Interview with Rachel Hauk, Author of Lost in NashVegas

Q: When did you first decide you might like to become a writer?

RH: I wrote my first book, about a horse, of course, when I was ten, and continued to write in journals for seventeen years. I studied Journalism at Ohio State and was always encouraged by my father to write. He'd say, "Rachel, you're a writer."

I used to tell people I wanted to write children's books. I guess I thought they were easy. Little did I know. After I was married, I took a year off from working and in that time, I started writing an epic WWII novel.

Q: The story of trying to find a career in Nashville is very authentic. Did you have to do a lot of research for this, or did you once have songwriting aspirations of your own?

RH: I had to do a ton of research. At first, it was overwhelming because I had no idea on how to become a songwriter, no idea on how to write songs. I sing and play around on the keyboard, but I am not a songwriter.

I read several books, interviewed half a dozen songwriters and one song publisher. I toured Nashville visiting places like the Bluebird Café and NSAI (Nashville Songwriter's Association International.)

Q: What was your first break into the writing world?

RH: My first break into the publishing world came in Feb 2004 when my first Heartsong romance was released. It was co-authored with Lynn Coleman. She helped open the Heartsong doors for me.

Q: What's the most challenging aspect of writing "Christian Fiction"?
RH: The most challenging aspect is not sounding preaching or religious when trying to create an authentic faith journey for the protagonist. What we say in conversation around the dinner table, or talking with our friends, or even in Bible study doesn't always sound sincere or real in fiction.

The other challenge is the various beliefs and theologies among the different denominations. What one considers acceptable, another doesn't. It's difficult at times to create a real, weak, flawed yet likeable characters who don't offend some reader along the way. I spend a lot of time asking God what He thinks about my characters. My feeling is if I'm found in Him, then so are my characters.
Q: Any musical inspirations that help you write?

RH: While writing the NashVegas books, I paid close attention to the country music industry, but I usually don't listen to music while writing. Music is a powerful emotional venue and it can change what I write and they way I write if I'm not careful.
Q: Given the novel's subject matter, when you go to grab a country CD for the car, who comes to mind first?

RH: Keith Urban. I saw him in concert and just knew he'd want to know about his cameo appearance in Lost In NashVegas, but he couldn't hear me screaming over all the other fans. (snicker)
Q: I see you're doing a "blog tour" of Lost in NashVegas, and of course we've seen the rise of the "Christian Fiction Blog Alliance" and "FIRST Day" tours in the last year. How effective do you think this method of promotion will become in the coming years?

RH: Blog tours have the potential to be a huge marketing tool. It's a powerful way to reach readers, especially the younger ones. The caveat is touring on sites that cater to the same audience so the market area is not expanded. The best sort of blog tour would be to find a good mix of sites, even blogs that don't necessarily have to do with publishing, writing or reading. Perhaps a cooking site or a songwriting site or a NASCAR site. We're going to have to be creative with blog tours in the future or we might end up preaching to the choir.
Q: I see you have a Myspace page. As a Christian, what's your take on Myspace, especially given some of its negative press.

RH: When I joined MySpace, I had no idea of its reputation. I joined because most of the teens in youth church (my husband was a youth pastor for 20 years) had MySpace accounts and I wanted to "hang out" with them.
I also wanted a blog where I could "vent." In the mean time, I discovered MySpace could be a powerful marketing tool. So I wanted to use it for promotions as well as making "Friends.

I like the idea of being there as a Christian, Light in darkness. Too often Christians run from things like MySpace because pornographers hang out there. Well, if we run, who is going to be the light? What if all the Christians went out and created MySpace accounts? I'm sure we would out number the pornographers. Clearly Jesus hung out with the sinners. Why do we think we shouldn't? But, I would say be wise. If you struggle with lust or porn, don't hang out on MySpace. The dating ads alone are embarrassing.
But if you are a strong believer and you want to be a light in cyber world, go for it. I have writer "friends" on MySpace that write books I would not read, but what if they read one of my books and the fragrance of God kisses their heart? That would be a good thing.

Q: Recently, some studies were done (I'm not sure by who, honestly) that showed most readers of fiction, Christian Fiction in particular, are women. Why do you think this is?
RH: In general, most readers are women. Even in the secular market. I think a large part of that has to be with the romance genre. Women like romance. In the Christian market, most of the writers are women, though it's changing and more men are being published. But if you look at the beginnings of Christian fiction, it was a prairie romance. This is a chicken or the egg sort of issue. Which came first? Do we have more women readers because most of the books are romance or women's fiction, or do we have more romance and women's fiction because the readers are women? My husband loves to read, but he like SciFi and space Navy stories. There's not a lot of that being published in Christian fiction.

Q: What's your next project?
RH: In May, Diva NashVegas will be released, the second of the NashVegas books. And I'm currently writing a book for next fall set in the South Carolina low country.

Q: Do you see the Christian fiction market changing any time in the future? Where do you think it's headed?
RH: I think fiction written by Christian authors is some of the best writing out there, period. I would love to see more authors in the mainstream, writing what they write, writing with the same excellence, but reaching a broader audience.

Like the MySpace question, we need to be "out there" being salt and light, spreading the fragrance of Jesus.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors/writers? Which one would you say has been your biggest influence?

RH: My fav authors? Wow, not a fair question. I know so many. They are my friends. So, I'm going to pass on part one, but answer part two. Davis Bunn was my first author-hero. I met him at a conference in '97. It was his first time to teach and my first conference. I really admire his drive and dedication.
He lives in my part of Florida half the year, so I've been able to hang out with him some and it's a great privilege.

Colleen Coble has also been a great influence and help. She's very supportive of new writers and goes the extra mile for those she believes in by talking to editors and agents on their behalf. She's truly a unique mentor.
Q: What's your advice to aspiring writers?

RH: Read. Read. Read. I recently critiqued a manuscript for an aspiring author and the tone of her story did not fit they type of story/drama she was trying to write. I asked her, "What are you reading?" And her answer told me everything. She was reading sweet romances but trying to write a suspense.
So, read books in your genre. Write, write, write.

Also, the best thing an aspiring writer can do is carve out time every day and write. Guard it with your life. I've heard authors tell their kids, "If you're not bleeding and the house is not burning down, do not bother me."
You have to be very aggressive with your time. Writing is hard. It's solitary and any excuse to leave the computer will do. But DON'T do it. Stay there. Set a word count goal and do it.