An Interview with Alice K. Arenz

Today Suspense Sisters is proud to welcome Alice K. Arenz. Alice will give away a Kindle copy of her latest inspirational fiction, A Question of Survival, and one copy of Mirrored Image, a 2011 Carol Award to two lucky readers. But first, the interview:

ME: If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

AA: I’m an introvert who finds it easier to communicate through my writing and email rather than in person.

ME: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any interesting hobbies?

AA: When I’m not writing, I think about how I SHOULD be writing. J (Supposed to say that, right?) Honestly, spending time with my family is always top on my list. I’ve two grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren—two boys and two girls. Being together hasn’t been an easy thing to do these last couple of years, but we’ve adjusted into long phone calls several times a week. As for hobbies, I do a little gardening—mostly pulling weeds. I do enjoy listening to music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, as well as watching old TV programs. If I can find a Rizzoli & Isles, Castle, Bones, or a Monk episode in the evening—that I don’t know by heart!— I’m a happy person!

ME: What was your favorite book as a teen or child?

AA: Books—The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley

ME: Tell us three things about yourself that might surprise your readers.

AA: I’m quirky & have a bit of OCD. It’s not always fun, but it’s true.
Though I no longer have any, I love cats.
I’m a dinosaur—don’t engage in social media except for doing blog interviews, don’t have the latest and greatest (or not so great) computers, or software, and use my cell phone as ONLY a phone.

ME: What genre did you start out writing? Have you changed course? Why or why not?

AA: When I started writing, my preferred genre was mystery/romantic suspense—mostly because that’s what I enjoyed reading. However, even before I was published, I had written the original version of A Question of Survival, although the title was different then. People often say I’ve changed course from the cozy mysteries—The Case of the Bouncing Grandma & The Case of the Mystified M.D.—that were my first published novels. I simply call it going in the direction God’s led me. I mean, cozies aren’t that much different than a mystery/romantic suspense, like Mirrored Image, An American Gothic, and Portrait of Jenny, or my novella, Dark of Night. They still have most of the same elements—and, in one way or another, those elements are carried over into the light, romance novels The Wedding Barter and Hiding From Christmas. I love the surprise of discovery that each genre brings with them. It’s also one of the reasons I created my tagline: Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries, Suspense, Romance, and Women’s Fiction—writing across the spectrum with a Pinch of Humor & a Twist of Faith.

ME: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

AA: If you believe an Amazon review of one of my early books, the answer would be too much religion. Sorry... I’d have to say the toughest criticism would have come eons ago when I was told that I couldn’t have comedy in a “serious” book. At the time, I was trying to break into the romance craze of the Harlequin era. I wasn’t very good at writing, um... sensual scenes, so I chose to create a lead character with a lot of, shall we say, amusing quirks. It didn’t go over well. The best compliment... a couple who came from the Kansas City Northland down to the Plaza to a book signing—at Christmastime, no less. Join that with being honored by American Christian Fiction Writers 2011 Carol Award in Mystery for The Case of the Mystified M.D., and, well, those are some of my best writing memories.

ME: Any other genres you’d like to try? If yes, what and why?

AA: Not really. I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable beyond the genres I’ve already published in.

ME: If you could go back in time and do something differently at the start of your career, what would it be?

AA: To somehow write faster.

ME: What is the most important piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?

AA: To give this some perspective, when I finally determined I was going to reach for my dream of becoming an author, my “school” became every issue of the Writer’s Digest magazine I could get my hands on, as well as books offered through their book club. I read and studied everything I could, going over and over the information before sending out submissions. Despite my best efforts, I still ended up with enough rejection letters to paper the walls—and probably the ceilings—of the small three bedroom house where I lived. It hurt, was sometimes demoralizing, and often had me questioning what I was doing. Yet, amongst all this negativity, one thing kept me going: the belief that God was telling me to never, ever give up. So, if you truly believe this is what God wants for you, then you keep working, continue to learn, and keep trying. And, most of all, listen to His voice.

Wonderful advice, Alice! And if you figure out how to write faster please let me know.

Here's a little information about A Question of Survival: Determined to finally escape her abusive marriage, Jessica Keller drives off into the night only to find herself in white-out conditions, halfway down a mountain road and miles from anywhere. Snowbound, with no chance of rescue in sight, she sets off across a snow-encrusted valley with a few supplies and her small terrier in an old picnic basket. But, it’s not just the frigid weather and quicksand-like snow that present dangers; she’s being stalked by wild dogs—animals whose ferocity are said to be worse than a pack of wolves. Every step she takes leads her deeper and deeper into the Colorado outback, away from civilization, and into the unknown.

Here's a bit of info about the author: Alice K. Arenz has been writing since she was a child. Her earliest publications were in the small, family-owned newspaper where her articles, essays, and poems were frequently included. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Arenz is a Carol Award winner and two-time finalist. She writes “clean” fiction as well as Christian fiction in a variety of genres and lengths.

You can buy A Question of Survival HERE 

Follow Alice at: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-K-Arenz/e/B004DTBXL4

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alice-k-arenz

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3408650.Alice_K_Arenz

Readers ~ please leave Alice a comment for a chance to win a Kindle copy of A Question of Survival. Drawing in one week.   ~ Mary Ellis, Suspense Sisters