Paula Hrbacek
1.
Please tell the readers a bit more about you.
I’m
a Lutheran preacher’s kid, so talking about religion comes naturally to
me. We didn’t have dinner table conversations when I was growing
up, we just listened to my dad preach another sermon. I grew up in the
mid-west (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri) and after I was married, my husband, our four children and
I moved to Florida where we’ve lived for the last 24 years.
I
double-majored in journalism and art because I wanted to work for a craft
magazine. Instead, I worked for Christian Board of Publication in St. Louis
for five years as a copy writer and graphic artist. My first two books
were published by CBP. When I became a mother, I free lanced for
magazines, and started trying to write a novel.
2.
What types of books do you write? I’m in love with both fiction (romance
with a touch of mystery) and how-to. I’m writing for the Christian
Inspirational market because I like to keep it clean, and I think people should
be motivated by what they believe.
3. Who's
your main audience? Stars Shine After Dark is women’s
fiction. It doesn’t fit neatly into a romance category because the
characters get married in the middle of the book. Then they start having
some real life problems and have to get the relationship back on track. I
wrote the story because someone I care about was getting a divorce. I
felt helpless about it, so instead of sticking my nose in where it didn’t
belong, I put my feelings on paper. It’s supposed to show that
there is more than one side to any story, and if both people are willing to
bend, a couple can weather the storms that come their way. I suppose my
main audience would be people who are afraid to commit, and people who want to
make it last and make it past, and people who want a deeper motivation.
4.
When it comes to writing- what are your strong points? What are your
weaknesses?
I’m
not sure which category this fits into, but the people who have read it say it’s
too intelligent to be a romance novel. I like fiction that has “social
redeeming value” that is, something to learn or think about. I like
motivation to run deep, and for problems to make people examine what they
really believe. My weakness? Well, I’m a preacher’s
kid. My dad did all the talking, so I’m not real good at
conversation.
5.
What do you think of this term- Writer's Block? How do you overcome it?
I
fold the laundry. You’d be amazed what will go through your mind
when you’re faced with six baskets of underwear. Weeding the garden
is good, too. One is nearer to God in a garden than anywhere else on
earth…
6.
How many books have you written? I think the correct question is how many were
good enough to get published.
I’ve
been attempting to write a novel since Junior High School. My latest
effort is being considered by an editor as we speak (let us pray…)
7.
How many are published? I have three traditional books
St. Louis Is for Families, Bethany Press, a tourist guide.
Bible
Verses for Young Children, CBP Press, a coloring book.
Created
in Faith, Concordia, crafts based on Christian symbols.
Stars
Shine After Dark is a print on demand book, Kindle and Nook. It is also
available in other ebook formats from ebooks-online.com
Day
Camp in Hawaii is a Kindle and Nook and ebooks-online.com. It is a
collection of activities, crafts, games, songs and skits with a tropical theme
that can be used by a summer camp, summer school or after school care
program. I was in charge of Cub Scout Summer Day Camp for two years, and
wrote my own program because it was easier to write something new than to spend
hours searching for something old.
Caring
After School is a Kindle. It’s a beginner’s guide for doing
after school care. It can be used by a new employee to get ready to do
the job, or by a director to cut costs, improve the program and train
employees.
8.
Are you self published or traditionally published? Both. Of the two,
traditional is by far much better.
9.
What's the hardest part of the writing process for you? Marketing and
selling. Writers face a 99 percent rejection rate. After a while,
it gets to you. I tried to quit writing and become an art teacher, but it
didn’t work. I’m too introverted to teach. But then,
like manna from Heaven, the opportunity to write a newspaper column about arts
and crafts dropped into my lap. I never get rejected by The Examiner, so
I’m in hog heaven now. I’m using all my past experiences in
Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, after school care and teaching to write an entirely
different kind of craft column that’s geared for youth groups and
teachers. So now, when the rejections get to me, I just publish another
craft article, and my computer screen says “Congratulations! You’re
published!” Those are the words ever writer longs to hear. http://www.examiner.com/
10.
What type of books do you enjoy reading? My mother gives me Love
Inspired, and Heart Song Presents. But the books I really enjoyed most
recently were the Heavenly Daze series published by Nelson.
11.
Who's your favorite Author? I don’t really have one. I like to try
something new to see if I can learn something new. I also like to read
several books by one publisher to see what they are accepting.
12.
What's your all time favorite book? The writing bug bit me because of Nancy
Drew, but I was also captivated by The Pearl
of Great Price. Pearl gave me the idea that stories are more interesting when they
aren’t superficial.
Thank you Paula for your time. It was a pleasure having you here on The Writing World.
No comments:
Post a Comment