Interview Archives
Welcome
Teryl,
Thank you for taking this
time to give us an interview.
Can you tell us a bit about who you are, and where you’re
from?
I am a both a writer and a teacher. I’ve held jobs as a
reporter, secretary, substitute teacher and curriculum
writer—and most importantly, wife and stay at home mom. I
have been fortunate enough to reach some of my goals and
crazy enough to dream up some bigger ones for the future.
I was born in Texas and live in Pennsylvania. I have
lived in several small Pennsylvania towns and am grateful
for all the friends I have in them.
Teryl, you have a book being released from Vintage
Romance Publishing December 30 called A Sensible Match,
can you tell us what inspired you to write this book?
As a pastor’s wife it was fun to take every stereotype
of pastors and their spouses and try to twist them in
unexpected ways. I wanted to write a humorous romance
like Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer, but then add an
inspirational element since faith is such a big part of my
life and that of my fictional characters. Many
inspirational books have a Christian fall in love with
someone who is not a Christian and then all their problems
are solved when that nonbeliever finds Jesus. I wanted to
explore romance between two very devoted Christians and
see how their call from God affects their relationship. I
felt it was important to show that people of faith face
similar problems and insecurities like any other courting
couple. I tried to write about how relationships develop
and intertwine with faith. I think it is quite a blessing
to have a book out barely a year after it was accepted and
hope my readers appreciate the work and fun I put into the
book.
Do you have another
book that will be coming out in the near future?
Not yet, but my fingers are crossed because I have
recently sent out two more book proposals for
consideration.
According to your website
you also write plays and have one called Good Friday
Grace that has been accepted by Contemporary Drama
Service. What got you started in writing plays and can you
tell us a little bit about this play. Do you know when it
will become available and where it will be playing?
Good Friday Grace has just been published and should be
available for purchase from
www.christianplaysandmusicals.com in 2008. It
is a Lenten play about the various objects that were part
of Good Friday such as Jesus’ crown, nails and cross. God
inspired me to imagine what it would be like to be the
maker of each object and think about how these “gifts”
were given to Jesus when he gave so much to us in return.
For instance, if you made the robe that Jesus wore and
that the soldiers were gambling over, how would you feel
to see that you gave Jesus mockery when he gave you
mercy? As far as when I started writing plays, I have
been blessed with the chance to write several of my
church’s Christmas plays for kids over the years. We
sometimes had unusual numbers of kids or different
circumstances in which we couldn’t find any published
plays to fit us, so I got the chance to make up plays that
suited our needs. It was learning on the job and really
helped me find ways to make dialogue more realistic in
all my writing—kids are the most truthful actors so if
what they say doesn’t sound right, the words need changed
not the acting.
We know that you write
plays, do you also act in plays?
I haven’t acted in plays outside of church since high
school. I played a part in my Good Friday Grace last year
and have done my own monologues of Susanna Wesley and Mary
Magdalene for some women’s groups, but most of my plays
have had parts for my family members or friends instead.
According to your Bio you
have way too many pets. How many pets do you have?
At the moment we have six—two dogs, two cats, a rabbit
and a horse. We used to have some fish too, but they
didn’t survive very long, despite our best efforts.
How has being a mother affected your writing career?
It has made me a better, much more well-rounded and
patient author. If you can write after putting the kids
to bed and keeping up with the house, then you can conquer
the world! Kids teach you persistence and they have a
creativity that you can only hope to emulate. Being a mom
meant a chance to play again and go through a second
childhood of mind and attitude. That wonder and
excitement and just the plain chance to laugh out loud
every day makes my writing so much more “real”. Your
stories become for your kids and actually end up becoming
like your kids—unpredictable, joyous and beyond all you
can imagine.
Is there anyone in your
life that supported you or inspired you to write?
My late husband, parents, kids and all my family—both
church and extended.
If there was one thing in
life that you could go back and change, what would it be?
My perspective pre-2006. Before my husband was
diagnosed with and died of cancer (in less than a year), I
would let small stuff like rejection letters get to me.
After watching how he helped others even when dying and
how he gracefully handled all the vile stuff cancer does,
I learned how to be so much more appreciative of every
blessing and all the ways God is with us. My husband was
so wonderfully awesome and I learned so much from him. I
hope that I continue to recognize and remember what is
truly important in life because perspective makes all the
difference when you face new obstacles in living.
What advice would you give to new writers out there?
Even if you don’t have support, you have to keep
trying. The dreamer who is also a doer is the rarest of
writers but something anyone can become. If the book
isn’t finished, finish it. If the book isn’t sent out to
a publisher, send it. And if it comes back with a
rejection letter, sent it back out again. And Again. AND
AGAIN. Your book will find a home if you don’t give up on
it or yourself.
When you write your
books do you have a message that you want to send?
I want people to see how belief in God is integral and a
natural, special part of life. That you don’t lose your
sense of humor or stop making mistakes when you answer
God’s call to believe in him. That God gives us all a
unique voice to share and our own individual call to
ministry after our primary call to join him.
What are your plans for 2008?
I have a few magazine articles in the rough draft stage
to go out in early January before I have a lot of book
talks scheduled. I’ve been asked to prepare curriculum
conference wide for central Pennsylvania United Methodist
middle school students interested in exploring the call to
ministry--in order to continue my husband’s legacy.
And--I also plan to send out at least three more book
proposals in the next few months including the sequel for
A Sensible Match. That way I’ll have a lot of
reasons to keep checking my e-mails and mailbox.
Do you have anything else
you would like to share with your readers?
Everyone can write and everyone should. Creativity is a
daily exercise, not an optional part of life. And I want
to take this chance to thank you readers for sharing your
time and for letting me be a part of your life as you are
now a part of mine. God bless!
Teryl, I want to
thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to
give us this interview.
Here is a list of places
you can visit Teryl on the web at.
www.terylcartwright.com
Myspace
Bebo
The Authors Lounge
Don’t forget to purchase
A Sensible Match coming for Vintage Romance
Publishing December 30, 2007
Interviewed by Patty Foltz
The Authors Lounge
