Author Interview with Colleen Coble

Interview by Christa H. (flchris)

Thank you, Collen Coble for your interview, and Thank you Christa!

Christa: First, I’d like to say Thank You for agreeing to an interview for the PBS Blog.  How did you start writing?

Colleen: I think only God knows what really makes a writer. He gave me the upbringing I would need and the voracious reading appetite necessary to understand what makes a story. I remember the night I finished a book and told the Lord how tired I was of reading books that assumed He didn’t exist. I told God I’d do my best to write for Him, but He would have to open the doors. I waited and nothing happened.  I was working full time, so it took a year to write [my first book]. Then seven years to sell it.

Christa: Most of your books are part of a series.  I love that your main characters from one book continue to be an integral part of the subsequent books in the series, not just making cameo appearances.  How far in advance to you plan the growth of the early characters through the later books?

Colleen: Planning? What’s that? I’m pretty much a seat of the pants writer. I’ve done some plotting in books in the past but I don’t enjoy it. I like being surprised by what the characters do and think. So I know that certain characters will reappear and grow in subsequent books, but I like seeing that play out in front of me.

Christa: Often on the PBS Christian Fiction Forums, readers will ask us to recommend favorite books or series.  The Rock Harbor series is frequently mentioned as a favorite.  You’ve released an epilogue to the fifth book, “Cry in the Night”.  Is that the end of the series, or do you have more plans for Bree?

Colleen: I don’t think I’ll ever be done with the Rock Harbor series. My readers really love Bree, and that makes me happy because she is me in a lot of ways. No, I don’t have a search and rescue dog, but her personality is mine. When I settle into another book with her, it’s like coming home for me.

Christa: Your books strike a comfortable balance of presenting a Christian world view without being extremely “preachy” (although we all need a good, preachy book sometimes!).  Is it something that you consciously work to achieve, or is it just your natural style?

Colleen: It’s a balancing act for sure. I want my own views about eternity and Christ’s love to come out in the books but I don’t want a sermon wrapped in a story either. I want my characters to be real, to have struggles that we all face, and yet to see how being a Christian makes a difference when we face those struggles.

Christa: You’ve written about your attraction to lighthouses, which figure prominently in the Rock Harbor and Mercy Falls series, and the symbolism they portray about Jesus being the light in our world.  What other symbolic elements have you used to bring that Christian world view into your books?

Colleen: Samson as a search dog is another symbol. When I was a kid my grandmother had that poem about the Hound of Heaven searching to save the lost soul. I always loved it and Samson became that symbol.

Christa: Your blog, Girls Write Out, with fellow CF writers Kristen Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, Hannah Alexander and Denise Hunter is a lot of fun to read.  It is obvious that you girls have been through a lot together and are a great support for each other.  Have any of your adventures ever made it into one of your books, or one of theirs?  Have you considered collaborating with any of them to write a book together?

Colleen: Funny you should ask that! We are writing a book together. It’s called Smitten and it’s about a town in Vermont by the same name. The four girls are friends and they decide to save the town by using the name to turn it into the love capitol of the country. J The four girls have our own personalities so it was fun and easy to write. It will be out in December.

Christa: Anathema appears to be the only book in an Amish setting that you have written.  It was the first of your books that I read and I could not put it down!  Was there a particular inspiration in writing that book?  Do you have plans to write other books in an Amish setting?

Colleen: I loved writing that book. I came up with the idea after the Amish school shooting. I do have another Amish setting idea but I’m not sure when I’ll get the time to write it. But it’s fermenting. 🙂

Christa: The Mercy Falls series was a switch for you, going historical after writing so many contemporaries.  What are the specific challenges about writing a historical, other than obviously getting the historical details right?  Did you enjoy this departure?  Does it bring anything fresh to your contemporary writing?

Colleen: Most of the difference is in language. The flavor of a historical is very different. Less contractions, terms that we use today can’t be used then, that kind of thing. Delving into a historical period refreshed the importance of research for me. I’m back to writing a contemporary series now. It’s the Hope Beach series, set in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It’s going to be fun to write!

Christa: I noticed that all of the Mercy Falls books deal with some kind of struggle to do with wealth and portray the disparity between the rich and the poor.  Did you have something particular in mind there?

Colleen: When I began that series, I was intrigued with how similar the turn of the last century was to the turn of this century. We get so caught up in this world that we often forget it’s not our home and that things shouldn’t be our goal. We need to be building eternal wealth.

Christa: Is The Lightkeeper’s Ball the end of the Mercy Falls series?

Colleen: It’s the end at the moment but you never know if another book will pop out down the road. 🙂

Christa: I thought this quote from your website was interesting. “She writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail and love begin with a happy ending.”  Many times in real life, justice does not prevail and love has an unhappy ending.  How do those realities intersect with your writing?

Colleen: I see injustice so much in this world. Killers are let loose all the time. Children are harmed and their offenders go unpunished. Those kinds of events grate on me. At least in my story world I can make sure things come out all right. Readers often read to have their values reinforced. In the end, we know that God’s justice will prevail, and I like to have that play out in my stories.

Christa: Thank you so much for your time.  And for providing a copy of The Lightkeeper’s Bride for a lucky winner on our blog!

If you’d like learn more about Colleen Coble’s books, visit her on her website www.colleencoble.com or her blog, Girls Write Out, or follow her on twitter @colleencoble.

One lucky member who comments on the blog will recieve a copy of The Lightkeeper’s Bride. A winner will be chosen at random. Good Luck!

Tags: Authors, Book Recommendations, Book Suggestions

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 7:06 am and is filed under Author Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.