Interview with Lisa Tawn Bergren

 Juanita: Hi, Lisa, Welcome to my blog today! I am so looking forward to learning more about you.

Lisa: Thanks for inviting me into your circle!

Juanita: First, tell us a little about yourself, and your reason for writing Christian books.

 

Lisa: I’m a wife and mom living in Colorado Springs. I finish ducks in the morning (I can see your puzzled expression—see RMrustic.com) and write in the afternoon. I write Christian books because my faith is such an integral part of me, I can’t imagine not incorporating at least a tiny measure of spirituality in everything I write.

Juanita: I looked it up and found what you mean. You are very artistic, too. Looks like you make these out of weathered wood.

Have you always lived in Colorado? If not, did you have any trouble adapting to the climate there when you moved to the state? What do you like best about living in Colorado?

Lisa: I came with a team to start a Christian division for Random House, WaterBrook Press. They said we could move to New York or Colorado, and we chose Colorado. We love it here. We adopted it as our home state—I love the easy access to mountains, and the people, a wonderful combination of Midwest-sensible and Western-casual.

Juanita: Wow! I didn't know you were in on the beginning of that! What an honor.  I've been to Colorado a couple of times, and I loved its beauty and the many different things you can see there.

I notice you write in many genres—historical fiction, children’s books, teen fiction, devotionals--- Do you have a favorite or do you love them all?

Lisa: My favorite is always what I’m currently writing. But I do really love YA (teen) fiction because I think young women are adorable, and so ready to interact with me. And when their moms read the same novels along with their daughters? That’s a very happy place for me. The series I wrote last for them is called The River of Time (Waterfall, Cascade, Torrent, Bourne & Tributary), and I have a new series coming in 2014 called Remnants. Lots of action…those novels practically write themselves for me.

Juanita: How do you balance being a wife and mother of three children with a successful writing career?

Lisa: It’s always a juggling act. But since my kids are bigger now (freshman in college, freshman in high school and 4^th grader), it’s a tad easier. Concentrated hours while they’re away to get the work done, so I can concentrate on them come evening.

Juanita: That is different, having kids in so many age groups. But I remember those days.

What do you like to do when you have a little free time? Or is that something you don’t know about?

Lisa: Ha! I like to hike and host dinner parties. Being outside recharges me and I love intimate, real conversations with dear friends.

Juanita: What part did books play in your life while you were growing up? Did you always think you would be an author?

Lisa: I was one of those kids who read under the covers until my mom found me out and made me go to sleep. There was nothing I really liked more than getting lost in a great book. To be an author, however, seemed like an impossible dream. I always wrote and had a role in my school yearbook and newspaper staff, and I graduated in English Lit, but I was thinking more about editing than writing myself. Post-college, I had a friend of a friend who wrote a Harlequin romance and I thought, “Well, I could do that…” And I did. God’s been more than generous in opening doors for me ever since.

Juanita: I read in one of your interviews that you didn’t have to wait long after you started writing before you were a published author. Tell us a little about your journey and the importance of having an agent in this transition.

Lisa: I wasn’t agented for my first 10 or so novels. I was in the publishing biz (first in marketing, then in editing), so I felt I knew enough about contracts and the “other side” to negotiate them myself. When I stopped working in-house, I hired an agent. While I still keep up on what’s happening, especially in this world of e-pub, I greatly value my agent and his role in my traditional publishing.

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

Lisa: The day I married my husband, Tim. He’s a prince of a man, my best friend as well as the love of my life.  

Juanita: Lisa, thanks so much for visiting with us today. It's so nice to visit with you, and I really appreciate your taking the time to do this. Bloggers, you can find Lisa on the net at www.LisaTawnBergren.com  Also, check out her books on her Amazon page. I'm sure she has a facebook page too.

Lisa: Thanks for inviting me to do so!

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Now, bloggers, we have a wonderful prize for this week's winner! Lisa has offered to give away a copy of one of her Grand Tour novels-- Glamourous Illusions, Grave Consequences, or Glittering Promises. This is a trilogy that I read  on my Kindle and they are wonderful. I also read The Bridge and it was one I couldn't put down.  WINNER'S CHOICE!

I have read and reviewed several of Lisa's children's books and donated them to our church library. Lisa is truly a talented writer of several different genres.

 

I hope you will leave a comment so you can be entered in the contest. I'll notify the winner by email on Saturday, November 23, and Lisa will mail the book to you. Please remember to leave your email address, and will you tell me which state you live in?
Have a great week!