Here’s a new book from my fellow Covenant author, Marlene Bateman:
An interview with Marlene:
1. How long have you been interested in writing?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was in elementary school. I think a large part of my wanting to be a writer came from reading so much. As a child, I was a voracious reader. For three years in a row in elementary school, I won the award for reading the most books. And the prize was: A book! I was delighted, of course. Sometimes I wonder if writers are born, because I’ve certainly always wanted to write. However, once I got married, I had to cut back because—let’s face it—you can’t do everything at one time. To everything there is a season. When my children were little, I concentrated on writing for short articles and stories for magazines. Then, as the children got older and I had more time, I started writing books.
2. Tell us about your previous publications.
My first non-fiction book was Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, which is a compilation of true stories about people in early Church history who risked their life in defense of the gospel.
My next three books are also compilations of true stories in early Church History, and are about angelic experiences. The first book is, And There Were Angels Among Them. The second book is, Visits From Beyond the Veil, and the third is; By the Ministering of Angels. Researching and writing these books made me realize how much Heavenly Father loves his children and that He is aware of us and our lives.
I then wrote Brigham’s Boys, which tells the life stories of sixteen men who worked closely with Brigham Young as he brought the Saints across the plains and colonized the Great Basin area.
I had two non-fiction books come out last year. Heroes of Faith is a collection of true stories about people who stood firm in the faith despite mobs, bullets and overwhelming trials. Gaze into Heaven, Near-Death Experiences in Early Church History, is a collection of true, carefully documented near death experience, which occurred to people in the early days of the church.
My first novel, Light on Fire Island, a romance/mystery, came next. My second novel was Motive for Murder, which is the first in the Erica Coleman series.
3. You’ve written both nonfiction and fiction books. Which comes easier for you? Is it hard to switch from one to the other?
For me, writing non-fiction is easier than writing novels. Researching takes a lot of time, but then, I love that part. Since I’ve done a number of non-fiction books, I’ve settled into a comfortable routine. It’s harder to get into a routine with fiction. I’m always striving to come up with an interesting plot, figure out scenes and the characters, and all of that can be stressful. Fortunately, once I get to the revising process, writing becomes easier. I derive a great sense of satisfaction when all the editing and revising makes a polished, intriguing mystery.
4. Tell us about your family. How do they like having a writer in the family?
When my children were little, I wrote for magazines but even so, they had a hard time understanding why mommy was on the computer so much. They were happy for me when I started publishing books, but took it a bit for granted—it was nothing special. Probably this came because they grew up with it. My oldest daughter, who is in her thirties, still hasn’t read any of my novels, though she’s read most of my non-fiction. My sons are proud of me, but are too busy to read my books! Fortunately, I have one daughter who reads everything I write. Yay! My daughters-in-law are proud of me and one day, one of them took her children into Seagull Book. When she pointed out my books on the front table to my grand-daughter, My sweet granddaughter told the employee, “My grandma wrote that!â€
Here are some purchase links:
Amazon:
Deseret Book
Seagull Book
A Death in the Family is available at physical bookstores such as Deseret Book and Seagull Book, as well as other LDS bookstores. Marlene’s website is: www.marlenebateman.info
