Meet Author ~ Jolina Petersheim ~ Bestselling Author of The Outcast

(Please leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of The Midwife)

Hello Jolina,

Tell me about yourself:

My name is Jolina Petersheim, and I live with my husband and young daughter in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Who is your all time favorite book character and why?

Anne from Anne of Green Gables. She is spunky, creative, and resilient—despite the fact that she is constantly getting into scrapes. She was my role model growing up; actually, she’s still my role model! For the longest time, I wanted red hair just like hers, and my daughter’s middle name is even “Anne” in her honor!

Who is your least favorite character and why?

Arthur Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter. He is hypocritical and has no backbone. I know he is a tortured soul, but I never really understood what Hester sees in him—except for the fact that he is a man of some power within the Puritanical community before.

What character do you think you most resemble and why?

Jane Eyre—though I am an extrovert and like sparkles and high heels, and I imagine that Jane does not.

What character would you like to have lunch with and what are three questions you would ask them?

Scarlett O’Hara, and I would ask, “Why do you think Ashley is something special?” “How does it feel to wear a curtain?” “Have you ever considered counseling?” Then I would politely shake some sense into her and ask for another cup of tea.

Did you design your book cover? If not who and how did you come up with this design?

Tyndale House Publishers designs my book covers. They were very kind to ask my opinion on book covers before the process started, so I was able to share what I like: simple covers with evocative images and no faces showing—or at least not all of the face, so as to retain some mystery. I have been so very happy with both of my covers for The Outcast and The Midwife.

Are you an outliner or a seat of your pants writer? Why and why would your suggest your method to others?

I’m a mixture. I keep everything in my head, but I usually have to verbally process it with my husband (bless his heart) before beginning to write. I like to allow the story to lead me during the journey, but I almost always end up where I had imagined.

What is your particular method of writing? All by computer, special program? Index cards, notebooks, binders? Why did you choose this particular method?

I just use my Dell computer—no notebooks, no binders, no special programs. I write from Monday through Friday from 6-8, then I write again from 12 to 2 or 3, depending when my daughter gets up from her nap. I have realized, though, that one must remain flexible! Sometimes that means closing the laptop during vacation or pushing through writer’s block.

Are you a picture or image person? Do ideas for books come from pictures or images you see or things you hear or read?

I do like images—they usually come to me during the writing process, though, and not before. For instance, for my work-in-progress, I could imagine the ending scene involving two silhouettes backlit by a wall of fire. Then everything else came together from this.

What do you think the future will be for writers in 100 years? Will books be published on paper at all?

I will not lie: the image of a library full of paperless books saddens me to the core. I have always loved libraries—the smell, the texture of hard backed books and dusty, deckled pages. I want my daughter and grandchildren to experience this magical world, too, so I greatly hope that books will continue to be written and read. Most of this starts at home, which is why my daughter and I read together for twenty minutes every day. Our passions usually become theirs.

If you could go back in time and be a writer during a certain period, when would that be and why?

I know I romanticize Jane Austen’s era, but I wonder if I would be as brave as Jane and attempt to become a woman writ
er when it was still so unprecedented in that culture.

What part of the editing process is most painful and has there been a situation in which you found letting go of a particular piece extremely difficult?

I really love to edit. The hardest process for me is the first draft; if I can just get the story down, I know I can rewrite and polish and polish and rewrite until I am happy with my work. I thankfully have a wonderfully proficient editor at Tyndale who makes the editorial process even more of a joy. She is very gentle and kind, even when she’s suggesting I chop an entire scene.

What is your fashion style? And how do you dress for success?

I like Gypsy clothes—furry boots, layered skirts, chunky sweaters and scarfs with lots of jewelry and embroidery. However, I am a stay-at-home mom, so I mostly wear jeans with a sweater and some jewelry and perfume. The perfume makes me feel like a lady, and my two-year-old daughter always wants some, too. Dress for success? Well, I usually select whatever’s on the sale rack and is just my size.

Where is your most favorite place at home and why?

My front porch during spring. I can see the entire field while writing. It is so peaceful taking a break to watch the red-tailed hawks swoop and dive.

What is your favorite food to celebrate a complete project with?

Sushi and ice-cream!

How do you reward yourself for finished goals?

Take a long walk or eat a bite of dark chocolate.

What are some of your out-of-the-box ways to get your writing going?

Just close the laptop and read a book instead. It’s amazing how it refreshes my creative juices.

Are you interested in other bloggers interviewing you?

Of course!

Awards that have you won.

Library Journal’s Best Books of 2013

Christian Manifesto’s 2013 Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction

Include your website, blog, books, book signing, speaking and teaching events.

http://www.jolinapetersheim.com

The Outcast

The Midwife

Tyndale House Publishers announces the June 2014 release of The Midwife, the second novel from

Jolina Petersheim, author of the acclaimed debut novel The Outcast. Named one of the best

books of 2013 by Library Journal, The Outcast became an ECPA, CBA, and Amazon

bestseller.

Set in an Old Order Mennonite community that reflects the author’s personal family heritage, The Midwife brings twenty-first century issues into a culture resistant to change. Since the day Rhoda Mummau was baptized into the Old Order Mennonite Church and became the head midwife of Hopen Haus, she’s been torn between the needs of the unwed mothers under her care and her desire to conceal the secrets of her past. Contact with the outside world could provide medical advantages, but remaining secluded in the community gives her the anonymity she craves.

Graduate student Beth Winslow is on a path she never would have chosen. Heartbroken after surrendering a baby to adoption, she devotes herself to her studies until she becomes pregnant again, this time as a surrogate. But when early tests indicate possible abnormalities, Beth is unprepared for the parents’ decision to end the pregnancy—and for the fierce love she feels for this unborn child. Desperate, she flees the city and seeks refuge at Hopen House. Past and present collide when a young woman named Amelia arrives bearing secrets of her own. As Amelia’s due date draws near, Rhoda must face her past and those she thought she had left behind in order for the healing power of love and forgiveness to set them all free. </ span>

Jolina Petersheim drew her inspiration for the story from the experience of a college friend who considered using a gestational surrogate after antirejection medicine following a heart transplant left her unable to conceive.

“I mulled over the concept for surrogacy for many years,” comments Petersheim. “What if the surrogate became attached to the baby she carried? What if something was wrong with the child? What if, God forbid, one of the biological parents died? When I began writing The Midwife, the surrogacy thread became more of a tapestry of what it means to be a mother: genetics or love.”

About the Author – JOLINA PETERSHEIM is the bestselling author of The Outcast, which Library Journal gave a starred review and named one of the best books of 2013. The Outcast became an ECPA, CBA, and Amazon bestseller and was featured in Huffington Post’s Fall Picks, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and the Tennessean. Jolina’s sophomore novel, The Midwife, also taps into her and her husband’s unique Amish and Mennonite heritage that originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Petersheims live in the mountains of Tennessee with their young daughter.

www.jolinapetersheim.com

https://www.facebook.com/jolinapetersheimauthor

https://twitter.com/Jolina_Joy

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6803052.Jolina_Petersheim

The Midwife, Jolina Petersheim.

Tyndale House Publishers/June 2014/ ISBN 978-1-4143-7935-7/ softcover/US

As always, thanks for stopping by.

CMJ

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Comments

Amy C says

June 6, 2014 at 11:27 am

What a lovely interview! Interesting to know her writing times. What happens when those beloved nap times are no more. 🙂
Campbellamyd at gmail.com

Cindy M. Jones says

June 23, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, Amy. You have definitely got yourself a novel coming.