Want to know what accomplishment I'm most proud of?

I recently participated in a fun interview on a blog called The Christian Writers World. The blogger is a lovely writer I've known for many years, but haven't caught up with in a while, so it was a pleasure being a guest on her blog. I thought you'd enjoy reading the interview.


Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

In my 36 (so far) books, there have been very few characters that don’t have some element of me in them. Some have so much of me I’m embarrassed at how much I reveal, while others just have a touch of me. I believe that’s the way a writer creates characters that resonate with readers, by instilling those characters with believable emotions, thoughts, and actions. For instance, I’m aware that many of my actions and attitudes exist because of the things that I experienced in childhood. In Sister of the Brotherhood, the antagonist (who is pretty unlikable) acts as he does because of his past and his family influences. That’s one little piece of me and what I’ve learned about myself that helped me to develop his character.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I ran through my neighborhood wearing a sequined green tutu. I was training for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon and wanted to make sure the outfit was going to work. But my neighbors didn’t know my reason. I’m fairly certain they still refer to me as That Weird Woman Who Runs In A Tutu.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Not until my mid-twenties, when I read a published short story that contained what I considered a couple of major flaws. I thought, “I can do better than this!” So, I tried. Sigh. Thus began a long and painful lesson: writing is a lot harder than it looks. It took me twenty years to come up with my first publishable piece of fiction.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

My first love is fantasy and science fiction. I blame my mother, who read The Chronicles of Narnia to me when I was very young. But I also love a well-plotted mystery. And I enjoy novels that depict characters who are impacted, shaped, and changed by their environment, like The Book Thief and The Nightingale.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Writing keeps me sane. When I’m working on a book, the real world fades into the shadows of my fictional world. Armchair psychologists will probably have fun with that.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

That’s such a great question, because I think names are extremely important in defining a character, a culture, and the genre. For contemporary novels I use the Social Security Administration’s baby name register. (https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). I search for popular names during the year my character was born. I also Google common surnames in the city or state where my book is set. I recently finished a Biblical novel set in the eighth century B.C., so I researched Hebrew and Phoenician names. (The Last Drop of Oil will be released by Guideposts in March 2020.) For Sister of the Brotherhood, which is epic fantasy, I selected fairly common English names and modified them. Peter became Petro. Jonathan became Jothan. Ariel became Arien.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Last year my husband became extremely ill very suddenly. Multiple doctors and other practitioners kept telling me he had the flu, and to take him home and let him rest. I knew it was more, and I refused to give up. I successfully navigated the complicated medical system, learned how to approach medical practitioners to get their attention, negotiated with insurance companies, befriended nurses and aides, and as a result he lived. I’m serious – if I had listened to the first four doctors, he would not have survived past March 2018. I’m extremely proud of that—and very grateful to those who gave us advice and support along the way. (He’s doing much better today!)

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Today I’m kind of tired so I’d be a sloth. I like the idea of taking life slow and easy, and of sleeping 15-20 hours per day. And I think they’re cute.

What is your favorite food?

That’s a terrible question to ask a woman on a diet! My favorite is chicken and dumplings, the way my mother made them when I was growing up. Alas, there is nothing diet-friendly about Mom’s dumplings.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

That’s an easy one: procrastination. If my deadline is several months away I have a very hard time making myself sit down and get started on the book. Once I’m into the story I’m more disciplined, but I tend to delay starting. The closer the deadline gets, the harder and faster I write.

Tell us about the featured book?

Sister of the Brotherhood is epic fantasy set in a land where the mental ability to manipulate physical matter (telekinesis) is found only in men. That is, until a member of the Brotherhood of Power discovers Arien, an orphaned girl with the strongest ability he’s ever encountered. Being female, her power is enhanced with special qualities men don’t possess. That makes her dangerous, an enigma. When a spy intercepts a covert message detailing an invasion plot by a hostile empire, only Arien’s unique abilities have a chance of saving thousands of innocent lives.

Sister of the Brotherhood is published under the pen name Ginny Patrick, so readers will be able to easily distinguish it from my other books. Epic fantasy is a unique kind of story, and I didn’t want there to be any confusion.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.virginiasmith.org . On Facebook (where I hang out far too much) I’m at www.facebook.com/ginny.p.smith. On Twitter I’m twitter.com/VirginiaPSmith. And on Instagram I’m at www.instagram.com/ginnypatricksmith.