Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Denise George. Denise is the author of 31 traditionally-published books, (with Penguin Random House, Tyndale House, Zondervan, LifeWay, Bethany House, etc.) and more than 1500 magazine/newspaper articles, including Redbook, Essence, History News Network, Christianity Today, AAA, Guideposts, etc.

She writes on topics: Civil Rights, World War II, and books about Christian living. Her latest book, Called to Forgive (with Anthony Thompson, Bethany House, 2019) just received a starred Publishers Weekly review.

For years, she taught writing to publish classes, and has traveled widely, speaking to universities, seminaries, churches, etc. She is married to Dr. Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, Birmingham, AL.

Norm; Good day Denise and thanks for taking part in our interview.

What do you think is the future of reading/writing?

Denise: I think reading and writing certainly have a future even though people say they are reading fewer books these days.

But with convenient e-books and e-book readers, I don't think reading will go out of style any time soon. I believe the main media up and coming opportunities might be in script-writing alongside book-writing.

People are watching films, and film companies are needing new material.

Norm: How did you get started in writing? What keeps you going?  

Denise: I started writing as soon as I  could hold a pencil. I've always had a passion for writing. I waited 17 years, and then had my first newspaper article published.

That certainly triggered the passion, and I've been writing ever since.

Norm: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Denise: I've had so many wonderful mentors who guided and taught me: My professor at Harvard University, also the Associate Editor of the Atlantic Monthly, C. Michael Curtis, and his wife, Jean, served as mentors for several years.

Dr. Lucien Coleman, my seminary professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, served as a mentor more than 37 years ago, and we still keep in constant contact.

Author Dr. Calvin Miller mentored me in story-writing for a decade, showing me the value of writing written in narrative form. Recently, a lawyer and WWII historian, Holbert Harlan Grooms, took me under his wing, taught me about precise sentence structure, and all about WWII.

He mentored me through three WWII narrative nonfiction books with Penguin Random House. I have been fortunate to have great mentors, and now I'm excited about being a mentor myself to new writers.

Through my private FaceBook group, Writers for Life, I teach online writing seminars, counsel, guide, etc. I've also taught writing around the world and at university graduate levels. I enjoy teaching as much as I enjoy writing.

Norm: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?  

Denise: I keep a keen eye and ear, watching and listening for trends, people expressing their felt needs, etc.

I mainly write to help, guide, teach, and encourage people--so many hurting people out there in the world today.

Through the decades, I've discovered that many of my best ideas come through prayer. I am a Christian, but I write both for secular and Christian markets.

Norm: What do you think makes a good story?  

 Denise:  Tension. Great characters. Timing. Characters will goals to accomplish. And, most of all, great conflict--on every level!

Norm: What has been your greatest challenge (professionally) that you’ve overcome in getting to where you’re at today? 

Denise: Finding time to write in the midst of all life's constant responsibilities and interruptions, including: working in inner city, Boston, for years--chaotic always; school/classes; traveling; speaking; marriage; my husband's professional positions, raising two active children; now raising a 3-year-old grandson!

I have to think in order to write; any noise hurts my train of thought. I must tell you, writing has been a challenge since I started writing. I am still constantly overcoming impossible challenges in order to write.

Norm: What are common mistakes you see aspiring writers make?  

Denise: That's an easy question! I see most aspiring writers wanting to write-to-publish before they've learned the ropes.

Writing skills must be learned, practiced. For instance, a story must have structure, and each genre has its own special requirements. I also think many writers write to themselves, not to the readers. A writer must know the felt needs of his readers, his audience, before he attempts to write to them.

Also, a writer must learn the business of writing, what writing terms mean, how to work well with editors, how to honor deadlines, how to write queries, book proposals. How to approach a publisher. It must be done in a professional way.

Norm: Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Please summarize your writing process.  

Denise: Both. I intuit the felt needs of people, my audience I write for. Then I switch to logic, do everything by the book, employ the business of writing.

I've made sure I am set up to write: separate, quiet, well-stocked, equipped office; research information at my fingertips; a wonderful book agent of 25 years who brings in contracts from great traditional publishers; etc. I'm serious about writing and research.

I work with full outlines, unlimited access to research, experts in the fields I choose to write in, etc. I don't write for fun. It's a business with regular hours, professional everything.

Norm: Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?  As a follow up, how long did it take you to get your first major book contract?  

Denise: I write because I am called by God to write. Simple. I want to inform, educate, counsel, help, and encourage people through my writing.

I think the best way to grab people and hold their attention is through story-writing. Story is just an innate part of a human being--part of our DNA.

Through story, I tell people that God loves them, they have ultimate worth, they are individuals with specific gifts, and that every life is important to God and to His purpose for His world. I'm careful about using "God-language" though. It can turn off people and they will shut out your message.

That's why it's so important to know your audience, your readers. I also do not use raw language. I hate it. I hate to read it. It's a lazy writer who must resort to it to make a point or to describe a character.

My first book contract: How to Be A Seminary Student--And Survive. LifeWay Publishers.

Talked with an editor face to face, he liked idea, send contract in about 3 weeks. The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth contracts came easily and quickly. When I became a book agent's client, he did the leg work with editors, he got the book contract and I could concentrate on writing the book.

I would not work without a book agent. Worth his weigh in gold! I have a great one: Greg Johnson, WordServe Literary. 

Norm: What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had received, or that you wished you would have listened to?

Denise: Learn writing skills, learn the writing business, and then write. Persevere, don't give up, keep writing even when rejections come.

Norm: How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?

Denise: Not much. I've had a few, but I work differently than many writers. I study the marketplace, research the publisher, know every specific detail about their readers, check social trends, see what books are already out there, and plan every detail in a book proposal, and have the publisher's contract in hand before I write the first word of a book.

It's not hit or miss, ever. That's what I try to teach new writers to do. Takes out all the guesswork.

Norm: What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?  

Denise: Making words "sing" creatively, placing them right where they need to go in sentences, timing in story-writing, writing to the reader's heart--not head. Loving your reader and truly wanting to help her through writing. And about 10,000 other things!

Norm: Has a review or profile ever changed your perspective on your work?

Denise: No. I appreciate the 5-star reviews. I loved receiving a Publisher's Weekly starred review for one of my books with Bethany House.

But, I've been writing long enough to develop a rhino's hide and bad reviews don't bother me anymore. I respect other people's opinions, and we're all different.  

I once received an amazon review on one of my Penguin Random House WWII books--it said: "Everyone should buy this book and use it for toilet paper!"

The same week I received that review, I also received a film producer's contract to make a major motion picture of that book! If people don't like a book I've written, I would hope they return it, get their money back, and spend it on a book they do like. Reviews are subjective, and rarely have anything to do with the book itself.

Norm: You are the administrator of a Facebook Community Writers for Life. What is this all about?

Denise: Thanks for asking! We are a wonderful family of writers who help, guide, and encourage each other.

I am just beginning to offer a whole selection of pre-recorded, online writing seminars--and pricing them so low that everyone can afford them.

I pour my heart into this group--now about 1700 members strong--and I am seeing wonderful things happening to writers as they encourage/help each other.

Writers need writers for encouragement; writing can be a lonely business, and it helps to know you've got support from people who understand the writing life, it's challenges, obstacles.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Denise: Please come to my WEBSITE--newly remodeled.We have informative, in-depth teaching blogs, books, everything. Also, check out Writers for Life on FaceBook. It interested, anyone can reach me through my website.

You can also check out my Amazon page.

Norm: Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We would love to hear all about them!)

Denise: Yes! Yes! Yes! After having written 32 books, all traditionally-published, and more than 1500 magazine articles--for both secular and Christian publications, I have embarked upon another writing challenge: writing major motion picture screenplays.

It is very exciting! I also hope one day to write historical fiction. I guess I'll need at least 120 more years to do everything I want to do in the field of writing.

Passion runs high, and there is a whole world of readers and film viewers out there. I also hope to teach more, revise a dozen of my writing work books, and see my wonderful students publish books, articles, and scripts. It's exciting work! Very fulfilling.

Norm: As this interview ends, if you can invite three authors (dead or alive) to your dinner table, who would they be and what would you discuss with them?

Denise: I've been fortunate to have had many wonderful authors sit at my dinner table, and I'd like to invite all of them back because each gave me so much encouragement and information: Frank Perretti, Calvin Miller, Chuck Colson, J. I. Packer, Sue Monk Kidd, Terry Helwig, Lucien Coleman, Jim Cox, Eric Metaxas, Holbert Grooms, C. Michael Curtis, John Piper, A. V. Hill, Elizabeth Sherrill, and many many more. And I'd like to sit down with C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, Louisa May Alcott, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Spurgeon--oh my--Charles Bunyan, and, of course, all the gospel writers! Far too many to name.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Denise: Thank you, Norm! your questions prompted much thought and I wrote answers very freely!