It's All a Matter of "THYME"

Historical writer and renowned author-contributor of many articles over at Today's Christian Woman and elsewhere, Pamela Meyers is here with us to close out the Thanksgiving holidays and take us into the Christmas season. I'm thrilled to get to know Pam a little better here at the blog. I'm sure you will be too as you learn of her books and background and get a chance to win a copy of one of her books for yourselves. What a great Christmas gift that would be for one of you. Let's meet Pam together.

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Pamela S. Meyers currently lives in Arlington Heights, Ill. She served on the Operating Board for ACFW 2005-2009, and is president of her local ACFW chapter. Her debut novel Thyme for Love releases November 14, 2011, and her historical that is set in her hometown, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, will release in June 2012. She has published articles in Today’s Christian Woman, Christian Computing, Victory in Grace, and Ancestry. She is also a contributor in the compilation book, His Forever.

SDC: Welcome to A Pen for Your Thoughts, Pam. Before we get going, what would you say your theme scripture is as a writer? One that explains your  vision and makes it plain to the readers why you write?

Pam: Wow, that’s a good question. I can’t say that I have one scripture that is a theme. One that jumped out at me as I waited for God to move in my writing was Psalm 37: 3-4 in the New King James Version: Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

God gave me this scripture while I was at a writing conference and feeling very discouraged. The bolded words jumped out at me. It was as if God were saying this is where you are for now, but look back at how I’ve been faithful to you. Let that fill you and at the right time, after you have delighted in Me, I will give you the desires of your heart.

SDC:  Oh, I love that. And I can definitely see how God could minister that to you in a special way. Tell us about your publisher now and your experiences in working with them. Please include more about what you have coming out soon.

Pam:  OakTara Publishers is a fairly new small press that is co-owned by Ramona Tucker and Jeff Nesbitt. Both have been in the publishing industry for many years. They are growing and can be checked out at their website: www.oaktara.com . I had a unique experience when after my agent, Terry Burns, told me Ramona wanted to contract me for Thyme for Love, I learned she and Terry would both be at the Write to Publish Conference which is held close to my home. I suggested I come over to the conference for lunch and Terry arranged for Ramona and I to meet. She actually gave my contract at that time and I have a photo of me signing it while Ramona looked on.

SDC: How fortunate that was for you. And there again we see God at work in your life! How else do you thread faith, love, and hope along with the reality of life work together in your stories?

Pam: I try to weave the spiritual thread organically into my stories. The last thing I want is for the thread to be seen as contrived or preachy. My characters struggle with faith and trials and like so many of us, they sometimes lash out at God, but learn through the process that God has their best interests at heart and can be trusted to see them through.

SDC: Such a great way to get the message of your story out to the readers. How long did you have to wait before getting published the first time?

Pam: I first had the seed planted in me that I could write for publication by a writing professor when I was in an accelerated adult program to receive my bachelor’s. That was in the mid 90’s. I dabbled at fiction writing, wrote a few published magazine articles, and then in about 2000 began to seriously pursue fiction publication. So it was basically about eleven years.

SDC:  Never too long a wait -- never too short. Instead, just the amount of time God saw that was necessary. I'm going to switch gears for a moment, Pam. Right now as I ask this question, I have a candle lit at the corner of my desk, and classical music playing in the background. The scent and sound keeps my creative juices flowing, but I have a difficult time sitting all alone for too long at a time before I have to go say hello to my husband. Does a room or special place or thing play any part in your story writing and how?

Pam: Ever since I contracted I saw a need as never before to have a home office that was functional. I had a small corner of my bedroom set aside with a computer desk and a file cabinet. But I hated sitting there and ended up doing most of my writing on my couch. A couple months ago I decided to turn my dining area into an office and got rid of my large dining table, replacing it with a small drop-leaf. I actually love having more the feel of a office and have been able to develop a stronger work ethic by actually “going to work” every morning and working until late afternoon. I do take a break to exercise and/or run errands about midday.

SDC: How does your family and the ministry with your church correspond with your time to write and do research for writing?

Pam: I am single and both my parents are deceased. So I am not distracted by demands of family, but I have a lot of writer friends and church friends. I am blessed in that way and my friends do respect my writing time and basically “leave me alone” to do it when asked. I’ve been so swamped lately with marketing my new book and editing another book from Summerside Press called Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (my hometown) that will be out in June, that I’ve had to step back from one of the ministries I’m involved in at my church. Hopefully, that’s temporary.

SDC:  I'm blessed to hear how your church friends respect your time. So often, people do not realize that writing time is not always an easy process, and it does take a considerable amount of our day. We very much need that to be able to do the work we've been contracted to do. What question would you like one of our viewers to answer to help me select the winner of your newest book coming out?

Pam:  What is your favorite genre of fiction to read?

SDC: Thanks so much. Please include your URL and where people can find your books.

Pam: You can read about me at my blog/website: www.pamelasmeyers.com . Right now it’s my blog only, but I am hoping to get material from my website moved over to it soon. Also you can check out my book trailer for Thyme for Love at: http://www.youtube.com/user/writerwoman44?feature=mhee

Thyme for Love can be purchased at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Please note that Amazon is currently stating the book will not ship for 6-9 weeks. This is in error. Amazon does have books We are working to get that corrected. Kindle and Nook editions will be out in a couple weeks.

BE SURE TO DROP IN A COMMENT. LET PAM KNOW WHAT YOUR FAVORITE GENRE OF FICTION IS TO READ. BE SURE TO LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS. I HOPE TO DRAW YOUR NAME IN A FEW DAYS.

Congratulations to Bethany Schweitzer of Columbus, OH. Your book is on its way!