Latayne, describe yourself for our visitors.
I love music, though I’m not musical. My mom was a professional pianist, my husband and son and daughter are wonderful singers, but I guess I’m best at being an audience. I love the music by the singing groups Acappella and Durant, and in the secular realm I think Paul Simon is a genius and love the music of Adele. However, I have to be careful not to listen to music too much or it plays over and over in my mind for days and nights.
We live in a multi-generational house; and my husband and I have shared it with strangers, teenagers, college students, and entire families of other races throughout our 35 years of marriage. It is a place of refuge for many. We have ministered to many hurting people, and I count it a high privilege. I also enjoy having informal writers’ retreats for author friends who need a place to get away to finish projects, or want to work through personal or professional problems with spiritual peers.
How do you find time to connect with God?
I try to get up early in the morning to study and pray. Right now I’m making my way through the Psalms with Spurgeon’s Treasury of David (thousands of pages –it’s taking me years to complete it) and also reading through F. LaGard Smith’s Narrated Daily Bible along with our Sunday evening small group Bible study. I have to make personal Bible study and intensive intercessory prayer a priority, especially with the frequency and duration of our houseguests.
People know that I’m a fulltime writer, and I make no apologies for telling them when dinner will be and to eat anything else they can find until then if I have a deadline.
Who are your favorite authors?
I love Philip Yancey, Frederick Buechner, Annie Dillard, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison, Sharon Ewell Foster, William Faulkner, Sharon Souza, Kathleen Popa, Jennifer Valent, Patti Hill, Debbie Thomas, Bonnie Grove.
Favorite books? I like books by the aforementioned writers. But I also really like murder mysteries. I am always thrilled when I find the rare Christian author who can maintain the level of suspense of the great secular mystery and suspense writers. Maybe that’s why I decided to write one myself, to try to meet that challenge.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
God’s hand has definitely been proactive. My first book, The Mormon Mirage, was actually requested by an author and an editor when I had never published anything except poetry and magazine articles. It stayed in print for over 20 years. Then, last year, one of Zondervan’s senior editors asked my agent Janet Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency if I would consider updating that book. I had been updating and revising it for the past five years, and was able to say, “It’s ready right now.”
Tell us about your current book?
I have two books coming out in April. The Mormon Mirage: A Former Member Looks at the Mormon Church Today, Third Edition is a unique book because it recounts all the reasons why I, as a 21 year old faithful Mormon, left the church I loved – and why three decades later I continue to contrast the Bible’s teachings with the ever-changing doctrines and practices of Mormonism. It is full of hundreds of footnotes and documentation, but also is tender-hearted toward the good things, and good people, of Mormonism. The second book, Latter-day Cipher, will be published by Moody. It is my first novel. The editor called it “the Davinci Code of Mormonism.” It is a suspenseful book that gives an insider’s look at Mormonism, using clues from an alphabet that was used by Mormons during the time of Brigham Young in Utah.
How did you come up with ideas for each book?
Well, as I said, I was asked to write The Mormon Mirage. But I have to give credit for Latter-day Cipher to my husband. We were listening to Dan Brown’s Davinci Code on audiotape and he said, “you can write better than that!” Well, I wouldn’t say that, but I do know a lot about Mormonism’s secrets and was excited to write a suspense novel.
What’s next for you?
I am working on a historical novel. If you’d told me a year ago that I would be writing about ancient Rome, I would have thought you were crazy – or at least mistaken. But I am!
Where can visitors find you online?
Several places! My own Web site is http://www.latayne.com. I blog with six other novelists at http://www.novelmatters.blogspot.com.
I’m also on ShoutLife, Twitter, and Facebook. Finally, some of my more academic writing is at www.representationalresources.com.
Debbie Fuller Thomas March 30, 2009
Thanks for the great interview. Latayne is an amazing writer, and I can’t wait for her book releases.
Patti Hill March 30, 2009
I’ve read the beginning of Latter-Day Cipher, and I want more! Breathless anticipation? Oh yeah!
Bonnie Grove March 30, 2009
Latayne is a scary good writer. Her mastery of words is dazzling. And I’ve read chapter one of her historical novel – I nearly wept from the beauty of her writing alone. And the story is riviting!
Susan Storm Smith March 30, 2009
I have ordered both books, and as a previous Mormon myself, have read much of what is on LaTayne’s website. Her love of people, God, and truth are what bring me to have a great appreciation for her writing.
Kathleen Popa March 30, 2009
I’m a little in awe of Latayne – her mastery of language and emotion, her intelligence make her an exciting new voice in fiction. This is a great interview. Thank you!