Meet Debut Author Serena Bonzo Miller

Serena Bonzo Miller sold her debut novel to Summerside Press on a hot day in July. Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, a contemporary Amish romance, is due to release in September 2010.

Serena has lived many places, including a four-room railroad shanty, her grandmother’s 1800s log house, tiny apartments and various parsonages. She’s a minister’s wife with three grown sons, two lovely daughters-in-law and two adorable grandchildren. Home these days is a way-out-in-the-country farmhouse in southern Ohio, which she helped her husband and sons build­—a place she hopes never to leave.

When she’s not writing inspirational fiction, articles or short stories, Serena likes to make rag rugs, research anything that catches her fancy (you never know what might end up in a story), talk books with her twelve-year-old granddaughter, and occasionally feel guilty over not practicing her hammered dulcimer. Her favorite time of year is late autumn because she can take long walks without fear of running into any snakes!

Join me as we learn about more about Serena and her debut novel.

(Look at the bottom of the post for multiple drawing prizes offered.)

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Serena’s Journey Begins

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•You’ve lived in a variety of homes in a number of states. In all those places, you wrote. When did you see your first piece in print?

An “All In A Day’s Work” piece was purchased by Reader’s Digest about twenty years ago. The story was from when I worked midnight shift as a clerk in Vanderbilt’s ER. I got $300 for that paragraph and was so excited the kids and I broke my bed jumping up and down on it screaming.

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•When did you decide to write a novel, and where did the idea for that first work come? A character who burst into your mind, chattering away? An opening scene that grabbed you? A setting that begged to be used?

There was a man in our area who built a strange little castle out in the woods. This is in deep Appalachia, and the castle, although four stories high, had tar paper turrets. No plumbing or running water. Based on a visit to that castle, I came home, sat down at the computer, closed my eyes, and began a dark and brooding story filled with anguished characters. Had no idea what I was doing. Eventually wrote myself into a corner and didn’t know how to get out, so the story permanently stalled. It caught the attention of my twelve-year-old son, however. He wanted to read the daily installment when he got home from school. I figured if I could hold the attention of an adolescent male, I had a shot at catching adult readers some day.

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•How many novel-length stories have you completed? Are they all in the same category or have you dabbled in different ones?

Aside from my tarpaper castle story—that fit no genre I’ve ever seen—I’ve written four full-length inspirational romances. One is a suspense involving the Appalachian Trail.

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Serena’s High Points

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•After several years producing stories that warmed your heart, you received some heartwarming news. An agent offered representation. How did that come about? What advice would you offer others seeking an agent?

In addition to praying for God’s guidance, I played by the book. I took classes. Went to conferences. Read books on craft. I entered contests that gave feedback. I made friends with published authors and listened to their advice. I joined a critique group. Eventually I began to final in contests. Magazine editors began to buy my short stories and articles. I won a writing contest.

When Chip MacGregor announced at the Dallas American Christian Fiction Writers conference three years ago that he was starting his own agency, MacGregor Literary, I made an appointment and pitched a story to him. He asked to see a partial. A few weeks later he e-mailed to say that, although my writing was strong, his agency was still getting off the ground and he couldn’t afford to invest the time into launching a new author–yet. A year later, I got an e-mail from Sandra Bishop, who had just joined his agency and was looking for new authors. The day I received an author/agent agreement with her, was a happy, happy day.

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Serena Bonzo Miller with her agent, Sandra Bishop

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•Your agent went to work for you. On July 21st, which you’d written off as a bad writing day, she called. This wasn’t just any call. It was The Call. Tell us all about that momentous occasion. Were there tears or cheers? Or perhaps some of both?

I knew Summerside Press was looking at my proposal, but I was afraid to hope. I’d received so many rejection letters by that time, I’d begun to pride myself on how well I dealt with them. When I actually heard the words come out of Sandra’s mouth, “Summerside is offering you a book deal” I was so surprised, I burst into tears. Sandra told me the basics of the deal, then gave the glory to God when I tried too hard to thank her for all her hard work. That woman is a true believer, and I am incredibly blessed to have her in my corner.

Then I partied. Went out on the porch, where two of my grown sons were visiting with my husband. I told them my news and got hugged within an inch of my life. We were whooping it up so loudly that my third son, who lives in a log cabin just a few yards down from us, heard all the commotion and thought something bad had happened. He came running across the field, still carrying a kettle of soup he’d been heating. He was hungry and didn’t want to relinquish the soup unless he had to.

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•Wow! What a great story. In spite of the fact that we unpublished writers are told repeatedly that we must have a completed manuscript before we query, you didn’t. How did your agent sell a book from an unknown writer that wasn’t yet finished?

Actually, I did have a completed manuscript. I’d just finished a story that my agent felt could be re-written to fit Summerside’s needs. The fact that I’d successfully written for several magazine editors, in addition to the fact that Sandra was representing me, had a lot to do with them being willing to gamble on a debut author.

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•You paid a visit to Sugarcreek, Ohio to perform on-site research for your book and were blessed with a special opportunity. Please tell us about it.

I chose a Bed and Breakfast that approximated the farmhouse inn I planned to use in my novel. I intended to do the regular tourist route of commercial tours, etc. but God had a better plan. The B&B hostess has many Amish friends. She was scheduled to can peaches with a family one afternoon and took me along. While we worked, they were gracious enough to give me permission to ask any questions I wanted. Their relatives up the road, intrigued by the fact that I was writing a book, invited me and my husband to dinner later that evening. We had a picnic-style supper around a small campfire in their yard while watching their seven beautiful children play.

Frankly, I fell in love with the gentle graciousness of these two families. The father, when he discovered my husband is a minister, ran to get his Bible, and they had a wonderful discussion of scripture. The wife and I shared our hearts about the challenges of raising believing children in a corrupt world. She wrote me recently, telling me how her garden is doing and asking that we “let our friendship grow.” I feel honored to be considered her friend, and I can’t wait until my next trip to Sugarcreek.

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Serena’s Partners on the Journey

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•We write in solitude, but most of us have faithful supporters standing behind us. Who are the people who have been there for you?

I ache when I hear stories of women who try to nurture their writing in spite of their husband and family’s disapproval. It must be so very hard. I have not had to deal with that. My husband not only supports me emotionally, he prays for me daily. This has given me much courage.

My youngest son, a computer tech, keeps my computer up-to-date. The whole family gets involved in brainstorming new stories. I have three older sisters who are terrific cheerleaders. I have had more encouragement from my church family than any one person has the right to expect.

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•You just returned from the ACFW Conference, where you got to meet two of your most important partners. What was it like meeting your agent and editor in person? What did you take away from the experience?

I was chatting with other writers while standing in line at the hotel reception desk when a lovely woman said, “Serena?” It was my agent, and she had recognized my voice. After we’d hugged, we made plans to meet the following morning at breakfast. The next morning, I had the honor of meeting several of the other writers she represents. After breakfast Sandra gathered us all together in a sort of huddle, and then she prayed for us. There are a lot of good agents out there, but to have one who prays for her clients is an amazing gift.

Summerside Press had a dessert reception for their authors on Thursday night on an outside terrace lit with fairy lights. I met both Summerside editors, who were gracious and caring. I cannot believe how nice these people are! They had gift bags for each of us, along with a personal, handwritten note of encouragement that I’ll cherish forever.

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•What’s it like to be part of The Summerside Press family? What advice would you give a writer interested in this publishing house about how to approach them?

The Summerside Press staff is amazing. They go out of their way to support and encourage their authors. The information about their Love Finds You…series is on their website. As always, I’d advise anyone interested in writing for them to study the guidelines and read several of their books before submitting. It is also wise to contact them about potential town names before writing a story. They have definite ideas about towns in which they’re interested.

One of the things I enjoy about the Summerside books is the tremendous variety. Within the Love Finds You…series there are light, humorous stories, darker historicals, strong contemporaries, and some even have a suspense theme. They allow an author’s voice to shine through.

I chatted at length with Susan Downs, the other full-time Summerside editor, about two new lines she’ll be launching soon. One is a romantic suspense. The other is a historical line based on the era from 1900 through the sixties. The title of each of the historical novels will be from a song of that era. Summerside books are selling so well, and are of such quality, I have great hopes for these two new lines.

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Serena’s Debut Novel . . . and Beyond

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•Please tell us about Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

It is about a legendary baseball player whose starlet wife has been murdered. He tries to protect his traumatized four-year-old son from the media feeding frenzy by escaping into the back roads of America. When his truck breaks down in Sugarcreek, Ohio, he shelters at a farmhouse inn run by three elderly Amish sisters. He believes he’s finally found a place of blessed anonymity, until Rachel, a Sugarcreek cop, investigates the suspicious stranger and inadvertently reveals Joe’s identity to the media.

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•What can your readers look forward to next?

I’m fascinated with the Amish and don’t intend to stop writing about them any time soon. At the moment, I have two Amish proposals being considered by another major CBA publisher. One is a contemporary, and one is a historical.

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Five Fun Facts About Serena, the Writer

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~ I sent a story to Chicken Soup For the Mother’s Soul II that my mother had written. She was beyond thrilled when they published it. She was ninety-three years old.

~ One of my favorite things to do while on vacation is visit famous authors’ homes and have my picture taken in front of them.

~ If I get stuck while composing a story, I pull out a pen and legal pad and start writing in longhand. This sometimes frees my mind in ways a computer cannot.

~ I always write with a timer. I set it for forty-five minutes and write like mad. When the buzzer goes off, I set it for fifteen minutes and clean or do laundry while I work out a new scene in my head. At the end of the day, my house is fairly straight, there’s food cooking—and I can barely remember doing any of it.

~ Every time I write “the end” I lay my head down on my desk and cry.

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Five Fun Facts About Serena, the Person

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~ I was once voted “Limbo Queen of Trinidad” while on a mission trip. You don’t want to hear the story. Let’s just say I was trying a little too hard to “be all things to all people.” (I was also only 22 years old and much more limber than at present.)

~ I play the hammered dulcimer—very badly.

~ I find four-leaf clovers everywhere I go. It’s a weird gift, but it’s what I have.

~ I’m licensed to carry a concealed weapon. Not that I do. I just thought it would be cool to get the training and have the card.

~ I was named after my grandmother, who was named after her grandmother. Not that there’s any pressure on my sons to name a daughter after me or anything. <g>

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Serena’s Question for You

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•I’ve enjoyed having you as my guest, Serena. Thanks for your great answers to my questions. Now it’s your turn to ask a question of your visitors, so ask away.

One of my sons is presently doing a thesis on the role of literature in forming moral values. So—my question is this: What books, if any, have had a moral impact on your life?

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Learn More About Serena

Visit her Web site and blog  ~ http://www.serenabmiller.com

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Leave a Comment for Two Chances to Win

To leave a comment, click on “Comments” below the date in the title at the top of the post.

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My Regular Drawing

My next drawing will take place September 30th. The winner will receive a silver necklace bearing the word Courage, which is something anyone embarking on her writing journey needs.

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To enter the drawing, just leave a comment on any blog post by September 30th and enter your email address when prompted. (I don’t share your information or add it to any mailing lists.) On October 1st, I’ll post the winner’s name in the Welcome post at the top of the blog.

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You could also win a First Sale Scrapbook

If you’d like to have a chance at winning a First Sale Scrapbook created by me, your blog hostess Keli Gwyn, leave a comment on any post between now and September 30th. Be sure to include your name and email address when prompted if you want to be entered in the drawing. (Your information will not be shared.) Click red link above to see samples of covers and pages.

On October 1st, I will choose one person who will have her/his choice of covers on an 8×8 inch, twenty-page scrapbook in which s/he can document that long-awaited first sale. The pages will cover various milestones including The Call, signing the contract, receiving the first advance payment and holding your debut novel in your hands.

(No scrapbooking skills required. You just add your photos and journaling.)