This interview is part of a series, introducing the members of Australasian Christian Writers, to give you the opportunity to get to know us a little better. Today we’re interviewing Narelle Atkins. Welcome, Narelle!
Fast Five
Long black or flat white?
Flat white. My wonderful husband makes one for me each morning.
Kiwis or koalas?
Koalas are cuter!
Mangoes or kiwifruit?
Mangoes. I buy them by the tray when they’re in season.
Cricket or rugby?
Cricket. I can write and watch cricket at the same time.
Plotter or pantser?
Both! I write myself into trouble if I don’t do any plotting.
Getting to Know Narelle Atkins
What’s something interesting or unusual about you that not everyone knows?
I was born in a leap year. I missed out on a February 29 birthday by approximately 21 hours.
Where are you from?
I’m originally from Sydney. I’ve spent the last decade and a bit living in Canberra, Australia.
What is your town or city most famous (or infamous) for?
Canberra is the capital city of Australia and Parliament House is located at Capital Hill. Canberra is also the home for many national monuments and institutions, including The Australian War Memorial and Museum of Australian Democracy Old Parliament House.
What books are set in your town/city?
No one really wants me to answer this question, right? Political biographies and memoirs that many would say are best used for propping up the legs of furniture or collecting dust.
Canberra is the home of National Library of Australia, which is where Australian authors send their print books to be catalogued and deposited into the history of Australian literature.
About Your Writing
What do you write?
Contemporary romance.
Who or what are your main writing influences?
This is a hard question to answer without writing an essay!
In my pre-published years (prior to 2014), it was Aussie romance author Mary Hawkins and members of the Faith, Hope and Love Chapter of Romance Writers of America and ACFW and Romance Writers of Australia who kindly volunteered their time to mentor and help me (and others) learn how to write at a publishable standard.
The years I spent entering unpublished writing contests run by these organisations provided an invaluable teaching tool in learning how to improve the quality and marketability of my writing.
Fast forward to 2018, Margie Lawson and my amazing ‘Divine Dipsy La La’ Immersion Grad sisters from our Gold Coast Immersion in late October have been inspiring and supportive in my writing journey.
Do you have any books published?
Yes, I have 10 books published. 6 short contemporary inspirational romances were published in 2014 and 2015 by Harlequin Heartsong Presents plus 4 indie novellas. I’m hoping to start putting my revised and updated Heartsong books back into print by late 2019.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing my first book in 1997 and it eventually became my fourth published release, Her Tycoon Hero, in 2014.
What inspired you to start writing?
I’ve always wanted to write a book. I had characters in my head who nagged me to tell their story (which probably makes me sound crazy, but hey, that’s the mystery and the magic of the creative process). I would mentally rewrite the endings of books and movies. In 1997 I embarked on a long and never-ending journey to learn how to write books.
What’s your favourite part of the writing process?
The very start, when I’m brainstorming and outlining and planning the story. I love getting to know my characters and working out what makes them tick and devising ways to make their lives as difficult as possible during the story. Without conflict, there’s no story!
What’s your biggest writing challenge?
I have a perfectionist streak and writing is an activity that you can never do perfectly right. I find deadlines helpful, in the sense that a deadline defines the end of the road and letting go of the story. But deadlines can be problematic if I become too focused on writing and neglect other areas of my life.
I learned a lot about myself and my writing process when I delivered 6 books under contract in 15 months. It was a crazy busy schedule that I’m glad I took on, but I probably wouldn’t do it again.
How does your faith impact your writing?
My faith provides the grounding and worldview for the Christian characters in my stories. It’s easy and comes naturally to write characters who, like myself, pray and wrestle with faith issues and question what’s happening in their world from a Christian perspective. The Bible provides examples of real life people who made mistakes and had to deal with the consequences. I find the harder and more challenging characters to write are the characters who subscribe to a different worldview to my own.
Finally, where’s the best place to find you online?
I can be found in the usual places where writers hang out. The Facebook Groups I’m most active in are Australasian Christian Writers (ACW) and Christian Romance Reader Gathering (CRRG). CRRG is the Facebook Group connected to my group blog – Inspy Romance. I also blog with International Christian Fiction Writers.
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I was also born in a leap year and was due on the 1st of March. I was born a few days earlier.
Hi Jenny, I went to school with a few people who had a February 29 birthday. I was early, too, and my due date was in early March. 🙂
I enjoyed reading your interview, Narelle. The details about your inspiration and community were lovely-as was the fact that your husband makes you coffee in the morning. Lovely! 😊
Thank you Elaine. My husband is a keeper. 🙂 I believe our writing journeys are richer and more fulfilling if we’re connected into writing communities. Omega Writers Conference is a great way for local writers to meet in person and make those valuable connections.