Christine L. Hardy is a mom, writer and college professor in southern New Jersey. She has published a handful of devotional and how-to-articles, and is currently writing her first fantasy novel.
I met her because I had posted something on Tricia Goyer's old blog. Christine posted as well and we started commenting back and forth on each other's blogs. Since then, we have shared some of our stories with each other and frequently exchange e-mails. She's one of the writing acquaintances who has become a true friend and I'm glad we can encourage each other.
You can find Christine at her blog, The Writer's Hole.
MG: How long have you been writing?
CH: Since I was a child. My first story was written when I was about five. It was about some flowers who were attacked by evil weeds, and rescued by earthworms. I even illustrated it - in crayon.
MG: How often do you write? Do you have a routine?
CH: I tend to write in bursts, when I have time. I teach part-time at two different colleges, and my schedule is constantly changing. I try to do a big push between semesters, when I have some time off.
MG: What kind of stories do you tell?
CH: Mainly fantasy, (adult and children's) with some contemporary romance thrown in for fun.
MG: Do you have any other pursuits besides writing?
CH: I used to build dollhouses, although I don't have time for it now. Being involved in the miniatures scene gave me the opportunity to write two articles on dollhouse woodwork for an online magazine, The Greenleaf Gazette.
MG: Do you have a favorite author and or genre that you read?
CH: I read J.R.R. Tolkein and Jane Austen over and over. I also like mysteries by Monica Ferries, Susan Wittig Albert, Diane Mott Davidson, Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters and Dorothy Sayers. Lately I've been challenging myself to pick up something different - like sci fi, or something more "literary." I try not to read other books in my genre when I'm writing, because I start comparing my work to theirs. It's easy to get discouraged when you're just starting out.
MG: If you could keep only two writing books, what would they be and why?
CH: I don't have many writing books, mainly because most of them seem to repeat the same advice. I did just get Flogging the Quill: Crafting a novel that Sells from Amazon today. It's filled with nitty-gritty examples, just what I need right now. So that would be one.
The other one is not a writing book, and it's not even mine but on extended loan from a friend. It's called Looking for God in Harry Potter, by John Granger (no relation to Hermione.) He talks about the alchemical themes in the Harry Potter series, the imagery that Rowling uses, and so on.
I found so many striking parallels to my work in progress that I asked if I could keep it for a while. Alchemy is the ancient art of purification, in which characters (like Harry) go through different phases - Black (dissolution), White (purification) and Red (perfection).
Granger talks about how this process is woven into the Harry Potter series, and how characters like Sirius Black, Rubeus Hagrid (Rubeus means "red" in Latin) and Albus Dumbledore (Albus means "white") help Harry through these stages. Really cool stuff.
MG: If you could visit only two writing blogs, what would they be?
CH: Nathan Bransford, because he is both funny and informative, very cutting-edge, and Ray Rhamey's blog, Flogging the Quill, where people post their first pages and he critiques them. I've learned so much from Ray, and he's been very encouraging about my story in our email conversations.
MG: Why have you decided to pursue publishing?
CH: I believe I have to at least try to get my work out there. If I believe that God has given me a gift, then I have to give Him the opportunity to use it in the biggest possible way. But I really don't know yet if that is the path He has for me, or if I'll be doing something else when this manuscript is finally done. (Please, God, can I be done?)
MG: What has been the most difficult aspect of trying to get published?
CH: I haven't really started yet, because I'm still working on my novel. But I would say writing the query letter is the hardest part. It's like describing a gourmet meal with five courses, including parmesan-encrusted mahi-mahi and julienned potatoes, as "fish and chips." At least that's what it feels like when you're trying to boil a novel-length concept into a few sentences.
MG: What one piece of advice would you give other writers, either about writing or about seeking publication?
CH: I really don't feel qualified to give anyone advice! But, if I had to say something, it would be to repeat my characters' motto, "Aden fath." This means "have faith," but in a very immediate tense - have faith for the moment, for today.
Don't think about how you're going to polish your manuscript perfectly, or find the right agent, or promote your book when it's done, or whatever it is that's paralyzing you. Just focus on what you are writing right now - this scene, this chapter, this query letter - and have faith to do your very best. One thing at a time.
I met her because I had posted something on Tricia Goyer's old blog. Christine posted as well and we started commenting back and forth on each other's blogs. Since then, we have shared some of our stories with each other and frequently exchange e-mails. She's one of the writing acquaintances who has become a true friend and I'm glad we can encourage each other.
You can find Christine at her blog, The Writer's Hole.
MG: How long have you been writing?
CH: Since I was a child. My first story was written when I was about five. It was about some flowers who were attacked by evil weeds, and rescued by earthworms. I even illustrated it - in crayon.
MG: How often do you write? Do you have a routine?
CH: I tend to write in bursts, when I have time. I teach part-time at two different colleges, and my schedule is constantly changing. I try to do a big push between semesters, when I have some time off.
MG: What kind of stories do you tell?
CH: Mainly fantasy, (adult and children's) with some contemporary romance thrown in for fun.
MG: Do you have any other pursuits besides writing?
CH: I used to build dollhouses, although I don't have time for it now. Being involved in the miniatures scene gave me the opportunity to write two articles on dollhouse woodwork for an online magazine, The Greenleaf Gazette.
MG: Do you have a favorite author and or genre that you read?
CH: I read J.R.R. Tolkein and Jane Austen over and over. I also like mysteries by Monica Ferries, Susan Wittig Albert, Diane Mott Davidson, Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters and Dorothy Sayers. Lately I've been challenging myself to pick up something different - like sci fi, or something more "literary." I try not to read other books in my genre when I'm writing, because I start comparing my work to theirs. It's easy to get discouraged when you're just starting out.
MG: If you could keep only two writing books, what would they be and why?
CH: I don't have many writing books, mainly because most of them seem to repeat the same advice. I did just get Flogging the Quill: Crafting a novel that Sells from Amazon today. It's filled with nitty-gritty examples, just what I need right now. So that would be one.
The other one is not a writing book, and it's not even mine but on extended loan from a friend. It's called Looking for God in Harry Potter, by John Granger (no relation to Hermione.) He talks about the alchemical themes in the Harry Potter series, the imagery that Rowling uses, and so on.
I found so many striking parallels to my work in progress that I asked if I could keep it for a while. Alchemy is the ancient art of purification, in which characters (like Harry) go through different phases - Black (dissolution), White (purification) and Red (perfection).
Granger talks about how this process is woven into the Harry Potter series, and how characters like Sirius Black, Rubeus Hagrid (Rubeus means "red" in Latin) and Albus Dumbledore (Albus means "white") help Harry through these stages. Really cool stuff.
MG: If you could visit only two writing blogs, what would they be?
CH: Nathan Bransford, because he is both funny and informative, very cutting-edge, and Ray Rhamey's blog, Flogging the Quill, where people post their first pages and he critiques them. I've learned so much from Ray, and he's been very encouraging about my story in our email conversations.
MG: Why have you decided to pursue publishing?
CH: I believe I have to at least try to get my work out there. If I believe that God has given me a gift, then I have to give Him the opportunity to use it in the biggest possible way. But I really don't know yet if that is the path He has for me, or if I'll be doing something else when this manuscript is finally done. (Please, God, can I be done?)
MG: What has been the most difficult aspect of trying to get published?
CH: I haven't really started yet, because I'm still working on my novel. But I would say writing the query letter is the hardest part. It's like describing a gourmet meal with five courses, including parmesan-encrusted mahi-mahi and julienned potatoes, as "fish and chips." At least that's what it feels like when you're trying to boil a novel-length concept into a few sentences.
MG: What one piece of advice would you give other writers, either about writing or about seeking publication?
CH: I really don't feel qualified to give anyone advice! But, if I had to say something, it would be to repeat my characters' motto, "Aden fath." This means "have faith," but in a very immediate tense - have faith for the moment, for today.
Don't think about how you're going to polish your manuscript perfectly, or find the right agent, or promote your book when it's done, or whatever it is that's paralyzing you. Just focus on what you are writing right now - this scene, this chapter, this query letter - and have faith to do your very best. One thing at a time.
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