What is your favorite craft book?
I read more of those when I was first starting out, but as an established author of 26 books, I gravitate toward the inspirational, as opposed to the theoretical. My favorites would be Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, Reeve Lindbergh’s Under a Wing, and, in general, the works of George MacDonald and Catherine Marshall. I also have benefited from Karen Chase’s marketing book, Brand Author.
What is your favorite (or most anticipated) writers conference?
AWSA Conference
What’s your favorite other source (YouTube, podcast, etc.) for writing tips/info?
My publisher, Elk Lake, regularly leads its authors to all kinds of helpful resources from a variety of sources. I am currently enjoying Robin Dykstra’s videos.
Who is your writing mentor/inspiration? Why?
C.S. Lewis—his multi-faceted genres encourage me to step outside my comfort zones to write what’s on my heart at any given season. Jan Karon—I love the way she writes about the sacredness of the every day, always with a winsome hope grounded in the gospel.
What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received? Why was it bad?
“Just the facts, ma’am.’ For my first years as a writer, I avoided descriptive elements because my editor (who did much more good than harm) was a bare-bones kind of person. Also right up there was, “Stick to one genre.” I hate being typecast as an author when I can slip between genres and audiences.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
“Read good writing.” By immersing myself in the writing of excellent storytellers, I have become better at my own writing.
What would you say is the best writing tip for new authors?
Manage your distractions. Stay focused. The world is too much with us, sucking our creativity dry. I read that David McCullough writes in a shed without a phone or computer because he wants to stay focused on the writing before him. I haven’t mastered that exactly, but I do try to limit the amount of time I spend on emails and social media. Click bait is the worst.
What is your best self-editing tip or advice?
No one ever “arrives” as a writer. Everyone needs a good editor to come beside us and help us hone, hone, hone. There is always some improvement or discovery ahead. Come humbly before God each time you sit down to write. This is his gift, to be used according to his good purposes, inspired by him.
Please share your most encouraging tip for frustrated/discouraged writers.
Always stay connected to the Source of all creativity. If you’re certain God has called you to this work, don’t let anything get in the way, including yourself.
Tell us about your newest release/upcoming release.
Easton at Sunset, the sixth and final book in my award-winning Easton Series with Elk Lake Publishing. This is a split-fiction novel in which the two main characters, bound by their ancestry, live in the 18th century and today. The novels were originally inspired by Jan Karon’s Mitford Series.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I love speaking about American history almost as much as writing about it. Thanks for the opportunity to share some of my writing journey!
REBECCA PRICE JANNEY is a historian and multi-award-winning author of twenty-six books, including her beloved Easton Series. Books three and four, Easton at the Crossroads and Easton at the Pass, captured 2019 and 2020 Golden Scroll Awards for Historical Novel of the Year, along with her other winning novels Sweet, Sweet Spirit: One Woman’s Spiritual Journey to the Asbury College Revival, and Morning Glory.
She began writing professionally at the age of fourteen and by the following year was covering the Philadelphia Phillies. With her love of American history, she earned degrees in that subject from Lafayette College and Princeton Seminary, and a doctorate from Biblical Seminary. Rebecca is a popular speaker and appears regularly on radio shows and her podcast, “American Stories.” She is the Regent (President) of the Bethlehem, PA Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and resides with her husband, son, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley where her ancestors have lived since the 1740s.
Find her online at www.rebeccapricejanney.com, “American Stories” with Rebecca Price Janney on Spotify, Facebook, LinkedIn, MeWe, or Instagram.
Thank you for interviewing me for this blog! I enjoy hearing from readers and encourage them to reach out through my website, rebeccapricejanney.com,