· Tell us a little about
yourself.
I was raised in southern California, but now live in Dallas, Texas
with my husband, three children (ages 12, 9, 4) and one gorgeous Cavalier King
Charles Spaniel.
·
What inspired you to become a
novelist, and did you always want to write?
No, I didn't always want to write but I did always love
to read. Shortly after my husband and I
were married, we followed his job to the Caribbean island of Anguilla. The government there restricted me from
taking a job that would have otherwise gone to a local. So I volunteered, started playing tennis,
kept house, watched Days of our Lives, and read books.
As it happened, I came across a book I disliked so much and
I looked at it and thought, "I wonder if I could do this
better?" That idea, the idea of
trying my hand at writing, took hold. I
sat down and started a manuscript.
Well... I was terrible! I'd imagined that I could write, but until I
tried it myself I had no inkling how difficult it would be. That first novel and the one that came after were
never purchased by publishing houses.
Steadily and slowly, though, as I learned the craft and continually
practiced, I began to improve.
· What do you think is significant
about Christian fiction?
Christian fiction is significant because it does what we
were all put on this planet to do -- it glorifies God.
I really do regard my work as a ministry and I constantly pray for
God's equipping and guidance as I'm writing a manuscript. I think the faith story in my books gives
them a depth and meaning they wouldn't otherwise possess.
· How do you hope your readers
react to the stories you write?
I hope they can't put them down.
I hope they fall in love with the heroes and relate/sympathize with the
heroines. I hope the romance sweeps them
away. I hope my books make them laugh,
get teary-eyed, and praise the Lord for His great love.
· What has been the most
surprising aspect to becoming a published novelist?
That everyone in my family still looks to me to grocery shop, cook,
clean, and do all the laundry. That publishing books is as fun and deeply
exciting as it is.
·
How has being a novelist
impacted your relationship with Christ?
It's grown my faith.
It's daunting to take on the task of writing an entire novel! Especially for a mom of three.
Each day, before I write, I hit my knees and pray. I confess to God that I've taken on something
so big that I'll fail unless He is in it.
Then I give it over to Him, put my fingers on the computer's keyboard,
and step out in faith that He'll lead me to write the book He envisions.
·
Other than being a novelist,
what other goals do you have for your life?
I hope to raise kids who will follow the Lord's call on their life. I want to revisit Europe. I'd love to have a little lake or beach house
one day. I want to keep my body fit and
(maybe ironically) I also want to eat more chocolate.
·
As a writer, what influences
have inspired you the most to write, and continue writing?
Wonderful books have most inspired me to write. I LOVE the feeling I get when I'm immersed in
a book that I can't put down. That's what
made me book crazy from a very young age and that's what eventually motivated
me to try my own hand at writing.
I continue writing because of my passion for the work. It's tremendously challenging, but it's also
creative, and deeply rewarding.
·
Every writer struggles with
various aspects of their writing journey. What has been the most difficult
aspect of writing for you, and what comes the most naturally?
The most difficult aspect for me is writing to a
deadline. I'd prefer to write books at
my own slow pace and take days or weeks off whenever the mood strikes. I've had to balance that preference with the
demands of the job title "Professional Author". The trick I'm always attempting is to keep
the writing fun and feeling like a joy, while still maintaining the output that
my publisher and I have agreed to.
The part of the process that's the most natural for me is
revisions. When the first draft is
complete, I have no difficulty taking off my writer hat and putting on my editor
hat. On some of my books, the time I've
spent rewriting has been similar in the length to the time I spent writing.
· What is one piece of advice you
would like to give to aspiring writers - either something you adhere to, or
something you wish you had known when you started writing?
Stay true to what you feel led to write. If you do, your voice will sing and your
reader's will pick up on your enjoyment and enthusiasm. Don't let the market or critique partners or
judges or your own insecurities stop you from penning the book God is calling
you to pen.
· As a reader, which stories
excite you the most to read, and do you have any favourite novelists?
I'm most excited by romances, and not the light and breezy
ones. I like love stories that put the
characters through the ringer, that make me cry, that force the hero or heroine
(or both) to make sacrifices. Some of my
favorite novelists are: (from the general market) Susan Elizabeth Phillips,
Shana Abe, Lisa Kleypas, Laura Kinsale, Kristan Higgins; (from the Christian
market) Deeanne Gist, Susan May Warren, Katie Ganshert.
· What are some of your most
favourite places on the internet to visit, that help challenge you as a writer,
and encourage you as a reader?
Facebook is my favorite place to connect with fellow
authors. I feel as though I've grown
friendships there with so many writers that I've yet to meet in person! Whenever someone posts about a writing
struggle or about some aspect of a writer's life that I can relate to, I'm reminded
that I'm not alone.
I'm encouraged as a reader by Goodreads. I could spend ages on that site, reading
about different books, checking out what my friends are reading, browsing
through reviews, etc.
·
What can you tell us about your
most recent and upcoming novels?
My most recent novel is entitled Undeniably Yours. It's about
an heiress named Meg Cole who inherits, among many other things, her father's
horse ranch. She determines to shut the
ranch down, but soon begins to wonder if the ranch manager, handsome cowboy Bo
Porter, is the one thing she should fight to keep.
So many of the
struggles that would have faced a wealthy woman and poor man in, say, Regency
England, still applied to my two modern-day Texas characters. I enjoyed watching them struggle against
their conflicts on their way to discovering that despite all their differences
they were undeniably perfect for one another.
My next three novels will tell
the loves stories of Bo's three siblings.
Meant to Be Mine will release
in the the spring of 2014.
· Do you have any parting words?
My husband and I were fortunate to live and work in
Perth, Australia for a year. We
absolutely loved our time there and remember it with great fondness. The people we met were so friendly, warm, and
accepting of us. I connected with a
group of writers in Perth that I still keep in touch with to this day. To say
the least, I'm a fan of your part of the globe.
Thanks, Ellie, for inviting me to answer these interview questions
for ACW. I'm honored! Happy writing, everyone.
______________________________________________________________________________
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New
South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has
pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school
English and Learning and Support teacher. 
