The Search is On!

My stellar publisher Tyndale House has an exciting new release.

The Search Committee, the 2010 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Contest winner by Tim Owens, is now available. Oh, my! Isn't the cover adorable? What's the story about? Here's the official description:

"A mismatched team of seven hits the road in an Econoline church van on a mission to find a new pastor. They don't agree on much other than the stops at Hardee's for coffee and a biscuit. But they stick to the call, trying to slip undetected into worship services across the Southeast—all in hopes of stealing a preacher for their congregation.

Each member is wrestling to balance their own busy life and personal struggles. And they're trying to keep their issues to themselves. Forced to spend countless hours together, these very different personalities from different generations begin to bond. And their lives are profoundly changed as they love and support each other through the difficulties in each of their lives."

I had the pleasure of meeting Tim at CWG's 2011 Writing for the Soul conference in Denver last February, and he joins us for a chat today.

Tim Owens and Diana Prusik

Tim, I'm so glad you stopped by. Pull up a chair and let's talk about your writing journey. When Jerry B. Jenkins announced that you had won the Operation First Novel contest, what was your initial reaction?

It was like having an out-of-body experience. Thinking back . . . it was just hard for me to appreciate what was happening. I’m just slow like that. It takes a while for things to register. Later that evening in my hotel room, I called my wife, Ruth, back in South Carolina. We both laughed, cried, and just savored it a while before going to bed.

Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim Owens

What an exciting time, and since readers can now enjoy The Search Committee, the excitement continues. In addition to being a novelist, you have a doctorate in environmental engineering and are the co-owner of an environmental engineering firm. What makes an environmental engineer decide to write fiction? (Or what makes an aspiring author decide to become an environmental engineer?)

Ha! That’s a great question. When my engineering friends heard I’d won a fiction contest, they said it was no big deal because most of the technical reports I wrote were fiction. Growing up, I didn’t envision myself as an engineer or a writer. I wanted to go to medical school, but my MCAT scores weren’t high enough, and anyway, I faint at the sight of blood. But I’ve always enjoyed writing, when given the opportunity. My dad and mom were both English majors, I married an English major, and my daughter was an English major. It was bound to rub off a little.

With the launch of your award-winning book, I'd say it certainly did rub off! You obviously have tremendous support from English majors, and you have experience with church leadership as well. How have your personal experiences contributed to your idea for your novel?

I was on a search committee about 20 years ago at a church my wife and I attended in Charlotte, NC. We were aspiring yuppies back then, so I was the young married professional on the committee. The other folks were wonderful, and the book isn’t about them, but the whole process sets up nicely for a book. You have weekly adventures, you get to know the others on the committee very well, and it was a time, for me anyway, when I grew in my faith. And, of course, I grew up in the sticks of eastern North Carolina, so I knew the turf well.

Being a church representative comes with serious responsibilities, but can you share a time when humor ruled the day?

Probably the funniest for me involves my twin boys (identical) one Christmas Eve service. I was elder in charge and “volunteered” them to be the liturgists for the service, reading two separate scripture passages. They were 14 years old at the time and were pretty sore about what I’d done. When it was time for the first scripture passage to be read by my son David, he flat out refused to leave the narthex (the foyer behind closed doors). My wife Ruth, an usher in the narthex with them (I had volunteered her services as well) convinced the other twin, Al, to go up and read David’s passage for him. Al did but he wasn’t prepared and stumbled all through the reading. He came back to the narthex, red-faced embarrassed as only a teenager could be, and ready to fight David. But then he realized it was his turn to read his passage. He made David trade shirts with him and changed right there on the spot. Then he left the narthex, went up to the pulpit, and read his scripture passage perfectly. So everyone at the service thought that both boys had participated when in fact, only one had. Of course, all three were mad at me, but it was pretty funny.

Ha! Now we all know who to call when we need to coerce enlist volunteers. How clever of Al to trade clothes with David.

Speaking of clever, The Search Committee has a very clever tagline: “Sheep need a shepherd . . . some more than others.”

I can't help wondering how that tagline applies to the book's message. What do you hope readers take with them after finishing it?

You know, when I started it, I didn’t have any idea about what the reader might take from the book. I just wanted to get it all down. And then, somewhere in the middle, I began to see that I had an opportunity to deliver a message. Sometimes I worked on it, and sometimes it just came out during the writing. But I absolutely felt the Holy Spirit moving in me more than once as I was typing. It was an intensely emotional process. I feel like the message is that our lives are completely dependent on God’s grace. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, how smart you might be, how much money your parents have or don’t have, or even how many good deeds you’ve chalked up for your fellow man. It is all about God’s grace. That’s all there is.

Amen, Tim! What's that? You hear a knock at the door? Okay. I confess. I invited Jan Stob, Tyndale Senior Acquisitions Editor, to pay a surprise visit.

Come in, Jan. Please have a seat and tell us what you think about Tim's book.

The Search Committee portrays in both really funny and poignant ways how life as part of a church community can change us all for the better. Readers will see themselves or people they know among the seven unlikely characters in this novel.

God uses these seven unlikely people to not only search for a pastor, but to reach out to each other as they struggle with personal issues in their own lives. It is a charming story that shows how the call to love people with personality quirks and life stories different than ours as a way to "sand off" our own rough edges and make us useful for his bigger purposes.

I love that concept! God has a long history of using unlikely people to do His work.

Tim, if God were to write a review of The Search Committee, what do you hope He would say?

I hope he would say, “Good effort; keep going.”

You're nodding, Jan. Is there something you'd like to add before you dash back to Tyndale?

We’re excited to be releasing Tim Owens’s debut novel and look forward to seeing what’s next from this talented author.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Jan. Tim is blessed to have your support.

On that note, what comes next for you, Author Tim Owens?

Well, I’m about halfway through my second novel and hope to finish it soon. My day job is hectic though. I just started a new engineering firm with two colleagues, and we’re scrambling to make it work. So it’s hard to find time and energy to focus on writing but no excuses, right? Gotta learn to work late nights again, like I did with The Search Committee.

With the backing of the Christian Writers Guild and Tyndale House Publishers, The Search Committee is off to an incredible start. It is now available in paperback and e-book forms at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christian Book Distributors, and a host of other online and brick-and-mortar book stores. How might readers connect with you online?

I have a website, www.timowensauthor.com, I put together, and it has news/updates and a link to my blog, which I just started recently. Blogging is hard for me, so I haven’t learned to be consistent with the frequency of entries. I have a couple of Facebook pages too--one for the book, one for me as an author, and one for me as a regular person. Ha. I’m not as tech savvy as you would expect an engineer to be, especially in the ways of social media, but I’m learning. When I was in college, we wrote programs for computers by punching holes in cards and then feeding them into this machine that handled them like a money counter. I’ve come a long way.

I remember those computer punch cards, too, but aren't we too young for that? Uh, please don't answer!

With your award-winning book launch, you are on an amazing journey. Is there anything more you’d like to tell us?

Well, I think it’s important to remember what God has done for you. For me, I had a big problem with alcohol in my twenties until I turned 30 years old. Two old men, Charlie and Glenn, angels now back in heaven, rescued me in AA. January 20th will be 23 years since I last had a drink. My life began, again, that day. My wife Ruth, my children, Corinne, Mark, Al and David, all gifts from God. I have many close friends, all gifts from God. Everything I have, everything I’ve done, everything I am, is a gift from God. And that’s my story.

And what an inspirational story it is! My blog friends know a recurring theme here is "Share the Gift." Thank you, Tim, for sharing some of YOUR gifts with us--your talent for writing, your passion for stories, and your love for the Lord.

Readers, now it's YOUR turn! Tim is a busy father, church leader, and environmental engineer who somehow found time to write an award-winning novel. In ways great or small, how do YOU carve out time in your busy day to use the talents God gave you? Do you stay up late? Wake up early? Eliminate distractions? Micromanage every minute of your day? I'll be looking for your answers in the comment section below. Please share your tips for sharing the gift!
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Bio: Tim Owens has a doctorate in environmental engineering and is the co-owner of an environmental engineering firm. He also holds three patents, is a Scoutmaster, and participated in disaster relief in Honduras and Mozambique as a water systems engineer. He currently resides in Summerville, South Carolina, with his wife and four children.

Weekend Peek In #11

Welcome to Week 11 of my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. On December 16, 2011, one lucky person will win a Kindle 3G AND choose the recipient of a second Kindle 3G--just in time for Christmas. Have you entered yet? The reader who submitted this week's Weekend Peek In question has!

In writing about Ida's decline, did you have to do medical research into signs and symptoms of her condition?

William Wordsworth writes, "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." Fiction often takes its origin in that way as well. My depiction of my character Ida's decline is one example.

Ida's character is not based upon my grandmother, but as my beloved grandma neared the end of her life on earth, she suffered some devastating effects of dementia. To write certain scenes in Delivery, I drew not only from memories of events surrounding my grandma's illness but also from my resulting emotions, as Wordsworth so aptly put, "recollected in tranquility."

Walking a loved one through a terminal illness can bring both hardship and blessings to all involved. My emotions warred while I held my grandmother's hand as she departed this life. I shed joyful tears that she was leaving behind a broken body to join her Savior for a pain-free eternity. I shed mournful tears that she was leaving me as well. I later channeled those emotions into similar scenes in Delivery, which I hope brings those scenes to life and touches readers' hearts.

When I needed medical facts and statistics, for instance to create a realistic timeline for Ida's decline, I turned to credible internet sources and to Linda, a best friend from childhood who happens to be a registered nurse.

In fact, Linda read my manuscript to check for medical accuracy, allowing me to concentrate more on the creative side of the story. It helps to know people in the know!

While a novel is a product of the author's imagination, fiction needs accurate roots. A novelist should check facts with expert sources, but emotions ring most true when the author draws from life experiences, authenticating the story world.

I hope Delivery's readers find Ida's journey and her daughter Livi's growth through it not only authentic but heart-stirring as well!

Weekend Peek In #7

Welcome to Week 7 of my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway.

Ever dream of becoming an author? This week's reader's question might help you find the tools you need to make that dream come true!

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

Read, read, read.

Study how successful writers do it. If you want to write fiction, examine how novelists craft plots, grow characters, and hook readers. How do they orchestrate character goals, motivation, and conflicts? Pay attention to how they structure sentences, paragraphs, scenes, chapters. Scrutinize their command of language. Do they limit the use of adverbs? Are their verbs powerful? Do they show, not tell? See how the pros handle it, and apply that to your own story in your own voice.

Learn, learn, learn.

Dozens of excellent books on writing are available at online or brick and mortar book stores. Those I've read include Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors by Brandilyn Collins, Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, and Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell.

You can also learn a heap of valuable information from the many blogs designed for writers. A few of my favorites are posted by author Camy Tang, leadership expert Michael Hyatt, Books & Such Literary Agency, and literary agent Rachelle Gardner.

One of the best ways to learn about writing is to join a writers organization and attend conferences. I belong to two: Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and American Christian Fiction Writers. At the CWG Writing for the Soul conference, I learned from experts like Brandilyn Collins, author of Seatbelt Suspense novels, and Jerry B. Jenkins, New York Times bestselling author of over 175 books, including the Left Behind series which has sold over 70 million copies.

I also gained inspiration from keynote speakers like Liz Curtis Higgs and Karen Kingsbury.

As this blog posts, I am joining about 700 writing professionals at the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference, held this year in St. Louis. (Photo courtesy of John Craig.)

There, I'm learning from experts like Stanley Williams, international award-winning video producer, filmmaker, show creator, and author of The Moral Premise, and Randy Ingermanson, award-winning novelist/theoretical physicist who teaches his Snowflake Method of novel writing.

Writers conferences are packed with opportunities to hone your writing skills; to network with authors, agents, editors, and publishers; and to be inspired by keynote speakers and veteran authors.

Write, write, write.

The novel writing process can take months or years of planting yourself in a chair day after day, week after week, to plan, research, write, revise, edit, revise, rewrite, revise. Writing takes as much patience and perseverance as it does inspiration and talent. You must be willing to do the work.

Pray, pray, pray.

If you knew your novel would never become a bestseller, would you choose to write it anyway? If your answer is yes, the writing life might be for you. Praying and listening for God's direction will help you know for sure.

The path to publishing can be a long one. Once you complete your manuscript, you are only part way there. The traditional route to publishing includes querying agents, writing book proposals, and facing a host of other challenges that experts like Michael Hyatt and Rachelle Gardner can teach you how to conquer. No matter how hard you might work, it is important to remember that for every story of author success, there are dozens of stories of author disappointments. Author Kathryn Stockett's experience shows how difficult the journey to publishing can be. Stockett received sixty rejections before her novel The Help found a publishing home. Now, it is a wildly popular bestseller with a movie to match, but most published books never attain that status.

A recap of my advice? Read. Learn. Write. Pray. And not necessarily in that order. Mix and match and repeat as often as necessary until you are successful . . . and never, ever, EVER give up.

Whether you want to write or not, what goals have you worked hard to attain? What goals are you still striving for? How has prayer played a role in that? Please tell us about your journey in the comment section below because I'd love to know!

From the time I wrote the first sentence, I spent about six years reading, learning, writing, and praying before Tyndale published Delivery as part of the Digital First Initiative. To celebrate, I'm offering my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. See details by clicking the "Contest" menu item above. Several motivated people are taking advantage of entering daily to earn more chances to win. Are you?

Weekend Peek In #6

Welcome to Week 6 of my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. This week's reader's question is one I used to wonder about as I read my favorite fiction.

To what extent do you base your characters on real people? Did you feel you had to be careful about that?

Some of America’s most famous authors have based fictional characters on real people.

Mark Twain created Huckleberry Finn in the image of his childhood friend, Tom Blankenship. In Twain's autobiography, he explains, “. . . I have drawn Tom Blankenship exactly as he was. He was ignorant, unwashed, insufficiently fed; but he had as good a heart as any boy had.” I’m not sure how careful Twain felt he had to be in making that statement, but my guess is Tom Blankenship would have been flattered.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Harper Lee based To Kill a Mockingbird's Dill Harris on her childhood friend Truman Capote. And in Capote’s 1984 obituary, The New York Times states Capote used Harper Lee as the prototype for one of his characters in his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms.

Authors create believable fiction by first experiencing life. I created the character Mom Robinson by first experiencing the generosity of my hometown’s beloved Granny Lowry, as my August 12, 2011, blog post reveals. Granny Lowry is no longer with us, but her family members seemed pleased that I worked her example into Delivery.

So which other characters in Delivery are based on real people? Local readers have been trying to figure that out. Livi, Gretta, and Miss Ellie in particular embody fragments of personalities I know and love. Rather than attempting to replicate those people, I incorporated some of their remarkable traits into characters of my own invention. Eccentricity. Humor. Determination. Loyalty. Vulnerability. Faith. The stuff that life is made of. The stuff we love to read about.

What traits do your favorite people exhibit? I'd love to know (traits, NOT names!), so please share in the comment section below. Who knows? Your input might help me create characters for my next novel.

Speaking of your favorite people, wouldn't one of them love to have a Kindle 3G? You could surprise someone at Christmas and lend each other ebooks if you win my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. That's right! Two Kindle 3Gs--one for you and one for a person of your choice. Enter daily to increase your chances.