Lovely Romance Press is proud to announce that we are working with the
talented Birdie Etchison, who has authored so many of the beloved
Heartsong books. Now, she and her dear friend, Colleen Reece have
together authored a Christmas book with two novellas, called Christmas Calling.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first book was a juvenile. I wanted to write something my children would enjoy.
I was a tomboy and my heroine was a tomboy.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Not sure I do. My style is to write it down fast. Let it sit, then go over it page by page.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
A lesson is learned. Always. It’s the journey that counts, however.
Are experiences in most of your books based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
A little bit of me comes out in the story. Even when I wrote short stories it was
something that had happened to me, or to someone I knew.
What books have most influenced your life?
The Bible of course. I read it through when I was 14. My all-time favorite books are classics: The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, Heidi, and later To Kill a Mockingbird.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
There’s not just one mentor. Back when I started, Agnes Kempton read my short stories. All the members of various critique groups have helped. Colleen Reece is the
best editor ever.
What are your current projects?
I am rewriting an Amish novel. A three book historical series, North Beach, is being considered. I’m also working on another novella. I like essays, too
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your writing career?
Try to be more organized. Write chronologically. It’s much easier in the long run.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
To finish what I start. I have 15 novels in various stages.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The rewrite. It’s easy and the most fun for me to write the basic idea down.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Decide what you want to do and make a schedule. Write down the title, a line of dialogue, names, when something hits you. I get all sorts of ideas when I vacuum.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Just begin. Even if you don’t feel like writing that day, do a page, or a scene, or part of the outline. Read what you want to write. See how other writers do it.
What were the challenges in bringing your writing career it to life?
Having a large family; doing what I felt I must. But one learns there is time for all you hope to do.
What is the funniest thing about you as a writer?
I am a klutz; have always been a klutz. Readers and friends say they can see me in my writing. It might not be the funniest thing in the world, but it amuses me.
Birdie Etchison
Lovely Romance Press 