Author Interview with Pamela Desmond Wright & a Giveaway
By Deena Adams
Please welcome Love Inspired Romance author, Pamela Desmond Wright, to the blog this week. Pamela’s debut novel, The Cowboy’s Amish Haven, releases on August 24, and she’s offered a print copy as a giveaway. Be sure to comment on this post by August 24 for a chance to win.
Welcome Pamela! Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
I was born in a small town in Texas and come from average folks. I’m so unremarkable that I’m not even listed in the phone book. (Ok, I am but no one ever calls my land line…)
How and when did you start writing?
I started writing in my early twenties. I am now past middle age, so it’s been quite a while.
How many unpublished and unfinished manuscripts do you have?
A couple. I never waste time writing a book I can’t sell.
Sound like a good plan! Why did you decide to write romance novels? What unique challenges does writing a romance present?
I think everyone enjoys a good love story with a happy ending. Heaven knows the world needs more happiness and I like contributing to that. The challenge is that I have never been married long and never had kids. Everything I know about both is second-hand. That’s where my imagination comes in!
We could definitely all use more happiness these days. And more hope. How do you incorporate Christ and hope into your writing?
Somehow it all works into the narrative in an organic way. I don’t like pounding readers over the head with the gospel and try to work it in so it is natural to the characters and their beliefs.
Are any of your stories inspired by true events or personal history?
While I use bits and pieces of my own life and people I know, most everything I write is fictional.
How long do you spend on research before you begin writing the book?
Research is an ongoing thing with me. When I come to a moment in my writing when I need an answer for authenticity, then I look it up on the internet to make sure what I am writing is correct. With fiction, there is some license to bend facts a little, but I like to stick to known facts for the sake of realism.
How many hours a day to you spend writing?
I don’t really go by hours but by word count. As long as I get my 500 per day minimum in, I am good. And that usually takes an hour. Some days I manage a lot more, but since I work a real-life job, my time is not always my own.
How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
When it is going well, about three months. When it is going badly, 23 years and counting, LOL
Oh, man, twenty-three years is a long time! Do you have hobbies you enjoy? What do you do for fun?
I ride motorcycles to relax, weather permitting. I also do needlepoint.
What does your writing space look like?
I took two cheap Walmart writing desks and bungeed them together to create one large desk and fit them into a corner, so I have a nice space to work in. Using other pieces of old furniture I created a place for my printer, too. Everything is pretty much second hand, but as a minimalist I don’t mind using recycled things.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Always, a writer. That’s it.
If you didn’t write, what would you do as a career?
I would have probably become a paralegal or done something in law enforcement.
What did God teach you through the writing of The Cowboy’s Amish Haven?
The Cowboy’s Amish Haven was difficult to write because I had had to go into the hospital before it was finished. I lost my spleen in a freak accident around the house and nearly bled to death. Less than a month later, my oldest brother passed suddenly. I was absolutely lost and questioned why I survived my accident, and he did not. After much soul searching and questioning, I came to the realization that his journey had ended because his story on earth was completed. I survived because mine was not. That is what helped me get through finishing the book.
Wow, I’m so sorry about your brother, and your accident. I can only imagine how difficult that was, and I appreciate your attitude that God determines when our story on earth is finished. What do you hope your readers take away from the book?
I hope they reach the end with happy thoughts and enjoyed the story the characters had to tell.
Which character in The Cowboy’s Amish Haven was easiest for you to write and why? Which character presented the biggest challenge?
They were all difficult, because I am not Amish, I never lived on a ranch, and I don’t know any rodeo cowboys! Somehow it all came together, and I am still scratching my head and wondering how I did it.
Sounds like a fun but challenging story. What was the hardest scene to write?
The rodeo accident that injures another cowboy and ends his career. This gives my heroine the fear that her friend (and the man she loves) might also be hurt or killed when he competes again.
How do you balance writing with your other life and family obligations?
Days off from work are also days off from writing. I put the book aside and take care of things I have let slide during the week.
What’s next from you?
Harlequin just contracted two more books in a new series, tentatively titled, “Humble Blessings.” I’m halfway through book one now.
Congratulations! Any last words for your readers?
I hope readers enjoy my debut and I love hearing from readers, so drop me a note!
Congratulations on your debut release, Pamela! And how exciting that your two-book series has ben contracted. Thanks so much for sharing about your writing with us.
Join the conversation. Do you enjoy reading Amish romance? Does the fact there’s a cowboy involved sound interesting to you?
The Cowboy’s Amish Haven by Pamela Desmond Wright
Click the book cover for pre-order link
Her home and her heart are on the line…
On the same day Gail Schroder’s faced with losing her Amish family ranch, her old crush Levi Wyse shows up on her doorstep. He doesn’t know that when he left ten years ago he’d taken Gail’s heart with him. Now Levi’s her only hope of keeping a roof over her head. But can this cowboy teach Gail the ropes in time to save her home?
Pamela Desmond Wright grew up in a small, dusty Texas town. Like the Amish, Pamela is a fan of the simple life. Her childhood includes memories of the olden days; old-fashioned oil lamps, cooking over an authentic wood-burning stove and making popcorn over a crackling fire at the cabin owned by her grandparents. She also loves needlepoint and has dozens of projects to work on! Someday, she hopes to move into van life, living on the road as a traveling writer.
Connect with Pamela: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram
Please share this interview on social media to help promote Pamela’s debut novel.
If you missed last week’s interview with Shelia Stovall, find it here.
Deena Adams
As a Jesus girl for more than thirty years, Deena Adams understands how important hope is to daily life, which fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true to life stories. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency and is a multi-award-winning writer, an active ACFW member, and ACFW Virginia president. Connect with Deena through her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
17 Comments
Deena Adams
Congratulations, Cherie. You’re the winner of Pamela’s book! Look for an email soon.
Thanks everyone for commenting. Try again this week on the author interview with Janine Rosche!
Cherie J
What an inspiring interview and what a wonderful way for the author to express insight into why she survived and her brother did not. I do enjoy Amish fiction and I think it is great that there is a cowboy in this one. Sounds like a wonderful read.
Deena Adams
Thanks so much for stopping by, Cherie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the interview and that Pamela’s insights inspired you.
Stacy Simmons
Hi Deb and Deena,
I enjoyed the interview immensly. I’m so very sorry about your siblings, I know it had to be so very hard.
Thank you for blessing your readers with your novels!
Take care,
Stacy Simmons
Deena Adams
Thanks for reading and commenting, Stacy. Glad you enjoyed the interview!
Linda Stringer
I liked your prospective on losing your brother. Only God knows when each person’s life will end. This was quite an interesting interview.
Deena Adams
Yes, Pamela shared a great perspective on losing her brother. Very inspiring. Thanks so much for reading and commenting on the interview, Linda. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Judythe Morgan
What an inspiring interview. Pamela’s answers to Deena’s questions made me feel like I truly got to know Pamela. Your book sounds like a lovely Amish romance. Thanks for having Pamela sharing today.
Deena Adams
Thanks so much for stopping by, Judythe. I’m so glad you enjoyed the interview. Thanks for reading!
Pamela Desmond Wright
Hi, Deb,
So sorry to read about the loss of your siblings. How very terrible for your family. I am glad your faith helped see you through the hard times. I like to think that death is just another step in the journey we are all destined to take and that it’s not the end, but the beginning of something wonderful.
Sending many blessings to you and your family.
Pamela
Janet
Looking forward to reading your book. Congratulations on the two books in the new series!
Deena Adams
Thanks so much for reading the interview and commenting, Janet!
Deb Gorman
Thanks, Deena. I have not heard that song. I’ll remedy that today!
Lynn Moore
Pamela….from a published writer to motorcycles to needlepoint! Now that makes for some interesting days! Blessings to you as you write stories that bring not only entertainment to the reader….but also includes God and much needed hope!
Deena Adams
Thanks so much for stopping by, Lynn. It does sound like Pamela leads an interesting life!
Deena Adams
Hi Deb. I’m so sorry for the tragic loss of your siblings. I can’t even imagine how painful that was, especially for your parents. Have you heard Casting Crowns new song, Scars in Heaven? We played it at my mom’s graveside service last month and it’s such a comfort to know our loved ones in His presence are no longer suffering.
Thanks for reading the interview and sharing a part of your life with us.
Deb Gorman
Hi Deena and Pamela,
Enjoyed this interview.
“…his journey had ended because his story on earth was completed.”
This is such an important perspective to have. My family endured the deaths of two of my younger siblings, both in young adulthood. Happened in the mid-eighties, but for me, it was yesterday. It’s one thing to be big sissie, but quite another to be parents losing two children within five years. The image of my parents receiving the information that my little brother, Scott, had died, and then, four and a half years later, my little sister, Holly, is burned in my memory forever.
Sometimes when I think of Holly and Scott, God reminds me that just as He holds me in the palm of His hands, He now surrounds them with mercies at His Throne. My God is like that. 🙂
Thanks for this interview, Deena, and blessings abundant to you and Pamela.