Into the Fire

                                Let's get right to it.

I know you read different genres, but your desire is to write Women's Fiction. Who is your favorite author(s) of Women's Fiction?

I have a few go-tos for women’s fiction: Ginny L. Yttrup writes heart-breaking, heart-filling stories with tremendous depth. I also love Cynthia Ruchti and Kellie Coates Gilbert.

Next to Women's Fiction, what genre is your favorite to read?

I prefer family drama, which is really what I write as I often have male protagonists. Gina Holmes is another author of family drama. But that doesn’t sell to the Christian market.
I like romantic suspense … well, I want to like it, but in the Christian market, the suspense always plays second fiddle to the romance. I want much more suspense than romance! And too often in CF, the heroines just really aren’t smart. They run into dangerous situations. They’re stupidly stubborn. I just want to knock sense into them. Yet, authors portray those traits as positives rather than negatives.
So, given the lack of romantic suspense that I enjoy in CF, I gravitate toward suspense thrillers like those Steven James writes. And I LOVE a male voice, probably because romance is written very differently. But in CF, male writers of suspense thrillers have all but disappeared which makes me sad.

Do you have any kind of "method" for creating your characters?

My method is simply to write the story (I’m a 100% seat-of-the-pants author) and by the end of it, I’ve learned who my characters are. I’ve tried fleshing them out in advance, but that never works. I guess this is God’s way of telling me, “Let go!”

How does a story come together for you? Do you take notes before or along the way as you create? Are you a "seat-of-the-pants" author or do you have a "diagram" or outline for organizing the story? Do you tend to know the end from the beginning? What is usually the first prompt that brings a story into focus for you?

I guess this answer is pretty much the same as the previous question. I’m a pantser through and through. No post-it notes. No plotting. I might have an idea of the end, but that often changes as I’m writing. Usually, after I type “The End” my opening chapter(s) completely change.
In my most recent release, Home Another Way, I initially began the story in August, planning to end around Christmas. Well, midway through the first draft, I changed that to November through February. I also changed a mother to a father midway through. (Catching all those incorrect pronouns was a beast!) I had planned on introducing one character about a third of the way in, but I was two-thirds of the way through the story when I realized I didn’t have enough room for her story too, so I had to change that whole aspect. I did introduce her, but in a different way than planned, and I liked it much better, and because of it, my hero’s story was deepened.
You can imagine, just from those changes (there were more), my first draft was a complete mess! But it all turned out. I’ve accepted that this is how I’m built as an author. I figure, if I don’t know how the story’s going to turn out, then hopefully I’ll surprise readers too.

I can't really answer this for myself most of the time – I tend to vacillate – but I'll ask anyway: Do you have a favorite novel of yours?

Oh, that is hard! I like different books for different reasons. I think Pieces of Granite is my best written book. I love the hard roads my characters take in Memory Box Secrets and Hungry for Home. My romances weren’t too bad for a non-romance reader. My daughter loves those! And I’ve been pleased that I’ve been able to tell fleshed-out stories in my Potter’s House novellas. But my heart-strings pull toward the first book I ever wrote, the first one that was published: Chain of Mercy. That’s when the characters were birthed that have traveled through seven of my ten books. I’ve learned so much from them, they’re almost real to me!

What can we expect from you next and do you have a projected time for its release?

I’ve got a couple of things on the burner:
The Potter’s House Books will be having a second round, probably beginning in 2020. 
And I’m part of a new book series with nine other authors, The Mosaic Collection, that will tell stories about families made by God’s design. That’s all I can say for now. We haven’t announced yet, but soon! My first book, working title of A Beautiful Mess, is due to come out in November of 2019.

Do you intend to continue in traditional publishing, self/indie publishing, or both?

I still yearn for that traditional publisher contract, to see my books on bookstore shelves, but I honestly don’t see it happening. Women’s fiction just doesn’t sell in Christian fiction. Popular author, Catherine West, is a recent victim. If she can’t get resigned, where’s the hope for the rest of us.
I’m part of several readers’ groups on Facebook, and when readers talk about favorite genres, women’s fiction, or in my case, family drama, is rarely mentioned. Maybe some day it will make a comeback!
That said, I’m very grateful for indie publishing and the strides it’s made. I love that it’s opened up new reading worlds. We’re not limited to the books on the shelves at LifeWay, thank goodness!

Having experienced all that you have in publishing at this point in your writing career, what would your "ideal" situation be from this point forward?

Ideal? Oh boy, let me think …
In my fantasy world, Thomas Nelson would see how fabulous Chain of Mercy is and would pick up the series and help polish it in a way that’s impossible in indie publishing. Then Chain would be made into a movie starring Brett Dalton and Hayley Atwell…
In the real world, the ideal would be for my books to keep growing in popularity. After being a full-time mom, I’d love to be able to contribute substantial income to the household. I’d love to have opportunities to speak about Persevering, and Pursuing Your Dreams, and the Pitfalls encountered when persevering and pursuing.

Thank You, Nicole, for welcoming me back! Love these questions which really make me sit back and think.

Bren, thank you so much for answering my inquiries with meaningful responses and giving readers a thoughtful understanding of your process and creative desires. I can always count on Brenda S. Anderson to provide insights into Christian Fiction that the average reader or start-up author might not know or consider. It's always a pleasure to feature Brenda and her novels. Thank you again, my friend.

Father, you know. Please bless Bren in your abundance, grace, and faith. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.