The Writer’s Desk with Misty M. Beller
Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.
Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.
Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.
Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.
Connect with Misty on her website, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Q&A with Misty M. Beller
TG: Everyone always asks for an interesting fact, we’re going to flip the question. What is one boring fact about yourself?
MB: It takes me all day to work through my daily Bible reading. I have five kiddos, ages 7 months through 14 years, and it seems like I never get to sit down and focus for very long. I used to try to push through and read even with distractions, but I found myself just reading to get through the text. Now I let myself stop when there are too many distractions, then come back at a quieter time and read again. So…it often takes me all day to make it through my daily portion.
TG: Where did you get the inspiration for Grace on the Mountain Trail?
MB: Great question! In the early 1800s when the book takes place, it was more common than many people realize for men to have a family in the east and a family in the west. Sad, but true. The two families usually didn’t know about each other. As I brainstormed with writer friends about how that could play into a story, the idea for Grace on the Mountain Trail was born!
TG: Do you have any habits or rituals as a writer?
MB: I actually dictate my writing as I walk on our driveway. I’ve found that the movement helps my creativity, plus I get some exercise. A win-win!
TG: What habits would you encourage others to take up to be a more productive writer?
MB: Find your most creative time of day. For me, it’s the afternoon. The words flow so much better from about 2:00 – 5:00 pm, and I can be much more productive! It took trying lots of different times and watching for patterns to learn that fact about myself.
TG: What do you snack on or drink while writing?
MB: Lots of coffee in between writing walks.
TG: How do you overcome writer’s block?
MB: If it’s writer’s block in a particular writing session, usually just brainstorming ideas can help. Or sometimes if I stop writing and do something different when I come back to the story, more ideas are there. Occasionally I need to skip ahead to the next scene to find my rhythm again.
TG: Are you an “edit-as-you-go” writer or do you wait until the very end before you do any editing?
MB: I do like to edit as I go. I always have one pass to clean up my dictation, one pass as the first edit, one pass by my critique partner, then a final read-thru before the book goes off to the editor.
TG: What would you say is the most common mistake new writers make?
MB: So many answers for this one, things like not showing instead of telling and not taking the reader deep enough in the character’s mind. One I think many new writers don’t even realize is that they often start the story in the wrong place. An excellent book that helped me understand this (and many other things!) better is Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. It belongs in every writer’s tool kit!
TG: What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
MB: Not sure if I could pick one best thing! Maybe I can give you a resource instead? I’ve already mentioned Plot and Structure, so the other book that’s been instrumental in helping me learn how to create better stories is The Story Equation by Susan May Warren. This book is SO FULL of good stuff! I use it every time I plot a new story.
TG: What is coming up next for you?
MB: I just started writing Calm in the Mountain Storm, the next book in the Call of the Rockies series. It releases in September, and I’m already LOVING the characters!
Click the graphic below to watch my conversation with Misty M. Beller!
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More about Grace on the Mountain Trail
This epic journey is her last hope to find her lost brother—the only family she has left.
When Lola Carson’s father died, his last words spoke of a half-brother she’d never known about. And now, to claim her own inheritance and come to terms with her father’s secret life, she must find this mysterious man—whose last known whereabouts are somewhere west of the wild Rocky Mountains. After hiring family friends to accompany her on the trek, she sets out for a wilderness few white women have ever seen. She doesn’t expect the majestic peaks to captivate her so, nor the half-dead brave they find on one of the slopes.
White Owl left his village and his broken heart behind when he set out for a fresh start. His newfound faith is the one anchor in his life. He’s desperate to learn more about the God he’s committed to following and become an interpreter for the missionaries who led him to faith. But he barely starts his journey when a hunting accident nearly kills him. The woman who discovers him in the midst of his fevered delirium seems to be a gift from above.
But the more White Owl learns about Lola’s companions and her dangerous quest, the more he realizes his own calling is clear—to take her safely to her brother. The question is, will he have to sacrifice more than his heart to accomplish that goal?
From a USA Today bestselling author comes another epic journey through breathless landscapes and adventure so intense, that lives will never be the same.
Purchase a copy of Grace on the Mountain Trail here.
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