Meet Judy Baer.
Judy and I go back to the third RWA National Conference, which was held
in Washington D.C. back in...well, here's a genu-ine Poleroid, if that's any clue. We are (l to r) Sandy Huseby, Kathleen Eagle, and Judy Baer, the entire North Dakota RWA membership at the time. RWA trivia: What year was that? (Yes, we were mere babies. Unpublished, wide-eyed first-timers.)
Congratulations are in order, first of all. Judy's a finalist in the 2007 RITA competition for BE MY NEAT-HEAT (Steeple Hill Cafe)!
She has published--ready for this?--over 75 books since this photo was taken, many of them for the young adult reader. These days she's a BIG NAME in the field of Inspirational Romance. And when I say BIG...well, let's just say, how many people do you know personally who have been satirized by STEPHEN COLBERT on THE DAILY SHOW? She'll tell you all about it. And lots more. (Be sure to take the link. It's a hoot.)
Here's Judy.....
Hi! I’m glad to be with you in the convertible today even though the weather in Minnesota has been gloomy. I don’t seem to notice the weather much lately—unless it rains, sleets or shines on my
computer monitor.
I just peeked at the Comedy Central website to view Stephen Colbert’s “Nightgown Novel Model.” In it, he’s trying to convince Harlequin that he’d be an ideal cover model for the new contest they are running, hoping to find “real,” everyday men to put on their covers. It’s cute and funny and worth a look if you want to see him posing for a place on the front of our novels. Comedy Central was good to me, too. Colbert did a spoof of Steeple Hill’s new line of Christian chick lit on "The Daily Show" a few years ago. When my novel, The Whitney Chronicles, launched the Café line, they, like so many others, thought Christian chick lit was an oxymoron. The cover was on the screen for 30 seconds while Colbert read (and, of course, added to) several lines in the book . Since that time, it’s been proven again and again that Christian characters can be just as savvy, silly, wacky and wonderful as their contemporary in secular novels.
I do have another life and career as well as that of writing. I’m a professional personal life coach. I’m certified in several models and have been doing it for six years. What I love the most is that
my writing makes me a better coach and coaching makes me a better writer. I’m finishing up my master’s in human development and working on blending the two worlds into a new coaching model. Life’s also kept interesting by my husband, two daughters and three step children.
I have two books due out in 2007—Mirror, Mirror (Steeple Hill) and The Baby Chronicles (Steeple Hill Café and a sequel to The Whitney Chronicles)) and two more currently in the works.
I'm also a horse lover, a quilter and a reader of mystery novels.
So, Riders, I'll just stitch away while we dish.
KE: I'll start things off. What makes an inspirational romance inspirational?
Judy: An inspirational romance has an element or story thread of Christian faith. Usually one of the main protagonists is a Christian. This does not mean the book is full of preaching or proselytizing. Rather it means that one of the primary values of a character is faith and how she (or he) lives that out in the ebb and flow of life.
I have a minor in religion from college and my area of interest is Christian ethics. Basically I toss my characters into the story I want to tell and see how they respond based on their beliefs. The faith element isn’t like frosting on a cake, spread across the top as if to say, “Look at me.” Rather, it’s in the fiber of the story—the eggs, the flour—one part of a whole. I find inspirationals “inspiring” because characters live every aspect of their lives true to their belief systems and turn to the belief systems—God--for clarification when life becomes muddy.
KE: What makes it a romance?
Judy: Love, strong emotion, passionate feelings, relationships, Mr. Right (often found after running into Mr. Wrong.) If anyone thinks that Christians don’t have romantic relationships…well, let’s just say they’re badly mistaken!
KE: You broke new ground with your foray into “Christian Chick Lit” with THE WHITNEY
CHRONICLES (the book Colbert went ga-ga over). How did that come about?
Judy: THE WHITNEY CHRONICLES was written two years before it sold and long before I even read BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY.
My agent read the book, called me and said “I love this book but there’s no place to sell it—but there will be.” Fast forward two years. My agent called again and said “I’ve sold the book.” I have a short memory—I had no idea which book she was talking about! She had faith in the book and had her eye on the market. When Christian chick lit was set to be born, THE WHITNEY CHRONICLES was ready and waiting.
KE: Chick lit brings to mind “Sex in the City” and “Bridget Jones.” How do you work religion into the mix?
Judy: Publishers Weekly described it best. They called THE WHITNEY CHRONICLES “Bridget Jones goes to church.”
That’s pretty much what it is. A contemporary, savvy woman who happens to be a Christian, who is working, living, playing and looking for the man of her dreams. Just because she doesn’t drink, smoke, swear, etc. doesn’t mean she isn’t smart, funny, wacky and wonderful. She has friends and shares confidences with them. Not every relationship works out. Everyone has a belief system. Granted, not everyone is Christian, but everyone believes something and that informs who the person is and what they do with their lives.
I also believe that writing chick lit involves a certain “voice” from the author and that voice is certainly present in the Christian genre.
KE: What special challenges do you face in writing fiction for adolescent readers?
Judy: When I started writing, I had a foot in two camps—inspirational romances and young adult novels. I wrote 45 y.a. novels before turning strictly to women’s fiction. My personal challenge at this point is thinking of something I want to say, a story that interests me that I haven’t already told in some form or another. If I come up with a story idea I loved, then I’d write it.
The challenge for a y.a. author is to have her finger on the pulse of what her readership is doing, thinking and feeling. Styles, entertainment and language change but the experience of being embarrassed, jilted or betrayed is universal. People at every age can identify with those things and I believe that’s where the y.a. author needs to start.
Okay, Riders and F.O.R. (Friends Of Riders). Here's your chance to chat with the multi-talented, wise and wonderful JUDY BAER!
"This is not a dream. You're not going to wake up from this ..."
