The Genre Interview with Jo-Anne Berthelsen

Welcome to the Genre Interview. Jo-Anne Berthelsen has kindly agreed to answer our questions related to writing genres.

What genres do you write?
Jo-Anne:  I write ‘faith-based’ novels and Christian non-fiction works (memoir), plus the occasional short story.

What market do you write for (Christian or general, clean reads etc)?

Jo-Anne:  Primarily the Christian market.

In which genres do you have books available for sale?
Jo-Anne:  General ‘faith-based’ fiction and Christian non-fiction, plus short stories in various anthologies (Glimpses of Light, several ‘Aussie Stories’ publications).

How many books have you published in each genre?

Jo-Anne:  Six novels (one general ‘faith-based’ historical fiction and five general ‘faith
based’ contemporary fiction) and two Christian non-fiction works, the first one a memoir and the
second (due for release on 1^st October) a mix of memoir, teaching and reflection questions.

Are you published traditionally, indie or hybrid?

Jo-Anne:  As of 1^st October, when my indie non-fiction book, Becoming Me: Finding my true self in
God, is released, I will be able to say I am a hybrid author (seven books published traditionally, one
indie).

Did genre influence your decision to choose a particular publishing model?

Jo-Anne:  Not with my first seven traditionally published books, but genre did influence my choice with my eighth book, Becoming Me. Because it is not quite the type of non-fiction the publisher of my previous two books is producing at the moment, I decided to publish it myself rather than look elsewhere. It is still a memoir, but also contains some reflection questions, so could also be classified under ‘Christian Growth’.

Are your published works available in print, e-book or both?

Jo-Anne:  My first four novels are/were available only in print, but my last four books are available in both print and e-book format.

Why do you want to write? Do you feel called to write?

Jo-Anne:  I want to write for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I find it so fulfilling and satisfying—even the
hardest parts! Secondly, I feel God has gifted me and also equipped me through my studies and life
experiences to communicate via the written word—and it is important I use the gifts and knowledge
God has given me. Thirdly, I believe I have things to say that can make a difference in the lives of
others and hopefully draw them closer to God, via both my fiction and non-fiction books, as well as
my short stories.
And yes, I also believe God clearly called me to begin writing back in June 2003, while I was sitting

on a rock in Turkey, reading Isaiah 42 (see my website for more details)! It had always

been a dream of mine to write, but from that point on, I knew writing (and speaking) were to be my

main focus.

Many thanks to Jo-Anne Berthelsen for sharing her thoughts on genre.

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 two non-fiction works, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey and Becoming Me: Finding my true self in God (to be released 1^st Oct). 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. 

To know or not to know?

I remember writing in a different blog a few years ago how much I would like to attach a tracking device to my published books. It fascinated me how they would manage to skip across the world somewhere or find their way into a library in some distant part of Australia or get into someone’s hands in a really roundabout way. Yet here we are in 2015—and my tracking device has still not materialised!

I was reminded of this desire again recently when I heard another interesting story about one of my books. At the risk of boring any who read about this last week on my own blog, I will give the ‘potted version’ here.

Recently, a lady came to my home to buy twenty-five copies of my first novel Heléna, published back in 2007. She had found her own copy in a Vinnies store and now wanted to review it at her church’s women’s retreat and have some available on their bookstall!  Also, I discovered she had read several of my other books, including my memoir Soul Friend, which she subsequently lent to a friend who was in a stuck place in her life. As a result, God gave this friend the strength to make some wise decisions and move forward.

How amazing that all this happened because someone found my book in a Vinnies store! Here is an instance where I would have loved that mythical tracker device to show me where that copy of Heléna had got to and how its new owner had gone on to buy more of my books. Then again ... would I really want to know when a book is put aside or thrown out, perhaps without ever having been read?

We may never discover where our books get to or who will be impacted by the words we write. Once we put them out there for all to see, we are no longer in control of the end result. Our task, it seems to me, is to write the things God has put on our hearts and gifted us to write—then let them go. I love author Joyce Kornblatt’s comments on this:

May you all find the true heart of your work and send it out into the world, which might mean to one other person or a wider audience. Doesn't matter. Once you have released it, it is like a bird that will find its own way, branch to branch, tree to tree, land to land. You won't necessarily know how it has travelled, who has been reached and touched, but you have done your part: creating the work and releasing it.  Bearing witness to the life you have lived, and sharing something of what you have understood. Such a good gift to offer.

Yet, just sometimes at least, it is wonderful to hear where those books have ended up, don’t you think? It’s not just a matter of receiving those ‘warm fuzzies’ either. To me, it is God giving us a little glimpse of the difference our words can make in someone’s life and a gentle little ‘well done’ that fills our hearts with a deep and satisfying joy and makes all our efforts worthwhile.

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.

An in-store experience - Jo-Anne Berthelsen

I enter the bookstore and find a table already placed in a strategic position for me. On it are copies of my memoir Soul Friend and my sixth novel The Inheritance, along with one of several posters around the store advertising my visit. I notice the comfortable chair behind the table and am thankful—this is my fifteenth in-store book signing and I know they can be tiring.

I get out a bundle of bookmarks supplied by my publisher and try to set them out in an attractive way, along with my own business cards and a copy of each of my five earlier novels. There are none of these in stock now, but I like to have them there to show anyone interested.

The young manager comes to ensure I have everything I need and offers me some coffee, but I am too eager to move around meeting people and hand out bookmarks. At first, it is slow going—there seem fewer customers than usual. Every half hour, a staff member announces my presence over the PA system and I am grateful. But I also laugh when I hear him call my latest novel a ‘Koorong classic’!

Eventually, a lady I spoke to earlier approaches me.

‘Would you please sign both your books? We’re going away on a long trip and I’m trying to find some good books to take with me.’

Feeling relieved, I tell her she is my first customer. But I also remind myself it’s not only about promoting my books. I have prayed for some ‘God conversations’ in that bookstore and am looking forward to seeing what shape these take.

I soon find out. I meet an African pastor and chat about his home country. I give him my card and he gives me his, telling me he would love me to speak to the women at his church. Not long after, a lady comes by with her teenage daughter. As I explain how I began writing in my fifties and how I believe God can weave all our life experiences together to accomplish the next thing we are called to do, her eyes fill with tears.

‘That’s just what I needed to hear today,’ she whispers.

She buys both my books and asks me to write her daughter’s name, Lily, in one. I pray for Lily as I do –both seem so open and vulnerable.

The hours pass. I meet a teacher who remembers hearing me speak at his school and encourage him. I relate to someone from our own church who seems so lost and sad, giving her a hug in the middle of the store. I talk up a friend’s book I see someone thinking of buying (Integrate by Adele Jones). I manage to sell a few more of my own. As my day draws to an end, I am grateful for those sales, but even more grateful for those God moments along the way. I have done my best to be sensitive in all my conversations and actions—the results are in God’s hands.

Yes, I know in-store book signings can be discouraging at times, but I still believe they are well worth the effort. What about you? How do you feel about such events, either as an author or a customer?

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.

Such an interesting bunch! - Jo-Anne Berthelsen

Authors are a varied and intriguing lot, I have decided. I have met many in person at writing conferences, seminars and book events, as well as online. And, after all, I am one of them! Recently, I saw afresh what a vast mixture of writing approaches and writing goals we have when I set myself the task of reading or re-reading several well-known books on writing. Out of all this, I came to what may well be some obvious conclusions.

Firstly, there is no one right road towards producing that literary masterpiece. There may be some things authors all need to do, such as drawing the reader on with that exciting narrative arc or creating characters readers care about—but how we do this will vary. For example, some of us may agree with Stephen King’s views on plotting:

I distrust plot for two reasons: first, because our lives are largely plotless ... and second, because I believe plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren’t compatible. (On Writing: A memoir of the craft p 163)

Some may also relate to Anne Lamott ‘s thoughts about characterisation:

Just don’t pretend you know more about your characters than they do, because you don’t stay open to them. It’s teatime and all the dolls are at the table. Listen. It’s that simple. (Bird by Bird p 53)

But some of us, on the other hand, may revel in using those detailed plotting timelines and in-depth character studies or clarifying our thoughts via complex mind maps or some version of Randy Ingermanson’s ‘snowflake method’. We are all different. And that’s okay. That’s how God intended it to be.

I am bearing all this in mind as I prepare my upcoming workshop on memoir writing for the Christian Writers’ Conference to be held next month (see http://www.christianwritersconference.dx.am/). Yes, I plan to discuss the importance of working out the theme and structure of that memoir before we start—at least to some degree. But I shy away from advocating that authors follow one narrow path in it all. I hate being squeezed into any mould myself. And I am not even totally convinced about those rigid delineations between different genres at times. Where does biography become memoir or vice versa, for example? Where does memoir become ‘creative fiction’ when our memory might fail us or our perception of certain events differs from others’? There is a place for fluidity even here, in my opinion.

Secondly, we have different goals in choosing to write. Yes, we may agree we want to provide readers with good, uplifting fiction or non-fiction that honours God. We may all even hope to make a tiny profit in the process! But, while many of us will desire to encourage our readers in some way and perhaps even challenge or inspire them, others will aim simply to entertain and enable readers to relax a little. We may each also have underlying, even subconscious motives in doing what we do, I believe, which will usually colour our own unique writing voice. It may be that we feel we have to write—that this is what we were created to do and what we find most fulfilling. It may be that as we write, we are making sense of our lives. It may even be that, as we write, we are finding ourselves.

And that’s part of what makes it all so interesting, don’t you agree?

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.

One book too many?

The moment had come. I had finally arrived at that very last chapter of my current work in progress—another memoir entitled Coming Home to Myself. One would think I would fly through it at this point. But no ... it was a slow, hard journey, with many stops and starts and much use of the cut and paste function on my laptop, as well as that delete button.

There are several possible reasons for this, I believe. One is that some physical pain has intervened. In January, I had a back operation, which helped greatly. But of course that does not solve all the problems. I need to walk and exercise—and I need to remember to get up off this office chair at my desk at regular intervals and do something else.

Another is much more pleasurable and that is the arrival of our new grandchild in March. There is nothing like sitting at my laptop, cuddling our cute little granddaughter in one arm, while typing with the other! However, it has not been all that conducive to thinking clearly about how to round off that final chapter of my book.

A third factor that has come into play is one I should have known to guard against by now, having written seven other books. In this current manuscript, I have referred to several excellent books on related topics and quoted from some, probably reading and enjoying much more of them than I should have at this point. But then I made the mistake of leaving them piled up around me on my desk, within my line of vision. As a result, when the time came to write my own final chapter, those huge doubts began assailing me. What am I doing, writing this little book of mine when I see these great classics around me here? Surely these other wonderful authors have said all that is necessary—and said it so much better than I ever could? Is my book one too many?

But I believe there is a fourth reason for the depth of confusion I experienced in finishing that final chapter—and one that must not be overlooked by any of us. I believe the enemy does not like to see us putting our heart and soul into writing those books that say something significant about faith in God and that have the potential to make a difference for God in this world. So, at one particular point in my struggle to complete this book, I got to my feet and prayed out loud, taking a literal stand against what I sensed was happening. To my amazement, things changed dramatically. Almost at once, I knew what I had to write in those last few paragraphs. And writing them was sheer joy, as I sensed God’s Spirit filling me and freeing me up so that those words flowed again.

One book too many? Hopefully not! As God enables, I will keep writing—and praying. And I encourage you all to do the same.

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 or www.soulfriend.com.au.

Watching our babies grow

On 4^th March this year, our fourth grandchild was born—a little girl called Maxine. Of course, she is

gorgeous! She has lots of black hair, big dark eyes and lovely, milk chocolate skin, courtesy of her Ghanaian father. And now she has a beautiful smile that has become wider and wider and appears more often these days. We look forward to the next stages of her development too, which no doubt will include things like noticing her own hands and rolling over onto her tummy. At the moment, we can’t imagine her sitting or crawling or eventually walking and talking, but we trust all that will happen in due course.

I thought of Maxine recently, in the midst of writing my second work of non-fiction. This book was conceived towards the end of last year and is taking some time to develop. It is another memoir, but, unlike Soul Friend, it follows a particular thread of my journey from my earliest years to the present. As well, each chapter contains some teaching on one facet of that journey and some reflection questions for readers. At the moment, I am unsure if it will work—and whether it will even be considered suitable for publication. Some days, I want to forget about the whole idea, because this book is proving quite difficult to bring together in the shape I envisage. But I press on. After all, it’s my baby—it has a name already and I can visualise that cover even now.

I remember a time in 2005 when I was looking for a publisher for my very first novel Heléna. I had almost given up and shared my dilemma with some Christian women leaders at a retreat. As we prayed for one another, one younger woman prayed specifically that I would find a publisher and that Heléna would in fact be birthed safely. I was touched to the point of tears that she understood how this first novel did indeed feel like a real baby to me. It had actually gestated within me for years and years—and I longed for it to see the light of day. Later, she quietly told me she had seen an ad for a new Christian publisher in a magazine at her mother’s place and would send me the details. I knew she was a busy, young mum and doubted she would remember—but she did. Many months later, this was the publisher who released my first novel Heléna.

Yes, sometimes it’s exhausting work, coaxing those books inside us into being, helping them take shape in the way God wants. But I take heart as I watch our little Maxine develop more and more as a little person. As I put time and effort and prayer into this current writing project of mine, it will come together, if God wants it to touch others for the Kingdom. As I nurture it carefully and as God breathes life into it, it will grow and blossom, just as God has reminded me through our little granddaughter.

If you too are in the midst of wrestling with a writing project, may you take heart today and keep going. May God give you great joy as you watch that precious baby grow and develop—and eventually stand on its own two feet!

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.