Siri, describe yourself for our visitors.
I’m a military spouse, mother, and writer. It doesn’t leave much time for hobbies. I love reading, whether it’s for research or enjoyment. I also fell in love with French antiques when we lived in Paris (1996 – 2000). My husband and I choose to minister as a team; we’ve helped out in Sunday School programs, been involved in youth groups, and taught small groups. Some of my favorite movies include While You Were Sleeping, The Prince and Me, Bend It Like Beckham, Lost in Translation, Amelie of Montmarte, and Ever After.
When I’m listening to a sermon and I’m taking notes, chances are, I’ve just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If I’m nodding my head in response to a really profound statement, I’m probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what my character needs to hear.†When I’m editing my manuscripts, I laugh at the funny parts. And I cry at the sad parts. Sometimes I even talk to my characters. “Okay, Joe. Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking here.†And yes, the characters answer me. I actually hear them talking in my head. The easy part is writing. The hardest part is editing. The worst part is wondering if the books are going to sell.
How do you find time to connect with God?
It’s difficult. I’m a person governed by habit, so every time we move (which with the military is quite often), I have to make new routines for myself. I find in different seasons of life, God speaks to me in different ways and at different times. Some years, I’ve read through the One Year Bible. Other years, I’ve taken part in inductive women’s Bible studies or taught deductive studies.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
I had been writing for 10 years, had written 4 books (the first no one will ever see; the second was Something Beyond the Sky; the third was Christians Should Be More Parisian; the fourth was Chateau of Echoes). I had accumulated 153 rejections from publishers and editors when Harvest House asked if I’d be interested in re-writing my non-fiction ideas (Christians Should Be More Parisian) as a novel. The thought of writing another book without a guaranteed sale was just too much to ask. So I replied. “What an intriguing idea!â€, all the while thinking, ‘Not on your life, buddy!â€
I let the idea drop for a couple months. Then God and I had a little chat. I told him concentrating on the things I didn’t have (i.e. a published book) was destroying the happiness that other parts of my life offered. Although I loved writing, I’d decided that it wasn’t worth the sacrifice. I was becoming bitter and cynical about everything. I told God I’d follow up all the trails I had at that point and that if, at the end, there was no positive response, then I’d consider it a sign and stop writing.
After that conversation, I got back in touch with an agent I’d contacted 4 years earlier. A month later I got an e-mail that he wanted to represent me! And my last trail to follow was the one with the editor at Harvest House who had suggested that fifth story idea (above). I got back in touch with him, scheduled a meeting, and wrote a few sample chapters. They liked what they read and contracted Kissing Adrien and Something Beyond the Sky. Chateau of Echoes was picked up by NavPress because a different author’s book had fallen off their schedule. They needed something fast and my agent sent them my manuscript. My fourth published novel, The Cubicle Next Door, was released in August and the fifth, Moon Over Tokyo, will be released next summer.
Tell us about your current book?
The Cubicle Next Door asks if maybe God has more planned for your life than you do. The protagonist, Jackie (named for Gleason, not Kennedy), is a network administrator and all around computer-guru for the history department at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. One year, the department hires one too many instructors and Jackie’s cubicle is sub-divided. She ends up sharing her space with Joe. Joe is everything Jackie is not: fun, loud, happy, and social.
Jackie is uncomfortable having her space and life invaded and begins to blog her thoughts on a web log she calls The Cubicle Next Door. Her blog gets named as a Top 5 Editors’ Pick on The Web Log Review. And after being featured on a primetime news journal segment as the ‘Ingenue of the Blogosphere,’ Jackie’s site registers as a Top 5 Readers’ Pick too.
As her posts become more intimate, more of an open letter to Joe than a running commentary on what’s wrong with her job, tens of thousands of people begin to read her blog daily, Joe among them. As Jackie and Joe progress from a working relationship to a friendship in which they talk about everything, he begins to suspect the blog is about him. And Jackie is torn between revealing the truth and protecting her heart.
I had a lot of fun writing The Cubicle Next Door because I lived in Colorado Springs and worked at the Air Force Academy from 2000 – 2002. My husband, like Joe, is also an academy graduate, so I was able to weave academy lore into the book.
How did you come up with ideas for your current release?
I’m a character-driven writer, so I don’t engineer plots, I wait for characters to come and tell me their story. I was actually playing with a different story and trying to decide on names for the main characters when the names ‘Jackie’ and ‘Joe’ got stuck in my head. Those names didn’t fit the characters of the story I was working on and I didn’t know anything about them, but I could hear them talking and I decided I wanted to hear what they had to say. I abandoned my original idea and went with them instead.
List your most recent books.
- Kissing Adrien (released July 2005, Harvest House, ACFW Book of the Year nominee)
- Chateau of Echoes (released September 2005, NavPress, Christy finalist)
- Something Beyond the Sky (released January 2006)
- The Cubicle Next Door (released August 2006)
What’s next for you?
I just turned in the manuscript for Moon Over Tokyo, my summer 2007 release. The story centers around Allie and Eric, high school classmates (and enemies) who are suddenly reunited in Tokyo nearly fifteen years after high school graduation. Moon Over Tokyo is a novel that questions stereotypes on many different levels. Filled with exotic sights and sounds, from the din of Tokyo to the temples of Nikko, the shores of Kamakura and beyond, the novel follows Allie as she re-discovers her voice, re-thinks her past, and re-shapes her future.
Where can visitors find you online?
Visit me at http://sirimitchell.com. I’d love to see you there!
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