By Patricia Bradley
Today I'm honored to introduce you to Jerusha Agen who imagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. And she's giving away a copy of her latest release, Hidden Danger!
With a B.A. in English and a background in screenwriting, Jerusha is a speaker, writing instructor, and Fear Warrior who sounds the call to battle against fear in our everyday lives.
Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats. You’ll often find her sharing irresistibly adorable photos of them in her newsletter and on social media.
What has being published taught you?
Where do I start? I’ve learned so much through being published. Mostly, I’ve learned patience, perseverance, and to find my affirmation outside of being published.
During twenty years in this publishing industry, I’ve seen my own career take completely unexpected turns and twists, leaving me flummoxed, disappointed, and elated at different moments. And I’ve seen the same happen to many other authors in their publishing journeys.
The path to publication is rarely straight, easy, or predictable. And it never looks the same as someone else’s journey. But a common denominator for most authors is the need to persevere, have patience, and learn to have a steady source of purpose, whether or not one gets published.
Being published by a major house is often the goal for most authors. We dream of it, thinking that once we reach that point, our troubles will be over, and we’ll finally have “made it.” But the truth is that even if God grants you that dream, you’ll still have to cultivate patience, perseverance, and finding your affirmation and worth in Him.
Because even after the “big” contract, you’ll still need to persevere through criticism and closed doors (the editor’s “red pen” is nothing to sneeze at, and don’t forget the harsh reviews after publication). You’ll still need patience (after the contract, it usually takes a long time to see your book in print, and then there’s the wait for future proposals to be considered, etc.).
And you’ll find that you will still struggle with doubt as a writer and perhaps more personally. The doubts may change (what if readers don’t like my second book as well?), but they’ll still be there, rearing their ugly heads.
But you’ll always have an answer for those doubts if your confidence and worth as a writer and as a person are founded in your identity in Christ and in fulfilling His purpose through your writing.
Panster or Plotter?
Plotter! When I first started out as a writer, I was more of a panstser, making things up as I went along. But I got tired of getting stuck while trying to write and of revising. When I gave plotting and outlining a chance, I discovered I could write SO much faster from an outline, I never got stuck without knowing what to write next, and I got to ditch the frustrating revisions.
But something that I’ve realized recently is that, really, all of us writers are both plotters and pansters, we just use those methods at different points in our creative processes.
Some writers, like me, start with the plotting before we get into the writing. But guess what I’m doing when I’m plotting my novel? I’m making up the story as I go! Yep, we plotters are pansters while we’re plotting.
And other writers, known as “pansters,” do their plotting while they’re writing or even after they write the first draft, when they go back through and rearrange and tweak until they get the story they want. So pansters are plotters during part of their process, too.
Both methods are equally creative and suit different personalities!
Do you do a lot of research? If so, what was your favorite part/place to research?
I’m always surprised by how much research I have to do for my stories, even though they’re contemporary fiction (as opposed to research-heavy historical fiction). For Rising Danger, my romantic suspense novel that released in May, I had to do extensive research of river dams. That proved to be a challenge since much of that information is restricted due to security risks!
For my upcoming release, Hidden Danger (the sequel to Rising Danger), I had to research content like narcotics detection dogs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, fixed-base-operators, charter jets, and more.
I think my favorite research, aside from the always fun K-9 research, was learning about how to survive in freezing winter conditions. Why would I need to know that? You’ll have to read
Hidden Danger to find out! 😉
What would you like readers to know about your story/characters?
I enjoy making my characters as realistic as possible, and that means they always have some significant flaws (like all of us real people, right?). The heroine and hero of Hidden Danger are no exception.
Cora Isaksson seems nearly perfect to everyone who knows her. She’s a mature Christian who strives to live out her faith. She also has a sweet, optimistic personality, with a heart that easily and deeply cares for others.
But even Cora has flaws, and when her brother is put in danger, those imperfections are thrown into stark relief. It turns out, even someone like Cora can have blind spots and can fall into a trap of believing something that isn’t true about herself and God.
The hero, Kent Thomson, is a brooding DEA Special Agent who appears to simply be doing his job—working to bring justice to a drug cartel. But his reasons for doing so are deeply personal and sometimes interfere with his judgment, as well as souring his social skills. Take his first impression of Cora Isaksson. He thinks she represents everything he dislikes and sees as weakness. But it may end up that she holds the key to the freedom and redemption he doesn’t know he needs.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?
Cultivate patience and remember your why. The road to publication as a writer can be long, winding, and full of incidents that seem like setbacks. In reality, though, the “setbacks” are God’s way of making sure you end up at the right destination at the right time.
That’s the reason remembering our why is so important. As a Christian author, I write because God has called me to write. I write the stories I believe He wants me to tell. I write for Him, to live in obedience to Him and to glorify Him. Because that’s my why, I know I can trust Him with the results.
If you’re a Christian writer, the same is true for you, too. The results and purpose of your writing may not look like anything you expect or dream, but they will be exactly what God has planned. And that means, no matter what, God will use your writing for its real and best purpose—to glorify Him.
Whether you’re aiming for traditional or independent publishing, or if you’re just aiming to complete your first story or novel, trust God to enable you to accomplish all you need to and enjoy the journey as you wait on Him and His perfect timing.
What’s next for Jerusha Agen?
I’m excited to be launching my romantic suspense novel, Hidden Danger, on November 8! Hidden Danger is Book One in my new Guardians Unleashed Series featuring the elite women and K-9s of the Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency. Rising Danger is the prequel to this series, but each book stands alone well.
Next up will be writing Covert Danger, Book Two in the Guardians Unleashed Series, set to release in 2022.
You can find buy links for Rising Danger here and pre-order links for Hidden Danger here.
Jerusha is giving away a copy of Rising Danger to one commenter drawn at random. Why do you think getting the research correct is so important to writers? Is it important to readers? Be sure to leave your contact information, i.e. you at whatever emails service dot com
Also, I'm giving away a digital copy of Hidden Danger on my blog, so hop over there and learn more about Jerusha and Rising Danger! Be sure to leave a comment.
