Interview With the Author

When you are writing, what does your daily schedule look like?

I’m going to be totally transparent in hopes that my answer inspires others not to assume they have no time for writing (or other creative outlets that enrich their lives). I know many creatives insist that we must turn off everything and lock ourselves away for a pre-determined period of time, but my family and home have always been my priority. My life has never been “normal” and any painting or writing time I get must be flexible. I may wake up, pray, finish devotions, and get dressed for the day with a plan to paint or write while the laundry is running. Then I get texts about any number of things my family needs, or I get an order and need to pack it and run to the post office, or the air conditioning (fill in anything in that spot) breaks down. Before I know it, it’s time to cook dinner. I struggle not to become stressed out, and I remind myself that Ecclesiastes assures us there is a time for everything. I don’t box myself in with professional deadlines unless a work is finished.

I resent the marketing aspect of being an author. It gobbles my life and drains my creativity, and it changes constantly. The time I’m most likely to be free to write is in the evening, after dinner, when I can be alone. I always work to spa-type music and instrumental epic movie soundtracks (no words) because they soothe me and lift my aspirations high.

When writing a book of fiction, what kind of research do you normally have to do?

I research historical events, cultural references, music, fashion, cars, food, etc. It’s time-consuming but important, and it’s easy to do now with Pinterest boards. Readers will find boards for my novels at Pamela Poole, Artist and Author.

When creating your characters, do you base them on people you know, create them totally from scratch, or do a combination of both? Elaborate if you would like.

I have a free downloadable Character Profile on my website if readers or any aspiring writers would like to look it over or download it. I print these forms out and fill them in, then collect them in a huge binder of information for my novels. https://www.southernskypublishing.com/free-writing-tools

For my first novel, my main characters were already in a dream I had when we were living in South Carolina, though they were not fleshed out. Shortly afterwards, my son challenged me to write the book I wanted to read, and I knew it would be about that dream.

Jane Austen’s books have a large cast of characters, and like her, I love creating a big world for my stories! Writers recommend at least 20 characters for novels. I pray for inspiration and flesh out a cast that will accomplish goals in my story and move it along. Fortunately, my life has been rich with good and bad experiences and people, so I have a wealth of character ideas to draw from. I can’t rely too much on my own personality type as a pattern except for main characters, for I am a rare .8% (female INTJ on the Myers Brigg scale) and most CF readers expect warm, emotional character interactions.

My philosophy about my characters, settings, and stories is similar to iconic American artist Norman Rockwell, who grew up in a cold home but painted heartwarming scenes. He said he knew the world was not an ideal place, but it should be, so he painted it that way. I did not have a perfect childhood, either, but I wish better than that for others. My goal is to help readers aspire to higher things than the world’s view of fulfilment.
Authors are taught to write what they know, and they will write most convincingly about a main character in whose shoes they have walked. They can add any number of other relationships to the cast as we have interacted with them in real life, but they should not be expected to fill quotas for minorities, handicaps, etc. I hope readers of CF will remember that prayerful authors will tell the story they are inspired to tell, without influence from trending cultural expectations.

How do you insert the faith element into these stories so that it is woven naturally into the storyline?

I believe this is such a tricky thing for authors! But we must remember Christ holds us to a higher standard as influencers. We have given up too much ground in fear of being accused of “preaching.” The reason I started writing my own books is because I found few novels on the market with any substance for the faithful. It has even become a struggle for me to find a devotional that isn’t baby food, and our churches and women’s groups are starving. This is the pool from which our future authors, wives, mothers, and educators will come from.

As an author, I let my characters do the preaching by boldly living out their Christian worldview in personality, actions and conversation, just as we would do if we were not so fearful of rejection. Too much of CF portrays believers acting just like the world, especially in matters of dating and personal fulfilment. The places my characters go, how they spend their time, and the people they associate with testify to who they’ve set up as their ultimate authority in life. When Christ rules a believer’s mind and heart, he or she will look to scripture for how to live – not following opinions, desires, or the trends of culture. Some CF readers will object to my characters because scripture is convicting.

Do you have aspirations of your book being turned into a film or TV series? Why or why not?

I went to see “Overcomer” on opening day at the theater, and it was such a terrific experience! However, I don’t realistically expect my stories to be the fare that inspires large audiences. A scriptwriter would eliminate what makes my work different from other CF novels on the market.

More from Pamela

Hi, I’m Pamela Poole, and I live an amazing life as an artist and author! What makes my life amazing isn’t the things I get to do. It’s the scope of experiences, from devasating to incredibly wonderful, that are used by Christ to weave my story and make it one worth telling and living.

Have you ever noticed that people entertain themselves at the expense of the sufferring of others? What about the book you’re currently reading? Would you be interested in the story if the author didn’t drag the characters through excruciating ordeals so they could grow into a better person? We tend to pray for protection from trouble for ourselves and loved ones, then we relish reading or watching others as they cope with it. Their stories are the ones we find amazing. What irony!

In my latest novel, Landmark, I take readers back to the year 1960 to journey with the Painter and Gregoy families as they navigate through trouble on the verge of a tumultuous new decade. Their efforts to do the right things as they walk with Christ will not eliminate the valuable struggle ahead of them. Like other novels in the saga, Landmark is a nostalgic, entertaining, and wholesome story, yet it is packed with meaningful insights that encourage us as we set up our own landmarks to mark the times when Jesus was faithful through our struggles.

Landmark is the first book in the saga chronologically.

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