions and guidance on your work in progress. It can also be your chance to skip the dreaded ‘slush pile’ and pitch your manuscript to a publisher to see if they might consider it for publication.

Typically, a Hub appointment is 30 mins long.

You submit some of your work prior to conference and received personalised feedback during your session. These appointments cost $50 each. A small number of publishers also accept FREE five-minute pitches, where you see if a publisher is interested in your manuscript but you will not receive detailed feedback.

What sort of appointments are available?

This year we have a terrific variety of appointments on offer at The Hub. Whether your manuscript is polished and ready for submission, or you’re just starting out with a head full of great ideas, there’s likely to be something for you:

A Completed Manuscript

If you have a manuscript that’s submission ready we have several publishers happy to consider pitches. Publishers attending conference this year are:

• Rochelle Manners from Wombat Books and Rhiza Edge (children’s/YA)
• Rowena Beresford from Yellow Brick Books (children’s)
• Mark Worthing from Stone Table Books/Morning Star (fantasy, sci-fi and Christian non-fiction)
• Kris Argall from Acorn Press (non-fiction, general fiction, some children’s)

If you have a finished manuscript, but are not sure whether it’s ready for submission or are seeking editorial input to bring it to a higher standard an appointment with one of this year’s editors would be a great idea. Whether you’re writing romance, non-fiction, memoir or children’s books we have experienced editors able to offer constructive, personalised feedback for your work in progress. Seeing a publisher at this stage can also be helpful, especially as you consider the next step for your project.

Self-Publishing

If you’re keen to learn more about self-publishing options available, an appointment with Debbie Lee from Ingram Spark would be great value. She can offer specific advice, suggestions and know-how to get your book to print.

First Draft

If you have a rough draft or a brilliant idea you’d like some feedback on before you go any further, an appointment at the Hub can still be a good idea. Sometimes it’s worth getting some expert advice early on, before you have too many words on the page. It can also be helpful to get some detailed and specific guidance for how to best reach for your writing goals.

How do I book?

Visit The Hub information page here and read about the editors/publishers/experts available for bookings. Then go here to the Conference Registration page.

• If you haven’t yet registered for Conference you can book your Hub tickets as part of registration.
• If you have already registered for conference, just skip the rego sections and go straight to the Hub Ticket booking section and purchase your appointments there.

Got any questions about The Hub? Feel free to list them in the comments below and Penny Reeve (The Hub coordinator) will do her best to answer them!

CWD Member Interview – Ruth Amos (also writing as R. J. Amos)

Most Thursdays in 2019 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 we interview Ruth Amos

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

I am the daughter of missionaries and both my grandfathers were Anglican ministers. I’ve been brought up in the church my whole life and I’m grateful for the spiritual inheritance I have.

Pretty much straight out of high school I got married and had my two wonderful children. When my youngest was one year old I began my undergraduate science degree and ended up going right through to complete a PhD in chemistry. I then worked as a lecturer and researcher for eight years. In the middle of that time I decided that what I really wanted to do was write. So I started listening to podcasts on writing, watching YouTube videos, and, of course, actually writing. I started a blog in 2016, published my first book in early 2018 and later that year I stopped working at the university and started freelancing so that I could have more time to concentrate on writing. 

I live in the most beautiful part of Australia. You don’t know where that is? It’s Tasmania, of course! I’ve lived here pretty much my whole life and I’m content to live here for the rest if that’s what God wants me to do. My house has views of Mt Wellington/kunanyi and the Derwent River. I love to walk on the beach near my home, and I love the friendships I have in my local community.

Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc).  What do you write and why?

My novels (written as R. J. Amos) are mysteries. Cosy mysteries in the style of Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers. I found when I was struggling with my work life, that cosy mysteries were a really great escape. There’s not too much tension (unlike thrillers), not too much emotion, and you know that the bad guy will be caught in the end. I lived on a steady diet of cosies for years, so when it came time to write, that was the obvious choice.

I have a series called the Deadly Miss series which are mysteries set at universities where I have worked – The University of Tasmania for the first two, and for the one I’m currently writing, The University of Sydney. I thought that people might like to see what working at a university is actually like. They say ‘write what you know’ so that’s where I started. When I was at the university my colleagues were excited about my writing and would greet me in the hallway by saying, ‘Ruth, I’ve thought of a new way for you to kill someone!’ We used to brainstorm murder methods over morning tea.

Just lately I challenged myself to write some short stories using prompts that my husband found for me on Reddit. I had no choice in the prompts and some of them were suited to mystery, but many were science fiction (So. Many. Aliens.) and a few were fantasy. They were so much fun to write that when I finish the mystery I’m working on now (the third in the Deadly Miss series) I’m thinking I might try my hand at a different genre. Just for fun.

I have also written a memoir/self-help book called ‘My Year of Saying No.’ This book is written under my Ruth Amos author name as it is much more solidly Christian and is non-fiction. 

I hope that my writing is uplifting, that it helps out others who might need a place of peace to escape to. But mostly I write because writing makes me very happy, it feels just right to do it. 

Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it?

I was very surprised when I launched my first novel in May of 2018, and my memoir a week later (it just worked out like that – crazy) to find that so many of my friends and colleagues were happy to put their money where their mouth was and buy my book. I had built a reader network without even knowing it.

The people who like my books like mysteries but don’t like gore or profanity. Many of my readers are women over 40, possibly because I fit in that demographic and I write books that I want to read. Many of my readers are in Tasmania and they enjoy seeing local landmarks in the books. I hope that my audience will continue to grow, though I’m sure the growth will be fairly slow as it seems to depend greatly on word of mouth. I’m hoping that as people from the rest of Australia and the world read my little mysteries they will be tempted to come down to Tasmania and see if it’s as beautiful as I say it is.

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

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I write first thing. We have one child still at home but he’s a uni student now so I don’t need to worry about getting him ready for school or anything. So once my husband has left for work, I head down to my office and fire up my computer. I find that using Scrivener helps me fall into the story a little easier as I don’t use that software for any other type of work or writing. I write for an hour or so and then get on with my other jobs – I work as an academic editor for my ‘day job’. 

On Tuesdays I don’t write first-thing, because in the afternoons I run a writing session at a local church. We open up the hall and people bring their own projects, we write for about two hours. On Thursdays I do a similar thing at a local café. I’m always there for the set two hours, and others join me as they can.

I think my biggest challenge in my writing is ‘show don’t tell’ I am always ‘telling’, and then I go back over and rewrite so that I can ‘show’ instead. 

The thing that helps me the most is my outline. It’s a very brief outline – just a list of scenes – and it’s by no means comprehensive. But if I have a scene to write, then I know where I’m starting, and I can just sit down and write. I tried ‘discovery writing’ (pantsing) once, and I found I didn’t get to the writing because I didn’t feel like I had enough energy to decide what to write. I would procrastinate like crazy. An outline works for me like a writing prompt, it gets me going. And once I’m going, I find it easy to continue.

What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why? 

The Art of Slow Writing by Louise De Salvo. She suggests keeping a writing journal and I have found that very, very helpful. Before each session I write a few words about how I feel about the writing, and what I’m trying to do. After the session I write about how I think it went. I also jot down questions in my writing journal about plot or character or whatever is on my mind at the time. It’s helpful to go through the journal after I think I’ve finished a book and make sure that I’ve answered all of my own questions. 

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

Megan Sayer is a writer who has been very helpful to me. Especially when I was just starting out. She read my very first draft and kindly but firmly told me what was wrong with it. And there was so much wrong with it. Four drafts later I had a book I was happy to publish. I’m not sure I could have done it without her. She’s a brilliant writer and her blogs are both amusing and insightful. 

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

So far this year, I have published a book of short stories, I’m about to publish a stand-alone novel – Small Town Trouble – and I hope to finish the third book in the Deadly Miss series. 

On the non-fiction side I want to publish a book of transcripts from my podcast (A Quiet Life), which is stories of people living their faith in their daily lives. I’ve interviewed all sorts of people, from school teachers to people working in prison ministry. Their stories are inspirational and I’m sharing them however I can.

I’m achieving these goals by attaching the seat of my pants to the seat of my chair and putting the work in each day. There’s so much that interrupts the writing and it’s easy to get discouraged, so I’m trying to keep my goals clear and keep a record of what I accomplish each day, so I don’t lose heart. I’m finding right now that fun animal stickers that say, ‘good job’ and ‘excellent work’ are helping me keep going. I stick them in my daily planner once I’ve ticked off all my jobs for the day.

How does your faith impact and shape your writing?

On the non-fiction side that’s easy. In my blog, podcast, and memoir I’m writing to Christians, encouraging them to live their lives for Jesus. 

On the fiction side I’m hoping that my work shows enough excellence that people of all walks of life want to read it. My main character goes to church, and she models care for others. I also have tried to portray a good marriage relationship – not a marriage that is full of distrust and infidelity, but a marriage where the partners work to overcome conflict and actually talk with each other. So I don’t necessarily write ‘Christian Fiction’ but more fiction that is informed by my faith and hopefully waters the seed that has been planted and brings people a little closer to the Lord.

In everything I write, I want God to get the glory. 

R. J. Amos is the author of the Deadly Miss series. She left her academic career in chemistry behind in 2018, choosing to concentrate instead on writing novels. She loves to walk on the beach with her husband, read cosy mysteries in front of the fire, eat chocolate, and drink coffee (though it’s mostly decaf these days). She has two grown-up kids and she lives in Tasmania — the best place in God’s good earth.

Her websites are www.ruthamos.com.au and www.rjamos.com