Interview with Therese Travis

Thanks, Therese for visiting me on my blog today. 

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

It hasn’t happened yet. That’ll be the day Jesus takes me home. Other than that, pretty much every day I’m alive is happy, even when things are bad. And no, I haven’t always had this attitude. I’ve had to force myself to think this way.

Yes, sometimes it is a daily struggle. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
 

You mean there’s life outside of books? I love to craft. Cross stitch, scrapbooking, teaching crafts. I try to incorporate a craft into every lesson I give when I teach the children at church.

I admire people who are talented with handcrafts. I'm so not. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Making myself write. I have to force myself. Some days it works, some days, not so much.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?
 

I mentor a group of young writers, and I tell them the same thing. WRITE. READ. Get together with a group (we’re blessed that we’re face to face) to get feedback on your work. And don’t confuse school writing with good fiction.

Tell us about Annabelle’s Angel – a brief blurb:

Annabelle Archer has been crushing on Rick Stockton for years. And now, when he notices her, it’s only because her brothers and sisters make it impossible for him to miss her. Annabelle still hasn’t decided if God’s will means she spends her life taking care of her six siblings, or if He has more in mind for her. Rick Stockton doesn’t mind that church activities and Annabelle’s brothers and sisters keep throwing Annabelle and Rick together. He just isn’t sure what it means. But as the kids keep trying to turn Rick into a snow angel—with sugar, baby powder, and more—he’ll work on figuring it out. Spending time with Annabelle’s family gives Rick a longing for one of his own…and an idea to make it happen. This Christmas, Annabelle may just find there’s a special angel in her corner, one that will stick around for a lifetime.

Is there one particular message or “moral of the story” you hope readers walk away with?

God has a plan for each of us, and it’s not always what we expect, what He has planned for others, or what others think is out plan.

How did Annabelle’s Angel get started?

Oh, cool story. My best friend had temporarily lost her license, and I drove her to the DMV to get it reinstated. To distract her, I asked her to help me brainstorm my next Christmas story. She wanted it to be Victorian (it is, in a way) and she chose Annabelle’s name. But the most important part was the grandmother who didn’t or couldn’t drive. Other than that one issue, Annabelle’s grandmother is nothing like my friend!

That is a cool story. How do you see yourself in your character’s story, if at all?

I always end up learning the lesson I’m trying to write. I’m pretty sure God is laughing as He gives me the idea, and here’s me thinking it’s all from my own head, and He says, no, it’s from Me.

Will we know what happens to your character after the end of the book?

I hope so. Annabelle learns a lot, and starts to use her gifts the way God intended.

When you’re working on a project, how do you keep the immensity of it from getting you down?

I tell myself to take one small bit at a time.

How do you choose between ideas you’d like to write about?

I don’t! I have six or seven stories going right now. I just work on whichever one I miss the most, whichever one excites me the most, or the one that my crit group has been working on (sometimes) and I want something critiqued.

I can't imagine doing more than one at a time. I get too confused. Both of your lead characters have “baggage” that keeps them from wanting to pursue a new relationship. Do you think sometimes we let our past get in the way of what God has planned for our futures?

Always, always, always. And in fact, that’s largely what Annabelle’s Angel is all about.

bio:

Therese Travis is a wife, mother, grandmother, follower of Christ. She's been writing stories since the age of eight, and "telling stories" (you know what that means) since long before. She finally figured out how to put those stories onto the page. She loves to talk about Jesus and His love for us, about her family, crafting, writing, and praying.