Read an interview with Lorraine Lynch Geiger, author of Trouble at the Blueberry Patch, a young-adult Christian detective/adventure novel. The interview was conducted by Lisa at Book Review Cafe. Website: www.bookreviewcafe.com
Interview with Lorraine Geiger
Author of Trouble at the Blueberry Patch
Interview by LISA at Book Review Cafe
Lisa:You wrote a novel while in your teens. Why did you wait until much later to pursue a career in writing?
Lorraine:Getting my book, 'Trouble at the Blueberry Patch,' published was something I had always wanted to do. But I knew it would involve a lot of hard work. First and foremost, I had to re-write my manuscript, and I knew nothing about getting published. For many years after I wrote that first draft, my life was filled to its limits with the everyday task of raising five children and helping to run the family business. Now, that our youngest son is almost through with college, I am finally finding the time to read other young adult novels, to seriously study the publishing industry, and most importantly, to write.
Lisa:You've also finished fourteen picture books. Quite an accomplishment! When will we be seeing these come into print, and are they part of a series for children?
Lorraine:I am currently submitting four of these picture books to publishers. I do have one editor very interested in one of them, and I am optimistic about this one. They were not written as a series, but could quite easily become that. They have titles such as 'When a Cricket Coughs' and 'When Ants Wear Pants.' These books are written with the same voice and tone, containing much internal rhyme and a great deal of emphasis on sound.
The other ten were written as a series. Each book tells an action-filled story containing a specific number that is repeated at least once on each page. Each book is entitled Fun With the Number One, and so on. They are written in rhyming couplets. Many editors will not look at rhyming books unless you have already proven yourself an accomplished author and can handle rhyme well. After studying and practicing the art of poetry over the past twenty years, I believe I have the ability to rhyme well. The poetry group to which I belong have had some very good teachers and workshop directors. With their encouragement, I have entered many state and national contests in recent years, and I have earned well over 75 awards for my poetry. I do write mainly in free verse form, but even that requires discipline and the use of sound and internal rhyme such as I use in composing my children’s picture books.
Lisa:You credit your english teacher for your love of writing. What or who encouraged you to continue on this path of writing now?
Lorraine:Several years ago I joined a small poetry workshop and critique group. I credit the wonderful people in the group for the encouragement they gave me. With their help, my craft improved and I gained the self-esteem and incentive that I needed to become a writer. I decided finally that I was actually capable of taking that old manuscript out again and transforming it into something special.
Lisa:What do family and friends think of your newfound career? Did they think it was just a matter of time before it all came together?
Lorraine:My family and a few close friends knew that I had a great love for poetry and writing, and they cheered me on whenever I won contests. I didn’t tell anyone about my secret wish to become an author until I actually sat down two summers ago and began writing--and re-writing--the first of my two full-length novels. Oh, I had written several of the books in my numbers series, but I hadn’t really discussed those either. I had written them because I enjoyed writing them. I had not seriously considered publishing at the time. Publishing was still just a far-fetched dream to me. When my family and friends heard that my book was to be published, they cheered me on to no end. You know all the usual kudos: You’ll be a famous author one day, etc. I just smiled, but I am secretly determined to go for it. Who knows where my creative juices will lead me.
Lisa:Do you feel that all your books need to have a Christian theme to them?
Lorraine:To tell the truth, I didn’t write 'Trouble at the Blueberry Patch' as a Christian novel. It just turned out that way. The main character in the story was just too “good." He didn’t use any cuss words or do anything mean. He was a very caring teenager whose conscience was always bugging him to keep himself and his younger cousin out of trouble.
I felt it would be perfect as a Christian book. So I revised it, adding more dialogue pertaining to Christian values. Basically, it was easy to do. The groundwork was already there. I just made Josiah a kid who was always quoting bible verses in appropriate situations, and his cousin was always making fun of him for it. I was determined not to make it preachy. I feel some teenagers get turned off if they are preached to in a novel such as this. As for my other books, none of them are Christian books, per say. However, they do have moral undertones and would be great reading for any Christian oriented child.
Lisa:Since you've written children and young adult books, will you try your hand at adult novels as well?
Lorraine:No, I’ve found my niche with children’s books and will definitely be staying with that genre. I have no incentive to write for adults, although the adults that have read 'Trouble' have told me that they thoroughly enjoyed it and most of them couldn’t put it down. But then, they ARE my friends and family. Still, writing for children has always been my great love, and I don’t see myself doing anything else.
Lisa:What else will you be working on in the future?
Lorraine:I have so many ideas running through my head that I’m not quite certain where to start. Mostly they are bits and pieces of ideas that I need to develop into actual working projects. I’ve also thought about writing non-fiction for children. It would be a whole new kind of writing for me. And a great challenge.
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