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Interview by: Jessica Ferguson We readers and writers have an insatiable need to know about things—especially our favorite authors and how they work. Interviewing Irene Brand has satisfied that need for me. Now, as I struggle with the muddled middles of my own novels, I can remember how Irene handles hers. As I get up in the wee hours of the morning with my husband, I can think of Irene moving about her own kitchen. Reading Irene Brand’s stories touch me, influence me and bless me, and so has this slice of her life. I hope you enjoy learning more about Love Inspired author, Irene Brand. Tell us a little about yourself and your family, and how you became interested in writing. I’m a native of West Virginia, where my family has lived since the 1840’s, 1860’s. There’s no other place on earth I would want to live. I’m one of six siblings, who grew to adulthood. I’m married to Rod Brand, a native of Nebraska, and we’ve been married 49 years. We do not have any children, cats, dogs, or any other pets, unless you count the hundreds of birds that we feed year-round. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was eleven years old. At that age, when I read a book that I liked very much, I decided that I wanted to do for other readers what that writer had done for me. That day, I started my first book, but as most children would, I developed other interests and didn’t finish the book. However, I never lost my interest in writing. As a child, I had two dreams – to become a school teacher and a fiction writer. I’ve been fortunate in achieving both of those goals. I taught school for twenty-three years and retired in 1989 to have more time to write. What was your biggest obstacle in regards to writing and getting published? I wasn’t prepared for what I wanted to do. I had graduated from high school when I was fifteen, and college wasn’t an option at that age. After we were married, I felt that God was calling me to go to college, which I did, earning a AB Degree and MA+ Degree. After I received my MA, then I started sending out manuscripts. But it was ten years after I sent my first manuscript before I had a book published. How did you overcome it? The time wasn’t right for the kind of books I wanted to write. In the 80’s several publishers experimented with category inspirational romance, but it was too soon. But I kept on writing, and when the time was right, I had several manuscripts. I started going to writers’ conferences and met editors and other writers. After each rejection, I licked my wounds for a while and kept on writing. When it seemed I couldn’t publish fiction, I tried non-fiction, and a non-fiction book with Standard Publishing Company was my first published work, but an inspirational romance was published the next month in 1984. How long does it take you to complete a book from idea to last page? At one time, I would have answered 6 months, and that was true when authors had to write the entire manuscript and submit it. But it’s a different world now. It can be as long as 2 years, or longer, from the initial idea of a book before it is published. Are you a seat of the pants writer or do you plot extensively? I have you pegged as very disciplined. I consider myself a strict, self-disciplined person; however, I do not plot extensively. I write a synopsis of 12-15 pages, divide this into chapter segments and start writing. I create characters and let them develop the plot. I don’t always know the exact way the book will end when I start. This following motto has hung on my office wall for years. “Success isn’t given to the talented—it is taken by those who struggle, sacrifice and reach for it.” What's the worst part about writing? How do you get yourself through the worst part? The first draft. When I start writing, the first few chapters come easily, but when it slows down, I usually write scenes, and then connect them up with narrative later on. Give us a typical day in the life of Irene Brand. I’m writing this on a Wednesday, about 4:00 p.m. so consider this a typical Wednesday. My schedule varies from day to day. I got up at 5:45, which is our usual time, but sometimes when I can’t sleep, I’m up earlier. We set an alarm clock and get up the same time we did when both of us punched a time clock. I made the bed, went to the kitchen, prepared breakfast while my husband shaved. We shared a devotional and had prayer before we ate. Wednesday breakfast is Scramblers, whole wheat toast, half of grapefruit, and green tea for me; Folgers decaffeinated for Rod. We wash the dishes. (I don’t own a dishwasher, or a microwave, BTW) I put chicken in the slow-cooker to prepare for freezing to take to a dinner on Saturday night. I showered and went to my office before 7:30. I had personal devotions, including prayer time and Bible reading. Right now, I’m reading in the book of Ezekiel, which is not my favorite Bible book. Next, I opened e-mail and answered. Then I worked on a manuscript until noon. We ate a light lunch on schedule, too, at 12:00 noon. I worked in my office for another two hours, preparing things to take with me when we go to Louisville, KY tomorrow for research on a book manuscript I want to submit. I always check e-mail periodically through the day. I also prepared for choir practice tonight – I’m the choir director. Afterward, I walked for about 45-minutes. We usually walk 2 miles 4-5 times each week, but Rod was tilling the garden today, so I took a shorter walk. More work in the office, and preparation of supper (dinner) which is also on schedule, between 4:30-5:00. We will watch evening news while we eat, and will leave for church about 6:30 p.m. We won’t get home until after 9:00. I always read before going to bed. I’ve been on a “reading old books” kick. I’m reading one of Janice Holt Giles books about Kentucky now. I have a wide collection of books, some of which I read over and over. We go to bed between 10:00-10:30 What's your favorite thing to do when you aren't writing? Part of this is answered in question 5. I like to read, probably average 2 or more books each week. I do this reading before I go to bed at night. We don’t watch much television. We like to travel in the US and abroad. We’ve been in 35 foreign countries and all of the states. We walk regularly for exercise. I am also involved in church work – teaching, treasurer, playing the piano or organ, directing the choir, and a lot of activities not particularly covered by my designated offices. What's the most precious award you've received, or the most meaningful thing said about your books or writing? Sometimes God blesses us with nice things right after a kick in the teeth. I don’t enter a lot of contests, so haven’t racked up a lot of awards. Looking around my office, I see my first award given for writing—Excellence in Inspirational Romance Writing Award, presented by the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference in 1986. That may have been the most meaningful. Perhaps the most surprising one was the JUG award given to me by West Virginia Writers, Inc. in 1997. These awards are chosen by the Board of the organization. I received a plaque and a “little brown jug” (West Virginia was famous for its bootleggers in the olden days). JUG on the award stands for “Just Unusually Good writing. Very few of the members are interested in inspirational books—thus the surprise. I receive quite a few complimentary letters, and some do stand out more than others, such as one I received in 2003. “Your book blessed me. The Holy Spirit ministered to me, and I know that regardless God loves me. Thanks for the encouragement to stand firm. Not everyone can be preachers, preaching from a pulpit, but you are indeed a preacher, preaching through your books.” How did you find your agent and how do the two of you work together? I met my agent at a RWA conference about 5 years ago. We have brainstormed a few ideas, but mostly, I just write the books and she markets them. She doesn’t critique my work or make suggestions for changes, which I wouldn’t want. Do you have a favorite author or book that influenced you? In what way did that book or author impress or influence you? Dare I confess that I don’t read many romances? My favorite contemporary authors are Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham and Jan Karon. In the past few years, I’ve become addicted to Patricia Veryan’s works—she writes Regency and Georgian romances. I’ve collected 29 of her books. In my “formative” years, I read westerns, and I also have a collection of these—by Zane Grey, William MacLoed Raine, Charles Alden Seltzer. I’ve also collected many of Janice Holt Giles’ books. You are very active in your church and community, are you considered a celebrity and if so, how do you handle that status? I’m not considered a celebrity anyplace, and certainly not in my own community. “A man is without honor in his own country,” you know. For one thing, I never talk about my writing locally unless someone asks me questions. The local bookstore has book signings, I’ve been interviewed for the local paper several times, and I’m invited to speak at many local events. I consider there’s a very thin line between sharing good news and bragging, so I rarely “toot my own horn” without being asked. Tell us a little about your beloved home place and how you're involved. We live on a small acreage in a rural community within five miles of the place I was born, and in the same area where my parents were born, as I’d mentioned previously. I was born on a farm. My husband, Rod, and I still own 100 acres of that farm, which we keep for nostalgic reasons more than profit. It’s mostly in woods. Rod does quite a lot of civic and community work, but my writing schedule is heavy, and my extra-curricular activities are mostly involved with the church. The name of our church is Harmony Baptist (ABC/USA). It was organized in 1812 – one of the oldest church organizations in the western part of our state. The shell of the building we worship in now was built in 1860, but we’ve had several extensive renovations in the past few years, and for a country church, we have a rather formidable complex. I recently had a magazine article published featuring the growth of our church from its founding to the present. We average about 80 at church on Sunday mornings. Do you have any advice or recommendations for writers who would like to follow a career path like yours? In the words of Winston Churchill to the British people at the beginning of World War II, “I can offer you nothing except blood, sweat and tears.” Be prepared for disappointments. Don’t play at writing. Be self-disciplined. What do your fans have to look forward to, Irene? New books coming out? Articles on the web? Conferences where you'll be speaking or teaching? I’ll be speaking at the Houston County, Public Library, Springfield, Ohio, Saturday, April 16, 2005, 10:00 a.m. I’m also the featured speaker for the Central Ohio Fiction Writers bi-monthly meeting, Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, May 14, 2005. Another speaking engagement is at the Holmes County Public Library in Millersburg, Ohio, on September 22, 2005, 7:00 p.m. I’m presently writing a book for Heartsong Presents which will be published in May, 2006. The book is entitled, WHERE THE RIVER FLOWS, and it will feature the shantyboat, showboat era around Louisville, KY in 1886. Irene Brand fans can look forward to SNOWBOUND HOLIDAY, a short book, to be featured in a 2 in 1 book titled CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR, with fellow author Dana Corbit, October, 2005. This is a sequel to their 2 in 1, A FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS, 2004. HOLIDAY PERIL, a Steeple Hill, Romantic Suspense will be released November, 2005 and STEADFAST HOPE, a 2nd LIS, will be published in 2006. |