Christian books 101: Who is Anna Schmidt?

November 10, 8:18 AMPhiladelphia Christian Books ExaminerKelly Kiggins-Lund

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New release October 2009! An Unexpected Suitor by Anna Schmidt

photo used with permission of Anna Schmidt

Anna Schmidt is the award-winning author of over twenty works of historical and contemporary fiction. Seaside Cinderella was a finalist for the 2009 Reviewer's Choice Award and for the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Readers' Choice Award. Anna has twice been a finalist for the coveted RITA award for romance fiction and has twice before been recognized by Romantic Times magazine with their Reviewer’s Choice Award.

Who is Anna Schmidt?
I was raised in a town of 3000 souls, the youngest daughter of amazing parents who taught all four of their children tolerance and self-reliance. The church I attended was a ‘Union’ church – Baptist and Presbyterian on alternating Sundays and I attended a Methodist youth program. By the time I got out in the bigger world I was well-prepared for the fascinating diversity of people and places and attitudes. Today those childhood lessons are at the very core of my success. I may be a city girl these days (not to mention a Yankee!) but those roots run deep and hold me firm in any storm.

Where, in the North Eastern region, did you reside?
I grew up in the very southwest corner of the state, near Bristol; went to college in Bristol and once worked as the costume designer for the Barter Theater in Abingdon.

What do you miss the most about living in Virginia?
SPRING!! Here in Wisconsin we tend to have cooler (putting it kindly) days into June and then – boom – it’s summer!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
A lot of my free time activities are a part of my writing routine – while gardening, taking long walks, shelling on the beach in Florida, I am often working through a problem in a current work or thinking of ideas for new stories. When I force myself to stop writing (or thinking about writing) I usually do so through seeing plays and movies, watching sports (HUGE basketball fan!) and just hanging out with the wonderful network of friends we have.

Where do you get the ideas for your novels?
I’ve gotten ideas in all sorts of ways – my belief is that if an author is open to the possibility of the story behind the face or event or news article, the idea will come. There was one case when I even dreamed the idea!

What is your latest release?
Home at Last started with my love for two places – New York City and Nantucket. A lot of my stories revolve around my fascination with how people make it through challenging times without any assurance that there may be a reason for those difficult days and/or better days ahead. In this novel, I wanted to look at multiple generations as they faced a major change in their lives and see how each handled that change in such a way that all came together as a family in the end.

Who is your favorite author and why?
Really can’t choose one – here’s a partial list: Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, William Styron, Wallace Stegner. Each in his or her way is a true teller of stories, weaving characters and plot and setting into a complex maze that keeps readers turning pages.

How did you get involved in writing?
My first memory of thinking, “Hey, this writing thing might be something” was a poem I wrote in Bible School when I was eight. My teacher asked me to read it in church and I thought that was pretty cool. Much later in life I got more serious about the craft when I was awarded a granted from the Wisconsin Arts Board to write a play. After that I just couldn’t seem to stop – even though there were LONG periods when I couldn’t get published – I just kept writing.

What do you enjoy most about the writing process?
Laugh if you like, but I do love the research piece of things and that’s why my first love is writing historical. Equally as thrilling is watching a story come together – the idea that characters take on lives and voices of their own is true and sometimes that leads an author in directions never imagined.

What advice would you offer an aspiring author?
There is only one reason to write: It’s not to be published or for money or fame – it’s because you can’t NOT write.

What are you currently writing?
At the moment I’m finishing up another book for Steeple Hill about a young single mother and a minister who used to be the CEO of a major corporation. It’s set in northern Wisconsin’s lake country and has my usual cast of secondary characters – in my view love does not happen in a vacuum. There are people around to help romance along or just get in the way!

What has God been teaching you lately?
PATIENCE! My husband and I are trying to sell our house – yes, in this market! One huge lesson in that is that I can’t do more than keep the place looking great and hope someone walks through the door and loves it as much as we did. In the meantime God has given me the consolation of letting my gardens be more beautiful this year than I can ever remember == a blessing I wake up to every morning.