Christa Parrish – Interviewed

We recently caught up with Christa Parrish, author of Watch Over Me, this month’s featured book club selection, and she gave us a glimpse into her daily life.

Christa, you recently got married and shared your story with us on She Reads. What’s been going on in your life since you said “I do?”

Well, I’ve been trying to finish novel number three, The Air We Breathe, in between waves of morning sickness.  Yes, Chris and I thrilled to be expecting a baby girl in July.  Of course, God’s plans for us are always unexpected, and we have learned our baby has a serious heart defect.  But we also trust – know – that His ways are perfect, and all things work for the good of those who love Him.  So, Chris and I are waiting to see what amazing things the Lord will do through this precious little blessing, and in our lives because of her.

I can’t say I have a typical day.  Since I homeschool my almost 9-year-old son, every day can look very different.  But after praying with Chris and devotions, most mornings start with me checking email, and Jacob doing his independent work in the living room with me.  Then Jacob and I will do some school together, the three of us will have lunch.  After that, Jacob often has co-op or bowling or other activities, so I’m running here and there.  Or, he’ll have an extended play date, and then Chris and I will go to the library to write.  We have family time in the evenings, which could be playing a board game, serving together at the local soup kitchen, baking cookies, or relaxing while watching the Food Network (or, in about a month, Yankees baseball).  I admit, I am not a scheduled person.  But Chris and Jacob love lists, so we’ll all gather on the bed before the day begins and discuss all our “to do’s” for the day, and Jacob will write them all down.  That helps keep us connected and things running smoothly.

Just write when you can, and at the times that work best for you.  I’ve heard stories of mothers who have said the only way they were able to finish their books was to wake up two or three hours before the rest of the family and write.  Yes, like at 4 a.m.  When I first heard that advice, I wanted to give up writing altogether.  I am *not* a morning person.  But, I realized that God has made us all unique, and I needed to find my own writing niche.  However, I also realize that while my best writing time is between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., I rarely get to work then.  So, I take what time I can get, usually late at night, and remember that this is a season.  If the Lord wants you writing books, He’ll sustain you through the not-so-perfect hours of the day when you’re able to find a few moments to jot your thoughts on paper.

Being nominated with authors like Susan Meissner and Jerry B. Jenkins was an absolute honor.  And yes, it did help my confidence a little.  But God also used the nomination to give me a lesson in humility that I keep with me always now.  After my editor, Karen Schurrer, called me to give me the news, I admit I had a *bit* of a, uh, swelled head.  I called my agent to tell him, and he certainly didn’t help quell the swelling.  Literally two minutes after I hung up the phone with Bill, my son shouted, “Mom, the cat puked all over the floor!”  So, there I was, on my knees scrubbing up cat vomit and thanking God for his gracious sense of humor.

I fall somewhere in the middle of those two.  When I begin a book, I have a dozen or so main plot points I want to touch on throughout the story.  But then how I fill in around those is the best part of the writing adventure – I usually have no idea how I’m going to connect the dots.  Those discoveries come as I’m in the moment, and I am often amazed by them.  The plot points are important as they move the story along, but the filling in between is what gives the novels and characters life.

I had just dropped my then-five-year-old off at day camp, and there are these lovely wooded trails behind the YMCA building where I live.  One of my favorite things to do is to jog in the woods, so I popped in my headphones, listening to ESPN radio, and started to run.  While moving through the trails, I noticed something white in a low shrub, with a flesh-colored splotch on it.  For a moment and from a distance, it almost looked like a baby wrapped in a towel.  On closer inspection, I discovered a “Napoleon Dynamite” t-shirt someone had left behind.  But the experience got me thinking: What would I do if that had been a newborn in the weeds?  The story evolved from there.

Maybe not “feel” – but I’d like them to consider how God can use their own brokenness to both draw them to Him and to one another.  That tends to be a vein that runs through all my writing, that He can and does use the imperfections of His people to minister to the church body and to the world.  Good thing…  If He didn’t, none of us would have any place in His plan.  I really just love the idea that God uses His flawed, faithful children to help bring His purposes to pass, both for our benefit and the benefit of others.

I know my novels have themes – all novels do – but I don’t focus on that while I’m writing.  I feel my job is to tell the best story I can.  Because all readers come to books with different experiences, each one will take away something different, and I like that.  I don’t want to try to force readers to feel this way or think that way.  I want my novels to speak to them in the ways they need to be spoken to – that part is up to God.  I just put the words on paper.

What’s next for Christa Parrish Coppernoll?

Well, I hope to begin novel number four soon!  The story is already brewing…