10 Questions for Wanda Dyson.

10 Questions for Wanda Dyson.

Wanda Dyson is an author and a Christian counselor who specializes in helping women recover from depression, anxiety, rejection, and the long-term effects of sexual and physical assault. She lives in Frederick County, Maryland.

1. Tricia.. Hi Wanda, I read on your website, “I never started out to write suspense.” What did you start out to write? How did your plans change?

Wanda.. I started out to these thought-provoking, issue-driven general fiction novels. I have about 5 or 6 of them stuck away in a filing cabinet. Then a publisher wanted Abduction which wasn’t written yet, so when it went to contract, surprising me with a 90 day deadline, I had to hurry off to write it. It came out more of a page-turning, high octane police thriller and the editor liked it so much, she wanted me to write more of them. When you’re just getting started and an editor tells you that you’re a natural with thrillers, you grab it gratefully and run off to write another one. 🙂

2. Tricia.. I see you’ve been part of numerous writer’s conference this year. What is your most humorous conference experience?

Wanda.. I’m usually “all-business” when I’m at conferences — taking care of appointments, running off to teach classes, then rushing back to meet with writers, critiquing manuscripts, etc. On the last day of ACFW in Dallas, there was a book signing event and I had been so wrapped up in setting up the appointment schedules before heading off to Dallas, that I had totally forgotten about it. And then suddenly, here I was sitting there, watching people setting up their tables with pretty decorations and candy and cookies and bookmarks and buttons. Something just came over me… I threw caution to the wind and decided time for “business” was over and it was time to have fun. I went running around to everyone’s table and collected little bits and pieces from all the other writers and used it to set up my table… and when people would come by, I’d offer them something from Susan Warren or Lena Dooley or Kristin Billerbeck or Cathy Hake and told them I’d be glad to sign Susan’s name, Lena’s name, Kristen’s name, etc… we were all laughing so hard and I just had a ball goofing with everyone. And the girl that shared the table with me had brought this beautiful beaded scarf that her aunt had made for her. I told every person that came up and remarked on its beauty that I had made it… which would send this girl into stitches.. (I wish I could remember her name) and then she would tell them no, her deceased aunt had made, to which I would reply.. “I look pretty good for being dead, don’t I?”

3. Tricia.. Why do you recommend that new writers attend conferences?

Wanda.. New writers are so isolated from what writers are . What I mean is, we have family and friends, but we never quite “fit” because we are purveyors of the imagination and the tellers of stories. You walk into a writers conference and suddenly you realize that you really aren’t so “different” after all. You are part of a big family of purveyors and tellers and dreamers and “quirky” personalities that don’t think it’s the least bit unusual to talk to your characters or to stare into space for hours with a blank stare and when asked what’s they’re doing, reply “working.” You come to a conference and you are embraced for all that you are and celebrated for it, not looked askance for it. You find friends to brainstorm with, cry with, rejoice with. You build relationships with editors and agents and writers from every genre. It sends you home with a deeper understanding of just what it is the Lord has called you to do… and to be.

4. Tricia.. Of course, your writing that has gained the most attention lately is your non-fiction project, Why I Jumped . Can you tell me a little about this project?

Wanda.. In July of 2004, I was watching the news and I saw this incredible footage from a police dash-cam of a woman walking over to the edge of a bridge and jumping off… and this police officer racing over to her, thrusting out his hand… and snagging her wrist in what was nothing less than a miracle of split-second timing. I remember thinking that if he’d just fumbled with his seatbelt… or had parked three feet further away…that woman would be gone. A year later, my agent called me and asked me if I’d be interested in writing the story. I was a little confused, to be honest. Why a suspense writer for a non-fiction story? Luckily for me, they wanted a writer that could create all the page-turning elements of a good novel, and at the same time, use the experience of a tender touch in ministering to the wounded to help bring Tina through the re-creation of a past best forgotten. The more I dug into the story, the more convinced I was that it was more than a story about post-partum depression or child abuse. It was a story of God’s grace. And the incredible lengths He will go to in drawing us closer to Himself. The result landed the book on the Oprah Show and Good Morning America.

5. Tricia.. So, what surprised you most about being on Oprah?

Wanda.. Being there! LOL…. Seriously, though…everything about it was fascinating to me… the way they stoke up the audience before Oprah comes out, the way the cameras are set up, the stage, the lights.. seeing Lionel Ritchie and BeBe Winans! I was surprised Oprah really didn’t interact much with the audience–she came out, did the show, thanked us for being there and left. I guess I expected a little more, but I’m not sure why I expected that. But the biggest surprise was the security. They took our purses, searched them, removed all cameras, cell phones, etc, made us walk through metal detectors, and then gave us claim tickets for the possessions they would hold until after the show. And I thought airport security was tight!

6. Tricia.. Limo or horse-drawn carriage?

Wanda.. Which do I prefer? Or which am I? LOL… both would probably be horse-drawn carriage. I mean.. what else would a woman that owns 14 horses say?

7. Tricia.. If you could choose one of your books to be made into a major motion picture, which book would you choose? Who would you pick to play your main characters?

Wanda.. Abduction … Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean) for Zoe, Owen Wilson (Behind Enemy Lines) for Donnie Bevere, and John Cere (The Marine) for JJ.

8. Tricia.. When you pick up a novel, are you swept away . . . or do you read to learn?

Wanda.. I hope to be swept away, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen nearly as often as I’d like it to. Mostly, I pick it apart and learn from it.

9. Tricia.. Tell me about your favorite season and what you see outside your window during this season.

Wanda.. Spring is my favorite season. I often sit here in my office and stare out the window… the three board white horse fencing that needs painting again this year, the hyacinths in full bloom like a bright yellow cloud hovering around the fence, the horses grazing in the pasture–the older ones trying to ignore the young ones running around, kicking up their heels in the pure joy of warm weather and green grass to graze on, a barn cat stretched out in the sun by the barn, sloping green hills and the soft white apple blossoms drifting down like snow past the window.

10. Tricia.. What helps you most when you’re under deadline?

Wanda.. The deadline. 🙂 and caffeine. I’m one of those that work best under the pressure of a deadline. I keep promising myself that next time, I’m NOT going to wait until the last minute to write the book, but somehow, life gets in the way until the deadline becomes this looming monster sitting on my desk, ticking like Big Ben.

Thanks Tricia!!!!
Wanda Dyson
www.WandaDyson.com
2006 ACFW Book of the Year Finalist – Suspense
Keep Me In Suspense…with Wanda Dyson Novels
Available at your local or online bookstore
http://www.keepmeinsuspense.com/