Author Interview: RJ Thesman

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Hey RJ! Thanks for joining me today. I’m glad you are taking a little time out of your day to hang out. Let’s start with a few easy questions.

When you are writing, what are you drinking? Hot tea, usually green ginger but sometimes chai

Do you have any pets? One spoiled cat

Beach or mountains? Mountains, particularly in and around New Mexico

PC or Mac? PC

What was the last book you read? “Calling Me Home” by Julie Kibler

Now, let’s get into some more detail!

What author(s) has/have really influenced you? From the beginning, Louisa M. Alcott. I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since childhood and reading her entire series of Little Women / Little Men. Since then, T.Davis Bunn, Anne Lamott, Kathleen Norris, Elisabeth Elliott, CS Lakin, Dallas Willard, Willa Cather, Rachel Held Evans, Kristin Hannah. Can you tell I’m a prolific reader?

Reading is so important to good writing. Quite the list you have here. I’m impressed.

When did you start writing? As soon as I learned the alphabet.

Why do you write? Can’t help it. Can’t stop. A higher goal is that I want my words to make a difference.

Beautiful.

What does your family think of your writing? They are supportive although I don’t know how many of them actually read my books. My son does read my blog posts and keeps tabs on my reviews.

How did you come up with the title for your book? Most of the time, I know my titles at the beginning – when I first come up with the idea. For No Visible Scars, that title came from the life coaching and counseling I was doing with abused women – b/c so many of their scars are invisible.

Wow, that is incredible. I have so many thoughts about invisible scars. I am excited to read

your book.

Share an excerpt from one of your stories (make sure to tell us which one and include a buy link).

From No Visible Scars: https://amzn.to/2J2b4rj

“Maybe it was time to leave Nate or at least threaten to leave him. Other women did it. But Nate wasn’t mean all the time. Maybe the pressure at the office caused him to yell at

her and call her names. What was it Jubilee said in the Boundaries class? ‘Women fall into the cycle of abuse and feel powerless to stop it. Women live in denial, afraid to face the truth.’ Did Abigail just throw up a bunch of denial in the bathroom sink?”

Readers – follow the link above and get a copy of RJ’s book today.

How does your faith influence your writing? Since God is the creator, I depend on him to help me come up with ideas, then develop them all the way to publishing. I do not call myself a Christian writer, but a writer who is a Jesus follower. This is because I don’t want to fall into the formatted sameness of so much of the Christian writing world. I want to reach people beyond the choir.

My heart just squeezed. I am of the same mindset, but I had not carried it to the rewording of writer that follows Jesus. You just helped me so much! Thank you.

What do you hope readers gain from your stories? Hope. Without hope, we cannot live. In everything I write, whether fiction or nonfiction, there is a thread of hope.

And I save the best two for last:

What is your dream writing space and do you have it already? My dream is what I would call a “study.” I saw my dream in another writer’s house – and immediately began to covet it. This space has built-in bookshelves, lots of windows, plenty of room for a “thinking couch,” a vast writing space and ergonomic keyboard as well as the ability to raise up the desk for stand-up writing. All decorated in my colors. One bookshelf is dedicated to my books and the books I have helped my clients publish. When I do videos from my “study” it will be beautiful but also very obvious I am a writer.

I don’t have it yet, but I actually pray about it often.

You have my prayers, too. For your writing, for your readers, and for your dream space.

Where would you go, for how long, and what would you work on if you received an all-expenses-paid writer’s retreat? I absolutely love the Santa Fe/Taos area of New Mexico. I would go there for at least 2 weeks – to a B&B close to town where I could walk to the Plaza for thinking and write at my leisure. I would work on the next idea I am developing for a novel. I would also love to meet with Julia Cameron and Natalie Goldberg for feedback on the novel. They both live in Santa Fe.

I love this.

Blurb for the book you want to highlight today: “Should Abigail commit a crime? Nothing terrible. Just enough to get her safely locked up. Far away from her destructive marriage. She doesn’t want to admit it’s domestic abuse, but all the signs indicate she’s a victim. Because her scars are invisible, no one can see the damage inside. No one will believe her. Nine years of marriage to a church leader and a successful businessman. A good man. Then why is she so afraid?”

Bio: RJ Thesman is an author, writing coach and editor. She has published 16 books, both with traditional publishers and Indie. She also has 800+ articles in her writing resume. Thesman lives in the heartland of Kansas with her grown son and a spoiled cat. She loves reading, cooking, gardening, and eating anything with blueberries.

Where can we find you online?
Website and blog:  https://RJThesman.net
YouTube Channel: Coaching for Writers https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj4ngAzD-48seT-VUsJZ4fw
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/RJ-Thesman/e/B008WDYJ0E
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/RJThesman/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RJThesman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccajthesman/

Thank you for spending time with me today! It’s been a pleasure having you on the blog and getting this interview with you. Do you have any final words for our readers? Just the final way I always sign off on videos and emails: “Keep Writing. Your Words Matter.”