Interview with Author Maureen Lang!

We're talking today with author Maureen Lang. Maureen joined us a year ago on PASTimes, so I had to come up with some new questions for her! Maureen's books are beautifully written and a joy to read. Her first book Pieces of Silver was nominated for a Christy Award, and in my opinion she deserves any awards she receives.

Maureen's career has grown in the number of years since I've known her. When we met, we were both commiserating on how hard it is to break into publishing. In the past two (three?) years, Maureen has sold eight books - two with Kregel Publishing and six with Tyndale House Publishers. Her latest release On Sparrow Hill is being offered for our contest. (Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the drawing!)

Tell us a bit about your newest release. What led you to choose to write this story?

My newest book is called On Sparrow Hill, from Tyndale House. It’s actually a fun sequel to The Oak Leaves, but you needn’t have read that one to (hopefully!) enjoy this one. Like its predecessor, On Sparrow Hill has two storylines. The contemporary thread follows the obstacle-ridden romance between the curator of an historic English estate and the estate’s owner, and the historical thread follows Victorian Berrie Hamilton (from the historical thread of The Oak Leaves) as she goes to Ireland to open a school for the “gentle feebleminded.” She faces many challenges, not the least of which is the brother of one of her students. It’s a romance in two eras and places: contemporary England and Victorian Ireland.

What is your most memorable moment as a published author?

I have to say getting that first contract with each of my two publishers, Kregel for Pieces of Silver and Tyndale for The Oak Leaves and its sequel. There’s nothing like seeing a dream come true!

Taking that thought a step further, what is your happiest moment?

Not long after The Oak Leaves was published, I received a note from another Fragile X mom (Fragile X plays prominently in The Oak Leaves) and she told me how much she enjoyed the book. We emailed back and forth a couple of times, because this is the exact audience that book was written for, women just like me who might struggle with the day-to-day challenges that come with living with a child (any age) who is limited by a disability. Our connection through the story was instant. I've had several other Fragile X moms contact me, and it's always rewarding. But this one is special to me because a few months after we corresponded, she wrote to me again to let me know her daughter (one of her two Fragile X children) was having some health issues and she was worried about it. We talked about that, I sent my prayers. But within a few weeks it was obvious there was something seriously wrong. They found a rare form of an aggressive type of cancer, and ever since I've been watching from afar as this brave little 5 year old (with a substantially limited understanding of why she must go through all she's going through) has faced one treatment after another. When On Sparrow Hill came out, I mailed that book to my friend and she told me it helped to pass the hours as she's living in an apartment the hospital offers to families of those with children who are admitted for such a length of time. It's been a long haul and the prognosis is better than first expected, but her daughter is still struggling. I know my book is just a minuscule part of my friend's life, but just knowing she's taken some brief respite through it is very satisfying.

With more than one book under your belt, what lesson have you learned that you wished you’d known early on?

I’ve discovered I have a sort of “routine” when I approach a new project. Before I was published, I’d be starry-eyed over the prospect of starting a new book, and enjoy leisurely exploring a new setting, imagining new characters facing and overcoming a variety of conflicts. All the puzzle pieces are there but I have only a vague idea about what the finished “picture” will look like — and plenty of time to gradually figure it all out. Now that I’m writing under contracts, new projects must be finished within a certain amount of time. That, for me, comes with all kinds of doubts and insecurities. I’m not just writing for my own enjoyment, I have to meet my editor’s expectations, I have readers to please, reviewers to pass my work under, all kinds of people to approve or disapprove. It’s daunting! And so, facing all that, for the first few chapters I find myself floundering in doubt. I wonder if I’ll ever really know my characters, if the story can work, if I’ll do it justice. I live with this until I’m at least 100 pages into the story, when I discover where it’s going and have a better handle on the characters. Then I forget my doubts and just enjoy writing again. It happens every time.


What is your favorite type of “setting” research – in other words, online searching, books, videos, music, museums, archives, or a visit to the actual place? Why?

I love to read history books! You can usually follow a trail of my research, based on one book and its bibliography. I pester my research librarians for little-known textbooks available only through one university or another, based on what’s in the bibliography of the first book that really struck me in the era I’ve chosen.

I tend to trust books over the Internet, because for the most part books have been scrutinized by peers and most likely wouldn’t be quoted by others in bibliographies if the information hadn’t proven reliable. I always back up what I learn on the Internet with other sources, either through other sources online or in books.

I also enjoy museum visits because of the visuals such places provide. It’s nice to be able to describe something you’ve actually seen. And along that line, this summer I’ll be visiting Northern France and Belgium, where my next two books are taking place, so perhaps I’ll have a new favorite way of researching.

How do you go about layering your stories with all the senses? Do you put them in as you go or when you rewrite?

Join us tomorrow for Maureen's answer to this question and more. And don't forget to leave a comment to enter the drawing.

Until tomorrow...