Meet Lisa Godfrees | Featured YA Author

About Lisa Godfrees…

LISA GODFREES is a former forensic scientist. Tired of technical writing, she hung up her lab coat to pen speculative fiction while taking classes at Dallas Theological Seminary. Her first manuscript was a 2013 Genesis finalist. Lisa enjoys digging into the Bible to learn more about God, and is passionate about reading and writing young adult science fiction and fantasy. Her goal is to put a new spin on Bible stories to get people, especially youth, interested in reading the Bible.

Follow Lisa Godfrees:

Website: http://lisagodfrees.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaGodfrees

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LisaGodfrees

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lisagodfrees/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LisaGodfrees

What she’s working on these days…

I was told by an agent at the ACFW Conference in 2013 that just because I had finaled in the Genesis contest, not to rush to submit or query my story. The agent told me to take the time to make sure I knew the craft and to submit the best story I possibly could. So for 2014 I have been practicing the craft of fiction by writing short stories.

It’s been a good year for me. So far, I have two short stories published in anthologies, one in a magazine, and two that scheduled to come out either later this year or early next year. Short stories are great because they force me to write a beginning, middle, and end. Turning a story loose, the point at which you decide a piece is done and you’re not going to work on it anymore, is harder than I thought it would be.

Each of my short stories is available as a stand-alone story (e-book) or you can buy the anthology. If you’re interested, I have a list on my website.

Q&A with Lisa Godfrees…

Angela asks, “What advice do you have for newbie writers?”

The things that have helped me the most were finding a mentor, getting into a critique group, and reading books on craft. Without a mentor, I wouldn’t have gotten involved in critiquing as soon as I did or known which craft books were the best ones to read. Having someone to guide and encourage you is a great thing.

Critique is unbelievably valuable. Even before I had anything that needed to be critiqued, I started participating in the main critique loop through ACFW. Reading others’ chapters and seeing what works and what doesn’t is amazing. You might not always know what is wrong with a story, sentence, or paragraph, but you quickly learn what distinguishes good writing from writing that needs work. And participating in the loop allowed me to meet my writing group that I am in now. Hi, Scriblerians!

Tricia M. asks, “How did you create your successful blog?”

I’m not sure *cough* that my blog is successful. LOL You’ll have to check it out and let me know.

I’ve been playing around with blogging for four years now. I’ve tried various things and I keep track of which posts get the most traffic and which are duds. For me, there are two types of posts that people tend to like—author interviews and posts on apologetics. My top three posts to date are an interview with Melanie Dickerson, why Jesus is NOT Michael the archangel (something Jehovah’s Witnesses believe), and whether Mormons are Christian.

Author interviews are fun because I LOVE books and connecting with other authors. It’s one of the biggest perks in being a writer, I believe. As far as the apologetics stuff goes, I didn’t so much seek to write those posts as much as they were put on my heart by God. There are people in the world that are searching for God but they are being deceived. I try to shine Truth hoping those posts might help someone.

Short answer: I post about what interests me thinking that it might attract others who share my interests.

Christen K. asks, “What’s your normal writing day look like?”

*snorts soda out of nose* Normal writing day? Pshaw!

Seriously, my days are so hodge-podge that I fit writing in when I can. If I had any self-discipline, I would get soooo much more done. I try to write during the day while my kids are at school, but that doesn’t always work. I usually find myself parked in front of the computer in the evenings after the kids are in bed (like now). And then it’s hard to get to sleep when my brain is full of story.

Laura P. asks, “Since it’s football season, who is your favorite team?”

Texas A&M Aggies. Whoop! Howdy! Gig ‘em. Beat the hello outta… I bleed maroon and white. 🙂

Seriously. I love college football. We have had season tickets to Aggie football since we graduated, with the exception of one year when we lived out of state. I met my husband at A&M. <3

Zekkaina S. asks, “What is the most unique author experience you’ve had so far?”

Getting that first piece out there where someone can buy it. I’ve written several scientific journal articles and even a book chapter, but fiction is different. Thinking that someone might catch sight of your story and choose to purchase it and read it is amazing. I can’t wait until I have a piece full-length fiction published. That will be exciting. 😀

Thanks so much for taking time to share on the blog today, Lisa. It was such a pleasure to have you!

Please leave a question or comment for Lisa Godfrees below. I know she’d love to hear from you. Until then, happy reading!